Doktoratsprojekte
Daici Okawa
"Umsonst" im Neuen Testament: Exegetische Studien zum Begriff δωρεάν im Frühchristentum und der griechisch-römischen Antike
„Das Umsonst [ist] der basso continuo des Neuen Testaments“, schrieb der systematische Theologe I. U. Dalferth im Vorwort seines im Jahr 2011 erschienenen Essays. Dass etwas „umsonst“ ist, bedeutet – wie seine deutschen Synonyme zeigen –, dass etwas „ohne Gegen- oder Vorleistung“ zugänglich ist, dass also etwas „kostenlos“, „gebührenfrei“ oder „unentgeltlich“ gegeben oder erhalten wird. Nicht nur in der heutigen alltäglichen Kommunikation, sondern auch im biblischen Kontext der Antike ist es ein stark ökonomisch geprägtes Phänomenon. In welchem Sinne ist das »Umsonst« also der „basso continuo“ des Neuen Testaments?
Dieses Dissertationsprojekt setzt sich zum Ziel, die vielfältige Verwendung des Begriffs δωρεάν (umsonst/kostenlos) im Neuen Testament detailliert zu untersuchen und im Kontext der philosophischen, sozialwissenschaftlichen und theologischen Diskussionen zur Thematik der Gabe sowie der griechisch-römischen Antike inklusive des antiken Judentums umfassend zu profilieren.
Die Adverbien δωρεάν und ἀδάπανον erscheinen im Sinne von „umsonst/kostenlos“ insgesamt zehnmal in den Büchern des Neuen Testaments (Mt 10,8*2; Joh 15,25; Röm 3,24; 1Kor 9,18; 2Kor 11,7; Gal 2,21; 2 Thess 3,8; Offb 21,6; 22,17). Im Wesentlichen fallen hierbei insbesondere die beiden folgenden Punkte auf: Einerseits sind die Kontexte des jeweiligen Gebrauchs groß unterschiedlich: Während sich das Adverb im Römer- und Galaterbrief auf die Rechtfertigung durch Gott bezieht, geht es im Matthäusevangelium, in den beiden Korintherbriefen und im 2. Thessalonicherbrief um die Evangeliumsverkündigung. In der Johannesoffenbarug ist das Adverb mit der eschatologischen Vision einer neuen Welt verbunden. Andererseits stehen aber alle diese Verwendungen – mit Ausnahme des Belegs im Johannesevangelium, bei dem es sich um ein Zitat aus der LXX handelt – im Zusammenhang mit der Gnade Gottes und seiner Verkündigung.
Aus diesen Beobachtungen heraus stellt sich die Frage, wie sich die Gemeinsamkeiten und zudem auch die Unterschiede in der Verwendung des Adverbs in den verschiedenen neutestamentlichen Texten interpretieren lassen. Worauf deuten die Vergleiche mit soziologischen und philosophischen Diskursen und mit der griechisch-römischen Antike hin? Was bedeutet im Neuen Testament gemeinhin, dass die Gnade Gottes den Menschen „umsonst/kostenlos“ bzw. „als Gabe“ gegeben wird, und warum sollten frühchristliche Missionare sie „umsonst/kostenlos“ verkündigen? Was ist bzw. bedeutet »Umsonst« im Neuen Testament? Um alles diese Fragen hinreichend beantworten zu können, soll in diesem Projekt der umfassende Versuch unternommen werden, durch sozialwissenschaftlich orientierte exegetische Studien zu erhellen, wie dieser Begriff im Frühchristentum mit dem Evangelium der Gnade Gottes und seiner Verkündigung verbunden ist.
Deborah Hill
An Epigraphical Commentary on Paul's Letter to Philemon
Over a hundred years have passed since G. A. Deissmann urged other New Testament scholars to study primary sources such as papyri and inscriptions, which were becoming newly available through corpora compiled by the Berlin Academy of Sciences. And, though insights from papyri have been widely applauded, most scholars continue to neglect inscriptions. Some inscriptions inform the standard lexicons in use today, however vast numbers of newly published inscriptions were not included within the updated revisions of these lexicons.
To remedy this oversight, a team of scholars from Leuven and Vienna have embarked upon a new series of “epigraphical” commentaries on the whole New Testament. Similar to the format for the Papyrologische Kommentare zum Neuen Testament series edited by P. Arzt-Grabner et al. (2003–2014), this series aims to comment verse-by-verse upon each major lexeme in the biblical text following research of such words in epigraphical databases. Inscriptions occurring nearer geographically and closer in time to the estimated authorship of a text will have greater relevance for interpretation. Volumes will build upon each other, employing the research conducted for previous volumes in order to comment upon the biblical text at hand. The first volume for this series awaits publication in 2024: 1 Thessalonians by J. Ogereau. Upon completion, this project on Philemon will become the series’ second volume.
Studying the Letter to Philemon alongside contemporary inscriptions will provide a more precise understanding of everyday lexical use than can be gained from ancient literary sources alone. In addition, trends in word use across time and a wider geography can help shed light upon socio-cultural practices. For example, the two Greek words δεσμός (“bond, tie, fetter”) and συναιχμαλώτος (“fellow prisoner,” lit. “captured together by the spear”) tell us that prisoners in the ancient world were identified based upon the means of their constraint, whether it was a chain that kept them from running away or the threat of violence should they attempt it. Such words could designate someone like Paul, suspected of wrongdoing and awaiting trial. Or they could refer to those captured by bandits or defeated in battle, who were trafficked before being sold into slavery for profit. In particular, δεσμός referred euphemistically to enslaved persons. Either way, Paul seems to hold both his literal chains and Onesimus’ lifelong bondage at the forefront of his mind while writing this uniquely personal letter.
