山道期刊

Theological Development and Significance of Demons in the Old Testament

WONG Tin Sheung

This paper proposes to identify different demons in the Old Testament and their origins in the background of ancient Near Eastern culture. Two kinds of demons are discussed here: one lived in a desert habitat and was harmful to humans; the other was the cause of sudden attacks of sickness and death to humans. In an earlier period, whoever died for whatever reason went to the same place — Sheol. In the beginning, the preservation of demons before the development of monotheism suited the need to explain something unexplainable, especially the sudden death of a pious person. After Yahweh, the sole god, took the responsibility for everything in the Hebrew religion, demons became a tool of punishment under his control. In a later period, the concept of conscious life after death began to develop. The earlier role of demons disappeared, since afterlife judgment, resurrection of the dead, and eternal life in heaven solved the theological problem and compensated for an improper death of a pious person. The conclusion may be drawn that demons in the Old Testament were different from those in the New Testament, especially given the fact that the latter came from fallen angels and acted as hostile power against God in the intertestamental period.

The Spirit of the Law: Teachings Regarding the Poor in the Pentateuch

WONG Fook Kong

The Mosaic Laws are concerned about the plight of the poor and powerless, both in principle and in specific legislations. This article is a brief survey of the theological themes underlying these teachings. In order to give the readers a contemporary perspective on this ancient issue, the article begins with some modern definitions and discussions on the topic. To set the parameters of the biblical discussion, the article continues with a discussion of some common Hebrew words for poverty as well as descriptions of poverty in the Pentateuch, in particular, those connected to the triad “orphan, widow, and sojourner.” The second half of the essay highlights the theological foundations of the Mosaic Laws’ teachings regarding the poor. They are theological in that they are based on God’s concern for the poor and his covenant with his people. Recognition of his lordship requires his people to love the poor by treating them justly, honestly, mercifully and kindly. Empathy based on Israel’s collective experience as sojourners is also invoked as a basis for kind treatment of the poor and powerless.

Messianism in the Old Testament

PAN Chou Wee

Messianism, which believes that the prophecy of Jesus Christ as the coming Saviour of the world was prophesied in the Old Testament Scripture, is an important element of the Christian faith. More than half a century ago, a renowned biblical scholar Roland E. Murphy wrote: “It is a fact that the term ‘messiah,’ as a terminus technicus designating the ideal king who was to come, does not occur in the OT. It received this connotation only towards the beginning of the Christian era, whereas in itself it means merely the ‘anointed,’ referring to kings and priests.”。¹ Barton has even gone further to declare that “the Messiah was not an important theme in most Old Testament books.”。² In their studies, many scholars have arrived at the similar conclusion that “messianism” becomes a major theme only during the Second Temple period, which, however, has different connotations to Christians and Jews.

This article is divided into three parts. The first part is a survey of the term “messiah” and its cognates. It is followed by an analysis of the scriptures which are commonly used to construct “messianism” in the Old Testament. Finally, it concludes with a brief description on the development of “messianism” in the Second Temple period.

¹ Roland E. Murphy, “Notes on Old Testament Messianism and Apologetics,” CBQ 19/1 (1957): 5.
² John Barton, “The Messiah in Old Testament Theology,” in King and Messiah in Israel and the Ancient Near East, ed. John Day (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998), 371.

“The Unrighteous Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God” －Towards An Understanding of Paul’s Soteriology

Shiu-Lun SHUM

With special reference to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, this essay seeks to investigate Paul’s soteriology anew. The author concludes that Paul’s words “the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor.6:9; New English Translation) should be taken literally and represent a full picture of the apostle’s view of human salvation. For Paul, like Jesus and early Christian writers (e.g., James), faith and works are intricately and inseparably woven together; sinners are justified, in the words of James, “by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24; NET); this means, by faith activated through works of love, on the basis of divine grace (Gal. 5:4, 6).

