Spes Christiana 34
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Editorial
Laurence Turner & Paul B. Petersen
First Published June 2023; pp. 3–4
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Breaking Down the Gender Walls of Antiquity
Darius Jankiewicz
doi: 10.17613/1wa2-by28
First Published June 2023; pp. 5–26
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The Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds of the first century were not friendly environments for women. Women had few rights and rarely participated in public life, with their well-being largely dependent on male family members. The Christian message, outlined in the New Testament, was not just the beginning of a religious revolution but it also planted the seeds of a social revolution, which is yet to be completed. This paper contrasts the predominant worldview of the first century AD with the revolutionary message of New Testament Christianity regarding the role and status of women in the Christian Church.
Survivors Sing:
Reflections on Remnant Theology for Contemporary Adventists
Kendra Haloviak Valentine
doi 10.17613/29cn-w423
First Published June 2023; pp. 28–48
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This article explores how one of the earliest understandings of “remnant” found in the Hebrew Bible shifts the focus of attention from identity to action. Within this context, the paper then addresses two of the tensions in current Seventh-day Adventist remnant theol-ogy – the problem of the delay of the parousia, and the need for the remnant to both grow (through evangelistic efforts) and yet somehow remain a minority. Considering the remnant as “survivors,” which suggests a shift of emphasis from identity to actions, may help in resolving the tensions. Survivors live now in anticipation of life in the earth made new.
Who in the World was the Priest-King Melchizedek?
From Old Testament Obscurity to Second Temple Period to Eschatological Prominence.
Part 1: Melchizedek in the Old Testament
Jan A. Sigvartsen
doi 10.17613/r74b-hy29
First Published June 2023; pp. 49–90
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Melchizedek is an obscure figure in the Hebrew Scriptures and only sparse data can be mined from the two brief passages where he is mentioned, Genesis 14:18−20 and Psalm 110. These two passages are filled with ambiguities which became fertile ground for speculation during the Second Temple period. This article, the first in a series of three articles exploring the biblical character Melchizedek, is an exegetical study which shows that a small change in the parsing of the two key words/phrases in Psalm 110, עַל־דִּבְרָתִי מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק (v. 4c) and אֲדֹנָי (v. 5a), create a significant change in the amount of information a reader can extract about Melchizedek. Based on the interpretation/parsing of these two words/phrases, three distinct views emerge: the minimalist view, the moderate view, and the maximalist view. The minimalists do not see any reference to Melchizedek in Psalm 110, the moderates would see a reference to Melchizedek in Psalm 110:4, although this verse does not seem to add much to the body of knowledge regarding Melchizedek, apart from confirming the tradition of him being a YHWH anointed priestking of Jerusalem. The maximalists would interpret the entirety of Psalm 110 as a reference to Melchizedek, thus, making Melchizedek a supernatural being and providing a number of additional details about him. The second article in this series considers Melchizedek in the Dead Sea Scrolls while the third considers him in the New Testament writings.
Independence, Civil War, and the Beginnings of Indigenization of Seventh-day Adventism in Nigeria from the 1940s to 1990s
Chigemezi Nnadozie Wogu
doi 10.17613/3mf5-sw85
First Published June 2023; pp. 91–116
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This article problematizes how Adventism in Nigeria thrived from the 1940s to the late 1980s. Three case studies will serve as themes to cover those years. Those themes include (1) the political independence of Nigeria, which was realized in 1960, (2) the Nigerian civil war from 1967 to 1970, and (3) the campus revivals of the 1970s and 1980s (and the departure of western leadership), which gave rise to indigenization of Seventh-day Adventism in Nigeria. It will be demonstrated that Nigerian Adventism began its religious independence from western Adventism gradually. This was partly due to the unwillingness of the local Adventist workers who were seemingly comfortable with foreign leadership. In the civil war years, Igbo Adventists who succumbed to the atrocities of the war bore a mark, in that, the growth of Adventism in the south-east of Nigeria was significantly decimated. Additionally, the campus revivals of the 1970s and 1980s marked a significant advancement in the indigenization process that had been underway prior to the Civil War. Due to the conflict over the question of whether to practise Christianity like Pentecostals in Nigeria or missionary Adventists, Nigerian Adventism became entangled in conversations important to the larger Christian culture.
“God Wrought Marvelously for His Penitent People”:
Ellen White and the Apocryphal Esther
Laurence A. Turner
doi 10.17613/8wyr-9s24
First Published June 2023; pp. 117–142
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Recent research has established Ellen White’s familiarity with the Apocrypha. This article focuses on her interaction with Esther, a book which exists in three versions. Two of these were available to White: the Hebrew version considered canonical by Jews and Protestants, and the apocryphal Septuagint Greek version containing various Additions which is canonical for Roman Catholics and some other Christian traditions. The Hebrew version never mentions God or human piety, while the Additions to the Greek version abound with such details. This article investigates whether White’s comments on Esther correlate best with the canonical or apocryphal versions and assesses the degree to which she might have been influ-enced by the Apocrypha. It concludes that her frequent assertions of divine activity and human piety in Esther align better with the apocryphal rather than the canonical versions of the book. However, these similarities are not due to direct influence of the Apocrypha on White. Indeed, there is ample evidence to the contrary. Rather, White shares a common theological goal with the creators of the apocry-phal Additions. Both wish to affirm divine providential involve-ment in human life and the importance of human faithfulness. To achieve this, each transforms the canonical version from its “God-less” form into a conventional biblical narrative of God saving his faithful people. However, while the apocryphal Additions achieve this transformation by recognising the absence of God and human piety, and counter that by adding to the text, White achieves a similar end by ignoring the absence of God and human piety and interpreting the text as if they were present.
Fealty or Fidelity?
Toward an Adventist Ethics of Politics
John Okpechi
doi 10.17613/4gt2-dg06
First Published June 2023; pp. 143–170
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Using two paradigms, five arguments, and twelve principles, this article argues for the urgent need for an Adventist ethics of politics. This need is accentuated by the burgeoning foray of Adventists into the secular politics of their various homelands, especially in those regions where Adventists account for a considerable or majority part of society. This article reasons that instead of just rehashing statements that apply to specific contexts, there is now a need for a well-formulated ethical paradigm that will guide Adventist members and churches in different parts of the world as they attempt to make sense of their political spheres. The principles that govern this imagined ethics must be biblically congruent, theologically-sound, context-sensitive, and relevant. While the corporate Adventist church has remained “apolitical”, many individual members have already begun to engage in the governance of their societies through the machinery of politics. This article concludes that the proposed ethics of politics is not to serve as conscience for the individual Adventist but as a necessary guide in ensuring that belief (personal and corporate) and public faith expression are consistent.
Book Reviews
Child of the Apocalypse
Donald Edward Casebolt.
Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2021. 120 pp.
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