Work

Authority in the New Testament and the New Testament’s Authority

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: In an essayistic manner, drawing on both exegetical and systematic theological insights, this paper explores the contours of the notion of authority in the New Testament, arguing that authority in the New Testament is primarily the performance of (liberating) authority by Christ, to which the New Testament witnesses. This witness is the New Testament’s own source of authority, but only in as far as the communities reading the New Testament engage in a communal praxis that is in line with Jesus’ own exercise of authority. The New Testament, it is argued, operates in a manner similar to that of a sacrament, while the diversity contained within its canon offers encouragement for an ongoing search for identity in Christ, rather than constituting a theological embarrassment.

Source: Ecclesiology

DOI: 10.1163/17455316-01301006

Author: Peter-Ben Smit

Institutions: Utrecht University, University of Pretoria, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Language: English

Topic: Biblical Studies and Interpretation

Subfield: Religious studies

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2589569016

FWCI: 8.499

Cites:

Cited by: 5

Related to: 10