“‘God Has Had Mercy on Me’: Theology and Soteriology in Philo of Alexandria’s De sacrificiis Abelis et Caini,” Journal of Theological Studies 72.2 (2021): 709–737

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Abstract

Philo of Alexandria’s treatise De sacrificiis Abelis et Caini offers a rich example of his theology and soteriology. The majestic God of De sacrificiis is transcendent, omnipresent, and absolutely unique. Anthropomorphic and anthropopathic conceptions of God also are memorably discussed and dismissed. Standing in tension with these ontological characteristics are relational attributes of God, which often are expressed in redemptive acts. Thus, the merciful God of De sacrificiis ‘transcends his transcendence’, and compassionately reaches out to humans in need. A full array of soteriological themes populate the pages of the treatise, including the war against the passions, the allegory of the soul, transformative revelatory experiences, salvific worship, contemplative ascent, and the vision of God. Furthermore, the agential acts and roles played by God and humans are complexly intertwined, demonstrating a sophisticated, experientially informed soteriology. Though these important Philonic themes typically are interpreted thematically and systemically, thus ‘ironing out’ any idiosyncrasies, this essay closely attends to the particular thought of this treatise. As a consequence, unique elements and emphases emerge, which in addition to distinctive depictions of divine compassion and soteriological agency, include a Stoic emphasis on reason, the relative absence of mediatorial figures, and a rare portrayal of an unequivocal visio Dei. 

"Behold! I Am with the Children God Has Given Me": Ekphrasis and Epiphany in Hebrews 1-2," in Son, Sacrifice, and Great Shepherd: Studies on the Epistle to the Hebrews (ed. E.F. Mason and D.M. Moffatt; WUNT 2/510; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020), 43–77

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Abstract

In “‘Behold! I Am with the Children God Has Given Me’: Ekphrasis and Epiphany in Hebrews 1–2,” Mackie considers ways in which Heb 1–2 encourages a mystical vision of the ascended Christ’s enthronement in the heavenly realms and sets the scene for the later passages of the homily that exhort the audience to approach God. Identifying rhetorical elements in Hebrews that parallel techniques in the wider Greco-Roman world that make up an ekphrasis (which intends to produce visual and emotional experiences in hearers), Mackie argues that Hebrews aims to make the heavenly tabernacle and divine presence visually accessible to the community. They can approach God, enter the tabernacle that is manifest to them in their gathered worship, and experience a vision of the risen and exalted Jesus. This experience forms a central aspect of the exhortation and encouragement the author uses to help persuade his audience to remain faithful to Jesus, as they have their identity as his siblings reconfirmed.

“Visually Oriented Rhetoric and Visionary Experience in Hebrews 12:1–4,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 79.3 (2017): 476–497

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Abstract

Though a "vision-centered " perspective is apparent in a variety of contexts in Greco-Roman life and literature, of particular interest to this essay are the visually oriented rhetorical techniques that Greco-Roman authors and orators used to appeal to the visual imaginations of their audiences. Through these well-theorized techniques, authors and orators hoped not only to engage their audiences' visual imaginations but also to transport them emotionally into the described scene. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews was to all appearances well versed in these techniques, and perhaps this is nowhere more evident than in Heb 12:1-4. Enlisting the language and imagery of agonistic sport and spectacle, this visually evocative text helps the community reenvision their current situation. Their sufferings are thus reconfigured as normative to the athletic sphere, while their commitment to Christ and his community is translated into a test of endurance in a footrace. Integral to this agonistically shaped exhortation is the vivid portrayal of Jesus as the "forerunner" and victorious "finisher" of the same contest of faith in which the community is presently competing. Ekphrasis and epiphany coalesce in this mimetic portrayal, signaled by the author's exhortation to "fix our gaze" on the one who has triumphed over adversity and adversaries.

