Description
At the epicenter of the book of Hebrews stands a prolonged exposition of the Israelite cult. While many studies have focused on the theology of the cult, Johnsson uses a structuralist and religio-historical approach to analyze Hebrews as a religious document that shares anthropological parallels with other major religious groups and their documents.
Johnsson’s initial survey of scholarship on the cult in Hebrews lays the foundation for analyzing the key terms of “defilement,” “purgation,” and “blood,” which stand at the heart of the cultic argumentation of Hebrews. These terms and their associated ideas are analyzed closely in their contexts within Hebrews 9–10, which reveals significant theological implications for the human condition as laid out in the rest of the discourse.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. An Enigma and Its Significance
Chapter 2. The Cultus of Hebrews in Modern Investigation
The Issue of Continuity/Discontinuity of the Old Cultus and Christianity
The Question of the “Spiritualizing” of the Cultus
The Religionsgeschichtliche Approach to the Cultus of Hebrews
The Issue of the Canons of Interpretation of the Cultus of Hebrews
The Issue Regarding the Significance of the Cultus in the Study of Hebrews
The Possibility of Employing General Patterns of Religion to Illumine the Cultus
Chapter 3. Towards a Methodology Appropriate to the Cultic Language of Hebrews
Formal Questions of Methodology
The Nature and Interrelations of Defilement, Blood and Purgation
Conclusion
Chapter 4. Defilement, Blood, and Purgation in the Book of Hebrews: An Exegesis of Hebrews 9–10
Contextual Considerations
The Leitmotif(s) of the Passage 9.1–10.39
The Nature and Interrelations of Blood, Defilement, and Purgation
The Progress of the Argument in Hebrews 9–10
Blood, Defilement, and Purgation Elsewhere in Hebrews
Conclusion
Chapter 5. Cultus and Pareneses—Defilement and Purgation in Relation to the Total Argument of Hebrews
Chapter 6. Conclusions and Implications
Bibliography
About the Author
William G. Johnsson received his PhD in Biblical Studies from Vanderbilt University. He was awarded a Doctor of Divinity (Hon.) by Andrews University, and a Doctor of Humane Letters (Hon.) by Loma Linda University.
