David H. Wenkel - Böcker

Coins have long been a vital part of the discipline of classical studies of the ancient world. However, many scholars have commented that coins have not been adequately integrated into the study of the New Testament. This book provides an interdisciplinary gateway to the study of numismatics for those who are engaged in biblical studies. Wenkel argues that coins from the 1st century were cultural texts with communicative power. He establishes a simple yet comprehensive hermeneutic that defines coins as cultural texts and explains how they might be interpreted today. Once coins are understood to be cultural texts, Wenkel proceeds to explain how these texts can be approached from three angles. First, the world in front of the coin is defined as the audience who initially read and responded to coins as cultural texts. The entire Roman Empire used coins for payment. Second, the world of the coin refers to the coin itself – the combination of inscriptions and images. This combination of inscription and image was used ubiquitously as a tool of propaganda. Third, the world behind the coin refers to the world of power and production behind the coins. This third angle explores the concept of authorship of coins as cultural texts.

Coins have long been a vital part of the discipline of classical studies of the ancient world. However, many scholars have commented that coins have not been adequately integrated into the study of the New Testament. This book provides an interdisciplinary gateway to the study of numismatics for those who are engaged in biblical studies. Wenkel argues that coins from the 1st century were cultural texts with communicative power. He establishes a simple yet comprehensive hermeneutic that defines coins as cultural texts and explains how they might be interpreted today. Once coins are understood to be cultural texts, Wenkel proceeds to explain how these texts can be approached from three angles. First, the world in front of the coin is defined as the audience who initially read and responded to coins as cultural texts. The entire Roman Empire used coins for payment. Second, the world of the coin refers to the coin itself – the combination of inscriptions and images. This combination of inscription and image was used ubiquitously as a tool of propaganda. Third, the world behind the coin refers to the world of power and production behind the coins. This third angle explores the concept of authorship of coins as cultural texts.

The Virgin Birth According to Temple Christology builds an exegetical, theological, and catholic case for understanding Jesus’ incarnation as an act of divine temple construction. It attempts to explain that Jesus-the-temple had to have a virgin mother because of Jesus’ unique status as the temple of God who was “made without human hands.” This study answers the call to reintroduce the nexus between Christology and typology as they were originally bound together by theologians such as Athanasius of Alexandria. Unfortunately, for most of church history, Christology and typology have gone their separate ways. This divergence is so stark that the imagery and words of scripture have lost their voice in the context of Christian dogmatics. David H. Wenkel demonstrates that a typological study of biblical persons, events, and institutions can increase our understanding of Jesus, especially of his virginal conception. Thus, this study is a resource for a wide range of Christian traditions.

This monograph explores the joy theme in Luke- Acts as it relates to the dynamics of rhetoric, narrative and emotion. The Gospel of Luke has been called the "gospel of joy", and the joy theme has also been recognised in Acts. This theme, though, has received relatively little attention in NT scholarship. Joy in Luke-Acts examines the joy theme from a socio-rhetorical vantage point, showing that the joy theme empowers the Lukan rhetoric of reversal. The theme is a primary method in which the narrator seeks to persuade the reader to enter into the values and beliefs that characterise the 'upside-down' world in which YHWH has visited his people in Jesus.

Christian theology has largely focused on Jesus’ death but has given relatively little attention to his sufferings. He explains that Jesus’ sufferings demonstrate the wisdom of God’s plan to provide a substitute for foolish sinners. Jesus was beaten as a fool – even though he was no fool, in order to fulfill God’s loving plan of salvation.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus promised his disciples kingship and thrones of judgment at the Last Supper. This study begins by situating the material of Luke-Acts within the framework of Jewish inaugurated eschatology. It is a step toward re-framing the whole relationship between Luke and Acts within inaugurated eschatology.