This piece notes that the locus amoenus motif, common in both Graeco-Roman literature and art, may have provided a literary entry point through which non-Judaic readers might have apprehended sections of the gospel according to John. An outline of the trope is followed by an exposition of passages which might be interpreted through this lens. The study reveals that use of the motif would provide an introit, but that many further layers of meaning were present to those who read the text from a Judaic background. This holds good for explorations of place in Samaria, the Temple and Galilee. In one important respect, the gospel shifts the way in which the motif works – by presenting Jesus as the focus and shaper of the desirable place, rather than the place itself simply as a metaphor or symbol of desirable elements.
The reference in the sixth seal to signs in the heavens that accompany the parousia (Rev 6:12–17) corrects the flawed interpretation of Daniel found in Mark 13 par. Because the heavenly signs occur in the sixth of seven seals, the consecutive openings imply a sequencing of events and, therefore, a delayed parousia. Similarly, the greatest tribulation of all time did not occur in connection with the fall of Jerusalem as Matthew has it (24:21). John is shown a ‘great multitude’ of people coming out of a ‘great tribulation’ subsequent to his day (Rev 7:14). This great tribulation, with its primary point of reference in the ‘time, times, and half a time’ of Daniel (7:25; 12:7–10; 11:32–35) and its counterparts in Revelation (13:1–8; cf. 11:2–3; 12:6, 14), is to be followed by an even greater tribulation involving the whole earth (13:11–17). Further, since the first plague falls on those with the mark of the beast (16:2), the seven last plagues are associated with this second, unprecedented tribulation. As for the timing of the parousia, the parallels between the sixth seal and the seventh plague imply that the second coming is to accompany the opening of the sixth seal and outpouring of the seventh bowl (16:17–20). Thus, the Apocalypse corrects the Olivet Discourse in an implicit admission that the historical Jesus had misunderstood Daniel. In doing so it reinterprets Daniel and provides a foundation for historicist interpretation of that apocalyptic book and, possibly, of the Apocalypse itself.
In contrast to the way that Christian and Western thought have tended to prioritize time and history over place and geography, an ecological sensibility requires a counter-balancing geographical emphasis. Using a contemporary definition of place as a meeting between the global and the local, two eco-theological claims can be made: that the tradition is more strongly rooted in place than has always been acknowledged; and the idea that, through the event of the Incarnation, place can be seen as reconstituted yet concretized. This means that the previously neglected category of place achieves greater significance in relation both to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and implicitly to the lives of all Christians at all times and places. This focus on place contributes to a theology which is amenable to the radical challenges of today's ecological context.
This article begins with an examination of the state of coastal erosion at Collaroy and Narrabeen Beaches in NSW, Australia. In light of recent severe storms, which damaged the homes along the beachfront, and the increasing awareness of the coastal erosion caused by such properties there is a need to determine what lies beneath the decision to continue to develop along Australian beachfronts. Taking an ecotheological approach this article proposes that the philosophical and theological concepts of hubris and foolishness characterize these decisions, and the desire to live so close to the coast. In response to this, ecotheological readings of Job 38 and Matthew 7 are proposed to help provide an ecologically conscious and environmentally stable way forward. In Job 38 God speaks out of the whirlwind declaring that it was God who ‘shut the sea in with doors’ telling the waves ‘thus far shall you go and no farther’. By persisting with beachside development in light of our growing ecological awareness humans breach and encroach upon the natural and, perhaps, God-ordained borders between the sea and the land. In Matthew 7 Jesus compares the foolish, who refuse to act when they hear, to someone who ‘built his house on sand’. By refusing to heed and act in light of the growing ecological crisis and coastal erosion, and examples such as the $300 million Collaroy/Narrabeen coastline, beachfront developers are perhaps examples of Jesus’ fool. How might the church contribute to conversations within, and critiques of, a culture which places such a high esteem on proximity to the ocean that it would risk both human homes and non-human ecology?
The influence of Mircea Eliade on Moltmann's work has largely been overlooked in scholarship. This article seeks to address this, providing an exposition of the themes of history and historicism in Eliade's work and demonstrating how Moltmann draws upon these to develop his concept of epiphany religion', especially in Theology of Hope but also at later stages in his career. Eliade's scholarship also bolsters Moltmann's claims regarding the uniqueness of promissory history in its contention that non-Judeo-Christian societies reject history in the same way that Greek' society does, allowing Moltmann to situate his polemics against Greek philosophy in a universal context, and giving Moltmann's theological claims an air of respectability insofar as they are supported by secular scholarship. The second part of the article critically evaluates Moltmann's dependence on Eliade in regard to generalized claims in both of their works.
