Papers by Nicholas J Ellis
Tradition and Transformation: Dissent and Consent in the Mediterranean, edited by Mihail Mitrea (Kiel: Solivagus- Verlag), 2016
This essay will examine how cosmology and biblical interpretation provide a nexus point for tradi... more This essay will examine how cosmology and biblical interpretation provide a nexus point for tradition and transformation across Jewish literature from early antiquity. Across the ancient Mediterranean world authors recognized and resisted a popular tendency to hold God responsible for trials and therefore to place God himself under indictment. Though the surrounding polytheistic cultures allowed for various divine figures to play the role of judge, defence council, and prosector, within Jewish monolatry however a single God who retains all of these functions within the divine law-court proved religiously problematic. Already in the later sections of the Hebrew Bible this tension is felt (e.g., 1 Chronicles 21:1 as it reworks 2 Samuel 24:1–25), and Second Temple literature would continue to use the divine courtroom to address questions on the equity and propriety of God’s judgements.
Authoritative Texts and Reception History, 2017
The influences that guide modern Christian thought on trial and temptation are varied and multi-l... more The influences that guide modern Christian thought on trial and temptation are varied and multi-layered, both conscious and subconscious. For example, along with the influence of certain Biblical statements statements (e.g., Paul’s assurances that believers will not be “tested beyond their are able,” Satan as Tempter and Enemy; cf. 1 Cor 7:5, 10:13; Eph 6:12; also the devouring lion of 1 Peter 5:8), the reception and development of these concepts within post-biblical literature from Boethius to Marlowe and from Milton to Al Pacino have fundamentally shaped how we think about the process of evil. This reception and reworking of biblical thought has contributed to a mythological, theological and cosmological framework of testing that informs the roles of God, Satan, and the human nature. But what of those texts and communities that predated these medieval and modern influences? To what texts, traditions, myths, and stories did Jews, including the early Christians, turn to explain a framework for testing and temptation? In this paper, I examine how the Abraham and Job testing narratives provided a hermeneutical touchstone for ancient explanations of biblical testing and temptation, and examine a possible example of one such reading from the New Testament.
Evil in Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity, 2016
In this paper, I will examine whether the Epistle of James exhibits a coherent theology of evil. ... more In this paper, I will examine whether the Epistle of James exhibits a coherent theology of evil. This investigation will proceed in the light of the broader theological discourse available to early Judaism, including early Christian thought, by focusing on the human, divine, and other cosmic roles of evil available to those sources. I will place the Epistle of James and its theology of evil along a spectrum of cosmic approaches that focused on the question of divine agency of evil, more specifically the role of the divine tester. Jewish perspectives range from internalising the source of evil within the person to the exclusion of external cosmic forces, to externalising the role of supernatural forces such as Satan and demons while limiting human ability, to attempts to unify these two extremes. I will argue that these ancient Jewish texts show a keen sensitivity to how variations within this system affect the cosmic fabric.Within this model, I will argue that the Epistle of James displays a coherent and indeed profoundly Jewish theological framework for the experience, governance, and agency of cosmic evil.
Journal of the Evanglical Theological Society, 2016
Verbal systems can give prominence to tense, aspect, or mood. The morphology of the verbal system... more Verbal systems can give prominence to tense, aspect, or mood. The morphology of the verbal system within biblical Greek provides important evidence to suggest that Greek is an aspect-prominent language, though one that also incorporates tense within the indicative mood. Certain traditional grammatical labels inappropriately treat Greek as though it were instead a tense-prominent language like English (e.g. the use of " present " or " tense formative " outside of the indicative mood). We need to reform our descriptive labels and general conception of Greek accordingly. In doing so, the simplicity and beauty of the Greek verbal system emerges, offering pedagogical advantages for teachers of Greek and challenging exegetes to properly account for Greek's particular configuration of tense, aspect, and mood.
Does God test His people? Nicholas Ellis examines the interplay between theological conviction an... more Does God test His people? Nicholas Ellis examines the interplay between theological conviction and biblical hermeneutic, starting from the Epistle of James, and opening into a wide-ranging study of ancient convictions and hermeneutics in Jewish and Christian literature.
Book Reviews by Nicholas J Ellis
Journal of Theological Studies, 2013
SCOT MCKNIGHT’s recent addition to the NICNT commentary series on the Epistle of James offers the... more SCOT MCKNIGHT’s recent addition to the NICNT commentary series on the Epistle of James offers the reader the combination of a traditional historical approach to James with a provocative departure from standard, conservative socio-religious assumptions.
Constantine Campbell’s Advances in the Studies of Greek provides for biblical scholars a unique, ... more Constantine Campbell’s Advances in the Studies of Greek provides for biblical scholars a unique, helpful, and even essential introduction to the field of New Testament exegetical philology. The summaries of current literature in biblical studies are excellent, especially the chapters on Levinsohn and Runge. Care should be taken to read the chapters on linguistics with a critical eye. Overall a good resource for students looking to access scholarship on Koine Greek.
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Papers by Nicholas J Ellis
Book Reviews by Nicholas J Ellis