A Rhetorical Study of Philippians and Its Theological Implications: A Preliminary Study

Alexander MAK

Recent works on New Testament theology by Thielman (Theology of the New Testament, 2005) and Matura (New Testament Theology, 2007) pay much attention to the theology of imitation in Philippians. This awareness can be traced back to a number of rhetorical studies devoted to the epistle which, more or less, identify Paul, Christ, Timothy and Epaphroditus as models for imitation for the Philippian church. The contribution of rhetorical studies to our understanding of Philippians cannot be denied. Yet, these rhetorical studies have arrived at divergent and contradictory results on the structure of Philippians. This paper attempts to resolve this difficulty by offering a fresh rhetorical analysis of Philippians, and thence seeks further insight into the theology of the epistle, especially in relation to the theme of imitation and unity.

The rhetorical analysis of Philippians in this paper basically follows the procedures suggested by George Kennedy. The analysis of the rhetorical situation shows that Paul is addressing four issues that threaten the church: disunity; persecution; concern for its “missionaries” (viz. Paul and Epaphroditus); and legalism and libertinism. It agrees with other rhetorical analyses in classifying Philippians essentially as deliberative rhetoric, but it also recognizes its epideictic character, especially in the Christ Hymn (2:6-11). In contrast to other rhetorical studies on Philippians, it argues that not only does Paul persuade his audience with his ethos or character, which fits in well with his appeal to the Philippians to imitate him, but that he uses logos throughout the probatio to persuade his audience. Paul’s use of inductive reasoning (logos) is seen in his four examples of unity (Paul himself, Christ, Timothy and Epaphroditus) in Philippians 1-2, and his call for the Philippians to follow his example in Philippians 3. The proposed rhetorical structure of Philippians is as follows: exordium (1:3-11); probatio (1:12-4:1); and peroratio (4:2-9). It is argued that the narratio is omitted and understood, and that the final thanksgiving in 4:10-23 is not part of the rhetorical unit. The probatio has two parts. The first part (1:12-2:30) has four examples of unity. In terms of structure and content, Paul’s example closely parallels that of Christ’s example, and Timothy’s example also closely parallels that of Epaphroditus. The second part (3:1-4:1) exhibits a chiastic structure of ABB’A’ that focuses on avoiding the errors of legalism (A) and libertinism (A’) and imitating Paul (BB’). The peroratio then closes with reiterating the main points in the probatio: (a) unity (4:2-3); (b) joy in the midst of worries and troubles (4-7); (c) imitating Paul (8-9).

This rhetorical analysis brings out unity and imitation as the two dominant themes in Philippians. The paper concludes by suggesting how the results of this analysis further our understanding of the significance of the theology of imitation in Philippians.

Community Socialization in the Theology of the Pastorals:- A Rhetorical-Canonical Reading

Sam TSANG

Rhetoric, intertextual, canonical and social reading ought to combine in the reading of the New Testament. With the simple theory of the New Rhetoric as starting point, the first part of this study deals with the theory of how these elements combined in reading the Pastoral Letters can give an idea of how the early church had formed its various community identities. In reading behind the world of the text, especially dealing with the unexplained assertions of the author, the modern interpreter can understand what was foundational in the readerly community. In the categorization of social-rhetorical pioneer Vernon K. Robbins, this study deals primarily with the intertexture as it seeks to enter the interactive world of a text.¹ The second part of this study will use one text from Titus to see how the steps actually work. At the end, not only the letters themselves deserve theological reflections, the methods themselves lend to theological reflection.

¹ Vernon K. Robbins, Exploring the Texture of Texts: A Guide to Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation (Valley Forge: Trinity, 1996), 40.

