Papers by Elton L . Hollon
Bibliotheca Sacra, 2024
While scholarly attention has focused on reconstructing the tradition history of Jesus's temple p... more While scholarly attention has focused on reconstructing the tradition history of Jesus's temple prophecy in Mark 14:58, comparable analyses of its traditional Aramaic structure are harder to locate. This article uses form, redaction, literary, and structural criticism to uncover the tradition history of the prophecy and reconstruct its original Aramaic formulation. Our analysis supports the historicity of the prophecy and identifies a four-two beat kīnā metre (poetic meter) typical of laments, warnings, and threats.
The Heythrop Journal, 2023
The following article evaluates two common arguments for preterist interpretations of Mark 13:24-... more The following article evaluates two common arguments for preterist interpretations of Mark 13:24-27, collectively dubbed the 'time-text' argument. These two arguments support symbolic and/or historicised interpretations. Our thesis is that the first argument is unsound and the second commits the informal fallacy of false dilemma. Owing to these problems, the arguments and preterist interpretations should be rejected in favour of more plausible futurist interpretations.
While much scholarly attention has been directed towards the literary structure of the wedding at... more While much scholarly attention has been directed towards the literary structure of the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12), comparable analyses of the healing at Cana (John 4:46-54) are harder to locate. This article offers an interpretation of the healing at Cana pericope based on a careful structural analysis of John 4:46-54. Our analysis posits that, in emphasizing Jesus's declaration at the center of the episode, John's Gospel represents the evangelical proclamation of the early apostolic church as the source of life and faith for both individuals and for communities, as the healing, life-giving Logos of God, mediated to the Church by the crucified Christ.1 This article is primarily concerned with the question of the literary structure of the healing at Cana pericope in John 4:46-54 and its implications for meaning and interpretation, and it leaves aside many broader critical issues of source, form, and redaction which have been raised within the scholarly community.2 This structural analysis further notes two distinct faith-based responses to early Christian kerygma and offers them as a model to resolve an apparent tension between the different stages of " belief " in Jesus (cf John 4:50, 53). The Literary Structure of the Healing at Cana in John 4:46-54 The primary author of John's gospel was a sophisticated writer and storyteller, and he used a particular set of structures and devices throughout his gospel, carefully scripting his evangelical narrative in order to guide his audience towards a deeper understanding of Jesus' ministry and person. The episode at Cana—in which a desperate father seeks out the miracle-working Jesus in order to save his dying son—is structured so that the audience journeys with the father through an initial stage of faith in the words of Jesus, and this leads him to a fuller faith shared within his community. An appreciation of the structures, terms, and concepts John uses not only helps readers to navigate these stages of development, but it also helps explain the story's final shape.
The following essay explores the development of 1 st century Christian rite focusing primarily on... more The following essay explores the development of 1 st century Christian rite focusing primarily on the identification of the blood of Jesus with the wine of the Eucharist. My hypothesis is that the aforementioned identification lacks any Jewish parallel because the Old Testament (OT) prohibits the consumption of blood. Thus, it is likely drawn from the wider Greco-Roman culture in which there is a variety of religious connotations associated with blood consumption. My paper is divided into two parts. The first part presents my reasons for thinking that the Eucharistic identification of blood with wine may draw partially on OT symbolism but cannot be entirely accounted for on the basis of OT precedence. It also presents my reasons for thinking that this identification was not made by the historical Jesus. The second part of my paper lists a number of Greco-Roman sources and practices in which the imbibing of blood is described or practiced.
Drafts by Elton L . Hollon
This essay addresses a series of responses by Don K. Preston to our recent article published in t... more This essay addresses a series of responses by Don K. Preston to our recent article published in the Heythrop Journal critiquing the 'time-text' argument for preterist interpretations of Mark 13:24-27 (November 2023). It presents our counter-responses and identifies areas in need of further research for future dialogue.
Monday, March 9
New Testament: Gospels and Acts II (Duke 507)
The Source of Life and Faith in t... more Monday, March 9
New Testament: Gospels and Acts II (Duke 507)
The Source of Life and Faith in the Healing at Cana: Literary
Analysis and Interpretation of John 4:46–54 — Elton Hollon,
Graduate Theological Union (22 mins.)
Scholars disagree about the interpretation of resurrection in Daniel 12:2-3. Specialists variousl... more Scholars disagree about the interpretation of resurrection in Daniel 12:2-3. Specialists variously interpret it as a symbol of national restoration, a literal description of terrestrial resurrection, celestial resurrection, or a terrestrial-celestial hybrid. The following discussion assesses key scholarly arguments in support of these conflicting interpretations. Our thesis is that a number of details support a hybrid interpretation. Details supporting a terrestrial resurrection include: 1. use of Isaiah 26:19, Second Isaiah 52:13, 53:11, and Third Isaiah 66:24; 2. material imagery in the literary context in Daniel 12:1, 13; 3. historical context in the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes; and 4. conceptual continuity with the LXX, the Animal Apocalypse, 4Q385 Pseudo-Ezekiel, and 2 Maccabees. In addition, the following details support a celestial resurrection: 5. association of ‘angels’ with ‘stars’ in Daniel 8:10-11a; 12:3; 6. numerous parallels with astral immortality and angelmorphic texts; and 7. extensive influence of Hellenistic cosmology on Jewish pseudepigrapha. Last of all, a celestial-continuous/dense resurrection is supported by 8. the syncretism between mythic conceptions of celestial embodiment and the rising Aristotelian cosmology; 9. the context of Daniel 10-12; and 10. the grammatical use of ‘stand’ in 11:1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 20, 21, 31; 12:1, 13.
