Creation in Paul and Philo

Creation in Paul and Philo PDF Author: Jonathan D. Worthington
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161508394
Category : Bible
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Book Description
God's creative activity in the beginning is important to many aspects of Paul's theology. Jonathan Worthington explores Paul's protology by analyzing his interpretation of scripture concerning creation, mainly the beginning of Genesis. By examining Paul's exegetical manoeuvres within 1-2 Corinthians and Romans, and by comparing these with the contemporary but more detailed treatments of the same texts by Philo of Alexandria in his formal commentary on Genesis 1-2, De Opificio Mundi, the author uncovers an approach to creation that is fundamental to both ancient interpreters. Paul's interpretation of creation, like Philo's in his commentary, contains three interwoven aspects: the beginning of the world, the beginning of humanity, and God's intentions before the beginning. Recognizing this basic hermeneutical interplay between the Beginning and the Before facilitates a more appropriate comparison between Paul and Philo as well as a more adequate treatment of difficult and debated passages in both interpreters regarding creation.

The Beginning and Before: Interpreting Creation in Paul and Philo

The Beginning and Before: Interpreting Creation in Paul and Philo PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
God's creative activity in the beginning is important to Paul. Yet Paul's care for and interpretation of it is often unrecognized, occasionally denied, typically left underdeveloped, and sometimes interpreted wrongly. This thesis approaches Paul as an interpreter of his sacred scriptural texts concerning creation. It compares his reading of creation in 1 and 2 Corinthians and Romans with those more detailed treatments of the same texts by Philo of Alexandria in his commentary on Genesis 1-2, De Opificio Mundi. The central thesis is this: Paul's interpretation of creation, like Philo's in his commentary, contains three interwoven aspects: the beginning of the world, the beginning of humanity, and God's intentions before the beginning. Chapter 1, "Before the Beginning?," explores Philo's view that God's pre-creational plan involves an architectural blueprint of the universe which enables goodness and beauty and Paul's view that it involves a crucified Christ and a glory to which God-lovers are redeemed through conformity with this Christ's image. There we will demonstrate that for Paul, as for Philo, the Before both affects and is affected by his reading of Genesis' creation texts. Chapter 2, "The Beginning of the World," establishes how Philo and Paul consider the ontological nature of heaven, earth, and their inhabitants to be beautiful and glorious due to perfect accord with God's word, intentions, and desires--i.e., an implicit Before. Chapter 3, "The Beginning of Humanity," investigates how Philo and Paul set the more particular creation of humanity within the larger context of the creation of the world, and how recognizing this aids in our own interpretation of some often misunderstood aspects of their views of Adam. God's pre-creational "purpose" and "desire" is also an integral aspect of both interpreters' treatments of the creation of humanity. Paul, like Philo, displays three tightly woven strands within his interpretation of the Beginning.

The Creation of Man

The Creation of Man PDF Author: Thomas H. Tobin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 220

Book Description
This monograph, a revised form of a 1980 Harvard dissertation, is a study of Philo's interpretation of the creation of man in Genesis 1-3, and specifically in 1:27 and 2:7. Tobin approaches this study with two particular questions: (1) what were the exegetical traditions available to Philo and what were Philo's own developments and contributions?; and (2) what was the philosophical milieu of the period in Alexandria and how did this influence both the traditions and their use by Philo? Very early in the book Tobin establishes the two basic criteria which he will use in determining which interpretations are Philo's own and which are those of his predecessors. Pre-Philonic interpretations are (1) those which Philo tells us directly are not his own; and (2) those which clash with a position which spans the entire Philonic corpus and thus can be identified as Philo's own.

