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Bulletin of Biblical Studies, vol. 18, January-June 1999, year 28, p. 144.

        The January-June 1999 issue of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains six (6) articles.

        The article of G. Rigopoulos is an obituary to professor Oscar Cullman. Initially, the writer shortly presents the biography of the guest of honour and describes the two sectors in the frames of Theology,  that is the biblical Theology and especially the interpretation of the N. T. and Ecumenism, which offered its services. Next, there is a reference to its relationship with the Orthodox Church and Theology and, finally, some of its theological injunctions are presented.

       S. Agouridis examines the issue of the readiness that is demanded on the Christians' part for the welcoming of the new century and the kingdom of God, which the Parables of ch. 25 of Matthew' s gospel set off. In this context, the writer briefly analyzes ch. 24, where there is talk of the coming of the Son of Man and the end and the need for the Christians to be “ready”. This last element is explained in the Parables of the reliable and not servant, the ten virgins, the talents and the judgement of the nations. The writer of the article focuses his interest on these Parables.

        M. G. Michael examines the meaning and the content of number 666 in the O. T. and how much the old-testament representations affected the view of the writer of John's Revelation.

       The text of G. Rigopoulos is the second part of his article “Jesus and the Greeks (Hermeneutic approach of John 12, 20-26)”, BBS, vol. 17, Jan.-June 1998, pp. 81-101. The analytical explanation and interpretation of John 12, 23-26 takes place in it.

          Z. Hamar refers to the stability of the divine mercy, of grace and faith, the way they are presented in Second-Isaiah and especially in the passage Is. 54, 9-10 that is an object of examination of the present article as well. The writer deals in detail with the evaluation of the various ancient translations, with the literary means (typology and announcement of salvation), the most important meanings of the specific verses and, finally, with their interpretation by the Fathers.

       R. Goharghi presents the history of the Hyksos that settled around 1700 b. C. in the region of Gesen that is located in the broader area of the Lower Egypt. The writer, making use of the until today known historical and archeological data and findings, examines the history of the Hyksos and their dynasty, referring to the Egyptian cities that they conquered, resided and ruled for about two centuries, which is when they were driven away by the Egyptian Pharaohs. In the article the presentation of their history and especially of the cities of Gesen takes place with lots of references to the parallel history of the Hebrews, the Romans and the Greeks.

       Next follow the book reviews of S. Agouridis on Z. Saramagos' ΤοκατάΙησούνΕυαγγέλιον,Μυθιστόρημα( Jesus' gospel, A novel), ed. Kastaniotis, Athens, 1997  and K. Armstrong's Εναρχή, ΜιανέαερμηνείατουΒιβλίουτηςΓενέσεως (In the beginning, A new interpretation of the Book of Genesis), ed. Filistor, 1996.       

Bulletin of Biblical Studies, vol.19, January-June 2000, year 29, p.128.

The January-June 2000 issue of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains five (5) articles.

S. Agouridis analyzes the dicussion of Jesus with the Samaritan woman (John 4, 5-42). First, he presents the setting of the discussion and the elements it consists of, the way these are depicted in the first verses. Next, he hermeneutically explains the rest of the text that is divided in two acts. In the first act, which includes Jesus' discussion with the Samaritan woman, there is special emphasis on the misunderstandings that D evangelist uses and their deeper meaning. In the second act, which includes Jesus'discussion with his disciples, the weight lays especially on the matter of the church mission and its practice.

J. Barclay claims that one of the basic elements of the self-definition of the early Christianity that was the defining of death as a place where the Christians could realize and show their difference, by demonstrating their specialness at a point that definitely touched and bothered everyone, was inaugurated with passage A' Thess. 4, 13-5, 11. In this frame, he examines the passage investigating the causes of the crisis and the division in the community of Thessaloniki and, at the same time, he analyzes the process of the Christianization of death.

S. Tsitsigos presents the importance of the soul according to the H. S.. In this frame, the synonyms of the soul, its symbols and similes as well as its sense in the O. T. and in the N. T. are examined.