The Garden of Eden narrative of Genesis 2:4b–3:24 is more than an account of a fall from grace. The author is interested in the dynamics of human partnership and has made it the centrepiece of the narrative that situates humanity within the vocation of serving and keeping the earth. This partnership has traditionally been under-explored. Scholars interested in gender have focused on the depiction of the woman with less attention to wider gender significations and the intricate partnership narrated between the pair. This article shows how a particular vocabulary of partnership, namely, the word-pair, ʾ îš and ʾiššâ, are used to highlight key points in the development of the relationship. It argues that notions of sex/gender are subsumed within the vocation of serving and keeping the earth, and fundamentally formulated as a work of partnership of sexed human beings.
This article reports on a project of the Commission on Baptist Doctrine and Christian Unity, within the Baptist World Alliance, to identify Baptist saints. The project seeks to apply the methodology proposed by James McClendon's Biography as Theology. The article situates the search for Baptist saints within the growing interest of Baptist scholars in a Baptist catholicity', specifically relating it to the priesthood of all the faithful. The methodology drawn from McClendon's work is outlined in some detail, focusing the study upon the convictions which give character to particular lives. Brief summaries are then presented of papers already received, offering examples from Germany, India, Jamaica and then a more detailed example from Australia. This example seeks also to demonstrate both the methodology and its application to a particular instance, Rev. Ron Ham, an Australian Baptist pastor. The article proposes that his life was shaped by the conviction that we live in God's world with God's people, and draws implications from this study for Baptist doctrine and for Christian unity.
The Mandate of ARCIC II was to examine the differences which separate the Anglican and Roman Catholic communions. In the development of the Statement Life in Christ: Morals, Communion and the Church, this Mandate worked against the possibility of an outcome which would lead to a shared understanding of Christian moral life. The major focus of the Statement, the two issues on which there were formal statements of disagreement between the two communions, led to a very narrow focus for Christian life in the light of the gospel and a sense that the differences were too great to allow for resolution. Further exploration of the implications of our shared baptismal call in Christ and its implication for Christian living could have provided a much stronger basis for the consideration of particular moral issues and ethical reasoning that is an expression of “Life in Christ”. The process of ARCIC III may facilitate a broader understanding of Christian moral life and a more nuanced articulation of ethical reasoning and moral culpability within the Roman Catholic moral tradition. These in turn may provide a more hopeful path towards communion with regard to the discernment of right ethical teaching.
The orthodox position that the Church of England represented a theological and ecclesiological Via Media between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism has been challenged in recent decades. Revisionist historians have disputed the view that the 16th-century apologist for the Church of England Richard Hooker presented the paradigm of an Anglican Via Media in his foundational works, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Polity and Discourse on Justification. The disputes have centred on Hooker's doctrine of justification and theology of the Eucharist. Criticism has consequently been directed toward members of the 19th-century Oxford Movement who formulated their own contemporary religious Via Media based on the rediscovered works of Richard Hooker and 17th-century Anglican divines. Some historians also contend that no such Via Media existed and was fabricated by the Tractarians, particularly John Henry Newman, to suit their own theological ends. This article surveys the evidence which supports the case for the Via Media by examining Hooker's works for confirmation of the principle, and determining if Newman both identified and made use of the evidence accurately. The focus of this study will be comparing Eucharistic theology in the works of Hooker and Newman.
Young people today embrace the freedom and responsibility for constructing their identity and beliefs. In Catholic schools these young people from diverse cultures and experiences come together and are able to express a myriad of views, seeking to understand themselves, others and the spirituality that lies at the heart of religious expression. Religious educators in Catholic schools encounter those who are spiritually attuned, have no spiritual awareness or have different spiritual expressions that may or may not relate to religious affiliation. Befriending this diversity creates a context for rich dialogue that can open up questions of meaning, identity, faith and spirituality. This article explores data from interviews with teachers of religious education at three Catholic primary schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne who deal with this context every day. I gather their reflections around six themes that emerged: spirituality as relationship with God, as connection to tradition, compassion, wellbeing, curiosity and innocence. I share what's working well in their practice and I identify three areas of focus for ongoing teacher professional learning in religious education and spiritual development: intentionality, diversity and complexity.
This case study considers the nature of making, seeing and being with art in a dialogue about the experience of Libby Byrne’s exhibition, ‘An Ordinary Gift’ in Melbourne, 2016. The article explores the nature of making, seeing and being with art as a methodological framework for theological inquiry. Bringing to bear their experiences as artist and curator, two researchers examine recorded viewers’ responses to the exhibition, as a means of understanding the nature of theological engagement and insight that was possible in the process of making, being with and seeing this public exhibition. The article acknowledges that the work of art offers an ordinary gift of containment for the ineffable qualities of our lived experience with God. A faith-ful framework of communal engagement can therefore offer an external reference point that guides and shapes the making, the seeing and even the ways in which we are able to be with art. As we transform the way we engage with theological questions and concerns we are in turn transformed by the ordinary gift of making, seeing and being with art.
