Catching John in Four Nets? Competition, Qumran, Sacramentalism and Messianism

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-98
Author(s):  
Federico Adinolfi ◽  
Joan Taylor

Abstract In his recent study on John the Baptist Joel Marcus suggests that John founded a sect that was in competition with the early Jesus movement. Marcus also suggests that John himself was a former member of the 'Qumran community'. His baptism is considered as a kind of sacrament in which the Holy Spirit was imparted. How secure are these proposals? In this discussion, we conclude that in the oldest literary witnesses – Q, Mark and Matthew – the relationship between John and Jesus is seen in terms of mutual agreement (despite Jesus’s obvious superiority) and there are no recognizable traces of serious competition with John’s disciples, even less a ‘Baptist sect’. The evidence used by Marcus to suggest that John was once a member of the ‘Qumran community’ connects John with broader patterns of thought in Second Temple Judaism, not simply sectarians at one location. That John imparted the Holy Spirit in a sacramental rite can only be supported by radically altering biblical readings. However, Marcus has suggested that in light of all this that John thought of himself not only as Elijah but as a kind of Messiah, with the role of his successor, the Coming One, being to destroy the chaff. In doing this, Marcus redesigns John as a kind of alternative Christ of Faith. However, the underlying ‘competition model’ needs to be rejected and replaced with one that sees Jesus as claiming to be a successor to John, his highly esteemed teacher.

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-92
Author(s):  
Cullen Tanner

AbstractThis article traces John's use of Zechariah 4 through its most likely first century perceptions in conjunction with the implicit ecclesial audience of Revelation. After placing the Apocalypse amid the atmosphere of Second Temple Judaism in the Roman Empire, it provides conjecture as to the theological implications of these speech acts on the Church of Revelation. These findings are then used to piece together the illocutionary force of John's use of Zechariah 4 and the resulting perlocution, which together comprise an essential element of the pneumatology that John supports in Revelation. When interpreting through such a lens, one ought to ask not only who the Spirit is but how this biblical author anticipated his audience to act in response to this document and to the Holy Spirit.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-133
Author(s):  
Joel Marcus

Abstract The critics of JBHT in this issue have questioned three main aspects of the book: its assertion that early Christians competed with people who believed that John the Baptist was the principal figure in the history of salvation, its assertion that early in his career the Baptist was a member of the Qumran community, and the way in which the book situates the Baptist in relation to Second Temple Judaism in general. The article addresses these concerns, rebutting certain objections but acknowledging areas in which the book could have been more nuanced or further developed.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredy Simanjuntak ◽  
Alexander Djuang Papay

The history of the church notes that to this day the Protestant Church is a family whose history is most often divided. Nevertheless the development is quite significant in the present. The process of developing the church resulted in various streams in the church such as Lutheran, Calvinist, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Evangelical, Adventist, until Jehovah's Witnesses, in the course of the Pentecostal & Charismatic flow so fertile in today's growth. The flow of Pentecostalism and Charismaticism, in its origin and method, has a unique and phenomenal history in Indonesia. The uniqueness of Indonesia's spiritual context is illustrated by rapid growth. The Pentecostal and Charismatic movements felt their influence in various churches around us. Phenomena such as the ability to speak in tongues, healing, and prophecy and aspects of emotional experience that are so prominent in this movement make the public wonder, is it true that all of this is the work of the Holy Spirit? The purpose of this paper is to provide an observation of facts, spiritual life background, the meaning of faith, and understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit adopted by followers of the Pentecost-Charismatic Movement in the context of the challenges of contextualization and syncretism in the relationship between Pentecostal-Charismatic and Christian spirituality in Indonesia. In light of the significant regional diversity in Indonesian religious thought and experience, the scope of this research is limited to the idea of contextualization also limited to its use in the missiological context.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredy Simanjuntak

The history of the church notes that to this day the Protestant Church is a family whose history is most often divided. Nevertheless the development is quite significant in the present. The process of developing the church resulted in various streams in the church such as Lutheran, Calvinist, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Evangelical, Adventist, until Jehovah's Witnesses, in the course of the Pentecostal & Charismatic flow so fertile in today's growth. The flow of Pentecostalism and Charismaticism, in its origin and method, has a unique and phenomenal history in Indonesia. The uniqueness of Indonesia's spiritual context is illustrated by rapid growth. The Pentecostal and Charismatic movements felt their influence in various churches around us. Phenomena such as the ability to speak in tongues, healing, and prophecy and aspects of emotional experience that are so prominent in this movement make the public wonder, is it true that all of this is the work of the Holy Spirit? The purpose of this paper is to provide an observation of facts, spiritual life background, the meaning of faith, and understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit adopted by followers of the Pentecost-Charismatic Movement in the context of the challenges of contextualization and syncretism in the relationship between Pentecostal-Charismatic and Christian spirituality in Indonesia. In light of the significant regional diversity in Indonesian religious thought and experience, the scope of this research is limited to the idea of contextualization also limited to its use in the missiological context.