“‘Let us draw near . . . but not too near’: A Critique of the Attempted Distinction between ‘Drawing Near’ and ‘Entering’ in Hebrews’ Entry Exhortations,” in Listen, Understand, Obey: Essays on Hebrews in Honor of Gareth Lee Cockerill (ed. C.T. Friedeman; Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2017), 17–36

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Abstract
This essay addresses a common misinterpretation of the most important verbs used in conjunction with Hebrews’ theology of access: προσέρχομαι (“to draw near”) and εἰσέρχομαι (“to enter”). Though a number of scholars contend that Hebrews maintains a careful distinction between these terms, with προσέρχομαι representing “drawing near,” and εἰσέρχομαι reflecting actual “entry” into the inner sanctum of heavenly sanctuary, such a distinction fails to withstand close scrutiny for a number of reasons: (1) at the heart of Hebrews’ hortatory agenda is a mimetic replication of Jesus’ entry into the heavenly sanctuary and a confession of his sonship (cf. 2:9–10; 4:14–16; 6:19–20; 10:19–23). Such a confession requires that the community occupy a position “within earshot” of God and his Son. (2) The profound architectural, psychological, and mystical/experiential changes effected by Jesus’ high priestly accomplishment, as documented in 10:19–23, are severely attenuated by appeal to a dubious reading of one word, προσέρχομαι.
(3) Hebrews’ sparse and suggestive depictions of the heavenly sanctuary/throne room are supplanted by cultic architectural imagery imported from more elaborate OT texts. These cultic texts, which use προσέρχομαι in their LXX translations, are forced onto the entry exhortations in Hebrews. It is surely significant that the cultic sacrifices of Leviticus are generally depicted as entirely “speech-less” acts. Given the prominence of aural/oral elements in Hebrews’ entry exhortations, more appropriate LXX texts should then be sought, texts which use προσέρχομαι to represent the attainment of communicative and relational proximity to the deity.

“The Passion of Eve and the Ecstasy of Hannah: Sense Perception, Passion, Mysticism, and Misogyny in Philo of Alexandria, De ebrietate 143–52,” Journal of Biblical Literature 133.1 (2014): 141–163

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Abstract

Philo of Alexandria’s allegorical interpretation of the biblical account of Hannah’s prayer for a son, in Ebr. 143-152, is surely one of the most remarkable texts in his corpus. In this passage he draws upon a number of philosophical resources, including Platonic sense perception, Stoic and Platonic psychologies and theories of emotion, and the dualisms that are integral to these philosophic topics: sense perception and reason, the physical and noetic realms, mind and psyche, reason and non-rationality, and passion and apathetic virtue. Ebr. 143-152 also features three significant Greco-Roman mystical themes: Bacchic ecstasy, sober inebriation, and contemplative ascent. This essay focuses on the extraordinary manner in which Philo adapts and even subverts these philosophic and mystical themes, particularly the aforementioned dualisms, and the remarkable fact that this boundary breaking allegorical interpretation comes to focused expression in a woman. Philo has been accused of espousing a “virulent misogyny,” an accusation amply justified by his pervasive negative characterizations of sense perception and passion as essentially feminine in nature. However, in his portrayal of Hannah in Ebr. 143-152, we encounter the uncharacteristic approval and embrace of the sensuous and passionate mystical praxis of an adept female mystic. This exceptional text therefore affords us a rare opportunity to mitigate Philo’s misogyny, and along with it his largely negative attitude towards the senses, emotions, and embodied existence. 

“The Two Tables of the Law and Paul’s Ethical Methodology in 1 Corinthians 6:12–20 and 10:23–11:1,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 75.2 (2013): 315–334

My first piece on Paul

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Abstract

Two passages in 1 Corinthians, 6:12–20 and 10:23–11:1, provide a unique glimpse into the inner workings of Paul’s ethics. In both texts, Paul begins by quoting an apparent community slogan that asserts the autonomous rights of the Corinthian believer. As he then addresses the issues of sexual relations with prostitutes (6:13–20) and the consumption of food offered to idols (10:24–11:1), Paul gradually and comprehensively reigns in this antinomian assertion, ironically conforming it to the two tables of the Mosiac law. While Paul may use Stoic-Cynic categories of ethical discourse and Greco-Roman rhetorical techniques to reason through these two issues, ultimately the ethos commended by these two passages is determined by the two tables, now Christologically informed and transformed.

