Books in the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement S. series

Luke''s interest in the Holy Spirit is well-known, so when instead of having Jesus say, '' If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God...'', as Matthew has it, he writes, ''If I by the finger of God..'', Luke poses a question that has puzzled many commentators since. Woods argues that in fact the phrase ''finger of God'' holds the key to understanding the role of the Spirit in Luke-Acts. Taking into account the background to the phrase, Luke''s larger theological interests within the Beelzebub section itself, the Travel Narrative, and the programme of Luke-Acts as a whole, he offers a new solution to an old exegetical question.

This book deals with the place of the source-document Q and its compilers within late Second Temple Judaism. It pays attention to Q's relationship to the Herodian Temple as the Q passages on the Temple do not speak with the same voice, and the positive and hostile views need to be reconciled.

In an examination of implicit sociological data in the Epistle to the Hebrews within the context of the Graeco-Roman world, Johnson argues that Hebrews' author advocates an ideal society more open to outsiders and willing to assimilate new members than was 1st-century CE hellenistic Judaism.

This study adopts an inter-disciplinary approach to the theology, symbolism and argument of Hebrews. Employing sociological models, the book examines Hebrews in the context of the early Christians' construction and maintenance of a social world.

This is the third in a series of conference papers on rhetorical criticism. Held in July 1995 in London, the conference included participants from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the Republic of South Africa. Part I is concerned with the past, present and future of rhetorical analysis; Parts II, III and IV are concerned with rhetorical analysis of scriptural texts; and Part V provides a conclusion reflecting on a number of questions raised in Part I. Most of the participants would characterize themselves as advocates of rhetorical criticism; but there were others less convinced that rhetorical criticism is developing as it ought.

This volume continues the major work published by the JSNT Supplement Series in the area of Greek linguistics of the New Testament, and explores what the editors believe are crucial phases in the application of linguistics to New Testament Greek. The first half of the volume includes essays on such topics as linguistics and literary criticism, linguistics and historical criticism, and linguistics and rhetoric. The second half includes essays dealing with the relations and uses of individual words, but ranges from oral composition to the value of word frequency in determining authorship. Some of these essays review established models of research; others propose new models and criteria of linguistic analysis.

In his letters, the apostle Paul commonly refers to his fellow believers as "adelfoi", as his "brothers and sisters". Here, Reidar Aasgaard offers the first in-depth, and by far the most profound, analysis of this sibling vocabulary in the Pauline epistles.Aasgaard researches family and sibling relationships in the Graeco-Roman and Jewish context and discusses the relevant texts on siblingship in Paul''s letters. He argues that sibling terminology is both central and charged with meaning for Paul. When the apostle speaks of the Christians as siblings, he employs contemporary notions of what sibling and family relations should be about: emotional closeness, love, tolerance and forgiveness, defense of family honor, and familial harmony. Paul utilizes these ideals rhetorically in various contexts in order to influence the attitudes and behavior of the Christians, both internally and in relation to outsiders.

This is a study of biblical reading from a woman-centred perspective. Its specific focus is the prologue of John's Gospel and its interpretation in Christian tradition. In this book, Jasper takes the prologue of John's Gospel as a case-study in feminist biblical analysis.