| 1. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Apocryphal Acts among Greek Biographies and Paradoxographies : A Question of Genre
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles are often viewed as Christian counterparts to the ancient novels – a genre that certainly reflects their fictional character, but neither their fascination with the foreign, strange, and miraculous, nor their focus on named historical figures such as the apostles. These interests are rather the defining features of the ancient genres of paradoxography and biography, where the latter includes mostly fictional works on historical or even mythological figures such as Heracles. This paper uses cognitive genre theory to analyze how the Apocryphal Acts participate in both of these two ancient genres.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Att möta vilddjuren i egna kläder : Kultur, status och värdighet på arenan i Karthago
- 2023
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Ingår i: Svensk teologisk kvartalskrift. - 0039-6761. ; 99:3, s. 215-228
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Motsättningar inom ett samhälle blir sällan skarpare än när människor avrättas för att ha brutit mot samhällsgemenskapens grundläggande normer. En ideologisk text som tillkommit i en sådan situation kan därför förväntas skildra kontrasten mellan samhället och den egna gruppen i tydligast möjliga ordalag, även om skillnaderna i faktiska värderingar inte alltid är så stora. Ett gott exempel på detta är Perpetuas och Felicitas martyrium, där vi har goda skäl att tro oss möta en ung kvinnas egen berättelse om sina upplevelser, känslor och visioner inför mötet med vilddjuren på den romerska arenan i Karthago. Med hjälp av Kathryn Tanners kulturteori kan vi urskilja de beteendemönster som framstår som normer och ideal i martyriet, och inse att de visioner och den oberördhet inför döden som etablerar Perpetuas auktoritet är väletablerade ideal även inom den grekisk-romerska kulturen. De värderingar som skiljer martyriets ideologi från det omgivande samhället är två: normen att vägra offra till de grekisk-romerska gudarna och föreställningen att alla människor, oavsett samhällelig status, äger en inneboende värdighet.
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| 4. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Between Biography and Paradoxography : Unveiling the Genre of the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The extra-canonical Acts of the apostles John, Paul, Peter, Andrew, and Thomas have traditionally been understood as heretical offshoots from the canonical Acts of the Apostles, complementing the canonical material in order to promulgate an alternative version of early Christianity. This view not only overemphasizes the dogmatic difference between their authors and other early Christians, but also obstructs the crucial discussion about their genre.This paper argues that in the context of Greco-Roman literature, the apocryphal acts exhibit considerable resemblances to two established ancient genres: biography and paradoxography. Greco-Roman biography included not only the historiographically oriented bioi of well-known rulers and politicians, but also – at least at an earlier stage of its development – fictional narratives about historical figures, such as Xenophon’s Anabasis and Cyropaedia. Ancient paradoxography is a surprisingly little known genre that flourished from early Hellenistic times well into the Byzantine era. It was aimed at collecting descriptions of wonders (θαῦματα), strange things (ἴδια), and phenomena that goes against our expectations (παράδοξα) – not from observations of nature but from previous literary works. With their claims to chronicle the famous apostles’ wondrous deeds throughout the known world, the apocryphal acts can be said to participate in both of these genres.