Sarah Herzog
Gregory King
The Gospel of John as Recipient of Scribal Harmonization in Greek Manuscripts of the Second to Fourth Centuries C.E.: A Catalogue and Analysis of Harmonizing Scribal Activity in the Four-Gospel Tradition of the New Testament.
The Gospel of John served as both source and recipient of the influence of parallel passages in the four-gospel tradition of the New Testament. Yet, the extant manuscript data of the Fourth Gospel relevant to this assertion have to date not been systematically and fully quantified nor qualified to demonstrate the proportional activity of scribal harmonization with the Gospel of John as recipient of the influence of scribal harmonization from one or more of the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This study therefore seeks to clarify on the quantity, quality, and probable relationship of influence of parallel passages in the Synoptic Gospels upon the Gospel of John due to scribal harmonization in Greek manuscripts of the second to fourth centuries.
Recent research into the study of scribal habits in the Synoptic Gospels provides a background of understanding for the concept of scribal harmonization. Just as literary similarities and differences within the Synoptic presentation of Jesus traditions have demonstrably given rise to harmonized variant readings within and between the Synoptic Gospels, so too have literary similarities and differences between the Fourth Gospel and one or more of the Synoptics provided occasion for scribes to exert an harmonizing influence in the transmission of the manuscripts of John. Yet, the unique appropriation of these traditions in the Gospel of John had a noteworthy effect on the occasion available to scribes for harmonizing activity in their manuscripts. Thus, in this doctoral research, a total of twenty-six manuscripts dated to the relevant period are assessed, and the primary research question is posed: What was the quantity, quality, and likelihood of scribal harmonization with the Gospel of John as recipient of the influence of parallel passages in the four-gospel tradition of the New Testament in Greek manuscripts of the second to fourth centuries. In the dissertation, the concept and terminology of harmonization as a subset of scribal activity is examined from a text-critical perspective. Variant readings in the extant manuscripts of the Gospel according to John from the earliest period of textual transmission, whose origins are potentially attributable to scrabial harmonization, are catalogued and assessed for harmonization, and the individual manuscripts of interest serve as the starting point for identification and analysis of harmonization. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the manuscript data per century serve as a data sample of this scribal habit and lead to a determination of any synchronic and diachronic patterns of harmonization as both an event and as historical process in the excerpted transmission history of the Gospel of John in the context of the four-gospel tradition of the New Testament. The method and presuppositions of reasoned eclecticism, which adjudicates between variant readings in balanced consideration of both external and internal criteria, are utilized in text-critical analysis of all variation units in the dissertation. Hypotheses regarding the possible quantity and quality of harmonization in the Fourth Gospel have been generated and will be tested, the results of which will be published to provide a comprehensive analysis of the scribal habit of harmonization in the Gospel of John. The dissertation is provisionally set for defense in 2026.
Provisional Structure:
| Chapter number | Provisional Title | Content Description |
|---|---|---|
| one | Introduction to Harmonization in the Four-Fold Gospel of the New Testament and the Unique Contribution of the Gospel according to John | Concept introduction, the state of research, primary and secondary research questions, findings from Scribal Harmonization in the Synoptic Gospels, hypotheses, methodology, inclusion and exclusion and limitations of the study |
| two | Harmonization in John with the Synoptic Gospels as Source of Influence from Parallel Passages: Fragmentary Manuscripts of the Second Century | P52 and P90: Quantitative and qualitative analysis, assessment of likelihood of harmonization in variation units, synchronic analysis of the second century |
| three | Harmonization in John with the Synoptic Gospels as Source of Influence from Parallel Passages: Fragmentary Manuscripts of the Third Century | P5, P22, P28, P39, P80, P95, P106, P107, P108, P109, P119, P121, P134, 0162: Quantitative and qualitative analysis, assessment of likelihood of harmonization in variation units, synchronic analysis of the third century |
| four | Harmonization in John with the Synoptic Gospels as Source of Influence from Parallel Passages: Extensive Manuscripts of the Third Century | P45, P66, P75: Quantitative and qualitative analysis, assessment of likelihood of harmonization in variation units, synchronic analysis of the third century |
| five | Harmonization in John with the Synoptic Gospels as Source of Influence from Parallel Passages: Fragmentary Manuscripts of the Fourth Century | P6, P120, P122, 0258: Quantitative and qualitative analysis, assessment of likelihood of harmonization in variation units, synchronic analysis of the fourth century |
| six | Harmonization in John with the Synoptic Gospels as Source of Influence from Parallel Passages: A Complete Manuscript of the Fourth Century | 03: Quantitative and qualitative analysis, assessment of likelihood of harmonization in variation units, synchronic analysis of the fourth century |
| seven | Harmonization in John with the Synoptic Gospels as Source of Influence from Parallel Passages: A Complete Manuscript of the Fourth Century | 01: Quantitative and qualitative analysis, assessment of likelihood of harmonization in variation units, synchronic analysis of the fourth century |
| eight | Summary of Findings and Conclusion: The Gospel of John as Source and Recipient of Harmonization in the Four-Fold Gospel of the New Testament | Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the aggregate of data set, diachronic analysis of harmonization, harmonization as a subset of transcriptional probability, application of research to the study of scribal habits and stability or fluidity of the transmission of the New Testament, prospects for future research |