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This paper sets out a study in the text, interpretation, translation, and reception history of key terms and phrases relating to the ministry of particular women in Romans 16:1–16. It aims to show the complexity of translation and interpretation and demonstrate the importance of careful reading of the Greek text. It argues that terms and phrases relating to the women have not always been given their wider sense, thereby diminishing or denying the (leadership) roles of women in the early church. The phrases investigated are: διάκονος (v1) and προστάτις πολλῶν (v. 2) relating to Phoebe; συνεργούς (v. 3) and κοπιάω (vv. 6, 12) relating to Prisca, Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis; Ἰουνιαν (v. 7) and ἐπίσημοι ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις (v. 7) relating to Junia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the social circumstances of 20th-century Biblical Studies surrounding the popularity of the amphictyony hypothesis – comparing tribal Israel to the Greek amphictyony of city states. I argue that this theory allowed scholars to reverse-engineer the importance of the Pentateuch as an early but skewed historical source against German historical scepticism. The »Baltimore School« exemplified such efforts were mainly motivated by Protestant biblicism. The theory broke down because it relied on superficial readings of Classics scholarship and convoluted historical reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interpretation of Eccl 4:17-5:6 (Eng. 5:1-7) challenges a common scholarly conclusion--that Qoheleth emphasizes divine transcendence. Qoheleth's articulation of divine transcendence may initially seem clear: "God is in the heavens and you are on the earth" (5:1). But this statement appears within a tightly structured passage that focuses squarely on human attempts to relate to God and various problems that beset such attempts. We offer a novel formal analysis of this pericope, demonstrating that it describes the religious consequences of the distance that separates what people say from what they do. This distance between human words and human deeds underlies Qoheleth's counsel against certain rituals and religious practices, as well as his commendation at the end of the passage to "fear God," and thus may be understood as the distance between earth and heaven that Qoheleth asserts in 5:1. In this passage's reception history, we find three distinct interpretative trajectories, which we indicate with the three homonyms in the title. Some interpretations affirm God's heavenly, holy transcendence, whereas others, perhaps surprisingly, view this text as affirming God's immanence on earth. A third interpretation considers instead the limits and fractures of human life on earth as manifestations of the heavenly divine. While most interpretations of this passage align with the first or second readings, we argue that the third trajectory aligns most closely with Qoheleth's teachings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Gospels, Jesus compares himself to a chicken when he seeks to gather the children of Jerusalem "as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings" (Matt. 23:37b / Luke 13:34b). In adopting this metaphor, he is engaging in nonhuman gender-bending, equating himself with a female bird that has more success than he does. An Animal Studies perspective of the journey of the domesticated chicken from the rainforests of south-east Asia to the households of the Roman empire and the various roles that the chicken played in ancient society provides insight into humanity's relationship with the chicken and supplies a new metaphor for the "domestication" of Jesus. Finally, a selection of creative uses of the image in later reception history shows how many have attempted to make the most of the winged Jesus' lament at his own failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historians of political thought have done important and insightful work on women’s history of political thought. This scholarship has proliferated since the mid to late twentieth century and has focused largely on the feminist aspects of their thought. Although this was at first a necessary and crucial correction of prior neglect, I argue that by now this has turned into an overcorrection. By turning to the early reception and rediscovery of two eighteenth-century English female political thinkers, Mary Astell (1666–1731) and Catharine Macaulay (1731–1791), I show that this feminist focus can stand in the way of inclusion by obscuring other important aspects of women’s political thought. I also contend that the feminist focus implies an unfair double standard where women – as opposed to canonical men – are thought of as worthy of inclusion only if they espoused or anticipated ideas that would seem agreeable from a present perspective. This leads to the paradoxical conclusion that, if we want to do justice to the feminist aim of comprehensive inclusion of past female thinkers, we must learn to look beyond women’s feminist thought in history and to embrace their afeminist and even anti-feminist thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following Mary Wollstonecraft's death in 1798, her grieving husband William Godwin made public many of the details of Wollstonecraft's highly unconventional life. The ensuing backlash seemed to ensure that Wollstonecraft's major works ceased to be reprinted for a period of roughly forty years. This article contributes to efforts to revise narratives of Wollstonecraft's early nineteenth century reception by asking how and where readers, in the absence of new editions, might have accessed the books themselves. A survey of 41 circulating and subscription library catalogues dated between 1799 and 1842 reveals that, despite scholarly assumptions otherwise, Wollstonecraft's works remained widely available. Even when books left the library, they did not necessarily disappear, as a copy of Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman that moved from a circulating library into a private collection attests. Placing the information in these catalogues in conversation with what can be gleaned from this copy of the work, this article argues that the durability of the hand-press book complicates the narrative of Wollstonecraft's posthumous reputation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the reception history of the sermons of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), which are among the most significant sermons with a long history of reception due to their immense importance. These sermons have been interpreted and understood by numerous