This volume brings together papers from the international conference held in Eisenach, Thuringia,... more This volume brings together papers from the international conference held in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany, 30 July–1 August, 2005. Ruben Zimmermann, who initiated the gathering, introduces the collection with a review of the various lines of approach to the present day, at the level both of formal classification and of theological and hermeneutical function...
It is an honour to continue a conversation about Johannine christology in which Gilbert Van Belle... more It is an honour to continue a conversation about Johannine christology in which Gilbert Van Belle has been a participant over the years. My own major foray into Johannine christology sought to discern the underlying structure beneath the many formulations found on the surface of the text of the gospel. Fortunately these were not so varied as to make tracing a pattern impossible, but rather were sufficiently constant to make an outline of themes possible and to see the syntax which linked them.
This piece examines references to sexuality in the diverse writings of the Apocrypha. It uses the... more This piece examines references to sexuality in the diverse writings of the Apocrypha. It uses the term “sexuality” broadly to encompass matters pertaining to sexuality, rather than in the more confined sense that is found in discussions of sexual orientation and sexual theory. It will therefore consider a range of ways in which sexual drive or desire finds expression in various contexts, from marriage to sex work, same-sex relations to celibacy, and beyond. It will do so by examining such references in the particular context of the writings being considered and in the light of the broader social context. It discusses each writing or set of writing in turn: 1 Esdras, Baruch, Judith, the Books of the Maccabees, 2 Esdras, Ben Sira/Sirach, Tobit, Wisdom of Solomon, Susanna, the Additions to Esther, and the Letter of Jeremiah. There are sexual elements common to many of these works: male stereotypes about women in their sexuality as dangerous, associated with mockery of men who lose control to women; male predatory behavior; rape and sexual violence in war; linkage of idolatry to profligate sexuality; gender role reversals, which as exceptions confirm the norms; affirmation of sexual attractiveness when not abused and of (arranged) marriage and the processes of procreation and nurture; and disapprovals of sex work and marriage to foreigners or exogamy.
The author’s inspiration for writing this book is the difficulty he believes many have faced in r... more The author’s inspiration for writing this book is the difficulty he believes many have faced in relating their faith to their sexuality; hence the usefulness of exploring how Jesus managed this relationship...
Robert Crotty writes ‘not primarily..for professional theologians or biblical scholars’, but to h... more Robert Crotty writes ‘not primarily..for professional theologians or biblical scholars’, but to help ‘intelligent people to participate in the debate on modern Jesus research’ (p. 1). The book provides an introduction to the issues of the historical search.
This paper considers the enigmatic figure of the Strange Woman in Proverbs, her appearance and ro... more This paper considers the enigmatic figure of the Strange Woman in Proverbs, her appearance and role, with particular attention to what happens to her in the Septuagint translation and then in Ben Sira and in the grandson's Greek translation. She first meets us with profile in Proverbs in association with Woman Wisdom...
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication Data Communities in dispute : current scholarship o... more Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication Data Communities in dispute : current scholarship on the Johannine epistles / edited by R. alan Culpepper and paul n. anderson. p. cm.-(society of Biblical Literature early Christianity and its literature ; number 13) includes bibliographical references and index.
Philo, Josephus, and the Testaments on Sexuality is the fourth of five scholarly volumes by Willi... more Philo, Josephus, and the Testaments on Sexuality is the fourth of five scholarly volumes by William Loader exploring attitudes toward sexuality in Judaism and Christianity during the Greco-Roman era. In this volume Loader examines three substantial and historically important sets of documents -- the writings of Philo of Alexandria, the writings of Josephus, and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. Challenging stereotypes of both Philo's and Josephus's perspectives on sexuality, Loader's in-depth, detailed analyses provide an unprecedentedly comprehensive investigation of this subject.
The 'King Ptolemy' referred to in this early fifth century rabbinic commentary on Genesis... more The 'King Ptolemy' referred to in this early fifth century rabbinic commentary on Genesis is Ptolemy II Philadelphus (reign: 283-46 B.C.E). 'The things which they altered for King Ptolemy' alludes to instances where the Greek translation differs from the acknowledged Hebrew text...
The tradition preserved in Mk 7.24-31 reflects an understanding of Jesus which portrays him as be... more The tradition preserved in Mk 7.24-31 reflects an understanding of Jesus which portrays him as beginning from a conservative stance in relation to issues of Law relating to boundaries. Other traditions preserved in Mark also appear to reflect a similar conservatism. Many acknowledge that Mk 1.39-45 reflects Torah faithful ness in the way it portrays Jesus' instruction that the leper present himself to the priests. The anger of Jesus in this pericope has baffled exegetes. The paper examines the possibility that Mark's tradition was assuming a conservative response on the part of Jesus to the leper's approach. Boundary issues are also present in Mk 5.1-20 and 21-43. The passages considered appear to preserve traces of conservativism which may reflect Jesus' background, although in each case he moves beyond its norms.
