Studying lectionary texts? Here are some starting places for study at ATLA this week. If you are the graduate of an accredited U.S. theological school, you may have free access to these articles through your school. Check ATLAS access options. You can find full lists of ATLAS recommended articles for this week at The Text This Week's page for this week's texts:
http://www.textweek.com/yearc/christc.htm
Christ the King / Reign of Christ
November 24, 2013
Evans, Craig A., "Jesus and Justice," Ex Auditu, 2006.
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“Jesus' proclamation of the rule (and justice) of God did not come out of thin air. His language and themes are deeply rooted in Israel's ancient and sacred Scripture. This is not to say that there is no innovation to be found in his teaching; it is only to say that the teaching of Jesus cannot properly be understood apart from careful consideration of its scriptural and traditional antecedents.”
Lee, Max J., "Response to Evans," Ex Auditu, 2006.
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Brueggemann, Walter, "A New King and a New Order," The Christian Century, 1992.
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Combines Col 1:11-20 with other lectionary readings, but is worth a read for Christ the King. “The epistle reading is not only a moment of christological lyricism, but also a celebrative ecclesial summons. The "saints and faithful brothers and sisters" (the church) are prayed for, summoned to lead lives "worthy of the Lord" and to be prepared to endure with patience. The writer knows that the servants of this new king, the practitioners of this newly ordered world—the one ordered by mercy and justice—still live in conflict with the old order which prefers deathly chaos in its many forms. As it embraces the new order, the church will make a new practice of mercy and justice in the face of poverty, hunger, war, hatred and greed.”
Krause, Deborah, "Keeping It Real: The Image of God in the New Testament," Interpretation, 2005.
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Abstract: “The image of God in the New Testament represents a mix of traditions from the Hebrew Bible, early Judaism, and Hellenistic popular philosophy. Throughout these traditions the theme is integrally connected to the search for meaning in human existence. The Priestly Writer, Philo, and Paul understood the image of God as a means of both affirming God's sovereign authority over all creation and addressing the challenges of competing authorities in the world. Study of the theme provides a window into early Christian experience and how such experience emboldened Christians to follow Jesus in the proclamation of the Kingdom of God.”
Maier, Harry O., "A Sly Civility: Colossians and Empire,"Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2005.
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Abstract: “This article relates Colossian vocabulary, motifs and theological themes to the cultural situation of the cult of the emperor. The author's language and conceptualization of reconciliation as a cosmic and earthly peace (Col. 1.15-23) reflects an imperial backdrop and utilizes civic vocabulary typical of Greek and Roman treatments of concord. His representation of Jesus' death as a Roman triumph (2.15), and the incorporation of all humankind— including barbarians and Scythians—in a trans-ethnic unity (3.11) similarly reflects the geopolitical notions of a worldwide Roman Empire. The imperial imprint on the Household Code (3.18-4.1 ) is recognizable through attention to numismatic representations of Nero and his consort enjoying a divinely appointed familial concord. Though used by court theologians like Eusebius of Caesarea to legitimate a Christian application of Empire, the letter may be read as a destabilization of Empire inasmuch as it derives imperial-sounding ideals from the crucifixion of Jesus.”
Toews, John E., "The Politics of Confession," Direction, 2009.
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The section on this text begins on page 11. “My claim is a simple one. The earliest confessions of the Christian faith that are both theological and political statements. What difference does that make to the church in the twenty-first century?”
Hall, Christopher A., "Christ's Kingdom and Paradise,"Christianity Today, 2003.
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“What is the difference between the heavenly 'paradise' that Christ promised the thief on the cross and the kingdom of God?”
Kreider, Eugene C., "The Politics of God: The Way to the Cross," Word & World, 1986.
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The section on this text begins on page 461. “On the cross is where the liberation Jesus is working throughout his ministry finally takes place. There the Chosen One fulfills the exodus. His death is not tragic, for he does not die because he sinned. He dies because he is the righteous one who reveals the power and wisdom of God confronting the politics of the world. The paradox is that Jesus' death was his enthronement.”
Marcus, Joel, "Crucifixion as Parodic Exaltation," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2006.
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“The central irony in the passion narratives of the Gospels is that Jesus' crucifixion turns out to be his elevation to kingship.”
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