The resemblance between the Gospel story about Jesus stilling a storm in the Sea of Galilee (Mt. 8:18, 23-27, Mk. 4:35-41, Lk. 8:22-25) and the Jonah story (Jon. 1:1-16) has been long acknowledged by scholars. This article contends that since the relations between the two stories are those of polar opposition, it should be possible, by way of…[Read more]

This paper offers an alternative approach to Luke 2:1-7, assuming for argument’s sake that Luke’s presumed chronology agreed with modern reconstructions in placing Quirinius’ census some years after Herod’s death. It is proposed that, on this basis, a coherent reading of the text is feasible in which the reference to Quirinius marks 2:1-5 as a…[Read more]

An attempt to think about authorial strategies of dislocation and relocation in 1 Peter. First presented at a conference on Early Christianity and its urban environment held at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham, England, 2015.

Szesnat, Holger. 2016 [2017]. “Bible Study on Economic Justice: Luke 19:11–28.” Pacific Journal of Theology Series II, 56:19–29.

(The journal volume is dated 2016, but it actually appeard in late 2017.)

This thesis makes a unique contribution in the field of New Testament studies with specific attention to New Testament theology and the Christology of Hebrews. It explores the relationship between Sonship and the ascension in the book of Hebrews. It argues that the ascension of Jesus reveals the nature of his Sonship. First, chapters two and three…[Read more]

This article proposes a better source for the Son’s cry in Hebrews 5:7. It begins by surveying sources previous scholars have identified, including Jesus’ cry in Gethsemane and Golgotha, several Psalms, and the Maccabean martyr literature. It is then argued that these background sources for the language are insufficient. Instead the author of Heb…[Read more]

The second-century Protevangelium of James contains an enigmatic scene that has fascinated readers for centuries: the stilling of the natural world at the birth of Jesus. Joseph describes the spectacle as he departs the cave in which Mary is laboring: “I looked up at the vault of the sky and saw it fixed. I saw the clouds paused in amazement, a…[Read more]

Contrary to the opinion of Dahl, the most economic solution to the authorship of the Latin Prologues to the letters of Paul is still that they arose in Marcionite circles

This article explores the relationship between law and love as this comes to expression in the ethical sections of Galatians. It considers the likely important of Galatians 2:19–21 for understanding the development of Paul’s bi-focal view of the law in relation to love.

This article describes the main contours of Greco-Roman and Jewish friendship trad- itions, and considers some of the ways that these traditions were adopted and adapted in New Testament texts. The survey suggests that early Christian writers drew on friendship traditions as a way of articulating certain important values relating to the need to…[Read more]

Syllabus for my course Jewish and Christian Scriptures at Augustana College. Most students who take the course are non-majors, and they take it to fulfill their “Christian Traditions” requirement. I focus on reading primary sources (both biblical and extra-canonical), supplementing with Bible Odyssey materials and pre-recorded online lectures.

A critical review of Philip W. Comfort’s 2015 *A Commentary on the Manuscripts and Texts of the New Testament*.

Although much of what follows will focus on those two words in 1 Thess 5.3 — peace and security — the ultimate aim is to root 5.3 more firmly within the wider literary context of the letter and the social world in which 1 Thessalonians was composed and received. Following a sketch of the debate over whether 5.3 represents false prophecy or a…[Read more]

Generically, theologically, and with respect to content Joseph and Aseneth and the Gospel of Mark are miles apart. But the two narratives also exhibit remarkable stylistic affinities. Each is paratactically structured, frequently employs verbs that are active in voice and imperfective in aspect, evokes Jewish Scriptures echoically rather than by…[Read more]

Of the myriad approaches to the identity of the “I” in Rom 7:7–25, missing is any study that considers seriously the tragic Greek laments. This article offers a new perspective on the identity of the “wretched man” — rather, the “wretched woman” — in Rom 7:7–25. I contend, based on generic and inter-traditional arguments, that Eve, not Adam, is th…[Read more]

Against a longstanding tradition of ascribing religious conversion to the centurion who witnesses Jesus’s death in Mark 15:39, I argue that his acclamation of Jesus as υἱὸς θεοῦ is better understood within the narrative as the words of a conquered enemy. The centurion’s confession parallels the responses of unclean spirits and Legion, two ot…[Read more]