Papers by Llewellyn Howes
Old Testament Essays, 2024
This study aims to investigate the Hebrew noun רַב , which carries the principal meaning of “chie... more This study aims to investigate the Hebrew noun רַב , which carries the principal meaning of “chief.” In particular, the study attempts to determine whether the noun implies anything about the entity it represents without making this explicit. The study, therefore, analyses the occurrences of the noun רַב in the Tanakh to determine whether the noun implies anything about the individuals it designates, irrespective of the literary context. As far as I know, this exercise has not been attempted with the noun רַב before, which is the unique contribution of this publication. In the Tanakh, the noun רַב does not appear on its own in the absolute state but is exclusively used as part of construct formulations. In each case, the analysis begins by focusing on the lexical meaning, etymology and textual application of the nomen rectum (i.e. the noun that follows רַב in the construct term) and ends by considering the nomen regens, which is always רַב in our case.
New Testament Studies
The saying in Matthew 9.37–8 and Luke (Q) 10.2 reads as follows: ‘He said to his disciples: The h... more The saying in Matthew 9.37–8 and Luke (Q) 10.2 reads as follows: ‘He said to his disciples: The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to dispatch workers into his harvest’. The present study attempts to illuminate this logion by considering its setting in first-century Palestine. The focus here is not on the logion's possible metaphorical application, but on the literal saying, which involves ancient agriculture.
New Testament Studies, 2023
The saying in Matthew 9.37-8 and Luke (Q) 10.2 reads as follows: 'He said to his disciples: The h... more The saying in Matthew 9.37-8 and Luke (Q) 10.2 reads as follows: 'He said to his disciples: The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to dispatch workers into his harvest'. The present study attempts to illuminate this logion by considering its setting in first-century Palestine. The focus here is not on the logion's possible metaphorical application, but on the literal saying, which involves ancient agriculture.
Neotestamentica, 2019
Editorial by Llewellyn Howes, the former editor of Neotestamentica, which is an international jou... more Editorial by Llewellyn Howes, the former editor of Neotestamentica, which is an international journal in New Testament Studies based in South Africa, to introduce edition 53/2, dedicated as Festschrift to Lilly Nortjé-Meyer.
Neotestamentica, 2017
Editorial by Llewellyn Howes, the former editor of Neotestamentica, which is an international jou... more Editorial by Llewellyn Howes, the former editor of Neotestamentica, which is an international journal in New Testament Studies based in South Africa, to introduce edition 51/1, dedicated as a Festschrift to Dirk G. van der Merwe.
Mohr Siebeck, 2021
In this study, Llewellyn Howes analyzes the formative stratum (or earliest redactional layer) of ... more In this study, Llewellyn Howes analyzes the formative stratum (or earliest redactional layer) of the Sayings Gospel Q. He argues that certain texts in Q that have traditionally been excluded from its earliest layer should rather be included. The author also reconsiders the message of the formative stratum, featuring interesting and novel interpretations of certain Q texts that draw from advances in our knowledge of the logia and parables of Jesus, as well as the ancient Jewish world. The study argues that the formative stratum was a unified document before subsequent redactional layers were added, with interesting and important consequences for our understanding of the historical Jesus.
HTS Theological Studies, 2022
This study considers the verisimilitude of the harvest saying in Matthew 9.37–38 and Luke (Q) 10.... more This study considers the verisimilitude of the harvest saying in Matthew 9.37–38 and Luke (Q) 10.2, specifically the opening statement that the harvest is plentiful but the workers few. By ‘verisimilitude’ is meant the tradition’s tendency to be viewed as realistic in its original sociohistorical context. In other words, would the first listeners have nodded their heads in agreement at the claim that the harvest is plentiful but the workers few. The focus here is not on the logion’s possible metaphorical application, but on the literal saying, which involves ancient agriculture. To address the verisimilitude question, the study will consider some individual features of the logion itself, as well as the socio-historical context of farming and harvesting in 1st-century Palestine and the Roman Empire.
