Andrews University Agenda

Andrews University Agenda http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/ News and Events at Andrews University en-us Copyright 2024, Andrews University Sun, 24 Nov 2024 21:00:00 +0000 Sun, 24 Nov 2024 21:00:00 +0000 webmaster@andrews.edu webmaster@andrews.edu Colloquium: Business Witnessing http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/64264 Radim Passer: a top, very successful Seventh-day Adventist businessman who was voted the most trusted business person in the Czech Republic. Thu, 19 Oct 2023 21:13:08 +0000 Conference on Adventist Identity http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/61538 You are invited to attend the upcoming Conference on Adventist Identity titled, "Being the Remnant: Adventist Identity in History and Theology," presented at Andrews University from Oct. 13–15, 2022, either in person or via livestream on YouTube. Full program is below. Registration Please register using the registration link below. There is no charge to you. You will be sent a detailed program outline and description of each session. The use of your email will be only to forward information and links for this conference and associated publications and future conferences on Adventist identity. <a href="https://forms.gle/HD8WyqMJCvrw8u7d7">https://forms.gle/HD8WyqMJCvrw8u7d7</a> Livestream Link All who register will be sent the livestream link the week of the conference via email. Paper Access The presentations at the conference will normally be a 15-minute summary of the full paper written by the presenters. The full papers will be available for access on a cloud drive so they can be read in advance of the conference. All who register will be sent the link and access code to the full papers for the conference, most of which will be available after Oct. 1. Book Intent Please note that it is the intent of the organizers to produce a book using the papers of this and future Adventist Identity conferences. As such, you may make use of the papers for education purposes and as a resource within your own research but may not publish any portion of any of these papers except properly documented quotations within a document. --- Schedule (Session topics and presentation titles will be sent to conference registrants) <div> Thursday October 13: All in Seminary Chapel Session #1  5.30-7.30pm    Session #2  8-9.30 pm   Friday October 14: All in Seminary Chapel    Session #3 8.30-10am    Session #4 10.30 am-12noon    LUNCH 12-1.30 pm    Session #5: 1.30-3pm    Session #6: 3.15-4.45pm    Session #7  5-6pm     SUPPER 6-7.30 pm    Session #8   7.30-9.30pm     Sabbath October 15: All in Seminary Chapel    Session #9   9-11am    Session #10   11.45 am in Pioneer MemorialChurch </div> LUNCH 1-2.30 pm Session #11   3.30-5pm Session #12  5.30-7 pm Thu, 06 Oct 2022 12:59:55 +0000 The Seminary Care Team http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/61331 The Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary is not an institution of higher learning that is merely in the education business. The seminary is made of people who are pastors, counselors, chaplains. We are in the people business– educating and ministering to said people is what we do. At the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Seminary saw the need to form a support team to care for the mental, emotional, social, and financial needs of the seminary student family. Seminarians were experiencing the fear, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and overall stress that comes with isolation, bereavement, loss of income, and uncertainty. The intent of the seminary administration was to pull together individuals and ministries that provide care and to coordinate their efforts in creating or developing educational and healing events for seminary students and their families. The Associate Dean of the Seminary (Dr. Teresa Reeve) was given the task of leading the effort supported by her Administrative Assistant and the Seminary Director of Finances. Seminary counselors, chaplains, the First the Blade team, and the co-directors of the Seminary Student Forum (SSF) were also asked to join the “Seminary Care Team” that meets every other week to discuss and plan together. The Care Team responded to the massive needs by rallying financial and food support for those in need. Counselors and chaplains provided emotional support and facilitated student initiatives for spiritual and responsible social engagement. Within 7 weeks of the pandemic shut-down, the realities of social injustice rocked the campus with the death of George Floyd. The Seminary Care Team immediately rallied and held 3 race forums/family meetings for faculty and student support. The Team planned colloquia on mental health, trauma, and grief. They scheduled monthly hour-long seminars on topics such as financial health, anxiety and depression, and trauma. They also shared brief mental health nuggets during the seminary worship times. First the Blade facilitated a gathering of seminary students and their families around a meal for the purpose of building connections between the families. This ministry also assisted in the reactivation of the Seminary Spouses Ministry (SSM) which is still quite active and has held two events for spouses with more planned in the near future. Two years later, the worst of the pandemic is considered over; however, seminary students, like many