Biblica - Vol 89 (2008) Schmidt, Ulrich, Zum Paradox vom 'Verlieren' und 'Finden' des Lebens (2008)

Jesus’ paradox of losing and finding one’s life is well attested. According to its contexts, interpreters relate the logion predominantly to martyrdom and death. But a closer look reveals that this word is an assertion in favour of life which functions as a maxim of Jesus’ teaching and view of life. It is the context many of his sayings and behavorial patterns. The issue of a 'recompense' after death is merely a consequence of the original intention.

Biblica - Vol 88 (2007) Swetnam, James,   )Ec e(no/j in Hebrews 2,11 (2007)

The phrase   )ec e(no/j in Heb 2,11 is a standard crux. The article attempts to come to grips with it through a close reading of the text of Heb 2,8bc-18. This close reading leads to the conclusion that the 'one' mentioned in is the spiritual seed of Abraham composed of all those who, like Abraham exercise faith-trust in God in the face of death. But this spiritual seed of Abraham is modified by the faith-trust of Jesus brought to the perfection of his heavenly priesthood.

Biblica - Vol 89 (2008) Swetnam, James, o( a)po/stoloj in Hebrews 3,1 (2008)

The word a)po/stoloj in Heb 3,1 is seen as a reference to the risen Jesus in Heb 2,12 who has been “sent” by God to reveal God’s name as Moses was “sent” to reveal God’s name. Since Heb 2,12 is an allusion to the Christian tôdâ known as the Eucharist, the parallel with the word a)rxiereu/j is appropriate. The risen Christ is the son who reveals his father to those who have faith-trust as Jesus had faithtrust in the face of death. This revelation of a piece with a central theological theme of the New Testament, and is an invitation to enter liturgically into the death of Jesus so as to enter into his relation of son with his father.

Biblica - Vol 91 (2010) Swetnam, James, The Crux at Hebrews 2,9 in Its Context (2010)

The note suggests that Heb 2,9 means that Jesus died physically so that he could die in the gaze of those who believe in him and thus be freed from the fear of death (2,15). It also suggests that Heb 2,8b-9 is a subsection about Jesus as the heavenly sacrificial victim and corresponds to Heb 2,14-16 which is about Jesus the earthly sacrificial victim. Heb 2,10-12 in turn is a subsection about Jesus as heavenly high priest and corresponds to Heb 2,17-18 which is about Jesus as earthly high priest.

Biblica - Vol 91 (2010) Wong, Gregory T.K., Goliath's Death and the Testament of Judah (2010)

In a 1978 article, Deem proposed to read xcm in 1 Sam 17,49 as «greave» rather than «forehead». However, this reading has not gained wide acceptance partly because its lack of external support. This article explores the possibility that the description of a combat detail in the pseudepigraphal Testament of Judah may in fact be traceable to an understanding of 1 Sam 17,49 in line with Deem’s proposal. If so, this may constitute the very external support needed to lend further credibility to the reading championed by Deem.

Biblica - Vol 88 (2007) Schreiber, Stefan, Eine neue Jenseitshoffnung in Thessaloniki und ihre Probleme (1 Thess 4,13-18) (2007)

Paul’s portrayal of the parousia of Christ in 1 Thess 4,13-18 is induced by a concrete problem of the recently founded community in Thessalonica. So to understand the text means to reconstruct the situation out of which it has been written. A closer look at the argument of 4,13-18 reveals the fact that the event of the parousia is the centre of the problem. After a brief sketch of the recent scholarly discussion, the article gives an overview of ancient conceptions of the hereafter (or their lack, respectively) as the cultural background of the potential reception of the idea of the parousia in Thessalonica. Then the identity building force of this idea as part of the missionary preaching becomes discernible: a Christian identity constituted by a separate hope of life after death and a critical distance to the socio-political reality. In this light the deaths of some community members can be understood as an attack on the identity of the community, which Paul’s eschatological rearrangement tries to strengthen again.

Filología Neotestamentaria - Vol 25 (2012) Makujina, John, ‘Till Death Do Us Part’? Or the Continuation of Marriage in the Eschaton? Answering Recent Objections to the Traditional Reading of Gameo - Gamizo in the Synoptic Gospels. (2012)

B. Witherington III et al. propose that gameo and gamizo in Matt 22,30 (par. Mark 12,25; Luke 20,34-36) describe entrance into marriage rather than the state of marriage. Consequently, these passages indicate no more than the impossibility of new marriages in the resurrection; they do not, by themselves, insists Witherington, teach the termination of existing marriages, as has been ordinarily assumed. In contrast, this article argues for the traditional interpretation of these texts by demonstrating that when combined gameo and gamizo posses an idiomatic value and refer to the institution of marriage and the family, which, according to Jesus, will end with this age.