M. Michael attempts a short presentation of the interpretation of number 666 in the way it is mentioned in the Revelation by providing examples of the older use of cryptology in ancient Egypt, Greece and the O. T. so as to finally arrive at the specific passage (Rev. 13, 18), mentioning the different translations of the Greek passage in English, but also the most important scientific interpretations in the international bibliography.

O. E. Alana attempts to pinpoint the different possible aspects of the Hebrew and Hellenistic world that exhibit shades of magic during the 1^st cent. b. C. and discover the degree to which the supposed magical habits of this time affected some of Jesus' healing techniques. So, first, he examines the practice of magic in the Hebrew and Hellenistic world and then Jesus' use of certain processes and therapy techniques that reflected magical influences.

Next follows the review of I. Karavidopoulos on the book of S. Agouridis, ΜατθαίοςοΕυαγγελιστής(ΔιδάσκαλοςτηςαρχικήςκαιτηςσημερινήςΕκκλησίας) [=Matthew the Evangelist (Teacher of the first and today's Church)], Athens 2000, ed. “Artos Zois” (=Bread of Life) and the review of S. Agouridis on the books of H. Shanks, ΗπεριπέτειατωνχειρογράφωντηςΝεκρήςΘάλασσας, ΙστορικόΔοκίμιο (=The adventure of the Dead Sea Scrolls, A Historical Essay), ed. Enalios, 1997 and I. Karavidopoulos, ΑπόκρυφαΧριστιανικάΚείμενα. Α': ΑπόκρυφαΕυαγγέλια, (=Occult Christian Texts. A' : Secret Gospels), ed. Pournara, Thessaloniki 1999. 

Bulletin of Biblical Studies, vol. 19, July-December 2000, year 29, p. 144.

The July-December 2000 issue of the Bulletin of Biblical Studies contains seven (7) articles.

P. Vassiliadis, referring to the end of the classical historical-critical method, makes a short retrospection to the history of the science of Theology of the N. T. and the speculation that developed about it and moves on to an appraisal of the successive transition from the pre-modern to the modern and from there on to the post-modern always with regard to this science. Finally, he presents the “new paradigm” that he proposes for the Theology of the N. T..

D. Passakos, approaching the issue of the common first-christian suppers and the dynamics and consequences they created, focuses his attention on Luke 14, 15-24 and investigates the self-conscious problem due to the conflict between the Judean-like and the former ethnic Christians that Luke's community had to face on the issue of the perfect communion during Eucharist between the two groups.

D. Rudman, referring to the creation of the world according to the O. T., analyzes the significance of the different concepts that are connected to the narrations about creation. In this frame, he examines the importance of the sea and the dragon, the light and the dark as well as of death.

K. Nikolakopoulos investigates the use and meaning of the terms psalm-hymn-ode in the devotional terminology of the early Christian years, the way these appear mainly in the Letters of Paul and presents some basic hermeneutic thoughts of st. Gregory of Nyssa about these terms and their place in the adoration both in the first Church and in the 4^th cent..

S. Agouridis deals with the 10^th ch. of the D' gospel and the difficulties that arise for its interpretation because of the classification of the material that is included in the specific chapter as well as the more general purpose it fulfils in its context.

M. G. Michael grammatically examines whether the number of the beast that is mentioned in John's Revelation is 666 or 616.

V. Nikopoulos presents the legal thinking of ap. Paul in his teaching about vindication and stresses that Paul treats man's vindication by God as a complex legal act, which evolves on the basis of certain institutions and concepts, the function of which, appropriately adjusted to the sotiriological field, helps to the evolution and completion of the whole case of the vindication, which is a legal act. In this frame, there is a special analysis of the legal concepts of freedom, of adoption and inheritance, on which the teaching of ap. Paul is based.

Next follows the review of Chr. Karakolis on the book of H.-Ch. Kammler, Christologie und Eschatologie: Joh 5, 17-30 als Schluesseltext johanneischer Theologie (WUNT 126), Tuebingen 2000 and of M. Goutzioudis on the book of D. DeSilva, Perseverance in Gratitude. A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, Michigan 2000.