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| 5. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Between Biography and Paradoxography : Unveiling the Genre of the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles
- 2022
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles are often viewed as Christian counterparts to the ancient novels – a genre that certainly reflects their fictional character, but neither their fascination with the foreign, strange, and miraculous, nor their focus on named historical figures such as the apostles. These interests are rather the defining features of the ancient genres of paradoxography and biography, where the latter includes mostly fictional works on historical or even mythological figures such as Heracles. This paper uses cognitive genre theory to analyze how the Apocryphal Acts participate in both of these two ancient genres.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Den utblottade är den mäktige
- 2017
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Ingår i: Sändaren. - 1103-6206. ; :4
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Discipleship Ideals from Mark to the Acts of Thomas and His Wonderworking Skin
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Viewed as part of the reception history of the New Testament, the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles document a fascinating history of the development of the portrayal of the apostles, promoting various versions and accentuations of early Christian theology. This paper studies one aspect of this development, namely how the portrayal of an ideal Christian disciple is transformed from the Gospel of Mark to the Acts of Thomas and his Wonderworking Skin – a fourth- or fifth-century narrative in which Jesus sells Thomas as a slave in India. After displeasing his new master, Thomas is tortured and skinned alive, but manages to use his peeled-off skin to work miracles, and leads a large number of people to accept Christ. The discipleship ideals discernible from this story will be compared to similar ideals expressed in the Gospel of Mark, and the development between the two discussed.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Discipleship Ideals in the Acts of Philip
- 2021
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Ingår i: The Apostles Peter, Paul, John, Thomas and Philip with their Companions in Late Antiquity. - Leuven : Peeters Publishers. - 9789042945531 - 9789042945548 ; , s. 314-332
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- How we categorize early Christian literature has an immense impact on what we expect to find in these ancient writings, and how we are prepared to interpret them. Grouped with apocryphal gospels and apocalypses, the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles have been viewed primarily as heretical writings, representing alternative Christianities that were effectually silenced by the processes of canonization. While they certainly contain evidence of such silenced theologies, the Acts themselves are more likely to be complementary writings, aiming to edify, educate and entertain early Christian readers without intention to replace or correct any canonical material. This chapter offers another angle on two early Christian stories, Acts of Philip 1 and Acts of Philip 8–Martyrdom of Philip. Regarded as parts of the reception history of the Synoptic Gospels, these stories will be found to interact with theological ideas expressed in the Gospels without necessarily setting out to either defend or correct them. More specifically, I study how ideals for early Christian discipleship – traits expected from an ideal Christian disciple – are transformed from the earlier Gospels to the later narratives about the apostle Philip.
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Elijah as an Archetype for the Apostles according to the Apocryphal Acts
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Christian fiction from late antiquity, Christ’s apostles are given bread by angels, provide an inexhaustible food source, part the waters, and raise a widow’s son from the dead right before challenging their opponent to a duel of miracles. Even though Elijah’s name is never mentioned, the insightful reader may recognize the allusions to 1–2 Kings, and the miracles performed by the old Tishbite. Elijah was a well-known figure in early Christian literature – enough so that the authors of the Gospel of Mark, the Epistle of James, and the Life of Antony could trust their readers to recognize veiled allusions to the prophet even without the aid of his name. This paper argues that the Elijah cycle also functions as a subtext in the early Christian stories of Andrew and the cannibals (Acts Andr. Mth.) and Peter’s confrontation with the magician Simon (Acts Pet.), suggesting to the insightful reader that these two apostles are as powerful wonderworkers as the prophet Elijah.
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| 15. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Ett samspelt lag spelar bäst
- 2004
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Ingår i: Sändaren. - 1103-6206. ; :18, s. 29-
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)
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| 16. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Flesh-Eaters, Cave-Dwellers, and Eagles : Paradoxography in Acts Phil. 3
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- While it is well known that the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles have similarities to ancient novels, it is less well understood how these imaginative stories make use of strange and unusual phenomena from around the world to characterize their heroes, provide intriguing predicaments, and add flair to their narratives. This paper analyzes the use of such paradoxographical material in the third Act of Philip (in the manuscript Codex Xenophōntos 32) where the apostle Thomas is said to have faced the violent flesh-eaters (τοὺς παλαμναίους τοὺς σαρκοφάγους), Matthew is said to have confronted the unmerciful cave-dwellers (τοὺς τρωγλοδύτας καὶ ἀνηλεεῖς), and Philip experiences a powerful theophany in the form of a talking eagle. The origins of such materials in ancient natural history and paradoxography is discussed, and the effects to which they are used in this particular story analyzed
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| 17. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Heracleon and the Seven Categories of Exegetical Opponents in Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John
- 2019
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Ingår i: Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 0949-9571 .- 1612-961X. ; 23:2, s. 228-251
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While the adversaries of Origen of Alexandria traditionally have been described in general terms as either literalists or Gnostics, Peter Martens has recently argued convincingly that Origen repeatedly refers to more specific categories of literalist opponents, whom he criticizes for particular literal interpretations. This paper argues that a similar specificity applies to his supposedly Gnostic opponents. In his Commentary on the Gospel of John, Origen regularly uses designations such as "the heterodox" or "those who bring in the natures" to identify specific categories of exegetical opponents, which he defines by their particular interpretative practices or their adherence to particular teachings. When he responds to various scriptural interpretations, Origen takes care to specify which of at least seven identifiable categories of exegetical opponents he currently opposes. Throughout the commentary, Origen maintains the distinctions between these categories and Heracleon, the individual interpreter he names most frequently, and he never uses Heracleon's words as an example of an interpretation by any of the identifiable categories.
