Understanding the New Testament

How can we read the New Testament? What is NT theology if any? 

Pistis Christou is a bone of contention

Pistis Christou or Pistis Iesou is a Greek genitive phrase. How to understand it is a bone of contention. In Paul's authentic letters, he uses this similar phrase at important junctures: Rom 3:21-22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; Phil 3:9. I argue that Paul means by the subjective genitive, that is, Christ's faithfulness. Watch my video. While we may compare various English translations of these texts, I will pick the following English translations for comparison: NRSV, NIV, KJV, and CEB.

Rom 3:21-22	Rom 3:26	Gal 2:16	Gal 2:20	Phil 3:9
-NRSV: "faith in Jesus" -NIV: "faith in Jesus" -KJV: "by the faith of Jesus" -CEB: "through the faithfulness of Jesus"	-NRSV: "faith in Jesus" -NIV: "faith in Jesus" -KJV: "of him which believeth in Jesus" -CEB: "faith in Jesus"	-NRSV: "faith in Jesus" -NIV: "faith in Jesus" -KJV: "by the faith of Jesus" -CEB: "through the faithfulness of Jesus"	-NRSV: "by faith in the Son of God" -NIV: "by faith in the Son of God" -KJV: "by the faith of the Son of God" -CEB: "by the faithfulness of God's Son"	-NRSV: "through faith in Christ" -NIV: "through faith in Christ" -KJV: "through the faith of Christ" -CEB: "from the faithfulness of Christ"

*No English translations, as far as I know, rendered the pistis christou phrase in Rom 3:26 as a subjective genitive. I argue that even this genitive phrase must be the subjective genitive ("faith of Jesus"). So, "God justifies the one who has the faith of Jesus."

NOW there is the updated edition of the NRSV, called NRSVue, which translates all the above phrases as the subjective genitive except for Phil 3:9. That is a big improvement.

For more about pistis christou, see my book: How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to Paul's Theology, Writings and World.

"The Story of Hannah From a Perspective of Han"

One reader matters! I received this message via email from an unknown person:

Good morning Professor Kim,
I just wanted to let you know that I came across your article "The Story of Hannah From a Perspective of Han" while preparing for a short devotional on Hannah’s prayer and honestly I was blown away! I had never either encountered your work or been introduced to this idea of thinking about theological concepts with anthropological embedded ideas and diversity frameworks (Korean-cultural lens). It was beautiful, inspiring, a breath of fresh air, and so exciting. I spent over four hours just reflecting on a couple of your thoughts and can’t wait to spend many more continuing to build on your ideas. I’m writing to say, from one follower of Jesus to another, THANK YOU! I was so blessed by your thinking and writing. May God continue to bless your work and your ministry is my prayer. Blessings on all this week will bring your way.

Faith, Western Christianity, and the New Testament

New article in the Encounter Journal

I forgot that this article of mine was published: “The Politics of Identity in Paul’s Gospel: In the Case of the Antioch Incident (Gal 2:11-14).” Encounter: A Journal of Theological Scholarship 80 (2020): 1-10.

Abstract:
This article seeks to explore the politics of identity in Paul’s gospel with a focus on the Antioch Incident (Gal 2:11-14). While Paul as a diaspora Jew is committed to spreading the gospel to the gentiles, Peter as a Jew based in Jerusalem is dedicated to spreading the gospel to Jews at home and abroad. When Peter visited Antioch, he was not consistent with his fellowship meal with the gentiles. Paul’s argument about proper Christian identity is to affirm both diversity and solidarity. While the former allows for different cultural identities, the latter demands a global identity seeking solidarity with other people, so that the truth of the gospel may reach all people.

