Papers by Bartosz Adamczewski
Images of the Human Being: Eighth International East-West Symposium of New Testament Scholars, Caraiman Monastery, May 26 to 31, 2019 (WUNT 521; Mohr Siebeck: Tübingen 2024), 311–320., 2024
The moral aspects of the relational nature of the human body in the theology of Paul greatly diff... more The moral aspects of the relational nature of the human body in the theology of Paul greatly differ from the views concerning the body which are popular in modern European and American culture. The body is not the property of the self. The body belongs to someone else: the Lord and, in case of being married, the spouse. The body can and should be offered to God and to others. The Pauline thought that we do not possess our bodies is certainly challenging for our modern moral discourses. The paper reconsiders the importance of Paul’s anthropological-moral idea that our bodies belong to others, and that we can offer them to others. It also offers challenging exegetical analyses of the Pauline texts 1 Cor 7:10–11, 27–28; Rom 7:2–3 (as presenting the possibility of legal divorce in an unequal legal contract based on Deut 24:1, 3 and not on Mk 10:11–12) and Rom 12:1 (as a sequentially organized four-element reworking of 1 Cor 11:24).
Collectanea Theologica, 2024
Many modern programmes of preparation of young people for confirmation are based on theological m... more Many modern programmes of preparation of young people for confirmation are based on theological models which are correct in theory but ineffective in practice. They often assume that young people come to know the Holy Spirit through catechesis based on Scripture. This article demonstrates that a much better way of preparing young people for confirmation can be found in the genuine letters of Paul the Apostle. He showed that the presence of the Holy Spirit in a human person is not merely a matter of belief, but it can also be experienced in a reliable way, which is not limited to charismatic phenomena. This way is based on the discovery of a number of virtues in young people's hearts, which are quite unexpected in the context of their human egoism, laziness, etc. For this reason, they must be regarded as the fruit of the Spirit, who broadens human hearts to love and to serve the poor. In this way, young people may also discover Christ-as the one who humbled himself to serve not his social status but people in need.
Social Groups behind Biblical Traditions: Identity Perspectives from Egypt, Transjordan, Mesopotamia, and Israel in the Second Temple Period (FAT 167), 2023
The images of Judea and the Judean Yahwism in the book of Judges are highly variegated. The image... more The images of Judea and the Judean Yahwism in the book of Judges are highly variegated. The image of Judahite civil leadership, inasmuch as it is theocratic and oriented positively towards Ephraim, is here positive (Judg 3:8–11; 19:3–9). On the contrary, the image of the rival, separatist sanctuary of Yahweh in Jerusalem is here very negative (Judg 19:10–12).
Therefore, Yahwistic diversity in the Hebrew Bible is an intentionally shaped rhetorical phenomenon, including both fierce polemic, especially between various Yahwistic cultic centers, and attempts at achieving reconciliation and peace. Moreover, Yahwistic diversity in the Hebrew Bible is related not only to various territories and territorially organized communities (Judah, Ephraim, Dan, Transjordan, etc.), but also to various kinds of socio-religious ideological claims, substantiated by recourses to Yahweh, especially political and cultic ones, within the same territorially organized community (e. g., Judah).
Collectanea Theologica, 2023
Numerous scholars argue that the book of Ruth, with its story concerning mixed marriages of Judah... more Numerous scholars argue that the book of Ruth, with its story concerning mixed marriages of Judahites with Moabite women, consciously opposes the exclusivist rhetoric of the books of Ezra-Nehemiah. However, a detailed analysis of the narrative rhetoric of the book of Ruth, especially compared to the supersessive rhetoric of the roughly contemporary books of Samuel-Kings, reveals that the main purpose of the book of Ruth was to delegitimize the claims of the tribe of Ephraim to domination in Israel, and against this background to promote the tribe of Judah with its Davidic dynasty. Therefore, the book of Ruth most probably served as a rhetorical-ideological model for the much more elaborate, likewise consciously Judean narrative of the books of Samuel-Kings.
Scriptura, 2021
The article analyses the recent history and development of Catholic biblical scholarship in Polan... more The article analyses the recent history and development of Catholic biblical scholarship in Poland. It points to the role of the pastoral situation and activity of the Catholic Church in this development. It presents the current situation of Catholic biblical scholarship in Poland. It describes notable recent achievements of Polish Catholic biblical scholars, especially those published in English. It also presents some innovative hypotheses, put forward by Polish Catholic biblical scholars.