others, are still dealing with the after-effects of the crisis. For this reason, the Seminary Care Team continues its ministry. We want our students and graduates to enter the field able to serve from a place of wellness and empowerment. Dr. David Sedlacek Esther Green Tue, 20 Sep 2022 16:43:48 +0000 ON THE AUTHORSHIP OF HEBREWS: THE CASE FOR PAUL http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/60110 <div> <h2 style="text-align: center;"> By Prof. Félix H. Cortez</h2> The authorship of Hebrews is a sensitive issue for Adventist believers. Almost without fail, when Adventist believers learn that Hebrews is the focus of my research they ask, who do you think wrote it? The issue has gained some prominence lately because adult Adventists around the globe are studying a Sabbath School quarterly on the book of Hebrews. The issue is complex. The New Testament includes Hebrews among the letters of Paul, but Hebrews itself does not identify who the author was. Most Scholars think that the author of Hebrews was an associate worker of Paul or someone close to him, but it could not have been Paul. In fact, for many the case is closed. Ellen G. White, however, who Adventists believe wrote under the inspiration of God, refers to Paul as the author of Hebrews.1 There are basically three positions regarding Paul and the authorship of Hebrews. One position is that Paul could not have been the author. This is the predominant scholarly position. A second position remains agnostic: we don’t know who wrote Hebrews, but it could have been written by Paul. A third position is similar to the second position but goes a step further. This position would go something like this: the Bible does not say who the author of Hebrews was, but Paul is the more likely author. In this article, I will provide biblical and historical evidence for the second and third positions. <h2> The Case Against Paul</h2> Most scholars believe that Hebrews circulated independently for a long period of time before being accepted into the NT canon and that this came about “only through the fiction” that Paul had written Hebrews.2 There are several reasons for this. First, if Paul wrote Hebrews, why did he not claim authorship of the document as he does in every letter he wrote?3 The anonymity of the document does not seem to be an accident. The first sentence of Hebrews (Heb 1:1–4), which is where Paul would normally identify himself as the author, is so beautiful and balanced from the perspective of its Greek construction that it seems clear that the author spent considerable time and effort writing it. Thus, the lack of identification of the author at the beginning of the document is probably not an accident. Second, there were doubts early about the authorship of Hebrews. Marcion rejected Hebrews in the first half of the second century AD.4 Later in the same century, it is reported that Irenaeus5 rejected the Pauline authorship of Hebrews. The Muratorian Fragment, a list of New Testament books likely created towards the end of the second century AD, did not include Hebrews.6 Around the beginning of the third century AD, Tertullian attributed Hebrews to Barnabas. Also in the third century, Gaius of Rome, Hippolytus, and the Arians rejected the Pauline authorship of Hebrews. The perception in antiquity was that Hebrews was accepted in the churches of the east as having been written by Paul but rejected by western scholars.7 Third, church scholars recognized early that there were differences in style between Hebrews and the letters of Paul. Clement of Alexandria, around the beginning of the 3rd century, suggested that Paul had written Hebrews originally in the Hebrew language and that Luke had translated it into Greek. Similarly, Origen suggested that Paul probably was the author of the ideas but that another person had taken notes and published them. He concluded that only God knew who the author was. Fourth, and very importantly, it is suggested that Paul could not be the author because the author of Hebrews includes himself among those to whom the gospel was confirmed by those who heard Jesus (Heb 2:3). Paul, however, argued strongly in Galatians that he had not received the gospel from anybody but directly from God (Gal 1:11–12). Finally, there are important theological differences between the letters of Paul and Hebrews. One example is that no letter of Paul refers to Jesus as high priest. This idea, however, is central to the argument of Hebrews. Most scholars today reject the idea that Paul wrote Hebrews and consider the case closed.8 <h2> The Case for Paul</h2> The arguments against Paul are not as strong as they seem, however. First, Hebrews does not begin like a letter of Paul but ends like one. Harold Attridge, though he rejects the authorship of Paul for other reasons, has identified thirty-three parallels between the postscript of Hebrews (Heb 13:20–25) and the letters of Paul, some of them very striking.9 For example, just to mention two of them, the expression “God of peace” (Heb 13:20) is found in Rom 15:33; 16:20; 2 Cor 13:11; Phil 4:9; 1 Thess 5:23 but in no other epistolary postscript in the New Testament. The expression “from the dead” (ek nekrōn, Heb 13:20) appears 17 times in Paul but only two times elsewhere among the NT epistles. Note as well that Hebrews does not begin as a letter because it is most likely not a letter. Hebrews identifies itself as a “word of