60 A.D – 90 A.D. according to Raymond Brown At the lower end of the spectrum, the writer of Hebrews does not belong to the first generation of Christians since apparently he is dependent on those who heard the Lord (2:3). At the upper end, a limit is set by I Clement 36:1–5 (probably written…

With respect to this specific interpolation, required reading remains that argues for it being an interpolation: Minor Arguments Many of the arguments for and against this interpolation angle around whether this digression “fits” where it has been placed in this letter. I think it definitely looks awkward where it is. For example, in 1 Thess.…

Dating 📜One of the earliest known pieces of Christian writing is the Thessalonians epistle. It is usually dated between 50 and 51 CE. But it’s generally dated 50-60 CE. It is universally acknowledged to be a genuine Paul letter. Thessalonica was Macedonia’s capital and a significant seaport. It is believed that Paul wrote the letter…

The GLAE is probably later than Paul, so yes. But I am pointing to a theme that is also shared with the Testament of Job which posits Satan as disguising himself to appear as something else. Paul uses the middle form of the verb μετασχηματίζω with the preposition εἰς, which often has the sense of…

Radiance is simply part of the glory of heavenly beings; with respect to angels, “their faces were more radiant than the radiance of the sun” (2 Enoch 19:1). The point is that Satan (in a sort of trickster role) disguises himself in impersonating others. In the contemporary exegesis of Genesis 3, Satan disguised himself as…

He may or may not be the same person. Barnett writes in his commentary of 2 Corinthians for NICNT: “Although many commentators have identified the man as the “incestuous man” of 1Cor 5, there is no compelling reason to do so” Barnett does not think it is the same person, but admits that most commentators…

I’d say that the most likely explanation for “third heaven” is found in the second Book of Enoch (Enochian literature having played a role in early Christianity, most notably in Jude, but I digress). In Enoch, “Heaven” or “sky” is still not what we know. The First Heaven is clearly our sky – Enoch goes…

ere’s some commentary from the New American Bible (Revised Edition): These “superapostles”: this term, employed again in 2 Cor 12:11b, designates the opponents of whom Paul has spoken in 2 Cor 10 and again in 2 Cor 11:4. They appear to be intruders at Corinth. Their preaching is marked at least by a different emphasis…

One of Paul’s four Hauptbriefe letters, Second Corinthians, is generally acknowledged to contain genuine Pauline correspondence. Werner Georg Kummel wants to see the letter as a whole written by Paul once (Introduction to the New Testament, pp. 287-293). There aren’t really any difficulties that have suggested to several commentators that 2 Corinthians has been compiled…

Jesus declares to the Jews: “You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires.” And why? Because, asserts Jesus, the Jews, like the devil, are murderers and liars. The historical Jesus did not actually utter these words. Rather, they were scripted for him by John’s author or authors as…