The Great Reversal: Ethics and the New Testament / Edition 1

by Allen Verhey

Overview

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable.

There is no denying, writes Allen Verhey, that churches today are called to discern the shape and style of life "worth of the gospel of Christ" in the twentieth century. Even in the face of changing situations and new moral problems to address, the contemporary church stands self-consciously in a tradition of which the New testament is a normative part.

In this major new study of New Testament ethics, Verhey examines first of all the ethic of Jesus, for it is there that the tradition begins. He then analyzes the different forms in which the early church handed down the memory of Jesus' words and deeds in the development of a moral tradition. Next he deals with that tradition as it came to canonical expression in the New Testament writings.

In the last part of the book Verhey focuses on the use of the New Testament in the continuing moral tradition of the church, surveying proposals for the use of Scripture, identifying the critical methodological questions, and defending a "modest proposal" for the use of Scripture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802800046
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	06/19/1984
Pages:	260
Sales rank:	1,082,664
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.59(d)

About the Author

Allen Verhey (1945-2014) was Robert Earl Cushman Professor of Christian Theology at Duke Divinity School.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	ix
	Introduction	1
Chapter I.	The Ethic Of Jesus	6
A.	Diversity of Interpretations	6
B.	Difficulties of Describing Jesus' Ethics	9
C.	The Kingdom of God and the Ethic of Jesus	11
1.	The Apocalyptic Background	12
2.	The Revision of Apocalypticism	13
D.	The Ethic of Jesus and the Shape of Repentance	16
1.	Be Last of All	16
2.	Be Not Anxious	17
3.	Give Alms	18
4.	It Shall Not Be Taken from Her	19
5.	Forbid Them Not	20
6.	Judge Not	20
E.	The Ethic of Jesus and the Law	21
1.	The Rabbinical Background	21
2.	Merely Legal Observance in Crisis	22
3.	The Authority of Jesus	23
4.	The Summary of the Law	24
5.	Love Your Enemies	24
6.	Let Your Yes Be Yes	25
7.	Let Not Man Put Asunder	26
8.	Other Commands and the Law	27
9.	The Call to Discipleship	27
F.	The Politics of Jesus	27
1.	The Political Background	28
2.	Jesus Political Posture	30
G.	The Validation of Jesus' Ethic	33
Chapter II.	The Beginnings of a Moral Tradition	34
A.	The Tradition of Jesus' Words and Deeds	34
1.	The First Tellings of Jesus' Story	34
2.	The Oral Tradition	35
a.	The Authority of Tradition	36
b.	The Forms of Tradition	37
3.	Early Collections	51
a.	Pre-Marcan Collections	51
b.	Q	53
4.	Gospel Literature	60
B.	The Paraenetic Tradition	61
1.	Abstain	62
2.	Children of Light	63
3.	Cast Off	64
4.	The Law of Nonretaliation	66
5.	Be Subject	67
6.	Watch and Stand	70
7.	Summary	70
Chapter III.	Ethics in the New Testament	72
A.	The Synoptic Gospels	74
1.	Mark: An Heroic Morality	74
a.	The Call to Discipleship	75
b.	The Attitude toward Civil and Religious Authorities	76
c.	Life under Christ's Authority: A Minimal Ethic?	78
d.	An Ethic of Freedom	79
e.	Relationships and Responsibilities	80
2.	Matthew: A Surpassing Righteousness	82
a.	The Law Holds	83
b.	The Controversy about the Interpretation of the Law	83
c.	A Surpassing Righteousness: The Sermon on the Mount	85
d.	Rules for Discipline and Discernment	89
e.	Ethics and Eschatology: Works-Righteousness?	90
3.	Luke-Acts: An Ethic of Care and Respect	92
a.	Solicitude for the Poor and Oppressed	93
b.	Mutual Respect of Jewish and Gentile Christians	97
c.	Attitude toward Government	101
B.	Paul and His Interpreters	102
1.	Paul: A New Discernment	103
a.	A Pastoral Ethic	103
b.	Indicative and Imperative	104
c.	A New Discernment	106
d.	Concrete Problems	113
2.	Colossians and Ephesians	121
a.	Colossians: Heresy and Morality	121
b.	Ephesians: Pax Dei	124
3.	The Pastoral Epistles: Sound Doctrine and Morality	126
C.	The Catholic Epistles and Hebrews	129
1.	Hebrews: New Covenantal Exhortation	129
a.	The New Covenant	130
b.	Keeping Covenant	130
c.	The Discipline of God	132
2.	James: Moral Miscellany	133
a.	"Justified by Works"	133
b.	The Law	134
c.	Concrete Instruction	135
3.	I Peter: Owning One's Baptism	137
4.	II Peter and Jude	140
D.	The Johannine Literature	142
1.	John's Gospel: Life in His Name	142
a.	The Jewish Background	142
b.	Life and Love	143
2.	The Epistles of John: Knowing Love	145
3.	The Revelation of John: Patient Endurance	147
a.	The Seven Letters	148
b.	The Counter-Empire	149
Chapter IV.	A Continuing Tradition	153
A.	Bringing Order to Diversity: Some Critical Methodological Studies	154
1.	James M. Gustafson: Modes of Ethics	154
2.	Edward Leroy Long, Jr.: Levels of Moral Discourse	155
3.	Wolfgang Schweitzer: The Nature and Message of Scripture	156
4.	Identifying the Critical Questions	157
B.	A Survey of Recent Recommendations	159
1.	What Are These Writings?	159
2.	What Questions Are Appropriate to Scripture?	160
3.	What Does One Understand When One Understands These Writings?	164
4.	What Is the Relevance of Other Sources?	166
5.	Conclusion	168
C.	A Modest Proposal	169
1.	What Are These Writings?	169
a.	The Chalcedonian Consensus	169
b.	Part of a Continuing Tradition: Continuity and Change	171
c.	Intentional and Purposeful	172
2.	What Questions Are Appropriate to Scripture?	174
a.	What Kind of Question Is Appropriate?	174
b.	What Level of Inquiry Is Appropriate?	176
c.	Conclusions and Backing	177
3.	What Does One Understand When One Understands These Writings?	179
a.	God's Relationship to Us in Scripture	180
b.	The Resurrection as Key	181
c.	Conclusion and Backing	183
4.	What Is the Relevance of Other Sources?	187
a.	The Moral-Rule Level	187
b.	The Ethical-Principle Level	188
c.	The Post-ethical Level	194
5.	Conclusion	196
	Notes	199
	Indexes	239

Editorial Reviews

Stanley Hauerwas
—University of Notre Dame
"Equally well-versed in Biblical criticism and ethical theory, Dr. Verhey has done much to bridge the gap between these two fields. His careful depiction of the various ethics in the New Testament has shown how the Bible can and should illumine and inform our moral existence."

C. Freeman Sleeper
—Roanoke College
"A major contribution to the growing body of literature on the relationship between the Bible and Christian Ethics.. It sets a standard for all future work in this area.. Essential for serious students of the Bible and Christian Ethics."

Luke Timothy Johnson
—Indiana University
"The best of the recent studies which try to bridge the distance between critical New testament scholarship and Ethics.. Particularly important for its close and consistent focus on the texts and issues themselves. While never idiosyncratic, it retains a fresh vision and sustains a clear argument."

From the Publisher