This slightly revised doctoral thesis, completed in 2003 for the Australian College of Theology u... more This slightly revised doctoral thesis, completed in 2003 for the Australian College of Theology under Rikki Watts and Johan Ferreira, sets out to make a contribution to the discussion of Johannine Christology by examining the references to Jesus’ emotions in the Fourth Gospel. The thesis opens with a brie f description of “the current debate.” The author identifies three major positions: Jesus as “merely human,” attributed to Rudolf Bultmann (6–9); Jesus as “only divine,” attributed to Ernst Kasemann (9–11); and Jesus as “both human and divine,” represented by Rudolf Schnackenburg (11–13). The titles are unfortunately simplistic, but the actual discussion more differentiating. It is sufficient to establish the relevance of embarking on a study of the “emotions” of Jesus, but not for a more detailed engagement of the issues that the work promises...
One of the arguably core concerns of the historical Jesus was to proclaim good news to the poor. ... more One of the arguably core concerns of the historical Jesus was to proclaim good news to the poor. This paper investigates what "good news for the poor" might have meant in the ministry of Jesus, inasmuch as this is recoverable, and what happened to it in the course of the early decades of Christianity as reflected in the writings of the New Testament. Within the investigation we shall give special attention to the story as Luke's two volumes tell it. Inevitably such investigation is coloured by contemporary concerns not least because the injustice of world poverty confronts us. The desire for relevance can easily reconstruct a Jesus who addresses such needs in ways that match our ideal strategies and hopes. The task in this paper is not to contrive a Jesus to match our needs or our ideals, but to enter his distant and strange world to hear as far as is possible what he was saying, what it might have meant in his setting, and then for those who followed him.
This volume brings together papers from the international conference held in Eisenach, Thuringia,... more This volume brings together papers from the international conference held in Eisenach, Thuringia, Germany, 30 July–1 August, 2005. Ruben Zimmermann, who initiated the gathering, introduces the collection with a review of the various lines of approach to the present day, at the level both of formal classification and of theological and hermeneutical function...
It is an honour to continue a conversation about Johannine christology in which Gilbert Van Belle... more It is an honour to continue a conversation about Johannine christology in which Gilbert Van Belle has been a participant over the years. My own major foray into Johannine christology sought to discern the underlying structure beneath the many formulations found on the surface of the text of the gospel. Fortunately these were not so varied as to make tracing a pattern impossible, but rather were sufficiently constant to make an outline of themes possible and to see the syntax which linked them.
This piece examines references to sexuality in the diverse writings of the Apocrypha. It uses the... more This piece examines references to sexuality in the diverse writings of the Apocrypha. It uses the term “sexuality” broadly to encompass matters pertaining to sexuality, rather than in the more confined sense that is found in discussions of sexual orientation and sexual theory. It will therefore consider a range of ways in which sexual drive or desire finds expression in various contexts, from marriage to sex work, same-sex relations to celibacy, and beyond. It will do so by examining such references in the particular context of the writings being considered and in the light of the broader social context. It discusses each writing or set of writing in turn: 1 Esdras, Baruch, Judith, the Books of the Maccabees, 2 Esdras, Ben Sira/Sirach, Tobit, Wisdom of Solomon, Susanna, the Additions to Esther, and the Letter of Jeremiah. There are sexual elements common to many of these works: male stereotypes about women in their sexuality as dangerous, associated with mockery of men who lose control to women; male predatory behavior; rape and sexual violence in war; linkage of idolatry to profligate sexuality; gender role reversals, which as exceptions confirm the norms; affirmation of sexual attractiveness when not abused and of (arranged) marriage and the processes of procreation and nurture; and disapprovals of sex work and marriage to foreigners or exogamy.
The author’s inspiration for writing this book is the difficulty he believes many have faced in r... more The author’s inspiration for writing this book is the difficulty he believes many have faced in relating their faith to their sexuality; hence the usefulness of exploring how Jesus managed this relationship...
Robert Crotty writes ‘not primarily..for professional theologians or biblical scholars’, but to h... more Robert Crotty writes ‘not primarily..for professional theologians or biblical scholars’, but to help ‘intelligent people to participate in the debate on modern Jesus research’ (p. 1). The book provides an introduction to the issues of the historical search.
This paper considers the enigmatic figure of the Strange Woman in Proverbs, her appearance and ro... more This paper considers the enigmatic figure of the Strange Woman in Proverbs, her appearance and role, with particular attention to what happens to her in the Septuagint translation and then in Ben Sira and in the grandson's Greek translation. She first meets us with profile in Proverbs in association with Woman Wisdom...
