Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
1.3
0.7
Journals
Religions
Special Issues
New Testament Studies - Current Trends and Criticisms
share announcement

New Testament Studies - Current Trends and Criticisms

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 6535

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Susanne Luther

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of New Testament Studies, Theological Faculty, Göttingen University, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Interests: hermeneutics; dis/ability; intertextuality; spatial turn
Dr. Birke Siggelkow-Berner

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of New Testament Studies, Theological Faculty, Göttingen University, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Interests: ancient Judaism; John within Judaism; intertextuality
Dr. Clarissa Breu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of New Testament Studies, Theological Faculty, Göttingen University, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Interests: postcolonial theory; queer hermeneutics; reception

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

All of you dedicate your work to situate the research area of New Testament studies within current challenges and debates using a wide range of theoretical approaches to ancient texts. Thus, our discipline is multifaceted and a relevant participator in a changing society.

In this Special Issue, scholars provide a wide range of approaches to New Testament texts to assess in what ways these texts are relevant in current debates. Different hermeneutical lenses are applied and evaluated to question an alleged divide between historically and theoretically oriented methods. It is shown that current trends such as disability studies, ecological hermeneutics, affect theory, intersectionality and others do not bypass history and can connect the past to the present in methodologically reflected ways.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute original research articles to this Special Issue of Religions, which shows the relevance of our research area and offers easily accessible explanations and applications of new theories that also point to the actuality of New Testament texts. The aim of this Special Issue is to present a variety of articles that introduce a broad spectrum of current theoretical approaches to New Testament texts, apply them to (a) certain NT passage(s) and end with a conclusion on the question of how historical context and current theory can interact fruitfully.

The approaches reflected in this Special Issue relate to the scope of Religions in that they are essentially based on interdisciplinary research and focus on hermeneutics and a critical engagement with New Testament texts and the scholarly debate around them.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Susanne Luther
Dr. Birke Siggelkow-Berner
Dr. Clarissa Breu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • New Testament
  • theories
  • history
  • present
  • methods

