The latest issue of  Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses  – 92/3 (2016) – includes the following article: “Origen’s Christology in Pre-Nicene Setting: The Logos as the Noetic Form of God” by Dragos Giulea, who helpfully uploaded it on academia.edu. Enjoy!

Abstract:

The article investigates Origen’s Christology from a less explored perspective, through the concept of morphē theoū, exclusively associated in his writings with Jesus Christ. The study argues that the concept should be understood in a third way in between anthropomorphism and the post-Nicene position of a perfectly formless divinity, namely, through the pre-Nicene theories on the noetic Form of God. While the post-Nicene writers interpreted morphē theoū in a programmatic way as the common essence of the Trinity, pre-Nicene theologians employed it exclusively in connection with the Son, and placed its discussion in the context of a hierarchical model of the Trinity which admits internal ontological degrees. Thus, although the Form of God is placed within the sphere of the divine, beyond the corporeal realm characterized by the categories of shape, colour, and measure, it is however more manifested than the perfectly invisible Father. The Form of God is contemplated in a noetic way as the divine glory on the mount of transfiguration and in the kingdom of God. By means of this concept, Origen elaborates a complex Christological vision theorizing on the pre-incarnate condition of the Logos, his incarnation and return to the first status as well as on the economy of salvation in which the Logos descends as Divine Image to reconstruct, according to his Form, those who once were created according to it. Likewise, the goal of human justified existence becomes the knowledge and contemplation of Christ’s Divine Form, while in the kingdom humans will be con-formed to this archetype and become its luminous imitations.

I’ve just received my copy of Archiv für Papyrusforschung 62/1 (2016):

I have in it an edition of a papyrus fragment of the Shepherd of Hermas housed in Paris (of the same leaf as the Hermas papyrus fragment in Prague) which I’ll upload soon here. I imagine the whole issue will be uploaded (for those with some sort of subscription, I believe) on the webpage of the journal, here. It is not live just yet.

I would also mention Christian Vassalo, “A Catalogue of the Evidence for Presocratics in the Herculaneum Papyri” the title is self-explanatory.  NT people may  well be interested in Peter Malik’s article on P.Beatty III (P47 in NT textual criticism, contains good parts of the Apocalypse of John, LDAB 2778) which pleads for an approach to early Christian codices that integrates the study of non- or paratextual and textual features, and discusses scribal corrections and the link between re-inking and textual variation.

There is an opportunity in Leuven for a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies. The way this works is the following: if you get this position, you have one year of funding  (starting in September, about 1800 euro/month net) in which one works and further refine one’s project with a supervisor (named ‘promoter’ here), and applies in January/February for a full PhD fellowship to the Belgian research agency – the FWO – for further four years (this one). UPDATE: There is an additional opportunity for after the first year, apart from the candidate’s FWO application: the promoter can also submit a project application with the FWO or the Research Council of KU Leuven. Two shots at it, as it were.

This means that if you get that, you end up with five years of full funding which should be enough to complete a thesis, take a few steps toward its publication, and apply for postdocs.

If you happen to be interested, I suggest you check the details, here (updated link), and get in touch with a professor in the faculty right away. The deadline is August 18 (updated).

There are here professors of Greek, respectively Latin Patristics, and the two professors of New Testament are interested in reception history as well.

Good luck!

Edmon Gallagher posted on academia.edu the prepub version of a forthcoming JTS article: “Augustine on the Hebrew Bible“. Enjoy!

Abstract:

Augustine’s support for the Septuagint as the true Christian Old Testament never waned, but his understanding of the relationship between the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint did develop over his career. His earliest statements assume that the Seventy translators faithfully rendered the Hebrew text, with any discrepancy resulting from ambiguity in the source text. His correspondence with Jerome convinced him that there was more to it than that. Augustine’s mature writings evidence an innovative theory whereby both the Hebrew text and its Greek translation could be correct, guiding the reader to spiritual insight, even if they said different things.