-
- QUESTION
JOURNAL ARTICLE CRITIQUE INSTRUCTIONS
You will complete 2 Journal Article Critiques in this course. For each, you will read a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal article on a topic covered in this class and write a critique that is a minimum of two full pages and not to exceed 3 full pages, double-spaced critique.
Journal Article Critique 1 is an opportunity for you to critique an article on a topic that is in the biblical theology discipline. Journal Article Critique 1 is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 2.
Purposes: Besides preparing you for the Research Paper, the critiques have several purposes:
• To expose you to scholarly journal articles.
• To train you to write with clarity and concision.
• To develop your ability to critically analyze scholarly works.
• To teach you how to properly utilize the Turabian format.
• To improve your technical writing skills (e.g., grammar and syntax).
Details: For each critique, find a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal article about 10–20 pages long that covers an area in this course. A few peer-reviewed journals are the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Bibliotheca Sacra, Grace Theological Journal, and the Westminster Theological Journal. Since magazines (e.g., Christianity Today, Visions, etc.) are not considered scholarly, they do not contain appropriate articles to critique. In addition to the journal article being critiqued, one outside source is required. If you need assistance in locating a peer-reviewed scholarly journal article, please use the Online Student Library Services (www.liberty.edu/informationservices/ilrc/library/) website. You may also email the Liberty University Online Librarian at [email protected] for further information.
The following is not an exhaustive list of topics but some you may want to consider for your critiques. Please review Enns’ text for other select topics for biblical and systematic theology.Biblical Theology
Old Testament Theology
The Triunity of God in the OTInclude a cover page, following the format of the Journal Article Critique Sample Cover Page found in Blackboard.
Grading: Consult the Journal Article Critique Rubric to see how you will be graded for each critique. Students typically lose the most points in section III, Critical Interaction.
| Subject | Analysis Analysis | Pages | 5 | Style | APA |
|---|
Answer
- Introduction
The study Pauline books is indispensable to understand the theological basis for Christianity and the relationship between Jesus and the church. Paul succinctly describes the relationship between the ascension of Christ and the descriptions of the Old Testament. As such, Paul even quotes Psalm 68 in Ephesians 4:8 to make him message clear. The Psalmist tells us about the power of Yahweh’s deliverance[1]. According to the Psalmist, God delivered the Israelites from captivity and made their enemies captives in their land[2]. Later, Yahweh ascended in Mt. Zion where he reigns. The actions of Yahweh described in Psalms were accomplished by Christ. The death of Christ on the cross delivered Christians from the powers of evil. Additionally, the ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God indicates the victory of the devil and sin. Through His death, the righteous ones have victory over death and sin. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians affirms the biblical basis of the Holy Spirit and the concept of the Trinity because the Holy Spirit was to deliver the gifts that bequeath Christians with holiness as much as the law. This paper is purposely documented to summarize and critically analyze the article entitled “Paul's Creative and Contextual use of Psalm 68 in Ephesians 4: 8” by Lunde and Dunne.
- Brief Summary
Jonathan Lunde is currently a professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Biola University who taught for seven years at Trinity College in Illinois. Antony Dunne is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of St. Andrews studying under Prof. N. T. Wright[3]. In their article, Lunde and Dunne adduce the link between Psalm 68 and Ephesians 4:8. The authors begin by describing the early church and the history of the relationship between God and the Israelites in the context of Ephesians 4:8 and Psalm 68 respectively. The wordings in Ephesians 4:8 employed literary skills that can be linked to Paul’s affiliation to the Jewish or Christian renditions of Psalm 68. According to Lunde and Dunne, Paul relied on the Christian interpretations of Psalm 68 in its application to Ephesians 4:8.
The authors argue for the two renditions. The Christian rendition is supported by the fact that Paul quoted Psalm 68 during the infantile stages of the early church when unity of the Spirit was fundamental. Paul reaffirmed that the unity could only be achieved through the exercising of the diverse gifts given to the church. Christ provided gifts to the church that Paul grounded by quoting his dominion explained in Psalms 68[4]. Paul further made a significant change to the quote from the Psalmists concept of you “received” to “he gave” to comprehend the applicability of Ephesians 4:8 to Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit to the early church. The Jewish tradition interpretation of Psalm 68 relied on Moses' travels up and down Sinai and therefore, incomplete because the verbal change to "he gave" does not apply to Moses, who also received the commandments[5]. The concept of the Trinity is also introduced in the article because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit while he is currently seated on the right side of God. Paul employed a Yahweh/Christ comparison and Ephesians 4:8 must be interpreted in the context of the Christ’s fulfillment of the powerful actions of Yahweh described in Psalm 68.