The New Biblical Theology Movement

Lindsay ROBERTSON

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in Biblical Theology in the evangelical and Reformed traditions. The common element is the centrality of Christology in controlling hermeneutics and homiletics. Scripture (both Old and New Testaments) needs to be read as Christian Scripture and therefore as a unity, with a sense of it being one book, with an overall “theological continuity” (Childs). This paper, while describing the nature and rise of this Biblical Theology movement, discusses these two prime issues of contention: Scripture’s unity and its Christological centre. Various presuppositions are discussed with implications for practice in interpretation. Modern approaches to the function of narrative add new dimensions to our appreciation of the working of the biblical narratives and their unity (Wright, Vanhoozer, etc.). Unity rests, in the end, on the person of Christ. Scripture should be understood in a Christian, Trinitarian and theological way. The paper concludes with reflections on the nature of Scripture.

Women Teaching and Preaching in the Church

Alexander MAK

In the last decade, the issue of women preaching has become more heated with large volumes of anthologies being published by both egalitarians and complimentarians. The focus of the debate often centers on two New Testament passages: 1 Timothy 2:11-14 and 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36. This paper also focuses on these two passages, but does so by first giving attention to the following three areas: (a) the process of oral transmission of Jesus’ teachings; (b) the authorization and appointment of teachers; and (c) the method of instruction in the church and the home.

Jesus never wrote a book; he transmitted his teachings orally to his disciples. The only way for the early church to have access to Jesus’ teachings was through the careful oral transmission of apostles and teachers who had such knowledge. A number of New Testament passages show that the apostles and teachers who had firsthand knowledge of Jesus’ teachings were held in higher regard than those who received it secondhand and those who were further down the line of transmission.

The teaching ministry in the church was carried out by those who were trained and appointed to be teachers (bishops/teaching elders). It was either a part-time or full-time work as it involved much study. This type of training would have been much more rigorous than the type of training a Christian woman would receive from their husbands at home. Also, in the line of transmission, women in the church were, in a sense, “last” to be taught in the church. These reasons form the background to why Paul forbade women to teach in the church.

In 1 Timothy 2:11-14, the Adam and Eve argument is interpreted not in terms of the order of creation, but as an analogy that was applicable to the first century situation, in that Eve’s information about the prohibition was secondhand as she received it from Adam. Thus, Eve was deceived, but not Adam. The situation was similar to that of the first century where women were the “last” to be taught in the church.

1 Corinthians 14:33b-36 forbids a woman to speak in the church because their lack of understanding of the word would interrupt the meeting and betray their ignorance. Not only would this bring disgrace upon herself, but also her husband who was supposedly her teacher.

As to how 1 Timothy 2:11-14 and 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36 applies to us today, the article closes with the argument that if oral transmission is no longer our method of teaching, if women can have equal opportunity as men in receiving rigorous training in the word of God, then there is no reason why we cannot allow women teachers in the church today, provided that they are faithful teachers.

Reconstruction and Practice of Indigenization Theology in Taiwan:
A Case of Chow Lien-hwa (1920- )

WU Chang-shing

This paper presents a set of observation on how Rev. Chow Lien-hwa integrates patriotism, pacifism and Chinese culture with his Christian faith and indigenous theology. In many respects, Xu Baoqian (1892-1944) was Chow’s spiritual mentor and guided Chow to shape his Christian identity in a Chinese context. Chow received his theological training in the United States from 1949 to 1954. However, he kept his Chinese identity and resisted being westernized completely. Having been concerned about his Chinese compatriots, he considered how to steer his countrymen from rejecting Christianity to accepting the faith. He engaged in building indigenization theology as a bridge for the gospel and as a tool for theological reflection.

Christ and the Bible are the central points of Chow’s indigenous theology. He thinks that a truly Chinese theology must be achieved in the local populace. Chow’s specific actions and practices have three dimensions. Firstly, he implements indigenization theology in Church liturgy and worship, Church architecture, wedding and funeral etiquette, preaching, etc. In doing so, he attempts to embody Chinese characteristics in Chinese churches. Secondly, he has written 7 volumes of systematic theology for Chinese people. In addition, he edited 42 volumes of Chinese biblical commentary which were all written by Chinese scholars. Finally, for the purpose of translating a legible and explicit Chinese version of the Bible for the young and old, he committed his life to the task of translation in the Bible Society in Taiwan.