God's Presence in Creation: A Conversation with Philo, Paul, and Luke

God's Presence in Creation: A Conversation with Philo, Paul, and Luke PDF Author: Nélida Naveros Córdova, CDP
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
ISBN: 1638299137
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 197

Book Description
God’s Presence in Creation: A Conversation with Philo, Paul, and Luke is for anyone who has an interest in understanding how the authors of the New Testament perceived the world as God’s creation, our home from “the beginning” (Gen 1:1). The book lucidly engages in conversation three 1st century CE authors Philo, Paul, and Luke, to offer a new and fresh understanding of the environmental theme, care for creation. The inclusion of Philo, a Hellenistic Jew and philosopher, adds uniqueness to the distinctive approach of this book and enriches the discussions of the two New Testament authors, Paul and Luke. Four “environmental” Greek terms are carefully analyzed— kosmos (world), ktisis (creation), pronoia (providence), and oikonomos (steward)— to show how these authors viewed the created world within their own Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts. The analysis is enhanced with an impressive exploration of a threefold relationship: creation-and-God, creation-and-mediator, creation-and-humanity.

The Creation of Man

The Creation of Man PDF Author: Thomas H. Tobin SJ
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1666786225
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Book Description
This monograph, a revised form of a 1980 Harvard dissertation, is a study of Philo's interpretation of the creation of man in Genesis 1-3, and specifically in 1:27 and 2:7. Tobin approaches this study with two particular questions: (1) what were the exegetical traditions available to Philo and what were Philo's own developments and contributions?; and (2) what was the philosophical milieu of the period in Alexandria and how did this influence both the traditions and their use by Philo? Very early in the book Tobin establishes the two basic criteria which he will use in determining which interpretations are Philo's own and which are those of his predecessors. Pre-Philonic interpretations are (1) those which Philo tells us directly are not his own; and (2) those which clash with a position which spans the entire Philonic corpus and thus can be identified as Philo's own.

Beginnings

Beginnings PDF Author: Peter Bouteneff
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 0801032334
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
An accessible account of the early church's reading of the creation narrative in Genesis 1, providing contemporary readers with a model for attending to the theological meaning of the text.

God and Grace in Philo and Paul

God and Grace in Philo and Paul PDF Author: Orrey McFarland
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 900430858X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 287

Book Description
In God and Grace in Philo and Paul, Orrey McFarland examines how Philo of Alexandria and the Apostle Paul understood divine grace. While scholars have occasionally observed that Philo and Paul both speak about God’s generosity, such work has often placed the two theologians in either strong continuity or stark discontinuity without probing into the theological logic that animates the particularities of their thought. By contrast, McFarland sets Philo and Paul in conversation and argues that both could speak of divine gifts emphatically and in formally similar ways while making materially different theological judgments in the context of their concrete historical settings and larger theological frameworks. That is, McFarland demonstrates how their theologies of grace are neither identical nor antithetical.

The Works of Philo

The Works of Philo PDF Author: Charles Duke Philo
Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers
ISBN: 1565638093
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 945

Book Description
Foreword by David M. Scholer is dated May 2008.

The Language of Creation

The Language of Creation PDF Author: Matthieu Pageau
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781981549337
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 354

Book Description
The Language of Creation is a commentary on the primeval stories from the book of Genesis. It is often difficult to recognize the spiritual wisdom contained in these narratives because the current scientific worldview is deeply rooted in materialism. Therefore, instead of looking at these stories through the lens of modern academic disciplines, such as sociology, psychology, or the physical sciences, this commentary attempts to interpret the Bible from its own cosmological perspective.By contemplating the ancient biblical model of the universe, The Language of Creation demonstrates why these stories are foundational to western science and civilization. It rediscovers the archaic cosmic patterns of heaven, earth, time, and space, and sees them repeated at different levels of reality. These fractal-like structures are first encountered in the narrative of creation and then in the stories of the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, and the flood. The same patterns are also revealed in the visions of Ezekiel, the book of Daniel, and the miracles of Moses. The final result of this contemplation is a vision of the cosmos centered on the role of human consciousness in creation.

Creation Out of Nothing

Creation Out of Nothing PDF Author: Paul Copan
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 0801027330
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Book Description
Addresses the biblical, philosophical, and scientific bases for the doctrine of creation out of nothing, while countering contemporary trends that are assailing this doctrine.