Trajectories in New Testament Studies Today

1. Trajectories in New Testament Studies Today Petri Luomanen 16.02.2010

2. 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

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

4. Key topics of the lecture: “ A bird’s 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? Robinson’s and Koester’s Trajectories Judaism and Hellenism are not static backgrounds Attention to movements, “trajectories” moving in canonical and non-canonical literature. • The concept of trajectories problematic • As a starting point for today’s topic: 1)R & K’s 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?

5. 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

6. Pauline studies? Johannine studies? Today’s trajectories? Jesus research? Q and synoptics? Non-canonical texts?

7. Pauline studies? Johannine studies? Today’s trajectories? Jesus research? Q and synoptics? Non-canonical texts?

8. Research generated trajectories Cultural trajectories Today’s trajectories? Methodological trajectories Q and synoptics? Pauline studies? Non-canonical texts? Johannine studies? Jesus research?

9. 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 Cultural trajectories (post-modern) Research generated trajectories Methodological trajectories

10. Research generatedtrajectories • Archaeological discoveries • Nag Hammadi • Qumran • Re-evaluation of Second Temple Judaism • Re-evaluation early Christianity Cultural trajectories Methodological trajectories

11. Methodological trajectories A) Historical-critical paradigm B) Text-oriented / linguistic paradigm C) Social- and behavioral science paradigm D) Ideological / Intercontextual paradigm

12. A) Historical-critical paradigm • Archaeology; Biblical archaeology1920s-1940s • Textual criticism (tracing the ”original” text form) • Literary criticism (source criticism) • Form criticism (form=> genre => Sitz im Leben) • Tradition history • Redaction criticism B) Text-oriented / linguistic paradigm C) Social- and behavioral science paradigm D) Ideological / Intercontextual paradigm

13. 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.

14. 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 => binary opposiotions). • Text linguistics • Rhetorical criticism (ancient and modern) • Narrative criticism • Reader response criticism

15. 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/index.cfm • Integration of ancient and modern rhetorical criticism

16. 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)

17. Cognitive science of religion • Since 1990s in comparative religion • Draws on cognitive science, cognitive and developmental psyhology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, anthropology • Contagious ideas (cf. Dawkin’s memes) • Rituals and development of religions (Whitehouse, Lawson and McCauley) C) Social- and behavioral science paradigm (ca. 1995-) • Social psychology. Henri Tajfel’s 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.Gerhardsson’s contribution)

18. 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)

19. 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

20. 6: The future direction of New Testament studies • Situation much more diverse than by the time when R&K introduced their ”trajectories” • Some overall trends detect- and predictable: • Multi- and interdisciplinarity calls for and generates integration (cf. Robbins, Syreeni’s model of three worlds) • Growing impact from Asian and African Christianity • Need for contextualisation, ”relevance” grows also within Western Biblical scholarship

21. 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”?

22. Trajectories in New Testament Studies Today • Did you find a place for your ”own” trajectory, book, article or interesting topic? • Other questions?