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/yearb/easterb2.htm
Easter 2
April 12, 2015
Finger, Reta Halteman, "Cultural Attitudes in Western
Christianity toward the Community of Goods in Acts 2 and 4," Mennonite
Quarterly Review, 2004.
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Abstract:
“In Acts 2 and 4, the Lukan author summarizes the nature of the Jerusalem
church by describing a community of shared material goods. Because the texts
are descriptive, rather than prescriptive, it has not been clear whether they
should be considered normative for church life. Through analysis of some of the
major Acts commentators, this article comprises a Western history of
interpretation of these texts from the Reformation to the present, noting the way
in which the social and political locations of the interpreters has shaped
their understanding of these passages. The essay argues that a social science
analysis is essential for an understanding of the normative socioeconomic
system of first-century Palestine. Only by recognizing what is unusual about
the communal organization of the early church can we decide how to apply these
texts to Christian communal life in our culture today.”
Juel,Donald, "Acts and the Easter Season," Word & World, 1985.
(Section on this text begins on p. 210)
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“Peter'sfearless speech in the presence of the authorities contrasts sharply with his
performance at Jesus' trial, where he denied him three times. Like the rest of
the apostles who have received the Spirit, Peter is a new person.”
Brusic, Robert M., "A River Ride with 1 John: Texts of the
Easter Season," Word & World, 1997. (Section on this text
begins on page 213.)
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“The First Letter of John carries us forward in the brisk current of the gospel while
shaking us up with its insistence upon coherence between faith and life.”
Wink, Walter, "Resonating with God's Song," The
Christian Century, 1994.
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“Thomas represents this modern demand for historical proof: he wants empirical
evidence. When Jesus appears to him, however, he appears to forget all about actually placing his
finger in the nail holes and his hand in Jesus' side. He instantly flips from
skepticism to the most exalted confession in the New Testament: he calls Jesus
‘my Lord and my God.’ Jesus upbraids his literalism and anticipates the
blessedness of all those future believers ‘who have not seen and yet have come
to believe.’ Thomas wants proof; he gets presence.
Harstine, Stan, "Un-Doubting Thomas: Recognition Scenes in
the Ancient World," Perspectives in Religious Studies, 2006.
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“This paper will survey the recognition scenes in the Fourth Gospel and Homer's
Odyssey in order to identify some common literary conventions available to
ancient auditors in these ‘type scenes.’ A further examination of the usage of
the word ATTÌSTOS in classical literature will be made in order to
approximate the historical context of Thomas's words in the first century.
After highlighting these literary conventions, both ancient and modern, this
paper asks its readers whether or not they should ‘un-doubt’ Thomas.
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