Beverly Roberts Gaventa

Neither height nor depth: discerning the cosmology of Romans

Although the term cosmos in Romans is largely used in a neutral fashion to refer to humanity, as has been demonstrated by Edward Adams, the cosmos is nevertheless the location of a conflict between God and anti-God powers, most prominently the powers of Sin and Death. This conflict comes into view in Pauls repeated use of the language drawn from the arenas of slavery, statecraft and the military (especially in Romans 5–8). In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Sin and Death are themselves defeated (5:12–21; 6:8–11), but they are not yet destroyed. The conflict continues in the present as comes to expression in Romans 8, where Paul claims that the whole of creation (both human and non-human) waits for deliverance. And the conflict continues especially in 8:31–9, with its strong assertions that no power is powerful enough to separate humanity from its rightful Lord, assertions that would be unnecessary apart from the conviction that there are indeed anti-God powers whose goal is to reclaim human lives. Pauls cosmology, then, is less concerned with the order and wonder of the cosmos than with its need of redemption, a redemption begun but not yet complete. Cosmology and soteriology are inextricably connected to one another.

Is Galatians just a guy thing? A theological reflection

Is there “good news” for women in Galatians? The letter points to Gods new creation, which liberates both women and men from their worlds of achievement and identity. The most important thing to be said about us is that we are “in Christ.”

The cosmic power of Sin in Paul's letter to the Romans: Toward a widescreen edition

Pauls letter to the Romans depicts Sin as one of the anti-God powers whose final defeat the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantees. The framework of cosmic battle is essential for reading and interpreting this letter in the life of the church.

Seeking the Identity of Jesus: A Rejoinder

Bauckham’s response, while focusing on the historical dimensions of Jesus, is right to raise the question of the meaning of ‘identity’. It perhaps invests too much confidence, however, in memory and recollection. Riches’ thoughtful unpacking of some of the tensions in the volume nevertheless downplays the apocalyptic and the narrative contours of Paul’s thought. While Riches’ call for a wider global view might offer fresh perspectives on the situation of poverty in Jesus’ own context, it would hardly enable us to relativize the demonic realm. Seeking the Identity of Jesus calls for an epistemological approach that recognizes not only ‘the historical nature of theological truth’ (Riches) but also the theological nature of historical truth.

Preaching as the Re-reading of Scripture

Preaching involves re-reading scripture. Guided by a texts codes, movement, and location, and attentive to the traction between text and reader, preachers re-present or re-enact the text in the presence of the worshiping community. Such an approach places both scripture and sermon in their native habitat-the worship of the people of God.

Pentecost and Trinity

Luke’s story of Pentecost gathers into itself many biblical motifs having to do with the work of the Spirit, which creates and re-creates communities of faith, even if it remains out of their control. Trinity Sunday returns us to the richness of Scripture’s reflections on God, where we find the constant feature to be the claim that, in all God’s doing, God acts for us and for our salvation.

A Review of “Body and Character in Luke and Acts: The Subversion of Physiognomy in Early Christianity”

Mikeal Parsons’ engaging and instructive new book argues that Luke draws on ancient physiognomy to present certain of his characters and that Luke does this to subvert ancient assumptions about the ways in which appearance reveals moral character. The subversion derives from Luke’s understanding that the new community is to be radically inclusive, one that reaches out to those who have been ostracized because of their appearance. The first two chapters of the book introduce physiognomy in Greek and Roman literature and practice, then discuss the awareness of physiognomy in early Jewish and Christian literature. According to one tractate (Physiognomica, attributed to Aristotle), the specialist in physiognomy studies “movements, shapes, colors, and traits as they appear in the face, from the hair, from the smoothness of the skin, from the voice, from the appearance of the flesh, from the limbs, and from the entire stature of the body” (p. 22). Because “soul and body react on each other,” one may study the body to analyze the internal character. So Aristotle can write that “when men have large foreheads, they are slow to move; when they have small ones, they are fickle; when they have broad ones, they are apt to be distraught; when they have foreheads rounded or bulging out, they are quick tempered” (p. 21). The heart of Parsons’ study lies in his examination of four stories in Luke-Acts: the bent woman in Luke 13, Zacchaeus in Luke 17, the lame man in Acts 3, and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. In every case, we are

Theology and Ecclesiology in the Miletus Speech: Reflections on Content and Context

Pauls address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 stands at the center of an extended treatment of the internal life of the church (20.1–21.17), and constitutes Lukes last portrait of the believing community. In this section, scenes of community life (20.7–12, 17–38; 21.8–14) alternate with travel episodes (20.1–6, 13–16; 21.1–7, 15–17) to show the relationship among groups of believers scattered around the Aegean and back to Caesarea. The resulting portrait of believing communities echoes some important features of the early descriptions of community life in Jerusalem. In this larger literary context, the speech to the Ephesian elders takes on a different appearance from its usual characterization as the farewell address of Lukes hero, Paul. The speech repeatedly connects the church to God, introducing Lukes larger themes of Gods plan, the action of the Holy Spirit, and the instruction of Jesus himself. These features show that the churchs future, in Lukes view, has less to do with its imitation of Paul than with its relationship to the God who calls it into being.

“You Will Be My Witnesses”: Aspects of Mission in the Acts of the Apostles

Concerned that mission scholars are not approaching Acts wholistically, Professor Gaventa here gives us a helpful literary study of mission as portrayed in Acts, shedding new light on familiar passages.

Book Reviews: James M. Reese. O.S.F.S. 1 and 2 Thessalonians. New Testament Message 16. Wilmington. Delaware: Michael Glazier. Inc.. 1979. xvi + 113

and what happened in transmission, with selections by B. J. Roberts. B. M. Metzger. R. M. Frye): literary forms and literary influence (patterns of writing and their development. with selections by S. N. Kramer. W. G. Lambert. R. L. Cox. W. Whallon): and approaches to a literary criticism of the Bible (broader theories of literature and literary aesthetics applied to the Bible. with selections by S. Van Tilborg. N. Perrin. J. Muilenburg. K. Burke. J. Macquarrie. E. Leach). Each of the five categories is prefaced with a brief explanatory overview that shows how the subsequent essays cohere and illustrate the point the editors hope to make. Finally, useful maps and indices conclude the work