readers across different eras and time periods, each reader bringing their unique style influenced by their culture, environment, and the circumstances of their era in interpreting, explaining, and conveying the meanings and intentions of these sermons. The study categorizes the recipients based on external reception, distinguishing between general and specific receptions. In the general external reception, the study lists the recipients who engaged with the texts of these noble sermons in chronological order. In the specific external reception, the recipients are divided into the following categories: narrators, commentators, and academic scholars in theses, dissertations, and literary and linguistic research. The study of the narrators of the two sermons follows a chronological order, as does the study of the commentators and academic scholars, who vary in their topics and interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I identify where contemporary scholarship on Jonah continues to ask enduring questions of any biblical text like dating, structure, and message. I also outline how scholars have brought contemporary approaches to the book. Finally, I suggest some points of divergence between scholarship in the late 20thand early 21stcenturies and consider how recent scholarship has treated past contributions. This survey shows that scholarship continues to grapple with questions that have long pervaded Jonah’s interpretive history. At the same time, contemporary approaches bring exciting possibilities to a book that has often resisted a monologic interpretation.

While studies of how Paul and the Pauline letters were received in early Christianity continue to appear at an ever-quickening rate, there are still corners of early Christian literature that remain underexplored with regard to Pauline reception. The letters of Ignatius of Antioch would not usually be included in the underexplored category, but this article argues that one statement within Ignatius's letters is deserving of more careful attention vis-à-vis its relationship to Pauline themes and terminology. After showing that interpretations of Ignatius's Philadelphians (Phld.) 8.2 have typically run along two opposing tracks, the article argues that both ways of interpreting Ignatius's letter fail to do justice to his rhetoric in the letter. The article proposes an alternative way of reading Ignatius's justification language in Phld. 8.2. Whereas Paul wrote about justification before God, Ignatius desires to be proven right in the eyes of his Philadelphian readers, with whom he has had a dispute. The article concludes by offering ways to account for the different meanings evidenced in the letters of Ignatius and Paul while also endeavouring to explain the purpose for which Ignatius employs terminology that is similar to that of Paul. In the final clause of Phld. 8.2, Pauline terminology provides Ignatius not with his doctrinal substance but rather with authoritative rhetoric that evokes the Apostle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

John Coltrane's classic recording, "A Love Supreme" (1965) has only one line of lyrics, namely, "A love supreme," which appears at the end of the first part of his four-part jazz suite. To be sure, these words are not a direct quotation of any biblical text. Nevertheless, this study treats the album as an expression of the musical reception history of the Bible. The essay provides a musical analysis of the album's four parts, entitled "Acknowledgement," "Resolution," "Pursuance," and "Psalm," alongside a textual analysis of the liner notes. The analysis shows how Coltrane's work reflects the tradition of sapiential psalmody. This album reveals numerous similarities in form, texture, and theme with the wisdom psalms, especially Psalm 119, the psalm supreme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article delves into the phenomenon of "Mao Fever" that swept across France during the 1960s and 19709. It examines how French Maoists embraced Mao Zedong Thought and how the broader public perceived Maorelated representations. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis of media coverage from 1963 to 1979 using the "France - Maoistes" collection at the Sciences Po Paris library, this study uncovers the everchanging use of terminology related to Maoist groups and Maoism in French 1 -lewspapers. It identities three phases of French Maoism: the prelude (1963- 1969), climax (1969-1972), and epilogue 0972-1979). Initially, Maoism manifested as fringe political groups aligned with pro-Chinese organizations. Later, as mainstream newspapers portrayed it, Maoism transformed into a dissident movement marked by acts of violence and destruction. Over time, the Maoists faced rejection from the French public and abandonment by the Chinese authorities, leading to a decline in their influence. While "Maoism" and "Mao Thought" are often used interchangeably today, this study argues that they carried distinct meanings for the French public during that era. French Maoism was seen as a disruptive dissent movement, whereas Mao Thought was celebrated for its perceived contribution to humanity. By unraveling the shifting dynamics of Maoism in the popular French imagination, this article aims to enrich our understanding of global Maoism, highlighting the continuity and discontinuity in the usage of Mao-related terms in 1960s and 1970s France. Additionally, it also emphasizes the value of digital humanities tools iii visualizing the evolution of ideas in contemporary intellectual historical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commentators have long struggled to make sense of the role that ravens play in the story of Elijah, questioning why these predatory birds with a reputation for cruelty would be recruited to share their food during a time of scarcity. This essay takes up the reception history of biblical ravens, considering how various interpreters have drawn upon observational knowledge of ravens to explain the mysterious role ravens play in the feeding of Elijah in 1 Kings 17 and Noah's commission of the raven in the wake of the flood in Genesis 8. The essay both recalls and reenacts this interpretive tradition by assembling together pieces of this reception history together with the work of modern ornithologists on the corvus corax to provide some insights for how we might understand the particular significance of ravens in the care and feeding of Elijah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This preface engages with the concept of echo as a creative way of generating ideas on how to assess issues in the reception history of a scripture text -- here, Galatians 6:17.