exhortation” (Heb 13:22), an expression that referred to the sermon both in the synagogue and in the Christian church.10 Therefore, Hebrews is probably a homily intended for a specific congregation to which a postscript was added and then sent as a letter. Furthermore, Hebrews is anonymous to us, but it was not to the original audience. The audience knew who the author was. He requests them to pray for him so that he may be restored to them sooner (Heb 13:18–19).11 The author refers to a Timothy, who must have been known both by the author and the audience (13:23).12 Thus, unless it is a forgery, the original audience should not have had a problem with the lack of greeting and identification of the author at the beginning of the document either because they understood it was not a letter or for other reasons known to them. Secondly, it is true that doubts about the authorship of Hebrews began early, but the evidences of the authoritative reception of Hebrews and its identification with Paul are even earlier and very significant. Beginning with the most ancient manuscripts, Hebrews always appears as part of the Pauline collection. In fact, among all the Pauline epistles, only Romans is better attested than Hebrews among the most ancient manuscripts of Paul. Similarly, Hebrews carried from the earliest extant manuscripts a title (“to the Hebrews”) similar to the title of the letters of Paul and different to the titles of the Catholic Epistles. Furthermore, Hebrews was accepted very early as an authoritative writing. First Clement, the oldest extant work of early Christian literature composed around AD 96, alludes clearly to Hebrews (1 Clem 36:1–5) and to other writings of Paul (e.g., 35:5–6) showing he held them in high esteem, though, with one exception, he does not identify the author in any of those references.13 The Shepherd of Hermas, produced in Rome during the second century AD and the most popular noncanonical writing of the first centuries of Christianity, was written in part to explain that repentance was possible for sins committed after baptism. The best explanation is that it was trying to answer questions raised by Hebrews 6:4–8 and 10:26–31. The evidence suggests that views of a wholesale rejection of Hebrews in the west are overstated. By the end of the 4th century, Ambrose, Pelagius, and Rufinus in the west had attributed Hebrews to Paul and ten other Christian writers cite or allude to Hebrews as authoritative without mentioning who the author was.14 Closer scrutiny shows that rejection of the Pauline authorship of Hebrews is less significant than it seems at the beginning. Marcion, who rejected Hebrews, also rejected the God of the Old Testament and all the writings of the Old Testament. He probably rejected Hebrews because of its abundant use of the Old Testament. He also rejected most of the New Testament. The only writings he accepted as Scriptures were 10 epistles of Paul and an edited recension of the Gospel of Luke. The view that Irenaeus and Hippolytus rejected the Pauline authorship of Hebrews came from a comment made by Gobarus more than three hundred years later (ca. AD 600), according to the report made by Photius in AD 800! How much weight can we place on this report?15 The Muratorian Fragment did not include Hebrews among the letters of Paul, but it did not reject Hebrews as it did “The Epistle to the Laodiceans” and “The Epistle to the Alexandrians,” which were forged in the name of Paul.16 Tertullian says that Barnabas wrote Hebrews, but thinks Barnabas was communicating the ideas of Paul. Gaius of Rome rejected the Pauline authorship of Hebrews and also considered that the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation had actually been written by Cerinthus, the gnostic heretic. His eccentric views did not carry the day, since contemporary and later theologians did not echo his views. The Arians probably rejected the Pauline authorship of Hebrews because of its high Christology. Third, matters of style and vocabulary are unreliable in determining whether Paul wrote Hebrews. We don’t have a clear style to which compare Hebrews. Eight of Paul’s letters mention co-authors alongside Paul.17 These co-authors must have had at least some influence in the contents and style of each letter. Paul also used secretaries (e.g., Rom 16:22), who probably impacted the style of his letters. E. Randolph Richards has shown that secretaries often functioned as editors—in some rare cases even as co-authors.18 Finally, the rhetorical ideal in the Hellenistic world was prosōpopoiia, meaning “to write in character.” In other words, writerswere expected to write in different styles according to what the situation required.19 Thus, it was expected that not all letters of Paul would have the same style, but that they would adapt to the topic and the needs or characteristics of their respective audiences. Fourth, the fact that the author includes himself among those to whom the gospel was confirmed by those who heard Jesus (Heb 2:3) does not disqualify Paul as the author. The argument of the passage is not that author and the audience “received” (parelabon) or were “taught” (edidachthēn) the gospel by the apostles but that the gospel was “confirmed” (ebebaiōthē) to them by the apostles, those who heard Jesus (Heb 2:3). The point was that the double confirmation by the apostles and God made the audience liable to God’s judgment should they