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| 18. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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How ’Valentinian’ Was Heracleon’s Reading of the Healing of the Son of a Royal Official?
- 2019
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Ingår i: <em>Healing and Exorcism in Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity</em>. - Tübingen : Mohr Siebeck. - 9783161589379 - 9783161589362 ; , s. 219-239
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The interpretation of a Johannine healing story by the second-century Christian teacher Heracleon has in previous scholarship been presumed to be determined by “Valentinian” sectarian doctrines; Heracleon has been said to identify the royal official in the story with the Maker (δημιουργός), an inferior divinity who has created the material world, and his son as one of three categories of human beings whose eternal fate are determined by their spiritual, animated, or material inherent nature. This paper attempts a novel reading of Heracleon’s interpretation, presuming neither that Heracleon subscribes to the ideas associated to “Valentinian” teachers by heresiological authors, nor that Origen of Alexandria always refers to Heracleon’s comments using verbatim quotations. The paper argues that the identification of the royal official with the Maker is inferred by Origen based on heresiological presumptions, and that Heracleon used Synoptic and Pauline parallels to read the story as a metaphor of humanity’s perilous state as afflicted with the disease of sin, and in dire need of salvation.
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| 19. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Jesus’s Puzzling Retort to the Royal Official (John 4:48) in Isodiegetic Perspective
- 2024
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Ingår i: Novum Testamentum. - 0048-1009 .- 1568-5365. ; 66:2, s. 193-209
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- When a “royal official” (βασιλικός) urges Jesus to help his dying son, Jesus surprisingly retorts (John 4:48): “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe!” Researchers find this outburst out of place in response to a desperate father, but this article argues that it can be explained by use of an isodiegetic perspective, where the Johannine storyworld is informed by a larger narrative tradition in which the tetrarch Herod Antipas (ca. 4 BCE–39 CE) is a known adversary of Jesus, whose adherents strive to entrap him and get him killed. In view of the official’s expected patronal loyalty to “king” (βασιλεύς) Herod, his healing request can reasonably be presumed to be a trap until his appeal “Sir, come down before my child dies!” (John 4:49) clarifies that the man is not acting as a client, but as a father.
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| 20. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Liturgies as Plot Devices in Apocryphal Acts
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper takes a novel approach to the liturgical material in the Apocryphal Acts of Andrew, John, Paul, Peter, and Thomas, by considering how the liturgical practices of anointing, baptism, Eucharist, and singing of psalms contribute to the plots of the narratives in which they are found. By this analysis, various combinations of anointing, baptism, and Eucharist are found to be used to confirm a character’s conversion to a Christian faith, the Eucharist is used to strengthen the sense of community within a group of Christians, and both the Eucharist and singing of psalms are used to give a character encouragement in a dangerous situation. Thereby, the narratives depict conversion, community, and courage as reasons to participate in Christian liturgical practices.
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| 21. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Liturgies as Plot Devices in Apocryphal Acts
- 2022
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Ingår i: Why We Sing. - Leiden : Brill Academic Publishers. - 9789004522039 - 9789004522053 ; , s. 201-224
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper takes a novel approach to the liturgical material in the Apocryphal Acts of Andrew, John, Paul, Peter, and Thomas, by considering how the liturgical practices of anointing, baptism, Eucharist, and singing of psalms contribute to the plots of the narratives in which they are found. By this analysis, various combinations of anointing, baptism, and Eucharist are found to be used to confirm a character’s conversion to a Christian faith, the Eucharist is used to strengthen the sense of community within a group of Christians, and both the Eucharist and singing of psalms are used to give a character encouragement in a dangerous situation. Thereby, the narratives depict conversion, community, and courage as reasons to participate in Christian liturgical practices.