The attribution of an Erasmian spirit to William of Orange is tenuous but has nevertheless been made consistently since the early twentieth century. This article makes use of reception theory to connect this association to events of the early nineteenth century that happened in response to the French dominance in the Netherlands and their subsequent expulsion. In 1810 and 1813 Rotterdam Orangists and opponents of the French presence appropriated the Erasmus statue in the city for their own cause by adorning it with orange accessories and by attaching short verses to it. The repetitive recollection of these events throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century culminated in the attribution of an Erasmian mind to William of Orange, who was himself associated with Orangism as of the twentieth century. While the initial Orangist actions were local and public endeavours, the association gradually entered the national political and academic sphere in the twentieth century. This transfer is exemplary for the changeability of ‘isms’ such as Orangism and Erasmianism. This article therefore ultimately emphasizes that besides the caution it requires, this changeability provides opportunities for reception histories.

The Pentateuch is a foundational cornerstone within biblical literature, encapsulating a mosaic of historical narratives, legal codes, and theological reflections. This paper presents a vibrant and evolving landscape of contemporary Pentateuchal studies aimed at unravelling its complexities and exploring its multidimensional facets. The study elucidates the challenges and gaps in current Pentateuchal scholarship. It identifies the pressing need to reconcile diverse methodologies, harmonize contradictory theories, and integrate interdisciplinary approaches. Additionally, it addresses the imperative to comprehend the Pentateuch within its socio-cultural context, considering its reception history and relevance in modern academic discourses. To address these challenges, this paper engages in a comprehensive analysis of emerging trends within Pentateuchal studies. It navigates through the evolution of methodologies, from traditional source criticism to contemporary literary and narrative analyses, highlighting the interplay between form, genre, and redactional layers within the Pentateuch. Furthermore, it examines the burgeoning influence of interdisciplinary frameworks, encompassing post-colonialism, feminist criticism, and ecological hermeneutics, which offer new perspectives on the Pentateuch’s implications for contemporary societal issues. This study endeavours to synthesize a more holistic understanding of the Pentateuch by meticulously exploring these diverse perspectives. It aims to bridge scholarly divides, reconcile interpretative conflicts, and shed light on the Pentateuch’s socio-cultural significance; considering the dynamic interaction between historical contexts and modern interpretations, it seeks to elucidate the enduring relevance of the Pentateuch in shaping ethical, cultural, and theological discourses. Ultimately, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse within biblical scholarship by providing a comprehensive framework amalgamating diverse methodologies and perspectives. It underscores the need for continued exploration and engagement with the Pentateuch, acknowledging its profound impact on ancient civilizations and its enduring relevance in contemporary societies.