abandon the gospel (Heb 2:1–4; cf. Heb 10:28). In fact, Paul acknowledged that he received the gospel from God through revelation (Gal 1:11–12) and fourteen years later he sought confirmation from the apostles about the gospel he preached—“to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain” (Gal2:1–2). Fifth, though there are differences in theological emphasis between Hebrews and Paul’s other letters there is no contradiction. In fact, difference in theological emphasis should be expected. The letters of Paul were written to address specific concerns or issues of their respective audiences. There are, in the other hand, unique similarities between Hebrews and Paul’s other writings. For example, Hebrews 10:16 quotes Jeremiah 31:31–33 but abbreviates the formulation “with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” to “with them.” Romans 11:27 has the same abbreviated formula. The quotation of Habbakuk 2:4 in Hebrews 10:37–38 differs from the wording of both the Hebrew and the Greek texts (LXX) but is similar toPaul’squotation of Habbakuk 2:4 in Romans 1:17. Paul plays with the dual meanings of the Greek word diathēkē (“testament” and “covenant”) in Gal 3:15–18 in the same way Hebrews 9:15–18 does. In fact, based on correspondences in unique use of vocabulary and ideas, Ben Witherington has suggested the influence of Galatians onHebrews.20 Finally, the view that Hebrews circulated independently for a long period of time before being accepted into the NT canon “through the fiction” that Paul had written it is unlikely for several reasons. First, there is no manuscript evidence that Hebrews ever circulated alone. Second, considering that Hebrews does not claim to be written by Paul and is different in style and theological emphasis to his other writings, on what basis would you include Hebrews in the collection of Paul’s writings? Paul himself warned his readers against receiving letters “seeming to be” from him but that were not actually written by him (2 Thess 2:1–3). This is the reason he used to sign his letters. Hebrews and Paul’s other 13 letters had postscripts, which functioned as signatures (2 Thess 3:17–18).21 Another obstacle to include Hebrews among the Pauline epistles is that Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians but Paul was the apostle to the gentiles (Gal 2:6; Eph 3:1–10). If it was believed very early that the epistle was not written by Paul, why was not then Hebrews included among the Catholic or General Epistles, which were written by apostles sent to the Jews (Gal 2:6–9)? Third, the collection of Paul’s letters was probably not made by making copies from the churches that received Paul’s letters. The practice among ancient writers was to keep copies of the letters they sent to other people.22 Thus, it is more likely that Hebrews was part of the Pauline Collection because it was part of the copies Paul had kept for himself. This would explain why Hebrews is part of the collection of Paul’s letters despite its anonymity and other differences to the rest of Paul’s letters. The copies that Paul had kept for himself probably remained at first in Rome, where Paul died. This would explain why Peter, who ministered in Rome (1 Pet 5:13), refers to a collection of Paul’s letters (2 Pet 3:15–16) and Hebrews is quoted by Clement of Rome already in AD 96. In summary, biblical, and historical evidence supports the idea that Paul could have written Hebrews. Does the evidence we have allow us to say that Paul is the likely author of Hebrews? The answer depends on the weight the interpreter attributes to the different elements of the biblical and historical evidence about Hebrews. What should carry more weight, the lack of explicit claim of authorship at the beginning of the letter or the clear similarities between the postscript of Hebrews and the postscripts of Paul’s other letters? Are more significant the omission of Hebrews in the Muratorian Fragment, the doubts of Origen, and the rejections of Pauline authorship by the heretic Marcion, Irenaueus and Hippolytus (only reported several centuries later), Tertullian, Gaius of Rome, and the Arians,23 or the assertions that Paul wrote Hebrews made by Pantaenus, Clement of Alexandria, Ambrose, Pelagius,24 and Rufinus? Is it weightier the perception in antiquity that the Pauline authorship of Hebrews was rejected by the western church or the perception that the Pauline authorship of Hebrews was accepted in the eastern churches? Is it more probable that Hebrews circulated alone for a long period of time—for which there is no single manuscript evidence—and then included in the collection of the letters of Paul under the fiction that Paul was the author—despite Paul’s own warning against accepting letters “seeming to be” from him—, or that Hebrews was from the beginning part of the Pauline collection as suggested by the fact that Hebrews is the second best attested writing in the Pauline collection? How much credence should be given to matters of style when we see that Paul used co-authors and secretaries, both of which probably affected his style of writing? I believe it is likely that Paul wrote Hebrews. We should, however, recognize the complexity and difficulty of the issue and respect and welcome those who assess the evidence differently. <h2 align="left"> Does Authorship Matter?