Revue Biblique, 2021
The rhetorical impact of the explicit and allusive references to Gerizim and Jerusalem in the fir... more The rhetorical impact of the explicit and allusive references to Gerizim and Jerusalem in the first seven books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis-Judges) implies that all these writings originate from the territory of Ephraim, and not from Judah. Their rhetoric consistently highlights the importance of the central sanctuary of Yahweh in the region of Shechem in the territory of the tribe of Joseph/Ephraim, more and more clearly pointing to its location on Mount Gerizim. On the other hand, their allusive rhetoric presents the tribe of Judah, especially its historical capital in Jerusalem, in negative terms, thus conveying the idea of the superiority of the sanctuary on Mount Gerizim over the rival sanctuary on Mount Zion, as well as that at Dan.
Collectanea Theologica, 2021
The allusion to Aristophanes' Birds plays an important role in the intertextual-illustrative rhet... more The allusion to Aristophanes' Birds plays an important role in the intertextual-illustrative rhetoric of the Lucan parable of the unjust steward (Lk 16:1-8). People generally assume that good legal systems promote moral honesty and legal justice. Against this background, the Pauline idea of the presence of the law, but also its ineffectiveness in giving righteousness (Gal 3:19b; cf. 3:21), is quite difficult to explain. In order to illustrate this Pauline idea in his sequential hypertextual reworking of the Letter to the Galatians, Luke used the allusion to Aristophanes' comedy, which presented the classical Athenian legal system as likewise ineffective against the activity of the morally corrupt legal agent, the sycophant. The Lucan unjust steward not only uses the language of the Athenian sycophant, but also engages in similar, apparently legal but morally unjust activity, thus questioning the effectiveness of the whole legal system in promoting righteousness. The reworking of the sequence of Pauline ideas explains the meaning of the enigmatic parable of the unjust steward (Lk 16:1-8).
Collectanea Theologica, 2021
The similarities between Noah's ark and the saving boat in Mesopotamian flood accounts are widely... more The similarities between Noah's ark and the saving boat in Mesopotamian flood accounts are widely known. Likewise known are the links between Noah's ark and the chest of Moses (Exod 2:3). However, the connections between the "chest" of Noah and the "chest" of the testimony have not hitherto drawn adequate scholarly attention. The article explores these connections on both the linguistic and the conceptual level. Moreover, it investigates their function in hypertextual links of the Genesis flood account to earlier Israelite literary works, especially the book of Deuteronomy and the book of Joshua.
Old Testament Essays, 2021
Several important features of the narrative character of Abraham allude to the features of the hi... more Several important features of the narrative character of Abraham allude to the features of the historical person of Sanballat, the first Israelite governor of the Persian province of Samaria. The most important common features of Abraham and Sanballat are the origin in the city of Haran, a non-Yahwistic name, being related to the cult of the moon god Sin, being given the land of Israel as a hereditary possession, founding the central sanctuary of Yahweh on Mount Gerizim, and respecting an important priest from Jerusalem. These and other common features point to the origin of the book of Genesis in the secular elite of the Persian province of Samaria ca. 350-340 B.C.
Collectanea Theologica, 2020
A thorough analysis of the genealogies in Gen 4:17-5:32 has shown that they are the result of a h... more A thorough analysis of the genealogies in Gen 4:17-5:32 has shown that they are the result of a highly creative (hypertextual) and at the same time strictly sequential reworking of an older text of Deut 2:9-23. This means that the theories postulating the genealogies in Gen 4:17-5:32 as having come from various hypothetical sources of the Pentateuch (J, P, etc.) are no longer necessary to explain their origin and function. Similarly, detailed analysis of the genealogies presented in Luke 3:23-38 and Matt 1:1-17 has demonstrated that the Matthean genealogy is the effect of a deliberate reworking of the earlier genealogy composed by Luke. That, in turn, means that the theory of the "Q source," intended to serve as an explanation of the origin of the Matthean-Lucan materials that had not come from the Gospel of Mark, is also exegetically superfluous.
Sustainable Development Goals and the Catholic Church: Catholic Social Teaching and the UN’s Agenda 2030, 2021
One of the most important goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development con... more One of the most important goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development concerns life on land (SDG15). It seems that among the issues mentioned in SDG15, soil degradation and preservation is the matter which is least studied in theory and most neglected in practice. “Soil is the key to life on this planet – the foundation for all terrestrial ecosystems”. For centuries, soil has mainly been seen as a source of goods. However, with the increasing human impact on the environment, the close links between soil and a number of environmental issues, such as sustainability, climate change, and loss of soil organic matter and nutrients, have been recognized. All soil functions depend on its physical, chemical and biological properties. They determine the quality of the soil. This in turn guarantees whether or not the soil can provide its services.
