Legitimation in the Letter to the Hebrews: The Construction and Maintenance of a Symbolic Universe

457 Pages·26.1 MB·English

by  Iutisone Salevao

l i b r a r y o f n e w t e s t a m e n t s t u d i e s
LegiTimATioN iN
The LeTTer To
The hebrewS
The Construction and maintenance
of a Symbolic Universe

IutIsone salevao
JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
SUPPLEMENT SERIES
219
Executive Editor
Stanley E. Porter
Editorial Board
Craig Blomberg, Elizabeth A. Castelli, David Catchpole,
Kathleen E. Corley, R. Alan Culpepper, James D.G. Dunn,
Craig A. Evans, Stephen Fowl, Robert Fowler,
George H. Guthrie, Robert Jewett, Robert W. Wall
Sheffield Academic Press
A Continuum imprint

Legitimation in the
Letter to the Hebrews
The Construction and Maintenance
of a Symbolic Universe
Iutisone Salevao
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
Supplement Series 219
Copyright © 2002 Sheffield Academic Press
A Continuum imprint
Published by
Sheffield Academic Press Ltd
The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX
370 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6550
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Typeset by Sheffield Academic Press
EISBN 9781841272610
CONTENTS
Abbreviations vii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1
THEORY AND METHODOLOGY 11
Introduction 11
The Timeliness of the Sociological Approach 12
Explanation as the Principal Aim of this Study 26
Sociology of Knowledge: Aim and Presuppositions 33
The Application of the Correlation Principle from the
Sociology of Knowledge to the Study of the
New Testament 39
Heuristic Use of Sociological Theories and Models 45
Legitimation: Model or Research Framework? 50
Functionalism: An Important Aspect of Legitimation 78
Conclusion 92
Chapter 2
THE SEARCH FOR A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF THE
SOCIO-HLSTORICAL SITUATION OF THE READERS 95
Introductory Issues 95
The Socio-Historical Situation of the Readers: A Suggestion 121
The Functions of Social Conflict 149
Orthodoxy and Heresy in Early Christianity 159
Conclusion 165
Chapter 3
THE COMMUNITY OF HEBREWS AS A SECT:
LEGITIMATING THE SEPARATION OF A SECT FROM A CHURCH 170
Introduction 170
The Parting of the Ways between Christianity and Judaism 172
vi Legitimation in the Letter to the Hebrews
Early Christianity as a Sectarian Movement 197
Conclusion 243
Chapter 4
THE DOCTRINE OF THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF A SECOND REPENTANCE:
A CONCEPTUAL CONSTRUCT FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE
SYMBOLIC UNIVERSE OF THE COMMUNITY OF HEBREWS 250
Introduction 250
The Evidence of the Text 259
The Doctrine and Related Motifs in Hebrews 295
Related Issues 330
Conclusion 334
Chapter 5
THE SUPERIORITY/INFERIORITY DIALECTIC IN HEBREWS:
A CONCEPTUAL CONSTRUCT FOR THE MAINTENANCE
OF A SOCIAL WORLD 339
Introduction 339
The Superiority of Christianity and the Inferiority of Judaism 345
The Language of Hebrews as a Tool of Legitimation 383
The Problem of Salvation History (Heilsgeschichte)
in Hebrews: Creating an Integrating Frame of Reference 403
Conclusion 408
CONCLUSION 413
Bibliography 415
Index of References 434
Index of Authors 442
ABBREVIATIONS
AJBA Australian Journal of Biblical Archaeology
ANRW Hildegard Temporini and Wolfgang Haase (eds.), Aufstieg und
Niedergang der romischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms
im Spiegel der neueren Forschung (Berlin: W. de Gruyter,
1972-)
ATR Anglican Theological Review
BA Biblical Archaeologist
Bib Biblica
BJRL Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester
BSac Bibliotheca Sacra
BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin
BZ Biblische Zeitschrift
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CJT Canadian Journal of Theology
CRBS Currents in Research: Biblical Studies
CTJ Calvin Theological Journal
CTM Concordia Theological Monthly
EvQ Evangelical Quarterly
ExpTim Expository Times
HNT Handbuch zum Neuen Testament
HTR Harvard Theological Review
IBS Irish Biblical Studies
Int Interpretation
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
JR Journal of Religion
JRH Journal of Religious History
JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament
JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Supplement
Series
JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
JSSR Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
JTS Journal of Theological Studies
Neot Neotestamentica
NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament
NIV New International Version
Legitimation in the Letter to the Hebrews
Vlll
NovT Novum Testamentum
NTS New Testament Studies
RB Revue biblique
RelSRev Religious Studies Review
ResQ Restoration Quarterly
RevQ Revue de Qumran
RSV Revised Standard Version
RTR Reformed Theological Review
SBL Society of Biblical Literature
SBLDS SBL Dissertation Series
SBT Studies in Biblical Theology
SJT Scottish Journal of Theology
SNTSMS Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series
TDNT Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich (eds.), Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament (trans. Geoffrey W.
Bromiley; 10 vols.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-)
TNTC Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
TS Theological Studies
TynBul Tyndale Bulletin
TZ Theologische Zeitschrift
VC Vigiliae christianae
WBC Word Biblical Commentary
WTJ Westminster Theological Journal
WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament
INTRODUCTION
The letter to the Hebrews has attracted many interesting epithets which
may reflect the multifaceted nature of the work as an enigma.1 The
language, concepts, metaphors, symbolism and the conceptual framework
employed are, to a great extent, unique in the New Testament. So much so
that Hebrews has been loosely characterized as something of an alien
presence in the New Testament.2
But Hebrews is also extremely problematic. Many features of its theo-
logy pose thorny problems.3 The doctrine of the impossibility of a second
repentance in 6.4-6 appears to undercut the established view of repentance
and forgiveness. That doctrine may pose the challenge of setting God free
to forgive even the most hardened apostate. The claim that the old cov-
enant and cult had been made obsolete by the death and exaltation of Jesus
Christ is another thorny issue. That assertion is incompatible with the fact
that for non-Christian Jews their religion is eternally valid, that the old
covenant and cult—established by the will and promise of Yahweh—will
always be efficacious. Related to that is the author's insistence on the sup-
eriority of Christianity and inferiority of Judaism. Both claims, if accepted
without critical analysis, will land Christianity and Judaism in an eternally
irreconcilable contradiction.
Unresolved and controversial issues such as the above have continually
prompted the gnawing question as to the meaning and function of many
features of the author's theology. That those issues have attracted diverse
and, at times, conflicting and paradoxical responses seems certain from the
1. For the different characterizations of the letter, see J. Dunnill, Covenant and
Sacrifice in the Letter to the Hebrews (SNTSMS, 75; Cambridge: Cambridge Univer-
sity Press, 1992), p. 1; also L.D. Hurst, The Epistle to the Hebrews: Its Background of
Thought (SNTSMS, 65; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990), pp. 2-3.
2. See Hurst, The Epistle to the Hebrews, pp. 2-3.
3. See H.W. Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle
to the Hebrews (ed. H. Koester; Hermeneia; Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989).
Attridge (p. 1) appropriately refers to 'the riddles of Hebrews'.