Justification in the Second Century

236 Pages·2017·1.528 MB·English

by  Brian J. Arnold

Brian J. Arnold
Justification in the Second Century
Studies of the Bible
and Its Reception
Edited by
Dale C. Allison, Jr., Christine Helmer,
Thomas Römer, Choon-Leong Seow,
Barry Dov Walfish, Eric Ziolkowski
Volume 9
Brian J. Arnold
Justification in the
Second Century
ISBN 978-3-11-047677-4
e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-047823-5
e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-047683-5
ISSN 2195-450X
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A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress.
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.
© 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
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Printing: CPI books GmbH, Leck
♾ Printed on acid-free paper
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ToLauren,
myheart’scaptor

Acknowledgements
I am indebtedto many professors,colleagues,pastors, friends, and family who
allplayedaspecialroleinthecompletionofthiswork.Withoutthecarefulguid-
ance, meticulous editing, and constant encouragement from Michael Haykin,
this project would have never taken flight. I spent years studying the fathers
underhimandlearnedmorethananythingelsetolovethem.JonathanPenning-
tonhasstretchedmythinkingmorethananyotherperson,pushingmetoreflect
oneveryangle,whichhasalwaysservedtosharpenmyownthoughts.Thisisthe
greatest gift a professor can bestow. And Brian Vickers’s work on justification
and imputation informed myownviews on these critical doctrines.Hereminds
me that justification by faith is not primarily academic, it is missional. These
men served on my dissertation committee, which is where this work began,
and have shaped me far beyond the pages of this book.
IamthankfultothemembersofSmithlandFirstBaptistChurchwhocalled
measpastorwhenIhadnoexperienceandaffordedmethetimetowrite,even
asIwaslearningtopreach.Theirtenderloveandtirelesspatienceallowedmeto
spend countless hours away from church business as I completed this arduous
task.TheleadershipofBubbieMartin,KennyMartin,PhilipOrr,GarrickRamage,
and Mike Ramage made this possible.They are men of gold.
Betweencompletingthedissertationandrevisingtheworkforpublication,I
tookapostteachingtheologyandhistoryatPhoenixSeminary.Ihavebeenover-
whelmed by the kindness and encouragement of my colleagues—particularly,
John DelHousaye, Wayne Grudem, John Meade, and Justin Smith—as well as
my dean,W. Bingham Hunter. John Meade has been a friend for over a decade
and he is a large reason why I am at Phoenix Seminary. Additionally, his help
on chapter five was invaluable.The depth of mygratitude tohim isbottomless.
The library staff—Doug Olbert, Jim Santeford, and Mitch Miller—deserve more
than an honorable mention. They combed over my bibliography and secured
the sources I needed. Also, they do not seem to mind that my books never
make it back by their due date.
Writing a book is filled with many highs and many (perhaps more) lows.
TherewerecountlesstimeswhenIneededfriendswhowerewillingtoencourage
me, prod me, and act as sounding boards when I was stuck. Adam Smith is a
first-rate friend. He received daily phone calls and kept me from capping the
penonnumerousoccasions.Healsoprovidedmewithadviceonhowtoreframe
this work for publication. But if these changes are not well-received, I blame
him.J.RyanWestpushed meallthroughthedoctoralprogramandkeptmeac-
countabletowriteasoftenaspossible.BradHensonwasaprovidentialgiftwho
VIII Acknowledgements
distractedme,inagoodway,andgavemecountlesspiecesofadviceonfinish-
ing strong. And Charles Loder came through for me in a pinch by providing a
thorough index for this book.
Familyhasalsobeenaconstantsourceofencouragement.Myparents,Gary
andChrisArnold,haverelentlesslypushedmetodomybest.Asachild,Ihated
how my mom refused to give me easy answers but would instead force me to
look up whatever it was that had piqued my curiosity. I did not know at the
timethatIwasmakingmyfirstforaysintoresearch.Andmydadalwayswanted
metoreceivetheeducationthatwasunavailabletohim.EventhoughIbecamea
different kind of doctor than he had hoped, his pride for me always beamed. I
also had another set of parents who encouraged me through this process, my
in-laws David and Gail Black. For the past decade, they have provided for us
in countless ways, and I cherish the time we have spent at their home in the
lazy river town of Hickman,which is a haven to me.
MywifeLaurendeservesthemostcredit,forsheendurednotonlythelong,
demandingdissertationprocess,buttheconstantstrainofschoolandworkeven
beforeweexchangedvows.Hersacrificeasamotherandlongsufferingasawife
haveboundourfamilytogetherwhentheneedtoread,write,andthinkstoleme
awaytothestudyforhoursonend.Thisworkisheraccomplishmentasmuchas
it is mine. I gladlydedicate this labor to her.
Brian J. Arnold
Phoenix, Arizona
Fall 2016
Contents
List of Abbreviations XIII
 Introduction 1
. Paul and the Second Century 6
. Torrance and the Doctrine of Grace 12
. Justification in the Fathers 13
 “But Through Faith”: Clement of Rome 18
. The Background 19
Authorship 19
Date 20
. Summary of 1 Clement 22
. Translation and Commentary 24
Translation of 32.3–4 25
. Objections and Responses 29
. Conclusion 34
 “Faith and Love”: Ignatius of Antioch 36
. Background 37
Manuscripts 38
Antioch 42
. The Negative: What Justification is not 44
Ignatius’s Opponents 45
“We Love the Prophets” 48
“Parting of the Ways”? 48
Jewish Practices 50
Ignatius, Paul, and Judaism 53
. The Positive: Justification in Ignatius 55
Faith and Love 55
The Gospel 57
Justification 60
Excursus: Prayer and Justification 64
Ignatius and Paul? 67
. Martyrdom 73
. Conclusion 75
X Contents
 “O Sweet Exchange!”: Epistle to Diognetus 77
. Background 78
Genre 79
Authorship 80
Date 84
. The Text: Summary, Translation, Commentary 86
Summary 87
Translation 89
Commentary 90
. Theological Considerations: Atonement and Justification 96
Atonement 96
Justification 100
. Conclusion 102
 “My Chains Were Cut Off”: Odes of Solomon 104
. Background 105
Manuscripts and Languages 106
Authorship and Influences 107
Dating and Provenance 111
. The Text 112
The God of Salvation 113
. Justification in the Odes 114
Ode 17 115
Ode 25 128
Ode 29 142
. Conclusion 152
 “Δικαιοπραξιας Εργον”: Dialogue with Trypho 154
. Justin and Paul 156
. Rhetorical Device or Genuine Interlocutor? 159
. Structure of the Dialogue 163
. Exegesis of Selected Passages 164
Dialogue 8 165
Dialogue 10 171
Dialogue 23 and 92 172
Dialogue 137 180
. Conclusion 181
 Conclusion 183