Collectanea Theologica, 2020
The New Testament articles published in the Polish theological journal Collectanea Theologica ini... more The New Testament articles published in the Polish theological journal Collectanea Theologica initially (1920–1965) had significant apologetic features. After the Second Vatican Council (1966–1989), they became more pastorally oriented. Especially in the years 1990–2006, many articles were devoted to the relationships between Christianity and Judaism. Since 2007, the problems of the reception of the Old Testament in the New Testament have become much more prominent. In general, the articles related to the New Testament bear witness to the strong ties of Polish biblical scholarship with the Vatican documents concerning Scripture as well as the exegetical methods elaborated in the pontifical universities and institutes in Rome. On the other hand, the heritage of German biblical scholarship is treated in the New Testament articles published in Collectanea Theologica with greater mistrust and criticism.
Sacred Texts and Disparate Interpretations: Qumran Manuscripts Seventy Years Later: Proceedings of the International Conference Held at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, 24–26 October 2017, red. H. Drawnel, (STDJ 133), Brill: Leiden · Boston 2020), 69-92., 2020
It is not possible today to prove beyond doubt that at least some of the Dead Sea Scrolls had Pha... more It is not possible today to prove beyond doubt that at least some of the Dead Sea Scrolls had Pharisaic origins. On the other hand, it is likewise not possible to prove beyond doubt that they were written by the Essenes, the Sadducees, etc. The arguments presented in this paper show that (a) the distinctive use of the key phrase מעשי התורה / ἔργα νόμου (“works of the law”) in both 4QMMT C 27 and the letters of the Pharisee Paul (Rom 3:20.28; Gal 2:16; 3:2.5.10), (b) the attribution of the halachic ideas contained in the so-called Damascus Document to the Pharisees in the Gospel of Mark (CD X, 22–23 in Mk 2:23–24) and in the Gospel of Luke (CD XI, 13–14a.16–17a in Lk 14:1–6), as well as (c) the use of the key verb פרש in the Damascus Document (CD IV, 8; VI, 14; 4Q266 XI, 18 = 4Q270 7 II, 12) and 4QMMT C 7 as possible linguistic backgrounds to the coining of the name of the Pharisees point to a connection of at least 4QMMT and the Damascus Document to the ideas and terminology of the Pharisees.
From the methodological point of view, the New Testament writings should be regarded not only as evidence of the impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls on later religious ideas, but also as important sources for the understanding of the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves. Since they are significantly earlier than the mishnaic writings, their witnesses to distinctively Pharisaic ideas and terminology, and consequently, to possible links between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the ideas and terminology of the Pharisees, should be taken into serious consideration.
Warszawskie Studia Teologiczne, 2018
A detailed comparative analysis of the fragments Jn 4 and Acts 8 reveals that Jn 4 is linked to A... more A detailed comparative analysis of the fragments Jn 4 and Acts 8 reveals that Jn 4 is linked to Acts 8 with the use of 48 sequentially ordered correspondences. These correspondences are mainly conceptual-thematic (John’s use of Lucan ideas), but also linguistic (John’s use of Lucan phrases, keywords, etc.).
In order to illustrate the ideas from Acts, John often used motifs borrowed from other works (all three Synoptic Gospels, the Septuagint, the Pauline letters, the First Letter of John, etc.). However, it is the Acts of the Apostles that constitutes the main base text (hypotext) for the conceptual structure of the Fourth Gospel. This surprisingly close structural-conceptual connection of the Fourth Gospel to the Acts of the Apostles permits us to regard John as in fact the fourth Synoptic.
„A kimże jest człowiek?” (Ps 8,5). Księga Pamiątkowa dla uczczenia 75. rocznicy urodzin ks. Abpa Henryka Hosera SAC Biskupa Warszawsko-Praskiego, red. P. Klimek – L. Rasztawicki, Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne Diecezji Warszawsko-Praskiej: Warszawa 2017, 151-158., 2017
In the relatively early Book of Deuteronomy, the idea of ‘holy war’, with its ban on other nation... more In the relatively early Book of Deuteronomy, the idea of ‘holy war’, with its ban on other nations dwelling in the land of Israel, primarily functions as a sign of fidelity towards God and not assimilating to other nations in matters of religion. The later books of Genesis and Exodus are much more irenic. They show the problem of evil within humans as primarily a problem for God, who finds means to overcome this evil. The role of God’s chosen people consists not in fighting with other nations, but in remaining with God and praying in a priestly way for sinners, also from Gentile nations. Rivalry with other nations is here presented not in military categories, but in terms of spiritual and intellectual competition.
