‘Der Träger des gemeindeleitenden Amtes herrscht nicht über die Gemeindeglieder, sondern begegnet ihnen dienend in der Haltung geschwisterlicher Solidarität.’ Diese Aussage Roloffs charakterisiert die Gemeindeleitung in den Pastoralbriefen (Past) einseitig als Dienst. Immerhin hält Roloff es aber für angeraten, den Gedanken der Herrschaft explizit zurückzuweisen. Hierin deutet sich m.E. an, dass das Verständnis der Gemeindeleitung in den Past tatsächlich zwischen den Polen von Herrschaft und Dienst oszilliert. Dieses Phänomen möchte ich anhand eines zentralen Aspektes der Gemeindeleitung beleuchten: des Lehrens.

This paper addresses certain aspects of the opening passage of Revelation which have received little attention in recent years: the central role ascribed to John and the multiple characterisations of his work. These aspects are analysed in the context of the metatextual character of the passage. Moreover, these verses probably were not composed by the author himself, but rather by an editor/redactor who belonged to the Johannine circle, as can be shown through linguistic data and thematic analogies. The editor authorises John's work and thereby the critical view towards the Empire contained in the book itself – an attitude which stands in opposition to the one commonly adopted by Christians at the time.

Eine Reihe von μαρτυρεω-bzw. μαρτυρια-Belegen im vierten Evangelium rufen förmlich synoptische Zeugnisse auf. Das ist nicht verwunderlich, wenn man zur Kenntnis nimmt, dass es auch sonst johanneische Befunde der unzweideutigen Kenntnis, Verwendung und Umgestaltung synoptischer Vorlagen gibt. Dabei ist sorgfältig auf subtile unterschiedliche Tempusverwendung im Johannesevangelium, zumal den Gebrauch des Perfekts zum Ausdruck schriftlicher Textreferenz zu achten. Zu der fundamentalen Täufermartyria, die die Evangelienerzählung eröffnet, bildet Joh 19.35, der ursprünglich μαρτυρεω-Beleg, eine Inklusion, indem unter dem Kreuz anstelle des Bekenntnisses des römischen Centurio (Mk 15,39) ausdrücklich an die Verkündigung des ersten Christus-Zeugen (Jon 1.29–34) erinnert wird.

Wie konnte ein inhaltlich jüdisches Gebet ohne exklusiv christliche Anteile zum Zentralgebet der Christen werden? Mit der Suche nach den Gründen der Durchsetzung wird oft die Frage nach der Urheberschaft Jesu verbunden. Der Versuch einer Antwort mit Hilfe der Analyse des Inhaltes führt zu widersprüchlichen Ergebnissen. Sicher greifbar ist dagegen das Phänomen der frühen und unumstrittenen Akzeptanz des Vaterunsers, hier nimmt die vorliegende Untersuchung ihren Ausgang.

Entscheidend für die Durchsetzung des Vaterunsers war weniger sein Inhalt als seine Funktion. Durch seine schon in den Evangelien grundgelegte Kennzeichnung als ‘Gebet des κυριος’ wirkte das Vaterunser nach innen integrierend und nach außen abgrenzend. Eine weitere Christianisierung seines Inhaltes erübrigte sich. Daraus ergeben sich neue Perspektiven auf das Herkunftsproblem.

This article identifies a structural and conceptual chiasm within the description of Jesus' death and resurrection in Acts 2.23b-24, which helps to account for the distinctive elements of the passage.

According to the prevailing interpretation of 1 Cor 3.15, the phrase διὰ πυρός must be taken in the local sense, and the fire of vv. 13 and 15 plays no soteriological function. This article contests this reading, arguing that Paul's probable allusion to Mal 3 and his reference to the testing function of fire may imply refining as well. More importantly, it demonstrates that whereas the phrase διὰ πυρός is indeterminate and may take either the local or the instrumental sense, nearly every other instance of the construction σῴζω + διά + genitive in the relevant Greek literature has an instrumental sense.

