Trajectories in New Testament Studies Today

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Trajectories in New Testament Studies Today

• Petri Luomanen 16.02.2010

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What is a trajectory?

• Two basic meanings in English
• the path of a moving object (ball, bullet,
  rocket) when it moves through air
• path, progression, line of development

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• James M. Robinson and Helmut Koester
• Trajectories Through Early Christianity
  (Fortress Press, 1971)

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Robinsons and Koesters Trajectories Judaism
and Hellenism are not static backgrounds
Key topics of the lecture A birds eye view
(see the handouts) A) What is the present
paradigm? Are there trajectories that challenge
the paradigm? B) How trajectories are generated?
Where they come from? What are the impulses? C)
What is the hermeneutical relevance of the
trajectories?

• Attention to movements, trajectories moving in
  canonical and non-canonical literature.
• The concept of trajectories problematic
• As a starting point for todays topic
• 1)R Ks trajectories challenge the existing
  paradigm
• 2)R K also have an hermeneutical edge
  Relevance only emerges where there is the
  courage to follow new trajectories which take
  into account the complexity of historical
  developments.(Koester, Trajectories, p. 270)
• 3) How trajectories are born in Biblical
  studies?

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Trajectories in New Testament Studies Today?

• An area of study (or several areas) in NT
  research that you find new, interesting, or
  representing cutting edge scholarship.
• An interesting book, or an article in the area of
  NT studies that you have read / hear of

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Todays trajectories?
Pauline studies?
Johannine studies?
Jesus research?
Q and synoptics?
Non-canonical texts?
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Todays trajectories?
Pauline studies?
Johannine studies?
Jesus research?
Q and synoptics?
Non-canonical texts?
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Todays trajectories?
Research generated trajectories
Cultural trajectories
Methodological trajectories
Q and synoptics?
Pauline studies?
Non-canonical texts?
Johannine studies?
Jesus research?
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Cultural trajectories (post-modern)

• Post-holocaust self-reflection
• re-evaluation of Judaism
• new perspective on Paul
• re-Judaization of NT at large
• Linguistic turn
• Social constructionism
• Intrest in identity

Research generated trajectories
Methodological trajectories
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Research generatedtrajectories

• Archaeological discoveries
• Nag Hammadi
• Qumran
• Re-evaluation of Second Temple
• Judaism
• Re-evaluation early Christianity

Cultural trajectories
Methodological trajectories
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Methodological trajectories

• A) Historical-critical paradigm
• B) Text-oriented / linguistic paradigm
• C) Social- and behavioral science paradigm
• D) Ideological / Intercontextual paradigm

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A) Historical-critical paradigm

• Archaeology Biblical archaeology1920s-1940s
• Textual criticism (tracing the original text
  form)
• Literary criticism (source criticism)
• Form criticism (formgt genre gt Sitz im Leben)
• Tradition history
• Redaction criticism

B) Text-oriented / linguistic paradigm C) Social-
and behavioral science paradigm D) Ideological /
Intercontextual paradigm
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A) Historical-critical paradigm (development
since 1970s)

• Reception history, effective history
• Focus on orality, secondary orality, aurality,
  performance recently connected to social memory
  and critical discussion about the legacy of from
  criticism
• Critical discussion of concepts Gnosticism
  (Michael A. Williams), Jewish Christianity
• Texts as artifacts (Larry Hurtado), instead of
  original text forms focus also on the history
  of manuscripts and readings. Digital imagining.
• NOTE also other paradigms can be historically
  oriented For instance social science, ancient
  rhetoric etc.

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B) Text-oriented / linguistic paradigm(ca.
1970-1995)

• Structuralism, end of 1960s, beginning of 1970s
  (Ferdinand de Saussure Claude Levi-Strauss
  synchronic description of the structure of the
  text gt binary opposiotions).
• Text linguistics
• Rhetorical criticism (ancient and modern)
• Narrative criticism
• Reader response criticism

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B) Text-oriented / linguistic paradigm(ca. 1995-)

• Cognitive linguistics, blending theory
  (Fauconnier and Turner, 1996)
• Integration with social science approach
  Socio-rhetorical criticism Vernon K. Robbins,
  The Tapestry of Early Christian Discourse 1996
  started already 1984, with Mark
  http//www.religion.emory.edu/faculty/robbins/inde
  x.cfm
• Integration of ancient and modern rhetorical
  criticism

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C) Social- and behavioral science paradigm (ca
1975-1995)

• Social science approach (towards the end of
  1970s)
• Social history
• Social-scientific criticism (application of
  social science theories and models)
  functionalism (Theissen), sociology of knowledge,
  sectarian studies, etc.
• Cultural anthropology (Mediterranean Malina)
• Archaeology
• Biblical archaeology 1920-1940
• New Archaeology from 1960s onwards Increasing
  integration with social and natural sciences
• Psychological exegesis (Theissen, 1983 Drewerman
  1980s and 1990s)

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C) Social- and behavioral science paradigm (ca.
1995-)

• Cognitive science of religion
• Since 1990s in comparative religion
• Draws on cognitive science, cognitive and
  developmental psyhology, neuroscience,
  evolutionary biology, anthropology
• Contagious ideas (cf. Dawkins memes)
• Rituals and development of religions (Whitehouse,
  Lawson and McCauley)

• Social psychology. Henri Tajfels social identity
  theory self-categorization theory social
  identity approach Philip Esler 1998, 2003.
• Cognitive science of religion cognitive science
  and cognitive psychology in general Luomanen,
  Uro Pyysiäinen, 2007.
• Social memory drawing on Maurice Halbwachs (d.
  1945) Kirk Thatcher 2005 Kelber Byrskog
  2009 (a review of B.Gerhardssons contribution)

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D) Ideological / Intercontextual paradigm (ca.
1970-1995)

• Liberation theology and hermeneutics in Latin
  America, from 1970s onwards (Gustavo Gutiérrez,
  1972)
• Feminist criticism (Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
  1983)
• Post-colonial criticism
• Canonical criticism (Breward Childs)

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D) Ideological / Intercontextual paradigm (cs.
1995-)

• Gender studies
• Queer theory
• LGBT
• Contextual hermeneutics (SBL AM Program units)
• African Biblical Hermeneutics
• African and African-American hermeneutics
• Asian and Asian-American hermeneutics
• Contextual Biblical Interpretation
• Ideological Criticism (focuses on politics)
• Islands, Islanders, and Bible
• Korean Biblical Colloqium
• Latino/a and Latin American Biblical
  Interpretation

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6 The future direction of New Testament studies

• Situation much more diverse than by the time when
  RK introduced their trajectories
• Some overall trends detect- and predictable
• Multi- and interdisciplinarity calls for and
  generates integration (cf. Robbins, Syreenis
  model of three worlds)
• Growing impact from Asian and African
  Christianity
• Need for contextualisation, relevance grows
  also within Western Biblical scholarship

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Recategorizations within New Testament studies in
the air?

• Inter- and multidisciplinarity also leads to
  fruitful integration with natural sciences and
  empirical research?
• Cognitive sciences provide scientifically tested
  knowledge about functions of human mind. This
  replaces exegetical arm chair psychology?

It is time for theology in the flesh?
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Trajectories in New Testament Studies Today

• Did you find a place for your own trajectory,
  book, article or interesting topic?
• Other questions?