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In this number 2012Tiivistelmät / Abstrakter / Abstracts 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2/2012HEIKKI RÄISÄNEN How do eschatology and ethical wisdom traditions relate to each other in the proclamation of Jesus? In the wake of E. P. Sanders, this article argues that Jesus probably expected a dramatic turn of history in the near future. Much of the evidence hints at earthly expectation, focusing on the restoration of Israel. Even the ethical sayings can be plausibly interpreted in this framework. Since the turning point is imminent, one need not be concerned about the long-term consequences of Jesus’ radical demands. The application of Jesus’ message today requires reinterpretation on an eclectic basis. ISMO DUNDERBERG It is argued in this article that the rhetorical situation described in the Gospel of Mary, a Christian dialogue gospel from the middle of the 2nd century, follows on from the image of the disciples’ future anxiety in the Johannine farewell discourse. This provides the narrative framework in the Gospel of Mary for discussing how fear, preventing the soul’s ascent, can be overcome. It need not be assumed that the author of the Gospel of Mary deliberately imitated the Gospel of John; the similarities could just as well be based on loose reminiscences of details ultimately going back to John. SUSANNA ASIKAINEN The article discusses views of marriage expressed by Plutarch on the one hand and in the New Testament on the other; there are both similarities and differences. Plutarch’s view of marriage, presented in his Advice to the Bride and Groom and Dialogue on Love, is unequivocally positive, whereas the New Testament has several opinions ranging from positive to negative. Advice for the choice of a spouse given by Plutarch is similar to that given in ancient Graeco-Roman treatises in general. Early Christian writers require only that the spouse is Christian. Both emphasise mutual faithfulness. However, Plutarch is not as strict as the New Testament. Both Plutarch and the New Testament writers have a negative attitude towards divorce. MINNA HEIMOLA This article analyses how the early Christian debates concerning virgin conception are apparent in the Gospel of Philip. Concerning Mary giving birth to Jesus, the Gospel of Philip flatly states that the Holy Spirit, being female, could not have impregnated Mary (Gos. Phil. 17). The text further asserts that Jesus had an earthly father since he refers to God as “his heavenly father”. Thus, the idea of virgin conception is interpreted symbolically, and Mary is still referred to as “the virgin”, which may refer to her spiritual status (elsewhere in the Gospel of Philip, “the virgin” is one of the metaphors used of those who will enter the bridal chamber: Gos. Phil. 73). PETRI LUOMANEN James the Just is an interesting figure in early Christian literature. He was espoused by conservative Jewish-Christian writers as well as Gnostic and early Catholic writers. The present article shows the importance of the research at the Nag Hammadi library for the study of early Jewish Christianity and especially for the new reconstruction of early Jewish-Christian gospels. Jesus’ appearance to his brother James the Just (Jerome, Vir. ill. 2) is analysed as an example of traditions traditionally attributed to the Gospel of the Hebrews. In line with the new reconstruction, the analysis shows that the Gospel of the Hebrew’s was not as ‘Gnostic’ as is usually assumed. The story about Jesus’ appearance to James the Just was probably composed in the heat of the Quartodeciman dispute, in order to defend the ‘Christian’ timing of Passover/Easter celebrations and the practice of ending the Passover/Easter fast on the day of the Lord’s resurrection. KIRSI SIITONEN The Book of Revelation contains several critical references to merchants and commerce, but the meaning of the economic imagery remains unclear concerning the whole of the book. Although the imagery is symbolic, it also deals with the social reality of the communities addressed in the text. The purpose of this article is to evaluate at whom John was aiming this criticism. The article focuses on four topics: the description of the merchants, the mark of the beast, Jezebel of Thyatira and the eating of the sacrificial meat. It is argued that John did not object to all trade but criticised Christian merchants who engaged in the wholesale trade with Rome. ULLA TERVAHAUTA This article explores discussions on the soul’s ascent in the Apocalypse of Paul (NHC V, 2), the First Apocalypse of James (NHC V, 3), Authoritative Teaching (NHC VI, 3), and the Gospel of Mary (BG). The earliest three of the discussed texts emphasise the therapy of emotions, whereas Authoritative Teaching puts more emphasis on the soul’s way of life, as does later ascetic literature. Accounts of the soul’s ascent could be understood as alternatives to the belief in the resurrection, but also as symbols of an ascetic way of life. The Graeco-Roman background and Jewish apocalyptic literature are taken into account as literary and cultural contexts, but the point is that several themes in the soul’s ascent narratives survived in eastern ascetic literature. PÄIVI VÄHÄKANGAS Pseudo-Clementine literature, unlike many other contemporary Syrian Christian writings, maintains a positive view of family life. The framework narrative is about the reunification of Clement’s family and the conversion of each family member to Christianity. Two women stand out in the story: Clement’s mother Mattidia, and Justa, the foster mother of Clement’s brothers. They receive praise due to their chastity, which according to the Pseudo-Clementine literature is the primal virtue. In these novels, men and women seem to come to embrace the new faith for different reasons: men after being persuaded intellectually and women after witnessing a miracle. Yet one thing is common to the conversion of both men and women: most of the main characters in the Pseudo-Clementine writings have contacts with Judaism before becoming Christians. IVAN MIROSHNIKOV The article reflects on the first part of saying 52 in the Gospel of Thomas. The disciples state that 24 prophets spoke ‘in’ Jesus. What does this mean? A number of scholars felt that the context of the saying suggests that the prophets spoke ‘about’ Jesus and thus translated the phrase as ”all of them spoke of you”. However, none of these scholars offered any explanation for such an interpretation. The author’s suggestion is that the Coptic expression used in saying 52 renders ?