- 167 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
This monograph examines the concept of Jesus' perfection in the Epistle to the Hebrews in relation to the broader theological themes of divine beneficence and divine "philanthropia". Three times in Hebrews Jesus is described as being perfected (Hebrews 2:10, 5:9, 7:28), and in two of these instances (Hebrews 2:10, 5:8-9) the author explicitly links the theme of Jesus' suffering to the content of his perfection. By examining representative selections of Greek non-literary papyri, this study argues that the customary application of the Greek verb ??????? to denote the idea of legal notarization of a public document suggests the more comprehensive idea of official, definitive attestation. Informed by such a notion of perfection as official, definitive attestation, this study argues that the language of Christ's perfection in Hebrews functions as a christological grammar for reflecting upon the character of Christ. Far from being remotely transcendent, Jesus is characterized instead by divine beneficence and "philanthropia", by a motivation to draw near to the community of the faithful gathered around his memory. This study argues for the cogency of this proposal based on exegetical grounds, the literary character of Hebrews as an epistolary homily, and the social setting of Hebrews as one characterized by social distress and/or persecution in or near the vicinity of Rome.
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Table of contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAPTER ONE. The Lexical and Theological Terms of the Debate
- CHAPTER TWO. A New Proposal: The Material Application of Perfection as Definitive Attestation
- CHAPTER THREE. Beneficent Christology: The Son’s Solidarity with the Faithful
- CHAPTER FOUR. Philanthropia as Christological Key: Preliminary Remarks
- CHAPTER FIVE. High Priestly Christology and Divine Beneficence
- CHAPTER SIX. The Social Setting and Audience of Hebrews
- Backmatter