</h2> Views on the Pauline authorship of Hebrews could affect our perception of its authority.This is what happened in the 16th and 17th centuries. Cajetan, Erasmus, Karlstadt, Luther, and other reformers questioned the traditional authorship of several books of the New Testament— Hebrews among them. This had an important impact on their views regarding the authority of these books. Luther relegated Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation to the bottom of his translation of the New Testament and did not number them as he did the rest of the New Testament writings. Many of his disciples considered these books as deuterocanonical or apocryphal.25 In 1594, Jacob Lucius and David Wolder published Bibles where these four books are given the title “Apocrypha.” The same happened in the Bibles published by J. Vogt in 1614 and by Gustavus Adolphus in 1618.26 The study of the authorship of Hebrews entails, then, the exploration of one of the main foundations of its authority. Since Jesus did not leave any writings himself, the Christian church recognized the canonical authority of those writings that came from the apostles, those to whom Jesus entrusted the gospel (Matt 28:18–20).27 The apostolic criterion did not require that the apostles themselves wrote the books, but only that the books were produced under the authority of the apostles or by their associates.28 This means that Hebrews could be considered canonical even if it was written by one of the collaborators of Paul. The church, however, despite doubts in some sectors, accepted Hebrews into the canon not as having been written by an associate of Paul, but as a writing of Paul himself.29 The burden of proof rests on those who deny the possibility that Paul could have written Hebrews. In my opinion, they have not carried out successfully that duty yet.   ------------------- 1For example, Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, 347; 411–413; 420; 421; 512; Patriarchs and Prophets, 357; Sons and Daughters of God, 24; Testimonies for the Church, 1:679; 5:651; 8:79–80. I will not address, however, these statements of Ellen G. White regarding the authorship of Hebrews because I believe she would have preferred that our beliefs be founded on Biblical and historical evidence alone. See H. E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1993), 416–425; George R. Knight, “Ellen G. White’s Relationship to the Bible,” The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 2013), 647–649; A. L. White, “The Position of ‘The Bible and the Bible Only’ and the Relationship of This to the Writings of Ellen White”,Ellen G. White Estate Research Documents. </div> <div> 2Charles P. Anderson’s summary in “The Epistle to the Hebrews and the Pauline Letter Collection,” Harvard Theological Review 59 (1966), 429, is still the current view. Anderson argues against this position in his article. 3Among New Testament letters, 1 John also has no greeting, no thanksgiving, and no salutations at the end. But 1 John is a different kind of document. Some think it is a paper; others, a tract, or a commentary on the Gospel of John. More likely, it was a circular letter in which greetings and salutations were added for each place by the courier. See Colin G. Kruse, The Letters of John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000),28–29. 4Marcion died around AD 160. 5Irenaeus lived from around 130 to around 200 AD. 6AD 180–200. A good number of canon critics date this document later. </div> <div> 7For example, Eusebius, Hist. eccl. 3.3 (NPNF2 1:134–135); 6.20 (268); Augustine, De pecc. merit. 1.50 (NPNF1 5:34); Jerome, Epist. 129.3. 8Clare K. Rothschild, Hebrews as Pseudepigraphon: The History and Significance of the Pauline Attribution of Hebrews, WUNT 235 (Tübingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck, 2009), 6. </div> <div> 9Harold W. Attridge, Hebrews, Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981), 404–405. Also, Rothschild, 67–81. 10Acts 13:15; 1 Tim 4:13. See also 1 Macc. 10:24, 46; and 2 Macc. 15:8–11. 11The author also knows the story and the present circumstances of the audience, see Heb 2:3–4; 6:10; and 10:32– 34; 13:24. 12The only Timothy known in early Christian sources was the companion of Paul, John Gillman, “Tymothy (Person),” Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 6:559– 60. </div> <div> 13Clement alludes to Romans, Galatians, Philippians, and Ephesians, but only when referring to Corinth, towards the end of the letter, he refers to Paul as the author (1 Clement 47). The reason is that 1 Clement was sent to the church of Corinth and the author wanted to made a point of reminding them of the Letter Paul had sent to them. For reference to the epistles of Paul in 1 Clement, see Bruce M. Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance (Oxford: Clarendon, 1987), 40–43. 14First Clement, probably Shepherd of Hermas, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Epiphanius, Hilary of Poitiers, Victorinus, Lucifer of Cagliari, Faustinus, and Gregory of Elvira. These are western writers. See Rothschild, Hebrews as a Pseudepigraphon, 31; Attridge, Hebrews, 2. For a comprehensive survey of witnesses to Pauline authorship of Hebrews in the church fathers, see Otto Michel, Der Brief and die Hebräer, KEK 13 (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1966), 38–39. </div> <div> 15See Eta Linneamann, “A Call for a Retrial in the Case of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Faith and Mission 19/2 [2002], 21–22. 