Horizons ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Siobhan Benitez

During the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, when the oils of the sick and of the catechumens are blessed and the chrism is consecrated, the whole church assembles to celebrate these symbols of the human journey to God. That the oils and balsam used in the rite are derived from creation signifies the role of creation (specifically nonhuman creatures) in salvation. Indeed, the holy oils, fashioned from creation and blessed and consecrated before the whole church, are destined to mark and enable the journey of human beings toward union with God through the church. The consecration of the chrism is considered the foundation of all other blessings in the church, making it an appropriate lens to consider the relationship among creation, the church, and salvation. These prayers of blessing and consecration during the Chrism Mass indicate the movement of the Holy Spirit in creation, drawing human beings into heaven.


Author(s):  
Pamela Jackson

Liturgy, the Church’s public worship, embodies the faith of the Church, and has been drawn on as a source for theology from the early centuries of Church history. This article considers the Church’s theology of the liturgy—how the liturgy functions as vehicle through which God extends his saving action accomplished in Christ to each generation by the power of the Holy Spirit-as well as the relationship between liturgy and theology. It then discusses elements of the outward form of the liturgy and their meaning. Finally, there is consideration of characteristics of Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, including its treatment of the nature of the liturgy, the role of the Word in the liturgy, and the relationship between liturgy and conversion.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-29
Author(s):  
Aldino Cazzago

The article presents the teaching of Pope Paul VI on holiness. It shows the context of this teaching, which was the findings of the Second Vatican Council. The article shows how the pope understood what holiness is, how he understood the relationship between holiness and love, the role of the Church and the action of the Holy Spirit.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Muryati ◽  
Christian Reynaldi

Abstract How does the New Testament view role of women in Christian community? The answers to that questions can be found in a number of books in the New Testament. Of these, one that stands out is the Gospel of Luke. In this article we argues that Luke presents the story of the gospel by highlighting minorities, especially women. This is proven from many sections in the Gospel of Luke, for example: Luke 1. We explore three stories in Luke 1 namely: the birth of John the Baptist foretold (vv. 5-25), the birth of Jesus foretold (vv. 26-38) , and Mary visits Elizabeth (vv. 39-45). All three stories show the significance of Mary and Elizabeth's role as women who receive gifts from God. To this gift they show an appropriate faith response. Mary is told as a woman who is obedient and ready to carry out God's message through the angel Gabriel. Elizabeth is told as a woman who is barren but has integrity, and shows faith in the movement of the Holy Spirit within her. Both have an important role in the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and the Savior. Both figures show that women can be used by the Holy Spirit. Through empowerment by the Holy Spirit women have gifts that can be used for the common good in the Christian community. The New Testament never ruled out the role of women in the Christian community.   Keywords: : women; gospel; gift; luke   Abstrak Bagaimana Perjanjian Baru memandang peran perempuan dalam komunitas Kristen? Jawaban dari pertanyaan tersebut dapat ditemukan dalam sejumlah kitab di Perjanjian Baru. Dari sekian kitab tersebut, salah satu yang menonjol adalah Injil Lukas. Dalam artikel ini peneliti berargumentasi bahwa Lukas mempresentasikian kisah Injil dengan menonjolkan kaum minoritas, khususnya kaum perempuan. Hal ini nampak dari banyak bagian di dalam Injil Lukas, salah satunya adalah Lukas 1. Peneliti mengeksplorasi tiga kisah dalam Lukas 1 yaitu: pemberitahuan tentang kelahiran Yohanes Pembaptis (ay. 5-25), pemberitahuan tentang kelahiran Yesus (ay. 26-38), dan perjumpaan Maria dengan Elisabet (ay. 39-45).  Ketiga kisah tersebut memperlihatkan signifikansi peran Maria dan Elisabet sebagai perempuan yang mendapatkan karunia dari Tuhan Allah. Terhadap karunia tersebut mereka menunjukkan respon iman yang tepat. Maria dikisahkan sebagai perempuan yang taat dan siap melaksanakan pesan Tuhan melalui malaikat Gabriel.  Elisabet dikisahkan sebagai perempuan yang mandul tetapi berintegritas, dan menunjukkan iman kepada gerakan Roh Kudus di dalam dirinya. Keduanya mempunyai peran penting di dalam kelahiran Yesus Kristus, Sang Mesias dan Juruselamat. Kedua tokoh tersebut memperlihatkan bahwa perempuan dapat dipakai oleh Roh Kudus. Melalui pemberdayaan oleh Roh Kudus perempuan mempunyai karunia yang dapat dipakai demi kepentingan bersama dalam komunitas Kristen. Perjanjian Baru tidak pernah mengesampingkan peran perempuan dalam komunitas Kristen.   Kata Kunci: perempuan; injil; karunia; lukas


Author(s):  
Sarah Stewart-Kroeker

Christ’s healing of humanity consists, crucially, in forming human beings for loving relationship with himself and others. In this respect, Christ also takes the role of the beautiful beloved. Believers become pilgrims by falling in love with the beautiful Christ by the initiative of the Holy Spirit, who cleanses their eyes to see him as beautiful and enkindles desire in their hearts. By desiring and loving the beautiful Christ, the believer is conformed to him and learns to walk his path. Desiring the beautiful Christ forms a believing community shaped aesthetically and morally for a particular way of life: pilgrimage to the heavenly homeland. Formation is both earthly and eschatological, for so too is the journey and the activity of the pilgrim.


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