Maccabean Martyr Traditions in Paul's Theology of Atonement: Did Martyr Theology Shape Paul's Conception of Jesus's Death?In an age in which scholars continue to produce books on the nature and significance of Jesus's death, books that often assume the Old Testament cult was the New Testament authors' primary background for their conception of Jesus's death, Jarvis J. Williams offers a fresh and novel contribution regarding both the nature of and background influences behind Paul's conception of Jesus's death. He argues that Paul's conception of Jesus's death both as an atoning sacrifice and as a saving event for Jews and Gentiles was significantly influenced by Maccabean Martyr Theology. To argue his thesis, Williams engages in an intense exegesis of 2 and 4 Maccabees while also interacting with other Second Temple Jewish texts that are relevant to his thesis. Williams further interacts with relevant Old Testament texts and the key texts in the Pauline corpus. He argues that the authors of 2 and 4 Maccabees present the deaths of the Jewish martyrs during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes IV as atoning sacrifices and as a saving event for Israel. He further argues that, although the Old Testament's cultic language certainly influenced Paul's understanding of Jesus's death at certain junctures in his letters, the Old Testament cult alone-which emphasized animal sacrifices-cannot fully explain why or even how Paul could conceive of Jesus's death, a human sacrifice, as both an atoning sacrifice and a saving event for Jews and Gentiles. Finally, Williams highlights the lexical, theological, and conceptual parallels between Martyr Theology and Paul's conception of Jesus's death. Even if scholars disagree with Williams's thesis or methodology, serious Pauline scholars interested in the background influences behind and the nature and significance of Jesus's death in Paul's theology will want to interact with this work. |
Contents
1 | |
Martyrdom in 2 and 4 Maccabees | 27 |
Martyrdom in the old Testament | 64 |
Martyrdom and Jesuss death in Paul | 85 |
conclusion | 120 |
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Maccabean Martyr Traditions in Paul's Theology of Atonement: Did Martyr ... Jarvis J. Williams No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
achieve affirm Antiochus appears argues arguments asserts atoning sacrifice bailey biblical blood chapter christ christian commentary conception of Jesus’s connection context cult cultic demonstrate desilva died discussion early eleazar evidence example exod faith fourth god’s wrath greco-roman greek hellenistic henten human i9lasth/rion ideas idem important interpretation isaiah 53 israel Jesus Jesus’s death Jewish Jews and gentiles Judaism judgment Katalla/ssw language leviticus light literature Macc Maccabees Martyr Theology shaped martyrdom means mercy seat Metaphors Moses nation occurs offered parallels Paul possibly prayer present purification ransom reading reconciliation redemption refers regarding rejects result righteous Romans salvation saving event scholars seeley servant shaped Paul’s conception similar sins soteriological speaks statement suffering suggests supports temple term Testament texts Theology shaped Paul’s thesis tion tradition transgressors translation understanding verb vicarious yahweh yom Kippur ritual