This article examines the reception of Pablo Casals, the Spanish cellist and humanitarian, in Japan, Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong in the post-Cold War era from the perspective of consumer capitalism. It argues that although the Cold War ended in 1991, instead of being criticised, the Cold War ideologies, including communism, anti-communism, socialism, and humanitarianism, were intertwined with and consolidated by capitalism in the post-Cold War era. This article reveals how the legacies of Casals were interpreted differently in these places within the context of domestic and regional politics and discusses how the Cold War ideologies were commodified in the post-Cold War era. By conducting a multilateral dialogue between Japan and the Sinophone world, this article attempts to gain a clearer understanding of the geopolitical history of East Asia in the post-Cold War era from a musical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a diachronic panorama of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century Euro-American esoteric images of Confucius. After selected appraisals capturing the polyphony of nineteenth-century notions of Confucius, emphasis is given to spiritualist and Theosophical appropriations. Next, his soteriological elevation and the introduction of fellow Chinese Masters within the Ascended Masters context are explored in relation to the I AM Activity and, specifically, the post-Second World War groups The Bridge to Freedom (present-day The Bridge to Spiritual Freedom) and The Church Universal and Triumphant. Overall, this article traces the transformation of the esoteric Confucius trope, which substantially contributed to the wider public perception of Confucius and Confucianism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the special issue "Euro-American Esoteric Readings of East Asia." First, the genesis of the special issue is explained, after which working definitions of the key terminology are given, namely, "East Asia," "Euro-American," "Western," and "esotericism." Next, the rationale of the special issue as well as short synopses of its five contributions are presented. The article argues that esoteric readings of things East Asia have saliently coshaped their Western reception history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attribution of an Erasmian spirit to William of Orange is tenuous but has nevertheless been made consistently since the early twentieth century. This article makes use of reception theory to connect this association to events of the early nineteenth century that happened in response to the French dominance in the Netherlands and their subsequent expulsion. In 1810 and 1813 Rotterdam Orangists and opponents of the French presence appropriated the Erasmus statue in the city for their own cause by adorning it with orange accessories and by attaching short verses to it. The repetitive recollection of these events throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century culminated in the attribution of an Erasmian mind to William of Orange, who was himself associated with Orangism as of the twentieth century. While the initial Orangist actions were local and public endeavours, the association gradually entered the national political and academic sphere in the twentieth century. This transfer is exemplary for the changeability of 'isms' such as Orangism and Erasmianism. This article therefore ultimately emphasizes that besides the caution it requires, this changeability provides opportunities for reception histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composed in the 1280s by a Dominican friar, Burchard of Mount Sion's Descriptio Terre Sancte remained an influential account of the Holy Land for centuries. The impact of this text is reflected not only by the large number of extant manuscripts, but also by its rich printing history. And yet, although the Descriptio attracted considerable scholarly attention in the last decades, its shift into the world of print has not yet been studied. The aim of this paper is to explore this transition for the first time, focusing on the three earliest printed editions of the work. Inter alia, we examine the contexts within which the Descriptio was printed, the prologues which were appended to the Descriptio, the study aids added to it, and how its editors intervened in the text. This analysis reveals the range of ways in which early modern editors who appreciated the medieval Descriptio attempted to fit it into a cultural world whose intellectual culture was undergoing significant changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a wealth of recent scholarship and popular reception has suggested the Elihu speeches in Job 32–37 are redundant and perhaps do not belong, still others maintain the character's status as revelatory and divinely-inspired within the narrative. This article highlights Elie Wiesel's little-noticed contribution to the discourse on Elihu through a reading of Wiesel's play, The Trial of God. The play expands on an interpretation of Elihu first found in the pseudepigraphal Testament of Job and suggests that Elihu is a truly diabolical character who threatens the faithfulness of the righteous sufferer. This article begins with a brief survey of recent scholarly reception of Elihu, then offers a close reading of Wiesel's analogue to Elihu in his play. The article concludes with a discussion of the ways Wiesel's reception of Elihu can aid biblical scholars and theologians in their work on the Book of Job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to outline several aspects of a canon of early modern German literature as they had been discussed by a volume Klassiker der Frühen Neuzeit (ed. Regina Toepfer) in 2022. In the light of recent criticism of any conception of canon as an outcome of hegemonial thinking as well as considering the increasing disregard of early modern literature even in universities, it is foremost the Early Modern Literature Studies who are urged to discuss the question of whether there are sufficient reasons for upholding a literary canon at least to a certain degree and whether texts of the early modern period can or must be part of such a canon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C.S. Lewis's metaphor of 'God's megaphone', an image