Hartman, Lars
Text-Centered New Testament Studies

Text-Theoretical Essays on Early Jewish and Early Christian Literature. Edited by David Hellholm.

15 essays address narrative and argumentative texts in Early Judaism and Early Christianity. Questions of genre and structure are investigated by means of text-linguistic methods. Hartman offers an instructive and indispensable model for the application of theoretical approaches to the concrete analysis of actual texts. By concentrating on the surface structure and the communication situation the studies help to unravel the compositional texture and functional significance of Jewish and Christian narratives and letters. Contents: NARRATIVE TEXTS: 1. Some Reflections on the Problem of the Literary Genre of the Gospels. - 2. Das Markusevangelium, "für die lectio sollemnis im Gottesdienst abgefaßt"? - 3. Reading Luke 17:20-37. - 4. An Attempt at a Text-Centered Exegesis of John 21. - 5. Survey of the Problem of Apocalyptic Genre. - 6. The Functions of Some So-Called Apocalyptic Timetables. - 7. Form and Message. - 8. "Teste Sibylla". -- ARGUMENTATIVE TEXTS: 9. On Reading Others' Letters. - 10. Some Unorthodox Thoughts on the "Household-Code Form". - 11. Doing Things With the Words of Colossians. - 12. 1Cor 14:1-25 Argument and Some Problems. - 13. A Sketch of the Argument of 2Cor 10-13. - 14. Gal 3:15-4:11 as Part of a Theological Argument on a Practical Issue. - 15. The Eschatology of 2 Thessalonians as Included in a Communication. - From the author's preface: "When the articles of this collection are presented as "text-theoretical studies," this may sound somewhat presumptuous, both to professional text theorists and to colleagues in exegesis who are more proficient in theory of literature, text linguistics, etc. than I am. Nevertheless the papers here gathered reflect a growing conviction on their author's part that exegesis can gain a good deal from what is done in these fields. Our task as historians and as theologians is furthered, I believe, if we pay more regard to such literary aspects as these disciplines teach us to focus on, for example taking seriously that the texts present themselves to their readers in a given shape; they also can make us realize that, when we exegetes concentrate our attention on the contents of the texts, the understanding of these contents can be improved, if we pay greater respect to their pragmatic aspects". VIII,316 Seiten, Leinen (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament; Vol. 102/Mohr Siebeck 1997) leichte Lagerspuren/minor shelfwear