- Critical Interaction with Authors’ Work
Lunde and Dunne, in their article “Paul's Creative and Contextual use of Psalm 68 in Ephesians 4: 8”, have succinctly demystified Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament’s prophecies. The article is very comprehensive and much of the aspects of the history of the Israelites, the foundation of the early church, and the events after the death of Christ. Through the work of Lunde and Dunne, we can adduce that Paul quoted Psalm 68 to bring an insight of how Jesus has fulfilled the actions of Yahweh.
Lunde and Dunne, professionals in Theology interested in the life of Christ and its relationship to the Old Testament, take a very systemic approach to developing the Yahweh/Jesus model. They describe the actions of Yahweh in helping the Israelites defeat their enemies and securing their interests. They then explain how Jesus fulfilled the actions of Yahweh described in Psalms 68. In this manner, they achieve their goal in the thesis to support the minority view that Paul himself was responsible for the quotation in Ephesians 4:8 to explain the importance of unity in Spirit.
The article provides very strong evidence to support the thesis of the authors. The strength of Lunde and Dunne’s article emanates from the systemic approach whereby the Jewish interpretation of Psalm 68 is first explained followed by an explanation of the fulfillments of Jesus. The writers have extensively supported their evidence using exegetical use of the Scripture and articles from other renowned professionals in Theology. The authors provide a comprehensive explanation of the whole of Ephesians 4 so that the reader can easily apprehend the context in which Psalms 68 was quoted. It would be difficult to point out an extreme weakness of this article unless when one is oriented in the traditional Jewish principles where Jesus is not recognized as the Son of God. However, the authors failed to be concise in explaining major concepts such as the way Jesus fulfilled Psalms 68. Therefore, some parts of the article appear wordy with very complex references for the reader to easily apprehend. However, the disorganization cannot distract the attention of an interested reader, and the authors have still argued their thesis properly.
- Conclusion
The paper has sufficiently critiqued the article Paul's Creative and Contextual use of Psalm 68 in Ephesians 4: 8” by Lunde and Dunne. In summary, the authors succinctly explain the Yahweh/Christ model and introduce the reader to the understanding of the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Most people have wondered the reason that influenced Paul to quote Psalms 68. The article provides a basis for explaining Jesus' love for the church and power over Satan. The authors conclude that Paul quoted Psalms 68 to explain the importance of unity in Spirit among the Ephesians. In conclusion, this article provides a sound explanation of the life of Jesus on Earth and in Heaven and can be used in thesis development of the ancient life of Jews and life of Jesus.
[1] Lunde, J. M., & Dunne, J. A. (2012). PAUL'S CREATIVE AND CONTEXTUAL USE OF PSALM 68 IN EPHESIANS 4: 8. The Westminster theological journal, 74(1), 99-117.
[2] Price, R. (2014). The Concept of the Messiah in the Old Testament. World of the Bible. Accessed September, 9.
[3] Lunde, J. M., & Dunne, J. A. (2012). PAUL'S CREATIVE AND CONTEXTUAL USE OF PSALM 68 IN EPHESIANS 4: 8. The Westminster theological journal, 74(1), 99-117.
[4] Levenson, J. D. (2013). Sinai and Zion. Harper Collins.
[5] Beale, G. K. (2012). Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation. Baker Books.
brand for it.
References
|
Beale, G. K. . Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation. Baker Books, 2012
Levenson, J. D. Sinai and zion. Harper Collins, 2013
Lunde, J. M., & Dunne, J. A. PAUL'S CREATIVE AND CONTEXTUAL USE OF PSALM 68 IN EPHESIANS 4: 8. The Westminster theological journal, 74(1), 99-117, 2012
Price, R. The Concept of the Messiah in the Old Testament. World of the Bible. Accessed September, 9, 2014
|