Book Reviews

I've done a number of book reviews that are available online:

(22)  Review of Adam Kamesar, Philo of Alexandria, Quod deterius potiori insidiari soleat: Introduction, Text, Translation, & Commentary (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024), in The Classical Review 75.1 (2025): 103–105    LINK

(21)  Review of Nicholas J. Moore, The Open Sanctuary: Access to God and the Heavenly Temple in the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2024), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 87.3 (2025): 542–543     LINK

(20)  Review of David M. Moffitt, Rethinking the Atonement: New Perspectives on Jesus’s Death, Resurrection, and Ascension (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2022), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 86.3 (2024): 630–632     LINK

(19) Review of The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation (ed. Craig R. Koester; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 85.2 (2023): 371–373         LINK

(18) Review of James W. Thompson, Strangers on the Earth: Philosophy and Rhetoric in Hebrews (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2020), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 83.4 (2021): 713-714         LINK

(17) Review of Albert Vanhoye, A Perfect Priest: Studies in the Letter to the Hebrews (WUNT 2/477; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2018), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 83:3 (2021): 538–539         LINK

(16) Review of Nicholas J. Moore, Repetition in Hebrews (WUNT 2/388; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 82:4 (2020): 713–715         LINK

(15) Review of Michael Wade Martin and Jason A. Whitlark, Inventing Hebrews: Design and Purpose in Ancient Rhetoric (SNTSMS 171; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 81:3 (2019): 740–742         LINK

(14) Review of Robyn J. Whitaker, Ekphrasis, Vision, and Persuasion in the Book of Revelation (WUNT 2/410; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 80.3 (2018): 545–547780-782         LINK

(13) Andre LaCocque, Jesus the Central Jew: His Times and His People (Early Christianity and Its Literature 15; Atlanta: SBL, 2015), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 78.4 (2016): 780-782         LINK

(12) Revealed Wisdom: Studies in Apocalyptic in Honour of Christopher Rowland (ed. J. Ashton; Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity 88; Leiden: Brill, 2014), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 78.1 (2016): 187-189         LINK

(11) Sensitivity towards Outsiders: Exploring the Dynamic Relationship between Mission and Ethics in the New Testament and Early Christianity (ed. J. Kok, T. Nicklas, D.T. Roth, and C.M. Hays; WUNT 2/364; Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 78.1 (2016): 194-195        LINK

(10) Amy L.B. Peeler, You Are My Son:  The Family of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews (LNTS 486; London: Bloomsbury, 2014), in Review of Biblical Literature (July 5, 2015)         LINK

(9) Carlos Fraenkel, Philosophical Religions from Plato to Spinoza: Reason, Religion, and Autonomy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012), in The Studia Philonica Annual 26 (2014): 237-244      LINK

(8) Gareth Lee Cockerill, The Epistle to the Hebrews (NICNT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012), in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 76.2 (2014): 347-348          LINK

(7) Experientia, Volume 2: Linking Text and Experience (ed. C. Shantz and R.A. Werline; EJL 35; Atlanta: SBL, 2012), in Review of Biblical Literature (November 16, 2013)           LINK

(6) A Cloud of Witnesses: The Theology of Hebrews in its Ancient Contexts (ed. R. Bauckham, D. Driver, T. Hart, and N. MacDonald; LNTS 387; London/New York: T&T Clark, 2008), in Review of Biblical Literature (August 22, 2009)         LINK

(5) The Studia Philonica Annual 24 (ed. D.T. Runia and G.E. Sterling; Atlanta: SBL, 2012), in Review of Biblical Literature (April 23, 2013)          LINK

(4) Luke Timothy Johnson, Hebrews: A Commentary (New Testament Library; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2006), in Biblica 90.3 (2009): 437–441         LINK

(3) Psalms and Hebrews: Studies in Reception (ed. D.J. Human and G.J.  Steyn; Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies 527; London/New York: T&T Clark, 2010), in Review of Biblical Literature (February 11, 2012)         LINK

(2) Reading the Epistle to the Hebrews: A Resource for Students (ed. E. F. Mason and K. B. McCruden; SBL – Resources for Biblical Study 66; Atlanta: SBL, 2011), in Review of Biblical Literature (June 9, 2012)          LINK

(1) James W. Thompson, Hebrews (Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament; Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008)     LINK