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| 22. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Mimetic Mediators : How the Markan Disciples Facilitate Emulating Jesus
- 2023
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Can the Markan disciples still be viewed as role models for the Gospel audience if secondary characters in Graeco-Roman biographies are only included for what they contribute to the portrait of the protagonist? This paper argues that ancient biographers used followers of their central characters also to provide multiple mimetic patters that clarify, broaden, and mitigate what it means to imitate their heroes. Mark’s cast of secondary characters offers three alternative patterns of behaviour for potential followers of Jesus: apostles, who emulate his itinerant lifestyle of preaching, healing, and exorcism; hosts, who provide apostles with food and shelter in their homes; and supporters, who serve the movement in other ways in accordance with their various abilities.
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| 23. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Mimetic Mediators in Mark : How Graeco-Roman Biographies Use Secondary Characters to Offer Multiple Patterns of Imitation
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal for the Study of the New Testament. - 0142-064X .- 1745-5294. ; 46:4, s. 464-488
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Can the Markan disciples still be viewed as potential role models for the Gospel audience if Mark’s writing is identified as a biography? This long-standing line of narrative interpretation has recently been rejected as anachronistic by Helen K. Bond, who maintains that in Graeco-Roman biographies, secondary characters are only included for what they bring to the portrait of the protagonist. In response, this paper demonstrates that ancient biographies regularly use followers of their main characters to provide multiple mimetic patterns that clarify, broaden, and mitigate what it means to imitate their heroes. In particular, Mark’s cast of secondary characters offers three alternative patterns of behaviour for potential followers of Jesus: apostles, who emulate his itinerant lifestyle of preaching, healing, and exorcism; hosts, who provide apostles with food and shelter in their homes; and supporters, who serve the movement in other ways in accordance with their abilities and social status.
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| 24. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Miracles, Determination, and Loyalty : The Concept of Conversion in the Acts of John
- 2021
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Ingår i: Celebrating Arthur Darby Nock. - Tübingen : Mohr Siebeck. - 9783161610004 - 9783161610011 ; , s. 213-234
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Since the 1933 publication of Arthur D. Nock’s Conversion, numerous scholars have proposed a number of ameliorations to Nock’s model of ancient conversion, the better to accommodate certain aspects of the ancient world. Such models need to be calibrated against how conversions are depicted in ancient narratives, in order to help us understand not only actual historical transitions from one religious or philosophical tradition to another, but also how ancient authors thought about such transitions. To that means, this paper uses three theoretical insights – present in the scholarships of Nock, Zeba A. Crook, and Ramsay MacMullen – to demonstrate that the implied author of the conversion narratives in the apocryphal Acts of John (19–57; 63–86) conceptualizes conversion to early Christianity as a deliberate decision, stimulated by miracles or miracle stories, and expressed in terms of loyalty to a divine patron.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Nationssymbolerna bär vittne om vilka vi varit
- 2022
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Ingår i: Svenska Dagbladet. - 1101-2412 .- 2001-3868. ; :6 juni, s. 20-
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Den svenska flaggan och skölden med tre kronor vittnar om de bruk som makten tidigare haft för kristendomen som nationell ideologi. Här löper två traditioner parallellt, varav en är värd att värna om medan den andra har en destruktiv kärna.
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| 27. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Origen’s References to Heracleon : A Quotation-Analytical Study of the Earliest Known Commentary on the Gospel of John
- 2020
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Bok (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this monograph, Carl Johan Berglund reassesses Origen's references to the second-century philologist Heracleon, without presuming that Heracleon's exegesis is determined by views described in heresiological sources or that every reference is equivalent to a verbatim quotation. The author uses variations in Origen's attribution formulas to categorize almost two hundred references as either verbatim quotations, summaries, explanatory paraphrases, or mere assertions. Heracleon's views are assessed by considering the over fifty quotations and seventy summaries so identified in a context of literature to which Heracleon refers – John, a gospel similar to Matthew's, a collection of Pauline epistles, and the Preaching of Peter. The author concludes that Origen is likely to have inferred views he knew from his exegetical opponents (the heterodox and "those who bring in the natures") that were never expressed by Heracleon.