Google Scholars informing me

Google Scholars informed me that my works (one book and one article) were cited multiple times in the following article:

Anthony J. Stiff, "Keeping the Feast: The Socializing Dynamics of the Eucharist, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, and Enabling Boundaries for Individuals with Disabilities#," Journal of Disability & Religion (2021), DOI: 10.1080/23312521.2021.1981793

Introduction
From the Apostolic period to the present day, followers of Christ have wrestled with faithfully practicing the Eucharist meal. Paul’s discussion in I Corinthians 11:17-34 of the conflicting social dynamics within the church in Corinth illustrates this point. The first half of this article will explore how the sacrifice of Christ, remembered by the church in the Eucharist feast, creates a socializing dynamic that expands communal margins allowing the church to live as a more inclusive, hospitable community that embraces diversity (Kim, 2014, pp. 23–32). This communal expansion was needed in Corinth, as Gerd Theissen argued. Theissen documented the ways the social and economic stratifications of the Hellenistic city of Corinth challenged how the body of Christ participated in the Eucharist (Theissen, 1982, pp. 69–174). With Theissen, this article claims that the Eucharist as a cruciform meal re-socialized the Corinthian body, pushing against rather than reinforcing the social fragmentation and marginalization brought about by the honor and shame culture of the Ancient Mediterranean world (Theissen, 1982, pp. 145–174). The Eucharist offered the church in Corinth a way to enable a new set of social boundaries by giving the community a cruciform location for its identity recognition. With Christ as Host, all who come through him are welcome at the feast as guests of honor. The power dynamics of old exclusionary social barriers were moved by a new center, enabling access without the social or economic stigma attached to an individual’s value.

My works cited
Yung Suk Kim, Christ's Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor (Fortress, 2008).
-------, "Reclaiming Christ’s body (soma christou): Embodiment of God’s Gospel in Paul’s Letters," Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 67.1: 20–29.

Writing philosophy

My writing philosophy is to write clearly, concisely, and coherently. I avoid long, complex sentences that are only clear as mud. Writing is a reflection of the mind and heart. Care must be given to the vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and structure of a text. Ideas must be expressed concisely yet vividly. Lastly, writing must be coherent, persuasive, and consistent.

When you think you hit the bottom of yourself

I am here because of my students. I am not perfect, but my passion for teaching and student success in class has always remained the same. I care for them. I care about their learning and unlearning. I believe critical study can reshape their understanding of scripture, society, church, and humanity. Writing is an essential part of rigorous study, and it is indispensable for academic success. I will do everything I can to help them prosper. I will encourage them to learn, teaching them what they need. I will also learn from them. On the first day of class, I begin with the following:

Trust God.
Trust yourself.
Trust your instructor.
Trust each other.
Trust the process.
We are in this together.

When you feel there is no hope within you, trust God. When you think you hit the bottom of yourself, that is not the end of the story. Don't beat yourself up. Look up to heaven. Remember that you are an able student. Trust yourself. Honor your instructor, and you may learn more than you expect. Consider your peers not as competitors but as learning partners. When things go rough--through hump and bump--stay the course. Ask for help. There is always a way out if you ask. Trust the process. We are all in this together.

Confucius sounds like Paul

Confucius summarizes the most basic ethical virtue with one word: 恕 shù, which means "having the same mind with others" (Analects 15:24). That is, one needs to consider others as oneself. One must think from the other's perspective and have empathy with others. This idea is well expressed in his word: rén zhě rén yě (仁者人也), which means: "To love is to become the person" (The Doctrine of the Mean). By the way, love (Ren in Chinese: 仁) appears frequently, 106 times, in the Analects of Confucius.

Examples of Abstract

My writing philosophy is to write clearly, concisely, and coherently. I avoid long, complex sentences that are only clear as mud. Writing is a reflection of the mind and heart. We need to be careful about the choice of a word, grammar, and structure of a sentence or the whole piece of writing. We must also express ideas concisely yet vividly. Lastly, we have to communicate ideas persuasively, maintaining consistency throughout the writing.