16Eta Linnemann has pointed out correctly that the Muratorian Fragment’s assertion that “‘the blessed apostle himself, following the rule of his predecessor John, only writes to seven congregations with authorial attestation’ […] raises the possibility that Paul wrote to the Hebrews without authorial attestation” (“A Call for a Retrial,” 21, emphasis original). 171 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon. See Richards, Paul and First-Century Letter Writing, 141–155. 18Richards, Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition, and Collection (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004), 33–36. </div> <div> 19In the Hellenistic world, the rhetorical ideal was prosōpopoiia, meaning “to write in character.” Writers were expected to write in different styles according to what the situation required. See Luke Timothy Johnson, The First and Second Letters to Timothy: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, AB 35A (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001), 60. </div> <div> 20Ben Witherington III, “The Influence of Galatians in Hebrews,” New Testament Studies 37 (1991), 146–152. 21See E. Randolph Richards, Paul and First-Century Letter Writing, 171–175, for an introduction to the different ways Greco-Roman letters were signed. 22Richards, Paul and First-Century Letter Writing, 156–65; Rothschild, Hebrews as Pseudepigraphon, 148–9. For example, Cicero’s collection of letters published after his death was produced from Cicero’s own copies kept by Tiro, Cicero’s secretary; see Cicero, Att. 13.6.3. </div> <div> 23Heretics. 24A heretic. </div> <div> 25Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament, 244 n. 31. 26Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament, 245. 27See F. F. Bruce, The Canon of Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1988), 256–259; Lee M. McDonald, The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon, rev. exp. ed. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1995), 229–232. Other criteria were orthodoxy and acceptance and usage by the church at large, according to Bruce M. Metzger, </div> The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance (Oxford: Clarendon, 1987), 251–4. 28For example, the tradition of the association of Mark and Luke with Peter and Paul respectively served to validate their writings, according to Metzger, Canon of the New Testament, 253. 29The Council of Hippo in 393—whose view was repeated in the Third Council of Carthage in 397—included in its list of canonical books “the thirteen epistles of the Apostle Paul” and “of the same [author] one [epistle] to the Hebrews,” Daniel J. Theron, Evidence of Tradition (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1958), 126–7, quoted in Koester, Hebrews, 27. See also, Bruce, Canon of Scripture, 232–233. The Council of Carthage in 419 no longer made a difference. It simply referred to fourteen letters of Paul (NPNF2 14:453–454). Mon, 07 Mar 2022 22:51:40 +0000 Congress on Social Justice http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/59368 From Thursday, Oct. 14, to Saturday, Oct. 16, the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University will host the Congress on Social Justice, an event designed to highlight global issues of imbalance as well as the biblical solutions that address them. The biblical account of Creation informs us that humanity was created in God’s image and granted authority to rule over other animate beings that God created during the fifth and sixth days of that first week (Genesis 1:26–28). God also authorized humanity to take care of other elements of His creation (Genesis 2:15). Unfortunately, the entrance of sin brought disequilibrium to all relationships and disrupted the ecological balance (Genesis 3:16–18). Humanity longs for renewal and restoration, and Christianity claims the promise of recreation (Revelation 21:1, 5). However, we are not called to sit idly by while waiting for the divine fulfillment of the promise. Biblical prophets call for immediate action to address existing injustices in an effort to affirm the Imago Dei (see Isaiah 1:17; 61:1–2; Amos 5:24; Micah 6:8; Matthew 23:23; James 5:1–6). The Congress on Social Justice is designed to bring attention to global issues of imbalance as well as the biblical solutions that address them. In the process, it will be seen that an intimate link exists between caring for creation in its fullness and beauty and proclaiming the Three Angels’ Message of Revelation 14. For more information on the program and registration, visit <a href="https://www.andrews.edu/sem/christianministry/sjcongress/index.html" target="_blank">https://www.andrews.edu/sem/christianministry/sjcongress/index.html</a>. Wed, 13 Oct 2021 19:31:14 +0000 Seminary Town Hall Forum Series on Race http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/58384 The year 2020 was an unsettling one for many reasons, not the least of which has been the racial unrest sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. These deaths were the latest of far too many unjust deaths of black men and women that have occurred over the past several years, resulting in massive national and international protests. The television replays of these events deeply impacted those who viewed them. For those who had personally experienced trauma at the hands of police or others in the past, the videos reignited the pain of these past memories often lodged just below the surface of consciousness. For many there was a vicarious or secondary trauma that they and the nation experienced.  