he employed to illustrate an idea about human suffering, appears at a certain stage of his argument in the central chapter (ch. 6) of his first work of popular theology, The Problem of Pain (1940). Among the numerous images invoked throughout his writings, none perhaps is more widely known than this. From the earliest book-length study of Lewis (1949) onward, numerous quotations, allusions, and discussions that include the image of the megaphone can be found in the literature on Lewis and elsewhere; in 1957 the Dutch translation of Lewis's book was published under the title Gods megafoon. While it would take a comprehensive reception history of The Problem of Pain for any definitive claims to be possible, the history of the 'megaphone' as cited in the literature suggests that this image has dominated perceptions of the book's overall argument. The present essay will attempt to show that this dominance is a fact, and argues that this dominance finds no support in Lewis's original argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I discuss reception history, its place within the history of historical critical methods, and social memory theory. I apply a reception historical lens buttressed by social memory theory to 1 Timothy 1:3–4. I show that the historical circumstances of this passage's reception problematize using early understandings of it to reconstruct the referent behind "myths and endless genealogies". I first show how the phrase "myths and endless genealogies" is ambiguous in the historical setting of the author. Then, I demonstrate that Irenaeus, Tertullian, Athanasius, and Chrysostom use this phrase against very different groups; however, all of these authors use 1 Timothy 1:4 for a (perceived) problem against their present group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psalms studies have undergone significant changes in the past century. From Gunkel’s form criticism to Wilson’s canon criticism, scholars have alternated between focusing on individual psalms and focusing on the whole Psalter as the key to interpretation. A corollary to these changes has emerged in studies of the theology of the Psalms. This article analyzes how these changes have influenced approaches to the theology of the Psalter since 2000. Seven interpretive methods attending to the Psalter’s theology have blossomed in the twenty-first century: the Psalter as structured theology, central themes, individual psalms and psalm groups, reception history, sacrament/liturgy, single center, and pluralistic theologies. This article assesses these developments, along with a few challenges, and proposes paths for future studies in the theology of the Psalms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines numerous pre-texts in Anglo-American feminist theology and critical theory seminal to the establishment of feminist philosophy of religion as a distinct academic discipline. Specifically, I trace early reception of philosopher Luce Irigaray's writing on becoming divine women in Anglo-American feminist circles, arguing that critical attention to the "horizons of expectations" around Irigaray's person is a necessary step to the myriad readings of her work. I begin by situating my own initial expectations and encounters with Irigaray's writing on divine women as a graduate student in theological studies cross-registered in a course on "French Feminism" in the neighboring Romance Language Department. I then offer a unique reading of Irigaray's reception surrounding her early writing on divinity, highlighting ways that Anglo-American theologians and feminist philosophers leveraged Irigaray's contested status as a French Feminist and philosopher of religion as a way to simultaneously interrogate Irigaray's claims about the divine as well as mollify generalized Anglo-American anxiety around writing grounded in post-structuralist Lacanian theory. I draw attention to the prevalence of Luce Irigaray's thought in the 1993 co-edited volume Transfigurations: Theology and the French Feminists, the special issue "Feminist Philosophy of Religion" in Hypatia (1994), and in the field-defining books of two pioneers of the discipline: Pamela Sue Anderson and Grace Jantzen. I conclude with reflections about the reception of Irigaray's writing on the divine with regards to her more recent publications, arguing that trans-Atlantic pre-texts paved the way for the development of the vibrant and innovative field of feminist philosophy of religion that exists today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response to the article by Christina Hoegen-Rohls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many Christians, Abraham and Sarah are exemplary characters, whose lives provide spiritual and moral guidance for us on our own journeys of faith. Adopting a literary approach, this paper explores the narrative, draws insights from reception history, and asks what it can teach us with regard to moral discernment in the contemporary church. It suggests that while Abraham and Sarah live lives of faith and hope, they are flawed characters, hampered by personal weakness and cultural influences. Reception history of the story challenges us to be discerning readers -- aware of our own flaws and constraints, unafraid to examine our traditional understandings, and open to learning from voices from traditions other than our own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the long history of Christian-Muslim engagement, finding reliable information on Islamic faith has always been a challenge for European Christians, and existing sources were often re-used. This contribution focuses on two little studied works who both use parts of Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda Aurea and Riccoldo da Monte di Croce's Contra legem Saracenorum in order to formulate their own views. The two texts, Peter de Pennis's Tractatus contra Alchoranum and the anonymous Epitome bellorum sacrorum, re-use their pretexts extensively, but they also display very specific strategies in selecting, adapting, and arranging the borrowed passages. Studying these derivate works can therefore help to reconstruct the late medieval image of Muhammad and the Qur'an in Europe and to understand what role such knowledge played in a broader context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]