Collectanea Theologica, 2016
A detailed intertextual analysis of the links between Mt 2:13-15 and the Lucan text Acts 3 leads ... more A detailed intertextual analysis of the links between Mt 2:13-15 and the Lucan text Acts 3 leads to the conclusion that the fragment Mt 2:13-15 is an outcome of strictly sequential, but on the other hand highly creative reworking of the ideas, motifs, and key words which occur in Acts 3. Therefore, it can be argued that the quotation from Hos 11:1 LXX, which concludes the fragment Mt 2:13-15, was used and consciously modified by Matthew in order to illustrate intertextually the Lucan ideas which are contained in the concluding part of the section Acts 3: the fulfilment in Jesus of that which God foretold by the prophets (Acts 3:18.21), Jesus as the new Prophet like Moses (Acts 3:22-24), and Jesus being in a particular relationship with God (Acts 3:25-26).
Collectanea Theologica, 2015
In the Acts of the Apostles, there are two quotations from the Book of Amos: Am 5:25-27 in Acts 7... more In the Acts of the Apostles, there are two quotations from the Book of Amos: Am 5:25-27 in Acts 7:42-43 and Am 9:11-12 in Acts 15:16-18. Both of them were taken from the Greek version of the Septuagint, and in several places reworked in order that they might better suit Luke’s theological-rhetorical aims.
The quotation from Am 9:11-12 LXX was supplemented in Acts 15:18 with a literary echo of Gal 2:9a-c for a rhetorical characterization of the character of James as giving his consent to the mission among the Gentiles (cf. Gal 2:9), but in fact having grave reservations concerning the exceptional grace, whose reception was declared by Paul (Gal 2:9ab; cf. 2:12c.f). Such a particular use of the quotation from Am 9:11-12 LXX in Acts 15:16-18 additionally confirms the fact that Luke in his narrative used the letters of the Apostle, and not only general Pauline traditions or ideas.
Collectanea Theologica, 2014
często uważana jest za utwór wybitnie nacjonalistyczny, uzasadniający ideologię ״ świętej wojny... more często uważana jest za utwór wybitnie nacjonalistyczny, uzasadniający ideologię ״ świętej wojny" z zamieszkującymi ziemię Kanaan poganami. W takim rozumieniu trudno dopatrzeć się w niej jakichkolwiek wątków uniwersalistycznych, które w pozytywny sposób odnosiłyby się do członków innych grup kulturowych. Jednakże bliższa analiza zarówno samej Księgi Jozuego, jak i historii jej oddziaływania w Starym i Nowym Testamencie, pokazuje, że perspektywa uniwersalistyczna ma w tej księdze dość istotne znaczenie. Kto napisał Księgę Jozuego? Jednym z pytań kluczowych dla interpretacji Księgi Jozuego jest pytanie, kto tę księgę napisał. Nie chodzi oczywiście o autorstwo w sensie jednostkowym, gdyż księga jest anonimowa i nie ma żadnych danych pozwalających na stwierdzenie, kto konkretnie był jej literackim autorem. Ważne jest natomiast ustalenie środowiska ideowo-kulturowego, w którym powstała. Zidentyfikowanie tego środowiska możliwe jest na podstawie specyficznej ideowo-politycznej retoryki, przez którą Księga Jozuego oddziałuje na odbiorców. Retoryka ta dotyczy m.in. określonej prezentacji szczepu Judy. Nazwa ״Juda" pojawia się w Księdze Jozuego po raz pierwszy w opisie grzechu Akana (Joz 7,1). Etymologia imienia ״Akan" jest niejasna, jednakże jego grecka wersja Achar w Septuagincie
Collectanea Theologica, 2013
47 -Collectanea Theologica 83(2013) nr 4 BARTOSZ ADAMCZEWSKI, WARSZAWA KONIEC TEORII ŹRÓDEŁ? GENE... more 47 -Collectanea Theologica 83(2013) nr 4 BARTOSZ ADAMCZEWSKI, WARSZAWA KONIEC TEORII ŹRÓDEŁ? GENEALOGIE RDZ 4,17 -5,32 I ICH PRZEPRACOWANIE W NOWYM TESTAMENCIE
Biblia kodem kulturowym Europy, red. S. Szymik (Analecta Biblica Lublinensia 9), KUL: Lublin 2013, 93-111., 2013
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the issue of the fundamental relationships which ma... more At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the issue of the fundamental relationships which may be traced between the Bible and the European (and not only Semitic) culture became the subject of an intense scholarly discussion. Among others, early Christian centos, which are para-Gospel works written in the style of Homer and Virgil, undergo scrutiny. However, the linking of the story of Jesus with Homer’s works occurred much earlier, namely in the Gospel of Mark. This Gospel constitutes an ideological-literary challenge to Virgil’s Aeneid, thus becoming the “opus classicum” of the literature not of the Augustan Rome, but of the whole Christian Europe.