In response to the impact of these events on students, the Seminary Care Team, made up of Seminary counselors, chaplain and student leaders, planned a series of Town Hall Meetings on Race to give students, staff and faculty a safe place to talk about their feelings and experiences. The meetings were planned with input from leaders with a variety of racial backgrounds. Each meeting was bathed with prayer and structured with brief presentations by key persons who shared various perspectives and experiences on racial discrimination, followed by a time for those in attendance via Zoom to share their experiences, thoughts and feelings. The Dean’s office gave strong support for each meeting and shared messages of inspiration and encouragement.  The Care Team recognized that this type of “debriefing” has value in that it can uncover feelings related to traumatic experiences which have brought undealt-with pain to the individual. As these experiences are processed in the company of others, a process of healing begins. Those who listen must do so nonjudgmentally and with compassion, understanding that the ones who speak are taking a risk of being further misunderstood and attacked.  The Care Team was intentional in seeking a broad spectrum of students to attend the Forums so that understanding could grow in those students who may have never experienced personally the kind of oppression that their black counterparts have had to experience. While the early Forums were only partially successful in achieving this objective, with attendance being predominantly black, the sharing among those in attendance was deep, vulnerable and meaningfulFor the third Forum, the Care Team intentionally sought to increase the involvement of faculty and students of all racial and cultural backgrounds. Brief video invitations were sent out featuring faculty and students sharing personal experience and Scripture relating to these issues. This approach was somewhat successful in increasing faculty involvement and to a lesser degree student involvement. In these Forums on Race students and faculty were able to share deeply, often with tears, their experiences of unjust, discriminatory treatment. Many articulated clearly the painful black experience in this country, in the church, at Andrews University and even in the seminary. One black professor shared how his white students openly told him that he should go back to his country and teach. Students not only shared their experiences but also shared what they thought solutions might be to this Christian dilemma. So much of racism is built into the fabric of families and society that it is both unconscious and institutional. How can we as Christians be silent when our brothers and sisters are being disadvantaged? How can we not stand with them and seek to understand their experience? How can we accept the truth that we have implicit racial bias and repent for that which we have seen and are only still coming to see more clearly? In addition to learning to hear one another, we also are challenged as a seminary to take action to change the status quo. The Seminary’s Ethnicity, Race, and Social Justice Committee (ERSJ) was tasked with the responsibility to draft a Master Plan. This plan includes action steps in each of the following areas: Faculty Recruitment (Employment), Advancement, Finances, Curriculum, Pedagogy, Worship, and Fellowship. The elements of the Master Plan are to be implemented in a systematic way under the watchful eye of the Seminary deans and the ERSJ Committee. We look forward with great anticipation to the unfolding of this maturing in the seminary family as we move forward under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Together, let us make this a matter of earnest prayer so that the healing that is needed is experienced and that the changes that need to be made are implemented. Dr. David Sedlacek Chair, Department of Discipleship and Religious Education Mon, 24 May 2021 11:08:33 +0000 Statement of Support for our Asian Community http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/58056 As a General Conference Institution of higher education representing students from at least 55 countries (47 countries are represented on the main campus plus many on our MA and DMin international sites), the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary joins the Andrew’s University <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.andrews.edu/diversity/blog/&source=gmail&ust=1616280251264000&usg=AFQjCNFw72uBmJ8zfDrj6zxMR8cOndLsMg" href="https://www.andrews.edu/diversity/blog/" target="_blank">Office of Diversity and Inclusion</a> and <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nadadventist.org/news/north-american-division-leaders-call-support-asian-american-community&source=gmail&ust=1616280251264000&usg=AFQjCNETwAbQu7PP4-JNA9K1Xc3MSNwj5g" href="https://www.nadadventist.org/news/north-american-division-leaders-call-support-asian-american-community" target="_blank">the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church</a> in condemning the recent act of racial violence that has taken place in Atlanta, GA, in which six persons of Asian descent were killed. We express our firm solidarity with and support for our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) faith community and beyond. We understand the anger, fear, anxiety, and despair of the AAPI communities across America and at the Seminary in particular, which is home to many Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders. There are 22.6 million people living in America who are part of the AAPI community, according to the 2018 <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2020/aian.html&source=gmail&ust=1616280251264000&usg=AFQjCNEVJWeY0YrriJ0hC4UraeC7Lx-Emg" href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2020/aian.html" target="_blank">census report</a>. Many of them are immigrants who have come to this country in hopes of finding better equality, opportunities, and justice. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have become targets of ugly aggression and violence though it has been repeatedly stated that they bear no responsibility for starting or spreading the pandemic. There has been an alarming trend of under-reported but steadily rising anti-Asian aggression and violence in America, especially against Asian women. This disturbing trend, which actually has a <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/03/18/history-anti-asian-violence-racism/&source=gmail&ust=1616280251264000&usg=AFQjCNGkToQIUw8soMI1-OT5Twbz3DWhmA" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/03/18/history-anti-asian-violence-racism/" target="_blank">long history</a> behind it, has gotten the attention of <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/there-were-3-800-anti-asian-racist-incidents-mostly-against-n1261257&source=gmail&ust=1616280251264000&usg=AFQjCNEZ8InjSMtI1RGLywLljT_Lm7Dnnw" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/there-were-3-800-anti-asian-racist-incidents-mostly-against-n1261257" target="_blank">the media</a> and <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/18/atlanta-shootings-house-hold-hearing-anti-asian-american-hate/4730324001/&source=gmail&ust=1616280251264000&usg=AFQjCNHnnxwNgMyCmxZsNkhApX9jMhF0oQ" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/18/atlanta-shootings-house-hold-hearing-anti-asian-american-hate/4730324001/" target="_blank">the U.S. lawmakers</a>. But it is <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.npr.org/2021/03/17/978055571/anti-asian-attacks-rise-during-pandemic-read-nprs-stories-on-the-surge-in-violen&source=gmail&ust=1616280251264000&usg=AFQjCNH_sT0zyuMjfW2lvHVlJkQELfuyaA" href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/17/978055571/anti-asian-attacks-rise-during-pandemic-read-nprs-stories-on-the-surge-in-violen" target="_blank">Asian Americans</a>, many of whom, feeling the sting of the aggression toward them, no longer feel safe to go about their daily lives without feeling vulnerable and insecure. There are currently 80 AAPI students studying at our Seminary. The Seminary is committed to providing a safe and caring space for every person connected to it regardless of color, ethnicity, gender, or nationality. We will remain vigilant to ensure that every person studying and working at the Seminary is treated with dignity, justice, collegiality, and compassion, so they can succeed in fulfilling their God-given mission for their lives unhindered. The Seminary will not tolerate any harassment or violence of any type toward any person for any reason. Please promptly report all incidents of harassment and violence to the Deans’ office. Condemnation and vigilance alone will not root out racial and ethnic prejudices and hostilities, which are endemic to sinful human nature regardless of race. Only Christ can heal us from this terrible spiritual disease. We are a community that has been called to bring healing and redemption to this world plagued with racism, xenophobia, sexual and substance addictions, mental disorders, violence, anger, division, and despair. We urge every faculty, student, and staff to draw close to Christ in this intense time of suffering and crisis by giving themselves to the study and meditation of the Word and to special seasons of prayer for each other and for the communities they each represent. Please pray that Christ will send the Holy Spirit as He promised (John 14:26; 15:26) so the Spirit can pour out the love of God the Father and Jesus Christ in our hearts (Rom 5:5). We need a genuine healing and transformation of hearts. Let us pray that everyone will take this opportunity to recommit themselves to becoming God’s change agents who see in each person humanity created in the image of God, marred by sin, and in need of our compassion. Praying for those families who were directly affected, but also for all our Seminarians, AU students, and faculty! May our loving Lord of peace give you rest and new assurance of His Present during the sacred hours of the coming Sabbath! Ji&rcaron;í Moskala Dean, Seventh-day AdventistTheological Seminary Fri, 19 Mar 2021 19:26:59 +0000 Doctoral Dissertation Defense: Jolive Chaves http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/57964 The PhD in religion program is pleased to announce the oral doctoral dissertation defense of Jolive Chaves titled "A Study of the Nones in Brazil and USA in Light of Secularization Theory, With Missiological Implications." The defense will be held on Monday, March 15, 2021, at 2 p.m. via Zoom by personal invitation only. Thu, 04 Mar 2021 19:15:31 +0000