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| 28. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Paul’s Rhetorical Efforts to Establish Good Will in First Thessalonians
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal for the Study of the New Testament. - : SAGE Publications. - 0142-064X .- 1745-5294. ; 44:4, s. 539-560
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ancient oratory ordinarily begins with an effort of captatio benevolentiae – the rhetorical strategy of praising and lauding the audience to make them well-disposed toward the speaker, attentive and receptive to your message – especially before controversial claims or challenging demands. In First Thessalonians, such efforts are manifest not only in the introduction in ch. 1, but throughout the narration in chs. 2–3, which implies that the senders are preparing for a particularly sensitive topic. The first exhortation to appear after these efforts cease, the exhortation to sexual holiness in 1 Thess. 4.3-8, must therefore represent the primary purpose of the letter. The euphemistic language used in this request makes it difficult to understand what kind of πορνεία (‘sexual immorality’) Paul, Silvanus and Timothy are arguing against, but the most likely interpretation is that they want the Thessalonian Christians to stop using their slaves and former slaves for sexual purposes.
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| 29. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Perpetua's Dignity on the Arena of Carthage
- 2023
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rarely are competing ideologies as sharply contrasted as in early Christian martyr stories, where the heroes are executed for rejecting what in Roman society is regarded as fundamental norms. A prominent example is the second-century Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity, which claims to document a young Christian woman’s own experiences, emotions, and mystical visions while awaiting her death among the beasts on the Carthaginian arena. This study makes use of Kathryn Tanner’s theory of cultures as overlapping sets of behavioral patterns, continuously renegotiated by consensus efforts within a social group, to discern the norms and ideals of the implied author of the Martyrdom, and compares those to well-established patterns within the larger Greco-Roman culture. It concludes that the contrast is considerably less sharp than depicted: while Perpetua’s refusal to sacrifice to the Roman gods and her insistence on human dignity even for prisoners awaiting execution are in conflict with Roman society, her visionary ability and calm bravery in face of death are patterns well in tune with Greco-Roman ideals, and serve to elevate Perpetua’s status in the eyes of her tormentors.
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| 30. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Peter’s Thaumaturgic Development from Observer to Performer
- 2023
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although it is likely that the character of Simon Peter we encounter in the Gospel of Mark is based on the memory of a historical person, the character undergoes considerable innovation in later narratives such as the Gospel of Matthew, the canonical Acts of the Apostles, and the apocryphal Acts of Peter. While the Markan Peter witnesses Jesus performing a multitude of miracles without being named as the performer of a single one, later stories has him walking on water (Matt 14:22–33), healing paralytics (Acts 3:1–10, 9:32–35), making a dog speak (Acts Paul 9.9–15), miraculously repairing a shattered marble statue (Acts Pet. 11.8–23), and even raising several people from the dead (Acts 9:36–42; Acts Pet. 27.1–11, 28.63–66). This paper analyses how the miracles ascribed to Peter contribute to the narrative plot in view, develop the characterization of Peter, and respond to the putative needs of the author.
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| 31. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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Presumptions about Voluntary Poverty in the Acts of Paul and Thecla
- 2024
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the extracanonical story about Paul and Thecla in Iconium, Paul’s host Onesiphorus (cf. 2 Tim 1:16; 4:19) is so radical in abandoning the concerns of this world that he camps out in a tomb without the means to feed his hungry children (Acts Paul 3.23–25). Where did he learn such a radical notion of voluntary poverty, and what is the reader supposed to make of it when nothing else in the story teaches the same ideal? This paper uses Kathryn Tanner’s theory of culture to argue that the Acts of Paul presents the abandonment of all personal earthly possessions as a subcultural ideal so established in early Christian culture that it can be taken for granted rather than argued for.
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
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| 35. |
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| 36. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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References to Heracleon in Clement of Alexandria
- 2021
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Ingår i: Early Christianity (EC). - : Mohr Siebeck. - 1868-7032 .- 1868-8020. ; 12:2, s. 228-247
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Der älteste bekannte Kommentar zum Johannesevangelium, die ὑπομνήματα des vermeintlichen Valentinianers Herakleon, begegnet fast ausschließlich in Bezügen bei Clemens von Alexandrien (ca. 150–215 n. Chr.) und Origenes (ca. 185–254 n. Chr.). In einer kürzlich erschienenen Monographie stelle ich die geläufige Annahme in Frage, dass Origenes mit seiner Vielzahl an Bezügen Herakleon überwiegend wörtlich zitiert habe, und unterscheide methodisch nach wörtlichen Zitaten, Zusammenfassungen, erklärenden Paraphrasen und bloßen Behauptungen. Im vorliegenden Artikel wird diese Methode auf die Zitierweise des Clemens und die beiden Passagen angewendet, in denen er auf Herakleon zu sprechen kommt. Bei der Analyse lässt sich ein wörtliches Zitat, eine Zusammenfassung, zwei erklärende Paraphrasen und eine bloße Behauptung identifizieren und feststellen, dass Herakleon keinen klar erkennbaren Gebrauch vom Lukasevangelium macht.
