Paul T. Sloan – författare

This volume features a body of work selected by Craig A. Evans, B. J. Oropeza, and Paul T. Sloan, designed to examine just what is meant by “intertextuality,” including metalepsis and the controversial and exciting approach known as “mimesis.” Beginning with an introduction from Oropeza that orients readers in a complex and evolving field, the contributors first establish the growing research surrounding the discipline before examining important texts and themes in the New Testament Gospels and epistles. Throughout, these essays critically evaluate new proposals relating to intertextuality and the function of ancient Scripture in the writings that eventually came to comprise the New Testament. With points of analysis ranging from multidimensional recontextualization and ancient Midrash in the age of intertextuality to Luke’s Christology and multivalent biblical images, this volume amasses cutting-edge research on intertexuality and biblical exegesis.

Paul T. Sloan presents a detailed interpretation of Mark’s Olivet Discourse in light of the Gospel’s many allusions to the book of Zechariah, and argues that previous studies have rightly demonstrated the influence of Zechariah 9–14 on the Passion Narratives. Sloan shows that this influence is not merely confined to Mark’s description of Jesus’ final week, but also permeates much of his narrative; informing the Gospel’s presentation of Jesus’ royal identity, his action in the temple, the role of suffering in the bringing of God’s kingdom, and the arrangement and interpretation of the Olivet Discourse.Sloan begins with an extensive review of scholarship on the presence of Zechariah in Mark before analyzing the reception of relevant texts from Zechariah in Second Temple literature. He proceeds to a fresh examination of potential allusions to Zechariah throughout Mark, focusing especially on Mark’s use of Zechariah 13:7 and 14:5. In addition to influencing significant themes in Mark’s Gospel, Sloan argues that Zechariah provides a helpful framework by which to interpret Mark 13, offering a potential solution to a notorious crux interpretum, namely, why Jesus answers a question about the temple with reference to the coming of the son of man.

Paul T. Sloan presents a detailed interpretation of Mark’s Olivet Discourse in light of the Gospel’s many allusions to the book of Zechariah, and argues that previous studies have rightly demonstrated the influence of Zechariah 9–14 on the Passion Narratives. Sloan shows that this influence is not merely confined to Mark’s description of Jesus’ final week, but also permeates much of his narrative; informing the Gospel’s presentation of Jesus’ royal identity, his action in the temple, the role of suffering in the bringing of God’s kingdom, and the arrangement and interpretation of the Olivet Discourse.Sloan begins with an extensive review of scholarship on the presence of Zechariah in Mark before analyzing the reception of relevant texts from Zechariah in Second Temple literature. He proceeds to a fresh examination of potential allusions to Zechariah throughout Mark, focusing especially on Mark’s use of Zechariah 13:7 and 14:5. In addition to influencing significant themes in Mark’s Gospel, Sloan argues that Zechariah provides a helpful framework by which to interpret Mark 13, offering a potential solution to a notorious crux interpretum, namely, why Jesus answers a question about the temple with reference to the coming of the son of man.

The nine essays that make up this volume provide cutting-edge studies of how sacred tradition is given new expression through vision and interpretation. The first four essays focus on the expansion of the sacred tradition primarily through vision. The evolution of the Solomon legacy, from wise king to healer and exorcist, is explored, as well as its contribution to the demonology of the desert fathers, especially as it concerns eroticism and sexual temptation. The varied receptions of the Revelation of the Magi and Shepherd of Hermas are also considered.The remaining five essays address important questions relating to polemic and violence in the Pseudepigrapha. How does the author of the Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum justify God’s alternating judgment and favor? How does Enoch’s Animal Apocalypse make use of the Exodus tradition in its expression of deliverance? On what basis can the author of Qumran’s War Scroll confidently predict Israel’s vindication? And finally, what accounts for the appearance of the tradition of Gehenna, in which the wicked will meet their fiery end?

The nine essays that make up this volume provide cutting-edge studies of how sacred tradition is given new expression through vision and interpretation. The first four essays focus on the expansion of the sacred tradition primarily through vision. The evolution of the Solomon legacy, from wise king to healer and exorcist, is explored, as well as its contribution to the demonology of the desert fathers, especially as it concerns eroticism and sexual temptation. The varied receptions of the Revelation of the Magi and Shepherd of Hermas are also considered.The remaining five essays address important questions relating to polemic and violence in the Pseudepigrapha. How does the author of the Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum justify God’s alternating judgment and favor? How does Enoch’s Animal Apocalypse make use of the Exodus tradition in its expression of deliverance? On what basis can the author of Qumran’s War Scroll confidently predict Israel’s vindication? And finally, what accounts for the appearance of the tradition of Gehenna, in which the wicked will meet their fiery end?

Christianity Today 2025 Book Award Winner (Biblical Studies)Southwestern Journal of Theology 2025 Book Award (Honorable Mention, Biblical Reference / Biblical Backgrounds)"Biblical scholars regard this book as an important--even field-shifting--contribution."--Christianity TodayJesus regularly engaged the Law and its interpretation in his interactions with both crowds and other teachers. While many scholars have interpreted his teaching as criticizing legalism, nationalism, or external piety, in this groundbreaking study of Jesus and the Law in the Synoptic Gospels, Paul Sloan suggests an alternative.Putting the Gospels in conversation with other early Jewish sources, Sloan argues that the proper framework for understanding Jesus's legal instruction is his announcement of Israel's covenantal restoration. In this context, the Gospels depict Jesus as the divinely commissioned herald of the restoration and the authoritative interpreter of the Law, criticizing misinterpretation and transgression--not legalism, nationalism, and external rituals. From this perspective, Jesus's disputes with contemporaries constitute intramural debates about the Law's interpretation and proper observance. Sloan also shows how Jesus's action in the temple and his crucifixion are better understood within this restorationist context, and he concludes by examining the congruity between Jesus's teaching of the Law and the use of the Law in Acts and in Paul's Letters.This thorough study contributes to the ongoing discussion of Jesus and the Law in the first-century Jewish context. It will challenge students of the Gospels and readers of the broader New Testament to reconsider some common misunderstandings of the Law and its reception in early Christianity.