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 228 KiB  
Article
Intertextuality or the Decentralization of Meaning
by Stefan Alkier
Religions 2025, 16(2), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020104 - 21 Jan 2025
Viewed by 363
Abstract
Part one introduces a concept of intertextuality based on categorical semiotics. Part two describes the method and part three provides an example, which considers the New Testament versions of Jesus walking on the sea alongside Lucian’s story about the Corkfeet. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Testament Studies - Current Trends and Criticisms)
27 pages, 2744 KiB  
Article
Style and Influence: Computing Hebrews and the Early Christian Stylistic Fingerprint
by Erich Benjamin Pracht and Thomas McCauley
Religions 2025, 16(1), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16010055 - 8 Jan 2025
Viewed by 919
Abstract
Using Hebrews as a test case, we investigate how an author’s participation in his literary network influences his writing habits. Our theoretical framework is that no author writes in a vacuum: all authors recycle stylistic habits from their literary contemporaries. We develop and [...] Read more.
Using Hebrews as a test case, we investigate how an author’s participation in his literary network influences his writing habits. Our theoretical framework is that no author writes in a vacuum: all authors recycle stylistic habits from their literary contemporaries. We develop and implement a statistical procedure to trace stylistic influences, both in terms of which texts in an author’s literary network are influential and also in terms of which text-features are suggestive of influence. Stylistic units of analysis in this study are two-word sequences (N-Grams), 40 of which recur in Hebrews as a function of influence from the author’s literary network. We find that the author of Hebrews shares stylistic micro-patterns particularly with his co-religionists, which indicates that, already in New Testament times, the literature of emerging Christianity was developing a distinctive stylistic fingerprint, the features of which were transferred from one author to another. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Testament Studies - Current Trends and Criticisms)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 14565 KiB  
Article
Old Wine in New Wineskins: Applying Computational Methods in New Testament Hermeneutics
by Christian Houth Vrangbæk, Eva Elisabeth Houth Vrangbæk and Jacob Mortensen
Religions 2025, 16(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16010028 - 31 Dec 2024
Viewed by 521
Abstract
New Testament studies has over the past years seen an increase in the use of digital methods, but some of the more advanced methods still lack proper integration. This article explores some of the advantages and disadvantages in employing computational/algorithmic approaches, such as [...] Read more.
New Testament studies has over the past years seen an increase in the use of digital methods, but some of the more advanced methods still lack proper integration. This article explores some of the advantages and disadvantages in employing computational/algorithmic approaches, such as so-called semantic models of word embedding and topic modelling analysis. The article is structured into three main parts. The first part (1) introduces the reader to the field of computational studies in literary, historical, and religious research areas and outlines the computational methods, namely topic modelling and word embedding. The second part, (2) showcases two computational tools in analyzing New Testament narratives. The third part (3) discusses and compares how the methodology of applying computational techniques can maintain and advance a focus on the historical and literary context of New Testament texts. The specific problem the article addresses is how computational methods can be wielded and not sacrifice the contact to the text and the historical context. We argue that applying computational methods in New Testament hermeneutics necessarily involves methodological pros and cons. These computationally assisted analyses can be regarded as old wine in new wineskins—classic, hermeneutical questions can be posed with new methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Testament Studies - Current Trends and Criticisms)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1423 KiB  
Article
Epigraphy and New Testament Exegesis
by Deborah Hill and Markus Oehler
Religions 2024, 15(10), 1175; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101175 - 27 Sep 2024
Viewed by 834
Abstract
Within the diverse paths of New Testament exegesis, a new approach is presented here, namely, interpretation against the background of epigraphic sources. Although this approach has a prehistory in the 19th and 20th centuries, it is only now being taken up again with [...] Read more.
Within the diverse paths of New Testament exegesis, a new approach is presented here, namely, interpretation against the background of epigraphic sources. Although this approach has a prehistory in the 19th and 20th centuries, it is only now being taken up again with the project of an Epigraphical Commentary on the New Testament (ECNT). The article briefly describes the more precise procedure for compiling such a commentary and presents three examples from different areas of the New Testament to illustrate the types of insights that can be gained from inscriptions: on κατάκριμα (Rom 5:15, 18; 8:1); on the statement that someone is bound or in bonds (Phlm); and on the meaning of δικαιοσύνη as a virtuous quality in inscriptions, which influences interpretation of 1Tim, Mt, and Luke-Acts. The authors argue for recognizing the critically important role inscriptions in particular can play in illuminating the language and culture of the Mediterranean in the first century, and thus also of early Christian texts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Testament Studies - Current Trends and Criticisms)
13 pages, 1243 KiB  
Article
The Samaritan Woman as a Quick-Witted Border Crosser in John 4
by Hanna-Maria Mehring
Religions 2024, 15(8), 924; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15080924 - 30 Jul 2024
Viewed by 839
Abstract
The aim of this article is to provide a description of the intersectionality approach and to offer an overview of the transformation and appropriation processes within the context of the transatlantic journey of this approach. Additionally, the current state of the discussion within [...] Read more.
The aim of this article is to provide a description of the intersectionality approach and to offer an overview of the transformation and appropriation processes within the context of the transatlantic journey of this approach. Additionally, the current state of the discussion within the context of biblical studies will be outlined. An application of an intersectional analysis to a New Testament text example will be conducted based on the dialog at Jacob’s well between the Samaritan woman and Jesus in John 4. When applying the intersectionality approach, an attempt will be made to critically examine power and oppression structures on all three levels: the world of the text, the context of the New Testament, and the world of interpretation and interpretation history. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Testament Studies - Current Trends and Criticisms)
24 pages, 516 KiB  
Article
Biblical Hermeneutics without Interpretation? After Affect, beyond Representation, and Other Minor Apocalypses
by Stephen D. Moore
Religions 2024, 15(7), 755; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070755 - 21 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1041
Abstract
Affect theory, non-representational theory, and assemblage theory have been among the most impactful developments in the theoretical humanities in the wake of, and in reaction to, poststructuralism. These interlocking bodies of theory and critical practice call into question two concepts foundational for biblical [...] Read more.
Affect theory, non-representational theory, and assemblage theory have been among the most impactful developments in the theoretical humanities in the wake of, and in reaction to, poststructuralism. These interlocking bodies of theory and critical practice call into question two concepts foundational for biblical hermeneutics, namely, interpretation and representation. In literary studies, the poststructuralist “death of the author” has been succeeded by a post-poststructuralist “death of the interpreter”. How might biblical exegesis be reimagined on the far side of this double demise? Non-representational theory, meanwhile, in tandem with affect theory, has dismantled traditional understandings of representation; this article argues that traditional biblical scholarship, epitomized by biblical commentary, is driven by a representation compulsion. Assemblage theory, for its part, more than any other body of thought, reveals the immense complexity of the act of reading, not least biblical reading—after which even explicit evocations of contemporary contexts in contextual biblical hermeneutics amount to skeletally thin descriptions. These and other related lines of inquiry impel the rethinking of academic biblical reading attempted in this article. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Testament Studies - Current Trends and Criticisms)
12 pages, 800 KiB  
Article
Thinking about Feelings: The Study of Emotions in the New Testament Writings
by Nils Neumann
Religions 2024, 15(6), 752; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060752 - 20 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1126
Abstract
Growing attention has been directed towards affects and emotions in the New Testament texts within recent scholarship over the course of the past two decades. Although biblical exegesis of the 20th century suspected psychological interpretations of New Testament texts of being highly subjective [...] Read more.
Growing attention has been directed towards affects and emotions in the New Testament texts within recent scholarship over the course of the past two decades. Although biblical exegesis of the 20th century suspected psychological interpretations of New Testament texts of being highly subjective and hence frail, recent research has developed a number of approaches that allow for addressing the subject in a methodologically controlled way. The aim of the present article is to review important monographs from the field of New Testament emotion research with special attention to their particular focuses and research methods. Despite some degree of overlap between these perspectives, six major areas of scholarly work can be identified: (1) “text psychology” that explains New Testament findings against the backdrop of modern psychological theories; (2) historical psychology that explores ancient notions of the affects; (3) narratology that observes recurring a narrative pattern in ancient descriptions of the affects; (4) rhetorical criticism that traces the rhetorical presentation of affects as well as the capability of rhetorical language to evoke affects in the addressees; (5) philosophy of the body that examines the bodily aspects of psychological dynamics; and finally (6) social history that identifies social functions of collective affects, e.g., in the formation and stabilization of social groups. After introducing each of these approaches briefly, the affect of desire (gr. ἐπιθυμία) will serve as a test case to demonstrate the possibilities and usefulness that the different perspectives offer. This way, it becomes clear that affects are by no means a by-product of theological teaching in the New Testament, but in fact indicators of true relevance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Testament Studies - Current Trends and Criticisms)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-7
Back to TopTop