Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles by Brent A Strawn
Christianity and Criminal Law, 2020
Since much contemporary jurisprudence goes back in one way or another to its forebears, both rece... more Since much contemporary jurisprudence goes back in one way or another to its forebears, both recent and ancient, it is no surprise that criminal law, specifcally, also owes much to antique legal traditions and corpora. 2 This point is even truer when the framework in question is an explicitly Christian approach to (criminal) law, since Christianity has, from its inception, looked to Holy Scripture for inspiration and guidance, correction and instruction. As is well known, the words "Scripture" and "Scriptures" in the Greek New Testament almost invariably refer to what Christians now call the Old Testament, 3 and it is readily apparent that the Old Testament contains far more legal material, generically speaking, than the New. So, if one is looking for biblical materials pertaining to crime and delict, such matters will be found most easily and extensively in the Hebrew Bible. 4 Criminal law is a vast subject -in the biblical world no less than today -and so what follows is but a brief introduction to the subject that focuses on several aspects of Old Testament criminal law within its cultural environment. 5 I will 1 My thanks go to the editors for their assistance and to my fellow contributors for helpful remarks at the conference in London.
Just Discipleship: Biblical Justice in an Unjust World
Journal of Theological Interpretation, 2008
Abstract — Thinking theology and history together is a difficult task and a longstanding problem... more Abstract — Thinking theology and history together is a difficult task and a longstanding problem. While in prior centuries history has typically dominated the dyad, recent progress in the theological interpretation of Scripture has begun to reverse this trend, often at the expense of the historical-critical method. A case study of both of these points may be found in the work of Ernst Käsemann and, particularly, in A. K. M. Adam's recent critique thereof—especially Käsemann's comment that historical criticism protects against docetism. Looking closely at Adam's article and Käsemann's work on the historical Jesus, the present study concludes that, while several of Adam's points against historical criticism writ large may well be correct, his direct attack on Käsemann is misplaced. An analysis of Käsemann's positions on the uniqueness of the Gospel genre and the importance of the historicalJesus to the earliest kerygma reveals that, far from a simplistic commendation of historical criticism, Käsemann offers something of a via media between theology and history. Perhaps better, Käsemann's work represents a theological use of history. If such a theological use of history (or of historical criticism) is permitted, Käse- mann's work not only eludes Adam's criticism, it actually becomes a partner in support of, not an adversary to, his larger argument regarding the limited usefulness of "mere history." Käsemann's synthesis of the historical and the theological thus shows itself to be a viable option in the theology-history nexus—one that retains its usefulness in a way that Adam's critique has not yet obviated.
Ugarit-Forschungen , 2009
Perspectives in Religious Studies, 2004
Since the modern study of Old Testament theology developed, a great deal of discussion has been d... more Since the modern study of Old Testament theology developed, a great deal of discussion has been devoted to the question of what is the appropriate method for such a discipline The position I take is that... in so far as there are ultimate theological questions to be answered, about the Old Testament as about other matters, the resources for the answering of them within Christian theology must depend on the totality of theological insight and cannot be confined to an operation upon [only] the Old Testament." 1 "[TJhese. .. considerations concerning the one and the many indicate that the way one thinks about God will decisively shape not only ecclesiology, but the entirety of Christian thought." 2 "In my opinion it is not Christian to want to take our thoughts and feelings too quickly and too directly from the New Testament." 3
Journal for Preachers, 2008
If you know anything about preaching, you'll know that a number of famous preachers and teachers ... more If you know anything about preaching, you'll know that a number of famous preachers and teachers of preaching have encouraged us to preach like Scripture itself. Put slightly differently, this means that our practices of teaching and preaching should be formed and informed by Scripture itself. 1 1 agree wholeheartedly, and, in a related vein, have often encouraged students to develop their theologies of Scripture on the basis of specific texts from Scripture. Wanting to set a good example, I've tried to do this myself. I have five texts on my "for sure" list. They include the following: John 6:68: Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." (NRSV) Eccl 5:2: Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few. (NRSV) Job 2:10: [Job] replied.. ."Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? (NIV) Genesis 32:31: The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel ["the face of God," in Hebrew], limping because of his hip.
