Greco-Roman Culture and the New Testament: Studies Commemorating the Centennial of the Pontifical Biblical Institute

233 Pages·2012·3.544 MB·English

by  David E. Aune, Frederick E. Brenk

Greco-Roman Culture and the New Testament
Supplements
to
Novum Testamentum
Executive Editors
M.M. Mitchell
Chicago
D.P. Moessner
Dubuque
Editorial Board
L. Alexander, Sheffield – H.W. Attridge, New Haven
F. Bovon, Cambridge MA – C. Breytenbach, Berlin
J.K. Elliott, Leeds – C.R. Holladay, Atlanta
M.J.J. Menken, Tilburg – J.C. Thom, Stellenbosch
P. Trebilco, Dunedin
VOLUME 143
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/nts

The Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, Italy.
Greco-Roman Culture
and the New Testament
Studies Commemorating the Centennial
of the Pontifical Biblical Institute
Edited by
David E. Aune
Frederick E. Brenk
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2012
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Greco-Roman culture and the New Testament : studies commemorating the centennial of the
Pontifical Biblical Institute / edited by David E. Aune, Frederick E. Brenk.
 p. cm. — (Supplements to Novum Testamentum, ISSN 0167-9732 ; v. 143)
Includes index.
 ISBN 978-90-04-22631-9 (hardback : alk. paper)
 1. Bible—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Christian literature, Early—History and criticism.
3. Civilization, Greco-Roman. I. Aune, David Edward. II. Brenk, Frederick E. III. Pontificio Istituto
biblico.

 BS511.3.G74 2012
 225.6’7—dc23
2011052729
This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters
covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the
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ISSN 0167-9732
ISBN 978 90 04 22631 9 (hardback)
ISBN 978 90 04 22654 8 (e-book)
Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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CONTENTS
Preface  ................................................................................................................. ix
List of Contributors  ......................................................................................... xiii
Introduction  ...................................................................................................... 1
Frederick E. Brenk
The Role of Rhetorical Elaboration in the Formation of Mark’s
Passion Narrative (Mark 14:43–16:8): An Enquiry  ............................. 11
Justin Taylor, S.M.
Logos and Pneuma in the Fourth Gospel  ................................................. 27
Troels Engberg-Pedersen
The Enigma of Imperial Cultic Activities and Paul in Corinth  ............ 49
Bruce W. Winter
Pauline Paraenesis in Romans 12 and Greek Gnomic Wisdom  ........... 73
Dieter Zeller
Most Beautiful and Divine: Graeco-Romans (especially
Plutarch), and Paul, on Love and Marriage  ........................................ 87
Frederick E. Brenk
Clement of Alexandria on Woman and Marriage in the Light
of the New Testament Household Codes  ............................................ 113
Gretchen J. Reydams-Schils
Traveling Up and Away: Journeys to the Upper and Outer
Regions of the World  ................................................................................. 135
Adela Yarbro Collins
The Polyvalent Imagery of Rev 3:20 in the Light of
Greco-Egyptian Divination Texts  ........................................................... 167
David E. Aune
viii contents
The Sibyl and the Apocalypses: Generic Relationships in
Hellenistic Judaism and Early Christianity  ......................................... 185
John J. Collins
Index of Subjects  .............................................................................................. 203
Index of Modern Authors  .............................................................................. 209
Index of New Testament Passages  ............................................................. 215
PREFACE
This is the last of four volumes dedicated to the celebration of the 100th
anniversary of the Pontifical Biblical Institute.1 The editors are not com-
plete laggards but must apologize for the long delay in realizing the pub-
lication of this volume. A history of the Institute can be found in the
large volume by Maurice Gilbert, entitled The Pontifical Biblical Institute:
A Century of History (1909–2009). He has also presented the material in
shorter form for talks for the opening ceremonies of the anniversary and
for the international meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Rome
that year.2 Since many readers may be unacquainted with the origin and
role of the Institute, its history can be briefly summarized here. The origi-
nal idea for the Institute was that of Leo XIII. He “wanted an institute of
advanced biblical studies in Rome, which would answer the needs of the
period of great archaeological and palaeontological discoveries and of the
natural sciences, but which would also provide answers to that form of
rationalism which advocated a minimalist understanding of scripture.”3
More simply put, Leo XIII was worried about the advances made by Pro-
testants in the “scientific” study of the Bible (or Bibelwissenschaft) and the
lack of competitive Catholic scholarship and institutions. Another worry
of the Holy See, especially with Pius X, had to do with Catholic scho-
larship. It regarded Catholic scholars such as those at the École Biblique
in Jerusalem as too avant-garde, for instance, in challenging the Mosaic
authorship of the Pentateuch. Finally, there was the need to respond to
rationalist attacks on the Bible.4 After Leo XIII died in 1903, Pius X resumed
1 The others are Maurice Gilbert, The Pontifical Biblical Institute: A Century of His-
tory (1909–2009) (Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 2009), published simultaneously in
French, Italian, and English; Jean-Noel Aletti and Jean-Louis Ska (eds.), Biblical Exegesis in
Progress: Old and New Testament Essays (Analecta Biblica 176) (Rome: Pontifical Biblical
Institute, 2009); Agustinus Gianto (ed.), Dum docemus, discimus: Ancient Near Eastern
Essays in Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Pontifical Biblical Institute. Special Edi-
tion in Honor of the Centenary of the Pontifical Biblical Institute (= Orientalia 78 [2009.3])
(Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 2009).
2 The talk, “The Centenary of the Biblical Institute,” can be found online on the web-
site of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, under “2009 International Meeting of the Society
of Biblical Literature Celebrating the Centenary of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome,
June 30th to July 4th, 2009.”
3 Gilbert, “The Centenary of the Biblical Institute,” 1.
4 Gilbert, The Pontifical Biblical Institute, esp. 17–20.