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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The Ascetic Subculture of the Acts of Thomas and His Wonderworking Skin
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a fourth- or fifth-century narrative known as the Acts of Thomas and his Wonderworking Skin, Jesus sells the apostle Thomas as a slave to the governor of India. When the governor’s wife converts to Christianity, dumps all her earthly riches outside her front door, and turns celibate, the governor has the apostle tortured and his skin flayed off – but Thomas survives, and uses his peeled-off skin to raise the dead. This paper uses Kathryn Tanner’s concept of culture to compare the ideals advocated by this story – servitude to Christ, voluntary poverty, sexual abstinence, readiness to suffer, and zeal for evangelization – to ideals expressed in first-century Christian literature. The subculture expressed by the narrative is found to consist entirely of ideals also expressed in the New Testament, which are updated, recontextualized, and radicalized in order to reach an audience of fourth- or fifth-century Christians.
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| 43. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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The Ascetic Subculture of the Acts of Thomas and His Wonderworking Skin
- 2024
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Ingår i: Vigiliae christianae (Print). - 0042-6032 .- 1570-0720. ; 78:1, s. 8-31
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a fourth- or fifth-century narrative known as the Acts of Thomas and his Wonderworking Skin, Jesus sells the apostle Thomas as a slave to the governor of India. When the governor’s wife converts to Christianity, dumps all her earthly riches outside her front door, and turns celibate, the governor has the apostle tortured and his skin flayed off, but Thomas survives, and uses his peeled-off skin to raise the dead. This paper uses Kathryn Tanner’s concept of culture to compare the ideals advocated by this story – servitude to Christ, voluntary poverty, sexual abstinence, readiness to suffer, and zeal for evangelization – to ideals expressed in first-century Christian literature. The subculture expressed by the narrative is found to consist entirely of ideals also expressed in the New Testament, which are updated, recontextualized, and radicalized in order to reach an audience of fourth- or fifth-century Christians.
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| 44. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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The Exegetical Methodology of Heracleon’s hypomnēmata
- 2021
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Ingår i: Early Christian Commentators of the New Testament. - Leuven : Peeters Publishers. - 9789042945739 - 9789042945746 ; , s. 1-29
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For more than a century, there has been a clear scholarly consensus that the guiding principles of the earliest known New Testament commentary, Heracleon’s hypomnēmata on the Gospel of John, are a number of "Gnostic" or "Valentinian" dogmatic points that Heracleon attempts to read into the Fourth Gospel. After Ansgar Wucherpfennig’s well-received argument that Heracleon is one of the first Christians to apply Greco-Roman literary criticism to a biblical writing , and my own successful attempt at distinguishing more trustworthy references, such as verbatim quotations and non-interpretive summaries, from explanatory paraphrases and mere assertions in Origen’s presentation of Heracleon , it is time to make a new overall assessment of Heracleon’s exegetical methodology.This paper argues that Heracleon performs his exegesis of the Johannine gospel in three distinct stages: First, he paraphrases the gospel passage to accentuate the features of the text he finds most relevant to discuss. Then, he analyzes the text in detail, using various methods of Greco-Roman literary criticism including word studies (γλωσσηματικόν), analysis of what is reported in the text (ἱστορικόν), and attention to narrative characters (πρόσωπα). Lastly, he applies the text to a theological theme of potential interest to his audience. Two such themes are apparent form the available material: the history of God’s salvific actions toward humanity, and the process of leading people toward conversion to a Christian faith.