The following essay explores the Jewish background of the apocalyptic Son of Man in the New Testa... more The following essay explores the Jewish background of the apocalyptic Son of Man in the New Testament (NT). The first section briefly discusses the genre of Jewish apocalyptic. The second section reviews three Jewish apocalyptic sources for the Son of Man concept: 1. Daniel; 2. 1 Enoch; and 3. 4 Ezra. It also surveys the developing “heavenly enthronement” traditions and its influence on apocalyptic portrayals of the Son of Man. The third section explores how these sources influenced the NT usage of the apocalyptic Son of Man focusing on select passages. The fourth section looks at the way two early Christian apocalyptic texts understood the Son of Man concept in order to provide dis/confirmation for the proposed reading: 1. Didache; and 2. Apocalypse of Peter. Elements of continuity corroborate the reading. The fifth section presents my conclusion that the synoptic presentation of the coming of the Son of Man borrows from Jewish apocalyptic and develops the concept in a Christian direction. Whereas the Son of Man is an angelic or pre-existent being in Jewish apocalyptic, one who either ushers in the final judgment or enters into battle at the dawn of the Messianic age, in Christianity he is the resurrected Jesus who returns to earth for the apocalyptic judgment. In Mk 8:38; 13:26, he functions as the advocate or accuser, but in Matt 19:28; 24:30-31; 25:31 he functions as the judge. Both Jewish and Christian apocalypses present the Son of Man as a super-celestial being who plays an integral role in apocalyptic expectation for cosmic transformation. Interestingly, Mk 14:62a begins an historicization process in response to the delay of the parousia, and this technique is accentuated uniquely by Lk 22:69 and Acts 7:55-56.
Books by Elton L . Hollon
Traditional Epistemology and the Integration of Cognitive and Evolutionary Psychology: A Model for Resolving the Internalist-Externalist Debate Over Justification, 2011
Take compatibilism about epistemic justification to be the view that both internal and external j... more Take compatibilism about epistemic justification to be the view that both internal and external justifiers play a role in our epistemic appraisals. I defend a version of compatibilism that harmonizes two distinct orders of knowledge – explicit and implicit knowledge. First, I defend a traditional sense of knowledge in which epistemic justification is necessary for propositional or inferential knowledge. Second, I also defend a sense of knowledge in which epistemic justification construed internally is not a necessary condition. Consequently, I defend a compatibilist version of knowledge that utilizes both internal and external justifiers, because it combines traditional epistemology and its emphasis on internal justification with recent theories in cognitive and evolutionary psychology and its emphasis on external cognitive and evolutionary modules. One advantage of compatibilism is that it seems to handle the Gettier counterexamples both the internalist and externalist accounts of justification have been unable to handle on their own.
I also defend compatibilism against the objection that it does not avoid the Gettier problem. Bernecker presents two arguments in support of this conclusion. My claim is that it does and should be adopted for this very reason.
Chapter 1 introduces the subject at hand. Chapter 2 introduces the traditional analysis of knowledge and the three classical conditions of the tripartite analysis. Chapter 3 introduces the Gettier problem and presents my summary and evaluation of the leading responses to the problem. Chapter 4 introduces relevant case studies from psychology. These case studies suggest the demarcation of two distinct orders of knowledge. Chapter 5 introduces my formulation of compatibilism. Chapter 6 considers some objections and responses. Chapter 7 concludes my defense of epistemic compatibilism.
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Papers by Elton L . Hollon
Drafts by Elton L . Hollon
New Testament: Gospels and Acts II (Duke 507)
The Source of Life and Faith in the Healing at Cana: Literary
Analysis and Interpretation of John 4:46–54 — Elton Hollon,
Graduate Theological Union (22 mins.)
Books by Elton L . Hollon
I also defend compatibilism against the objection that it does not avoid the Gettier problem. Bernecker presents two arguments in support of this conclusion. My claim is that it does and should be adopted for this very reason.
Chapter 1 introduces the subject at hand. Chapter 2 introduces the traditional analysis of knowledge and the three classical conditions of the tripartite analysis. Chapter 3 introduces the Gettier problem and presents my summary and evaluation of the leading responses to the problem. Chapter 4 introduces relevant case studies from psychology. These case studies suggest the demarcation of two distinct orders of knowledge. Chapter 5 introduces my formulation of compatibilism. Chapter 6 considers some objections and responses. Chapter 7 concludes my defense of epistemic compatibilism.
New Testament: Gospels and Acts II (Duke 507)
The Source of Life and Faith in the Healing at Cana: Literary
Analysis and Interpretation of John 4:46–54 — Elton Hollon,
Graduate Theological Union (22 mins.)
I also defend compatibilism against the objection that it does not avoid the Gettier problem. Bernecker presents two arguments in support of this conclusion. My claim is that it does and should be adopted for this very reason.
Chapter 1 introduces the subject at hand. Chapter 2 introduces the traditional analysis of knowledge and the three classical conditions of the tripartite analysis. Chapter 3 introduces the Gettier problem and presents my summary and evaluation of the leading responses to the problem. Chapter 4 introduces relevant case studies from psychology. These case studies suggest the demarcation of two distinct orders of knowledge. Chapter 5 introduces my formulation of compatibilism. Chapter 6 considers some objections and responses. Chapter 7 concludes my defense of epistemic compatibilism.