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication Data Communities in dispute : current scholarship o... more Library of Congress Cataloging-in-publication Data Communities in dispute : current scholarship on the Johannine epistles / edited by R. alan Culpepper and paul n. anderson. p. cm.-(society of Biblical Literature early Christianity and its literature ; number 13) includes bibliographical references and index.
Philo, Josephus, and the Testaments on Sexuality is the fourth of five scholarly volumes by Willi... more Philo, Josephus, and the Testaments on Sexuality is the fourth of five scholarly volumes by William Loader exploring attitudes toward sexuality in Judaism and Christianity during the Greco-Roman era. In this volume Loader examines three substantial and historically important sets of documents -- the writings of Philo of Alexandria, the writings of Josephus, and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. Challenging stereotypes of both Philo's and Josephus's perspectives on sexuality, Loader's in-depth, detailed analyses provide an unprecedentedly comprehensive investigation of this subject.
The 'King Ptolemy' referred to in this early fifth century rabbinic commentary on Genesis... more The 'King Ptolemy' referred to in this early fifth century rabbinic commentary on Genesis is Ptolemy II Philadelphus (reign: 283-46 B.C.E). 'The things which they altered for King Ptolemy' alludes to instances where the Greek translation differs from the acknowledged Hebrew text...
The tradition preserved in Mk 7.24-31 reflects an understanding of Jesus which portrays him as be... more The tradition preserved in Mk 7.24-31 reflects an understanding of Jesus which portrays him as beginning from a conservative stance in relation to issues of Law relating to boundaries. Other traditions preserved in Mark also appear to reflect a similar conservatism. Many acknowledge that Mk 1.39-45 reflects Torah faithful ness in the way it portrays Jesus' instruction that the leper present himself to the priests. The anger of Jesus in this pericope has baffled exegetes. The paper examines the possibility that Mark's tradition was assuming a conservative response on the part of Jesus to the leper's approach. Boundary issues are also present in Mk 5.1-20 and 21-43. The passages considered appear to preserve traces of conservativism which may reflect Jesus' background, although in each case he moves beyond its norms.
This slightly revised doctoral thesis, completed in 2003 for the Australian College of Theology u... more This slightly revised doctoral thesis, completed in 2003 for the Australian College of Theology under Rikki Watts and Johan Ferreira, sets out to make a contribution to the discussion of Johannine Christology by examining the references to Jesus’ emotions in the Fourth Gospel. The thesis opens with a brie f description of “the current debate.” The author identifies three major positions: Jesus as “merely human,” attributed to Rudolf Bultmann (6–9); Jesus as “only divine,” attributed to Ernst Kasemann (9–11); and Jesus as “both human and divine,” represented by Rudolf Schnackenburg (11–13). The titles are unfortunately simplistic, but the actual discussion more differentiating. It is sufficient to establish the relevance of embarking on a study of the “emotions” of Jesus, but not for a more detailed engagement of the issues that the work promises...
One of the arguably core concerns of the historical Jesus was to proclaim good news to the poor. ... more One of the arguably core concerns of the historical Jesus was to proclaim good news to the poor. This paper investigates what "good news for the poor" might have meant in the ministry of Jesus, inasmuch as this is recoverable, and what happened to it in the course of the early decades of Christianity as reflected in the writings of the New Testament. Within the investigation we shall give special attention to the story as Luke's two volumes tell it. Inevitably such investigation is coloured by contemporary concerns not least because the injustice of world poverty confronts us. The desire for relevance can easily reconstruct a Jesus who addresses such needs in ways that match our ideal strategies and hopes. The task in this paper is not to contrive a Jesus to match our needs or our ideals, but to enter his distant and strange world to hear as far as is possible what he was saying, what it might have meant in his setting, and then for those who followed him.
A collection of articles on Christian worship in the Australian context. It explores the interact... more A collection of articles on Christian worship in the Australian context. It explores the interaction of aspects of Australian landscape, climate, culture, history and traditions of worship. In doing so, it welcomes and challenges liturgical practices originating in the northern hemisphere - providing an important resources for students of Christian worship, mission and contextual theology, in Australia and further afield. Contributors: Chris Budden, Stephen Burns, Scott Cowdell, Robert Gribben, Jione Havea, C. Michael Hawn, Clare V. Johnson, Fergus J. King, William Loader, Dorothy McRae-McMahon, Anita Monro, Gerard Moore, Rod Pattenden, Carmel Pilcher, Julia Pitman, Stephen Platten, Elizabeth J. Smith and Karen B. Westerfield Tucker.
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Papers by William Loader
Contributors: Chris Budden, Stephen Burns, Scott Cowdell, Robert Gribben, Jione Havea, C. Michael Hawn, Clare V. Johnson, Fergus J. King, William Loader, Dorothy McRae-McMahon, Anita Monro, Gerard Moore, Rod Pattenden, Carmel Pilcher, Julia Pitman, Stephen Platten, Elizabeth J. Smith and Karen B. Westerfield Tucker.