ν σο? of the Greek Vorlage. The reasoning behind this is that the Coptic translator found in the Greek text the expression λαλε?ν ?ν τινι, where the preposition ?ν had the unusual meaning ‘about’, specific to the translation Greek; and, not understanding the meaning of this phrase, the Coptic translator rendered ?ν with its usual Coptic equivalent. NANNA LIV ELKJÆR OLSEN The most characteristic feature of Thunder Perfect Mind (NHC VI,2) is its paradoxical style of antithetical affirmations. Because each proposition is followed by its counter-proposition, meaning is undone, and as a result the text seems completely nonsensical. This article argues that in spite of the heavy information overload, the primary way of conveying meaning in the text is not informative, but performative. Through examples it is illustrated how the text makes sense, i.e. how it produces sense in the implied reader by putting forth obstacles and perpetually disrupting, defying and destroying meaning. 1/2012OLLI VIITANIEMI The life-changing pastoral meeting between the young peasant Paavo Ruotsalainen (1777–1852) and blacksmith Jacob Högman (1750–1806) in 1799 led Paavo to become a lay preacher and leader of a revivalist movement. The meeting is famous especially for one enigmatic phrase uttered by Högman: “One thing you lack and with it everything – an inward knowledge of Christ.” This phrase is traditionally considered to have been inspired by a devotional booklet entitled A Choice Drop of Honey (1779) by Thomas Wilcox. However, a more verbatim parallel for the phrase can be found in another devotional book, The Order of Evangelical Grace in the Economy of Salvation (1745) by David Hollatz. The present article analyses this new source and concludes that the blacksmith’s phrase can be seen as a creative summary of the first chapters of Hollatz’s book. The phrase also shows a lexical and thematic confluence with other popular Pietist books. Paavo was highly unusual among the peasants of eastern Finland in that he owned several books, including the one by Hollatz. The blacksmith’s phrase as recorded for posterity may even have been formulated by Paavo himself, who seems to have been an intensive reader and a creative religious thinker. KALLE HILTUNEN Yearning (‘ikävöiminen’) is one of the main themes in the teaching of Paavo Ruotsalainen (1777–1852). A peasant lay preacher and leader of a revivalist movement, he taught sinners to yearn and wait for God without hastening to depart from the state of damnation and sorrow to which God has brought him/her. This article studies the parallelism between this teaching and contemplative prayer familiar from the Catholic mystic tradition. The concept of contemplation found in the texts of John of the Cross in particular is in many ways similar to the yearning of Paavo Ruotsalainen. TUUKKA KAUHANEN It is possible to study through reception history and history of effect how Paavo Ruotsalainen used the Bible. Paavo’s interpretations were influenced by the Bible translation he used, the social situation in the early 19th century and the tradition of Bible interpretation at the time. What is typical of his reading of the Bible is finding universal principles behind specific Bible quotes, as is apparent particularly clearly in his attitude to genuflection. The Bible verses he cited in support of his arguments were found through association. Although the end result seems like a haphazard collection of Bible quotes, a scarlet thread running through them may be identified through reception study. ESKO M. LAINE The article discusses how literate Paavo Ruotsalainen actually was, as indicated by church sources. The discussion concerns his literacy both in absolute terms and in comparison with that of other children and adolescents of his age in his home village. The discussion also extends to his parents, Vilppu [Philip] Ruotsalainen and Anna Helena Svan, and to the uncle who gave him the aforementioned Bible. The literacy of Paavo’s siblings and his own children is also considered. The conclusion is that Paavo’s intellectual faculties have been somewhat exaggerated. To be sure, the young Paavo Ruotsalainen was a good reader compared with other boys of his age, but many of the girls in his home village matched his skill level without effort. In questions of knowledge, he was found wanting on many occasions in his childhood. Nevertheless, he lived at a time when literacy was gradually replacing learning by rote under fear of punishment and becoming a gateway to a new world of knowledge. MIIKKA ANTTILA It may seem unusual to mention aesthetics and Luther in the same sentence. The received wisdom is that there is little room for aesthetic contemplation in Luther’s theology. On closer examination, however, we find that the experience of beauty played a significant part in the Reformer’s thinking. Faith opens the mind of the believer to perceive the beauty of Creation. The doctrine of justification can be construed as an aesthetic theory: God is the most beautiful, while humans are disfigured by sin. In His grace, God gives us His beauty and takes our ugliness away. Against the Medieval background, it is also interesting to note that Luther’s conception of beauty belongs to the tradition of ‘aesthetics of light’. Indeed, the metaphor of light may prove more useful for describing the doctrine of justification and the traditional legal imagery. KARI LATVUS The purpose of the article is to analyse the meaning of various contexts for the methods used in exegesis of poverty texts in the Bible. First, two case studies focusing on Alfred Rahlfs and liberation theology are presented. Based on these cases, the author introduces an inter-contextual method. It addresses especially the poor behind the text (context 1), the text and its writer (context 2), the researcher (context 3) and the poor in the modern world (context 4).
Translation: Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
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