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| 45. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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The Genre(s) of the Gospels : Expectations from the Second Century
- 2020
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Ingår i: Modern and Ancient Literary Criticism of the Gospels. - Tübingen : Mohr Siebeck. - 9783161594137 ; , s. 113-144
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Analysis of how the New Testament Gospels interact with ancient genres should not be made solely on the basis of comparisons with other pieces of ancient literature, but also in view of their early reception. The way in which ancient authors reflected on and used materials found in the Gospels may inform us of how they viewed the genre participation of these four early Christian narra- tives. This paper considers the reception of Gospel material in three different second-century writings: §§18–86 of the apocryphal Acts of John, Exhortation to the Greeks by Clement of Alexandria, and Heracleon’s hypomnēmata on the Gospel of John. It argues that the author of the Acts of John expects the Gospels to contain discipleship patterns to be emulated by Christians, that Clement regards them as sources of divine truth, and that Heracleon expects them to be depictions of past events that not only contain Christian teachings of continuous relevance for the Christian movement, but also are symbolically significant in themselves. The variance of these apparent expectations from early readers can be accommodated by viewing the Gospels as participating in multiple genres, including ancient historiography, Christian proclamation, Judeo-Christian prophetic writings, and ancient biography.
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| 46. |
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| 47. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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The Innovation of a Master Wonder-worker in the Character of Simon Peter
- 2024
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Ingår i: Approaching Religion. - 1799-3121. ; 14:1, s. 99-114
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Simon Peter undergoes a considerable development from the character’s first introduction in the Gospel of Mark to later narratives, where he gains remarkable miraculous abilities. In Mark, he witnesses Jesus performing numerous miracles without himself being named as the performer of a single one, but in Matthew’s Gospel Peter walks on water (Matt 14:22–33), in Acts he heals two paralytics and raises a woman from the dead (Acts 3:1–10; 9:32–42), and in the fourth-century Latin Acts of Peter, also known as Actus Vercellenses, the character makes a dog speak (Acts Pet. 9.9–15), miraculously restores a shattered marble statue (11.8–23), and revives several people from the dead (27.1–11, 28.63–66). This article examines how Peter’s various miracles contribute to their respective stories, analyses how they respond to the needs of their respective authors, and discusses what they tell us about the use of genre in the narrative tradition about the apostle Peter and his miracles.
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| 48. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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The Philosopher’s Death in Origen’s Exhortation to Martyrdom
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Death by martyrdom constitutes not only the inclusio of Origen’s public life from the martyrdom of his father to his own post-imprisonment death in 254 CE, but also the theme of one of his shorter writings, Exhortation to Martyrdom, where he offers advice to his friends Ambrose and Protoctetus, both of which appear to be awaiting their martyrdom. This paper compares the ideal death envisioned by Origen to death ideals in Greco-Roman culture.
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| 49. |
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| 50. |
- Berglund, Carl Johan, Teologie doktor, 1973-
(författare)
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The Sychar Story as a Standard Conversion Narrative in Heracleon’s Hypomnēmata
- 2022
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Ingår i: Religious and Philosophical Conversion in the Ancient Mediterranean Traditions. - Leiden : Brill. - 9789004501775 - 9789004501768 ; , s. 427-449
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The second-century literary critic Heracleon has long been thought to interpret the story of Jesus’s encounter with a Samaritan woman at the well of Sychar (John 4:1–42) as a paradigmatic conversion narrative for a particular group of people: those born with a spiritual nature, who therefore are predestined to be saved, and only need to be apprised of this fact. This common view is problematic, since such a deterministic soteriology is unattested in extant quotations from Heracleon’s hypomnēmata, and only appears when Origen of Alexandria (ca. 185–254 CE) brings it in to refute Heracleon’s views. This paper compares Heracleon’s comments, as they can be constructed from Origen’s references, to four modern conceptualizations of ancient religious and philosophical conversion: a recognition of one’s superior nature (Pagels 1973), a deliberate change of perspectives (Nock 1933; MacMullen 1984), a transition of rhetorically expressed loyalty (Crook 2004), and a prolonged social process (Rambo 1993; Brandt 2019; Brandt 2020). It concludes that Heracleon views Christian conversion as a deliberate rejection of Gentile and Jewish worship traditions in favor of a Christian one, preceded by a shorter or longer process of interaction with Christian believers, who act as witnesses and spiritual guides to the potential converts. Thereby, Heracleon’s concept of conversion comprises essential points from several modern conceptualizations of conversion.
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