Uploads
Papers by Bartosz Adamczewski
Therefore, Yahwistic diversity in the Hebrew Bible is an intentionally shaped rhetorical phenomenon, including both fierce polemic, especially between various Yahwistic cultic centers, and attempts at achieving reconciliation and peace. Moreover, Yahwistic diversity in the Hebrew Bible is related not only to various territories and territorially organized communities (Judah, Ephraim, Dan, Transjordan, etc.), but also to various kinds of socio-religious ideological claims, substantiated by recourses to Yahweh, especially political and cultic ones, within the same territorially organized community (e. g., Judah).
From the methodological point of view, the New Testament writings should be regarded not only as evidence of the impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls on later religious ideas, but also as important sources for the understanding of the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves. Since they are significantly earlier than the mishnaic writings, their witnesses to distinctively Pharisaic ideas and terminology, and consequently, to possible links between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the ideas and terminology of the Pharisees, should be taken into serious consideration.
In order to illustrate the ideas from Acts, John often used motifs borrowed from other works (all three Synoptic Gospels, the Septuagint, the Pauline letters, the First Letter of John, etc.). However, it is the Acts of the Apostles that constitutes the main base text (hypotext) for the conceptual structure of the Fourth Gospel. This surprisingly close structural-conceptual connection of the Fourth Gospel to the Acts of the Apostles permits us to regard John as in fact the fourth Synoptic.
The quotation from Am 9:11-12 LXX was supplemented in Acts 15:18 with a literary echo of Gal 2:9a-c for a rhetorical characterization of the character of James as giving his consent to the mission among the Gentiles (cf. Gal 2:9), but in fact having grave reservations concerning the exceptional grace, whose reception was declared by Paul (Gal 2:9ab; cf. 2:12c.f). Such a particular use of the quotation from Am 9:11-12 LXX in Acts 15:16-18 additionally confirms the fact that Luke in his narrative used the letters of the Apostle, and not only general Pauline traditions or ideas.
Therefore, Yahwistic diversity in the Hebrew Bible is an intentionally shaped rhetorical phenomenon, including both fierce polemic, especially between various Yahwistic cultic centers, and attempts at achieving reconciliation and peace. Moreover, Yahwistic diversity in the Hebrew Bible is related not only to various territories and territorially organized communities (Judah, Ephraim, Dan, Transjordan, etc.), but also to various kinds of socio-religious ideological claims, substantiated by recourses to Yahweh, especially political and cultic ones, within the same territorially organized community (e. g., Judah).
From the methodological point of view, the New Testament writings should be regarded not only as evidence of the impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls on later religious ideas, but also as important sources for the understanding of the Dead Sea Scrolls themselves. Since they are significantly earlier than the mishnaic writings, their witnesses to distinctively Pharisaic ideas and terminology, and consequently, to possible links between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the ideas and terminology of the Pharisees, should be taken into serious consideration.
In order to illustrate the ideas from Acts, John often used motifs borrowed from other works (all three Synoptic Gospels, the Septuagint, the Pauline letters, the First Letter of John, etc.). However, it is the Acts of the Apostles that constitutes the main base text (hypotext) for the conceptual structure of the Fourth Gospel. This surprisingly close structural-conceptual connection of the Fourth Gospel to the Acts of the Apostles permits us to regard John as in fact the fourth Synoptic.
The quotation from Am 9:11-12 LXX was supplemented in Acts 15:18 with a literary echo of Gal 2:9a-c for a rhetorical characterization of the character of James as giving his consent to the mission among the Gentiles (cf. Gal 2:9), but in fact having grave reservations concerning the exceptional grace, whose reception was declared by Paul (Gal 2:9ab; cf. 2:12c.f). Such a particular use of the quotation from Am 9:11-12 LXX in Acts 15:16-18 additionally confirms the fact that Luke in his narrative used the letters of the Apostle, and not only general Pauline traditions or ideas.
The main objective of the volume lies in the literary-historical implications of this diversity: How did these groups or their interactions with one another influence the formation of the Hebrew Bible as well as its complex textual transmission? This perspective has not been sufficiently pursued in the more religious and historically oriented research before.
The volume comprises thirteen articles by renowned international specialists in the field, which aim at closing this gap in the scholarly discussion.