The authorship and date of the Book of Revelation have been the subject of much scholarly debate. Additional information from recently published Coptic Gnostic texts will contribute to the final resolution of the debate.

The Gnostic Apocrphon of John, used by Irenaeus as a source in his Adv. Haer., has been known since 1896.

Rev 11.1–2 refers to the destruction of the temple in 70 ce. The measuring of the temple area does not signify that it will be protected, as is commonly thought, but symbolises that it falls under God's judgment. The underlying idea is that the destruction of the temple at the hands of the Gentiles has been possible only because it was preceded by God's judgment, a notion also found in contemporary apocalyptic literature. John argues that God has given the Gentiles the authority to ‘trample the holy city’, including the temple, for a limited period of time.

The prima facie sense of the assertion of Hebrews 9.23 that the heavenly things themselves needed to be cleansed is often rejected as fantastic or preposterous. Consequently, the verse is often read as describing the cleansing of conscience or the inauguration, not purification, of the heavenly tabernacle. Both interpretations are critiqued here. Positively, this essay argues that in Heb 9.23 Christ's sacrifice cleanses the tabernacle in heaven from antecedent defilement in order to inaugurate the new covenant cult. I argue that the structure of 9.23–8 and the manner in which Hebrews appropriates both cult inauguration and Yom Kippur support this conclusion.

Leo Perdue has applied Victor Turner's anthropological model of separation, liminality, and reaggregation to elucidate the social function of ancient wisdom texts. Ancient wisdom texts project the rhetorical situation of liminality upon their recipients in the course of imparting instruction, the effect of which is to integrate recipients at a new level into social structure. Using Turner's model, correlated with Berger's and Luckmann's model of resocialization, this paper argues that John's threshold speech functions to throw Q's recipients into a state of liminality. It thus creates the conditions necessary for reception of Jesus’ wisdom which follows. These results are used to critique stratigraphies of Q which are based upon the notion that the juxtaposition of John's and Jesus’ speeches is anomalous.

Après son séjour à Sychar de Samarie (Jean iv. 5), Jésus ‘partit de là pour la Galilée’ (iv. 43), nous dit l'évangéliste, qui explique alors: ‘car (γάρ) Jésus avait déclaré lui-même qu'un prophéte ne jouit d'aucun égard dans sa propre patrie (πατρí;ς)’ (iv. 44). Puis il enchaî;ne: ‘A son arrivée en Galilée, les Galiléens lui firent bon accueil: ils avaient vu tout ce qu'il avait fait à Jérusalem lors de la fête; car eux aussi étaient allés à la fête’ (iv. 45).

The Church to which we are permitted to proclaim the Gospel is no longer the Palestinian Church of the time of Jesus, for whom the real goal of life was to pass safely through the judgement of God. Neither is the Church any longer that of the time of Luther, weighed down by its consciousness of sin and the medieval fear of judgement. Today the message of forgiveness of sins answers a question which, to a large extent, has disappeared from the consciousness of modern man. The modern world is, however, similar in many ways to the Hellenistic world into which the Christian message entered with the proclamation of Paul. The unity of heaven and earth, as it had been perceived in the classic period, is destroyed for the Hellenistic man. The world for him is controlled by powers and forces to which he has been handed over helpless. Ananke or Heimarmene (Fate or Destiny) determines everything and the action of the individual is incapable of altering their established course. The ever-repeated movement of the heavenly bodies, once conceived as the expression of divine harmony, awakens now the concept of a giant machine which mercilessly completes its revolution, deaf to the cries of men. Of course, the Stoic seeks to flee back into the old harmony between God and the world and for that reason declares the whole world to be his polis. But even he knows that everything in this polis is determined by the great powers, their mighty armies, and their modern weapons and no longer by his individual decision. Thus the desires and longings of the Hellenistic man are concentrated upon liberation from the demonic powers of this world and upon participation in the upper, godly world.