Journal for Preachers, 2014
What are you doing here, Elijah?" Let me begin this sermon by saying that 1 try. I do, I mean, I ... more What are you doing here, Elijah?" Let me begin this sermon by saying that 1 try. I do, I mean, I really try. I try not to be narcissistic. It's just so hard. But I try. I (that's me, by the way) م- try! Narcissism, you might recall, gets its name from the Greek myth ٠ ٤ Narcissus. Narcissus was so handsome that he fell in love with his own reflection in a ٢٠٠١ and never looked back...or to the left ٠ ٢ right for that matter. He spent the rest ٠ ٤ his li؛e just staring at himsel.؛ Now 1 don't know ٤ ؛ he tried, like I do, not to be a narcissist.
Revue Biblique, 2014
This study examines three debated points in Psalm 82: the identification of those "who do not kno... more This study examines three debated points in Psalm 82: the identification of those "who do not know or understand" in v. 5, the nature of the divine speech in v. 6, and the meaning of the verb תנחל in v. 8. Each crux is addressed with an eye on the poetics of the psalm and, especially, its nature as poetry. This sort of poetic approach indicates that many of the earlier, overly-historicized studies of Psalm 82 are misguided.
Journal for Preachers, 2015
In which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison...." "He descended to the ... more In which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison...." "He descended to the dead... 1 imagine if we stopped and took time for responses, all of us could name our favorite song or '٢٧ show or movie. It might he hard to pick just one, of course, and so w e'd have to let the more indecisive people hem and haw and in the end pick more than one. But we could definitely name our favorites if we had to. So what about your favorite book of the Bible? آه chapter in the Bible, ٠٢ even verse in the Bible? And no,John 3:16is not allowed. Neither is "Jesus wept." (That's John 11:35 in case you are wondering.) ¥ ٠٧ can't pick either of those! I suspect this is a harder task for most of us. But why? Is it because we are tom between our love of Matthew and, oh 1 don't know, Leviticus? "1 just can't decide!" ©٢ between John and ?hilippians? ©٢ is it because, to be completely candid for a moment, we don't know our Bibles very well, and not nearly as well as we know our TV shows, music, and movies. And just to continue in this mode of making-us-all-feel-guilty-this-moming, here's another question to ponder: W hat's your favorite part o fth e Apostles' Creed? Do you have one? And, if so, one final question: why is that your favorite part? Now it's probably not very nice for me to stand up here and lay on the guilt-not without running the gauntlet first. So, if 1 had to pick just one song, it'd be "How 1 Remember ¥ ٠٧" by the jazz singer Michael Franks, largely because I've sung it to each of my children since the day they were bom. Franks is also my favorite singer, if you forced me to pick. Favorite TV show? Frobably the discontinued Friday Night Lights. Favorite movie? Probably The ShawshankRedemption. Favorite book ofthe Bible? W ow,that'shardforaB ible professor! Givem e top fiveiExodus, Deuteronomy, Amos, Ecclesiastes, and the Psalms. And my favorite part ofth e Creed? The line that is sometimes left out of our worship services. It's the line that says,"descended to the dead." Some of you may not even know that that line is in the Creed. But it is! ft comes right after Jesus "was crucified, died, and was buried" and right before "on the third day he rose again." In between those two lines is-or is supposed to b e -this line: "He descended to the dead." That's my favorite part of the Apostles' Creed. At this point, you might have some questions for me: "Why is that your favorite part, anyway? Why is it left out? And what does it mean?" Well, Fm glad you asked, because that's what the rest of this sermon is all about. $٠, first, let's talk about why this line is left out. The United Methodist Hymnal gives two versions of the Apostles' Creed, the traditional and the ecumenical. We read the traditional version just now -it's the version that omits the line about Jesus' ?.1 Easter 2015
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Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles by Brent A Strawn