Vol 97 (2016)

This analysis considers aniconic rhetoric in Hosea, Second Isaiah, and Ezekiel, in order to assess commonality and difference with respect to prophetic and priestly perspectives of the divine image because interpreters draw on the prophetic literature in discussions of the thought of Gen 1,26-27. There is greater similarity in thought between Second Isaiah and Gen 1,26-27 as well as greater tension between Ezekiel and the first imago Dei passage than accounted for previously, and almost no commonality with Hosea. Furthermore, the prophets diversify the number and type of divine images as a means to resist idolatry.

In Hosea 3 we find a reflection on the situation of the Northern-Israelites after the destruction of Samaria. The text, except for some slight additions, was originally composed shortly after 720 BCE by Northern Israelites and is part of an early composition of Hosea-materials. The fall of the Northern Kingdom is caused by the crimes denounced by Hosea and brought about by the divine judgment he had announced. The events therefore confirm Hosea’s prediction. Israel’s punishment is interpreted as an educational trial meant to make Israel return to YHWH. Hence, there is hope for restoration and a better future after the judgment.

Very few scholars have analyzed the image of God in 3Macc, and studies of the narrative unfolding of this picture are nearly completely missing. This article examines the structure of the plot and the main characters in order to show that in the four "Erzählbögen" present in the narrative the central opposition is not that of King Ptolemy versus the Jewish people, but that of King Ptolemy versus the God of the Jewish people. At the end of the account -- and this is the event with the highest degree of "Ereignishaftigkeit" -- King Ptolemy acknowledges the power of Israel's God.

The Lukan Sondergut develops its soteriology by narrating encounters inside a triangular spatial structure. Several important pericopae make use of a recurring scheme: salvation takes place in the encounter between the sinner and Jesus/God. The Pharisees who distance themselves therefrom are called upon to learn a lesson from the sinners and to share in the joy that results from the return of the lost one.

This contribution investigates the role of the reader in character studies of the Johannine Pilate. It contends that every characterization of Pilate is determined by narrative gaps, because they give occasion for different ways of interpreting Pilate’s words and deeds. The potential meaning of the text is always actualized by our act of interpretation. This revelatory dimension of the text is valuable in itself, and therefore should be considered as a secondary criterion for evaluating interpretations of the Johannine Pilate. In the second part of this contribution, we illustrate how this can be done for Pilate’s question of truth.

Scholars have long debated whether "caris" in 1 Pet 2,19-20 should be understood as the unmerited favor which is divinely bestowed upon those who please God, or whether it represents a human action that secures a favorable response from God. What interpreters have continued to overlook, however, are the ancient social dynamics which underlie this passage. By interpreting "caris" within the framework of reciprocity and gift-exchange in the Greco-Roman world, this study brings fresh perspective to a problem which has long divided scholarship, and also suggests a new direction for understanding the letter's theology of suffering.

2 Sam 6,2 raises both textual and literary questions. On the textual level, no witness provides the original reading, since all the readings are the result of a literary development. However, the LXX of 2 Sam 6,2 is later than the MT since it depends partially upon it. The reading of 4QSam^a does not depend upon the MT of 2 Sam 6,2. Instead, it may have originated from the MT of 1 Chr 13,6 with which it shares literary concerns. Moreover, the presence of the name Baal in a verse concerning the ark of God may explain textual changes not only in the MT but also in the LXX.

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