Neotestamentica, 2015
This compilation of independent, but mutually relevant essays, advances source-critical research ... more This compilation of independent, but mutually relevant essays, advances source-critical research by defending the Farrer Hypothesis against the reigning Two-Document Hypothesis. The closing chapter features a response from the perspective of the Two-Document Hypothesis. The Farrer Hypothesis accepts that Matthew and Luke both made use of Mark, but holds that Luke also made use of Matthew as a source. John C. Poirier writes the introduction (1-15). True to the book's title, he argues that if Luke knew Matthew, it would obviate any need for Q, although he goes on to clarify in a footnote that Matthew might still have made use of a "'sayings source' of sorts" (1). Poirier correctly maintains that the Farrer Hypothesis is presently the main contender of the Two-Document Hypothesis (2).
This compilation of independent, but mutually relevant essays, advances source-critical research ... more This compilation of independent, but mutually relevant essays, advances source-critical research by defending the Farrer Hypothesis against the reigning Two-Document Hypothesis. The closing chapter features a response from the perspective of the Two-Document Hypothesis. The Farrer Hypothesis accepts that Matthew and Luke both made use of Mark, but holds that Luke also made use of Matthew as a source. John C. Poirier writes the introduction (1-15). True to the book's title, he argues that if Luke knew Matthew, it would obviate any need for Q, although he goes on to clarify in a footnote that Matthew might still have made use of a "'sayings source' of sorts" (1). Poirier correctly maintains that the Farrer Hypothesis is presently the main contender of the Two-Document Hypothesis (2).
Neotestamentica
This compilation of independent, but mutually relevant essays, advances source-critical research ... more This compilation of independent, but mutually relevant essays, advances source-critical research by defending the Farrer Hypothesis against the reigning Two-Document Hypothesis. The closing chapter features a response from the perspective of the Two-Document Hypothesis. The Farrer Hypothesis accepts that Matthew and Luke both made use of Mark, but holds that Luke also made use of Matthew as a source. John C. Poirier writes the introduction (1-15). True to the book's title, he argues that if Luke knew Matthew, it would obviate any need for Q, although he goes on to clarify in a footnote that Matthew might still have made use of a "'sayings source' of sorts" (1). Poirier correctly maintains that the Farrer Hypothesis is presently the main contender of the Two-Document Hypothesis (2).
Neotestamentica
Abstract:Luke and Matthew situate Q 12:58–59 at very different places in their respective Gospels... more Abstract:Luke and Matthew situate Q 12:58–59 at very different places in their respective Gospels. In Matthew, Q 12:58–59 appears in the midst of his Sermon on the Mount. Luke, however, places the logion in the midst of a block of eschatological material that runs from 12:35 to 13:9. If the Matthean position represents Q, the saying would have featured between Q 16:17 and Q 16:18 in the Sayings Gospel. However, if the Lukan position represents Q, the saying would have featured between Q 12:49, 51, 53, 54–56 and Q 13:18–19 in the Sayings Gospel. Although there have been important voices in favour of the Matthean placement of Q 12:58–59, most scholars prefer the Lukan placement as representative of Q. The current article considers whether the majority opinion favouring Lukan placement is supported by the evidence.
Psychostasia" is the notion that a divine or supernatural figure weighs and/or measures the souls... more Psychostasia" is the notion that a divine or supernatural figure weighs and/or measures the souls of people when judging them. The present effort represents the second of three articles on psychostasia. The first article focused on the occurrences of psychostasia in the OT. 2 In the current article, attention is paid to the occurrences of psychostasia in apocryphal and pseudepigraphical Jewish writings from the Second Temple period, including the Qumran Scrolls. The current purpose is firstly to determine whether or not the concept of psychostasia was a recognised and recognisable feature of Second Temple Palestinian Judaism. Allowing for a positive answer to the latter, the second purpose of this article is to ascertain how the idea of psychostasia was understood by Palestinian Jews of the Second Temple period. A THE CONCEPT OF "PSYCHOSTASIA" "Psychostasia" is the academic term for the "weighing-of-the-soul" concept. 3 Put differently, "psychostasia" is the umbrella term for the ancient notion that a divine or supernatural figure judged ordinary people through weighing their worth on scales. Although the "soul" is most frequently associated with this concept in ancient literature, other items might also be weighed, like the "heart" or the "spirit." Regardless of the exact item being measured or weighed, it was normally some or other symbol for a person's inner being. 4 This idea had its inception in Egyptian mythology. It is well-known that the concept of psychostasia was an integral and widespread feature of Egyptian 1 This article is a research output from a doctoral dissertation that was completed under the supervision of professor Andries G.
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Papers by Llewellyn Howes