A good abstract must include the following: (1) what your paper is about (topic); (2) what is the point (thesis)?; (3) how your thesis is argued (methods or evidence); (4) what are the implications? Or why do you write? Below are the abstracts from my works. 

Yung Suk Kim, “Reclaiming Christ’s Body (soma christou) in Paul’s Letters,” Interpretation 67.1 (2013).

Traditionally, “the body of Christ” has been read through an organism metaphor that emphasizes unity of the community in Christ. The weakness of this reading is that there is no clear articulation of how members of the community are united with Christ. The body language in Paul’s letters can be best understood when read through a metaphor for a way of living that emphasizes Christ’s embodiment of God’s gospel. The body of Christ in Paul’s letters is, first of all, his physical body that represents his life and death. Then, derivatively, it is also associated with Christian living—for example, “You are Christ-like body” (1 Cor 12:27).

Yung Suk Kim, Monotheism, Biblical Traditions, and Race Relations. Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2021.

In the Hebrew Bible, various aspects of theism exist though monotheistic faith stands out, and the New Testament largely continues with Jewish monotheism. This book examines diverse aspects of monotheism in the Hebrew Bible and their implications to others or race relations. Also, it investigates monotheistic faith in the New Testament writings and its impact on race relations, including the work of Jesus and Paul’s apostolic mission. While inclusive monotheism fosters race relations, exclusive monotheism harms race relations. This book also engages contemporary biblical interpretations about the Bible, monotheistic faith, and race/ethnicity.

Yung Suk Kim, “Imitators” (Mimetai) in 1 Cor. 4:16 and 11:1: A New Reading of Threefold Embodiment,” Horizons in Biblical Theology 33.2 (2011): 147-170.  

Abstract

When it comes to the language of “imitation” (mimesis) in Paul’s letters (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:6-7; 2:14), divisions among scholars are most clearly manifest. At one end of the scholarly spectrum, Paul follows a Stoic model of imitation, according to which the teacher exhorts pupils to follow him, based upon his authority established (demonstrated) by good conduct. Accordingly, Paul is viewed as an advocate of the Hellenistic ideal of unity at the expense of diversity. At the other end of the spectrum, Paul is seen as a social conservative and an obstacle to true liberation. Here the idea of imitation serves as a means of control and domination of others, as post-colonial and feminist scholars have pointed out. So Paul’s exhortation to “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1) is understood as a demand for sameness, an appeal to copy Paul. However, the language of imitation can be read through the eyes of “embodiment”—a way of life, as an alternate meaning of imitation in 1 Corinthians, which will lead to the involvement of three aspects of God, Christ and the believer. I argue that imitation in 1 Corinthians is neither a copy or sameness nor a type or model to be emulated by the Corinthians. Rather, it should be understood as a way of life rooted in the image of Christ crucified, which plays a central role in the letter, deconstructing abusive, destructive powers in a community and society and reconstructing a beloved community for all.

Leticia A. Guardiola-Saenz, “Borderless Women and Borderless Texts: A Cultural Reading of Matthew 15:21-28,” Semeia 78 (1997): 69-81.  

Abstract 

As an exercise in cultural studies, this reading focuses not just on the written story and its socio-historical conditions of production, but also on the story as a site where the socio-historical conditions of consumption and the social location of the reader merge with the text to produce a borderless or hybrid "cultural" text. Such a hybrid text is the inception of the story in the cultural space of the reader, where it intermingles with the values, ideologies, and interpretations of the reader who has consumed and experienced the consequences of the interpretation of the story. The Canaanite woman's story is then read through the experience of a Mexican-American reader who crosses the ideological borders of the text to contend that the ideology of chosenness cannot be the final border up to which a reading of this story can go. This alternative reading of the story emerges as the suppressed voice of the Other strives to be heard in the re-casting of the story from the Canaanite woman's point of view. This interpretation comes as a reading strategy of liberation from the imperialistic readings that have been used to oppress and suppress the emergence of the Other.