Darian Lockett
Biola University, Talbot School of Theology, Faculty Member
The Catholic Epistles often get short shrift. But Darian Lockett contends that these seven letters provide a unique window into early Christian theology and practice. Emphasizing the epistles' interconnected vision, each chapter in this... more
The Catholic Epistles often get short shrift. But Darian Lockett contends that these seven letters provide a unique window into early Christian theology and practice. Emphasizing the epistles' interconnected vision, each chapter in this refreshing resource outlines one of the letters, traces its flow of thought, and explores shared themes with the other Catholic Epistles.
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This reference volume aims to be a kind of comprehensive status quaestionis for the Catholic Epistles. Here Darian Lockett has collected some of the highest quality scholarship concentred upon the Letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude,... more
This reference volume aims to be a kind of comprehensive status quaestionis for the Catholic Epistles. Here Darian Lockett has collected some of the highest quality scholarship concentred upon the Letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude, creating an introduction and orientation to the wide ranging avenues of scholarly investigation into these New Testament texts all in a single-volume. Divided into four distinct sections, the volume begins with an analysis of the Catholic Epistles as a collection, before moving to discuss historical-critical and theological studies, methodological approaches, and, finally, reception history. Taking care to situate foundational essays in the history of scholarship that may be hard to find or contextualize, Lockett offers a brief introduction to each section and draws each section to a close by providing a list of annotated readings which prompt further study and engagement with some of the last literature to be settled upon in the New Testament canon.
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Understanding Biblical Theology clarifies the catch-all term “biblical theology,” a movement that tries to remove the often-held dichotomy between biblical studies for the Church and as an academic pursuit. This book examines the five... more
Understanding Biblical Theology clarifies the catch-all term “biblical theology,” a movement that tries to remove the often-held dichotomy between biblical studies for the Church and as an academic pursuit.
This book examines the five major schools of thought regarding biblical theology and handles each in turn, defining and giving a brief developmental history for each one, and exploring each method through the lens of one contemporary scholar who champions it. Using a spectrum between history and theology, each of five “types” of biblical theology are identified as either “more theological” or “more historical” in concern and practice:
Biblical Theology as Historical Description (James Barr)
Biblical Theology as History of Redemption (D. A. Carson)
Biblical Theology as Worldview-Story (N. T. Wright)
Biblical Theology as Canonical Approach (Brevard Childs)
Biblical Theology as Theological Construction (Francis Watson).
A conclusion suggests how any student of the Bible can learn from these approaches.
This book examines the five major schools of thought regarding biblical theology and handles each in turn, defining and giving a brief developmental history for each one, and exploring each method through the lens of one contemporary scholar who champions it. Using a spectrum between history and theology, each of five “types” of biblical theology are identified as either “more theological” or “more historical” in concern and practice:
Biblical Theology as Historical Description (James Barr)
Biblical Theology as History of Redemption (D. A. Carson)
Biblical Theology as Worldview-Story (N. T. Wright)
Biblical Theology as Canonical Approach (Brevard Childs)
Biblical Theology as Theological Construction (Francis Watson).
A conclusion suggests how any student of the Bible can learn from these approaches.
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This book introduces the Catholic Epistles and discusses the different interpretive approaches that have been used to gain a clearer understanding of them. The first chapter defines the epistles and describes the history of their... more
This book introduces the Catholic Epistles and discusses the different interpretive approaches that have been used to gain a clearer understanding of them. The first chapter defines the epistles and describes the history of their canonization. Subsequent chapters are devoted to each of the texts. The treatment of the epistles includes discussions of the social-cultural context and historical background, genre, rhetorical and structural devices, purpose of writing, and various interpretive approaches such as postcolonial and feminist perspectives. At the end of each chapter there are suggestions for further reading and a list of reflection questions. Several chapters include a section or two considering a particular interpretive issue especially relevant to the particular text. After taking up each text, Lockett considers again whether the Catholic Epistles should be read as a unified whole or simply as individual voices. Here the book interacts with the ideas of Rob Wall and David Nienhuis regarding the thematic and theological connections running through the texts.
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In Purity and Worldview in the Epistle of James Darian Lockett argues against restricting the meaning of purity language to the individual moral sphere (as many commentaries do), and contends that purity language both articulates and... more
In Purity and Worldview in the Epistle of James Darian Lockett argues against restricting the meaning of purity language to the individual moral sphere (as many commentaries do), and contends that purity language both articulates and constructs the worldview of the letter of James. Lockett discusses the different methods of analysis of purity and offers a taxonomy of purity language. This taxonomy is then applied as an heuristic guide in order to understand then relative functions of purity and pollution in the epistle.
The result of this careful analysis enables Lockett to demonstrate not only that purity language is used at crucial points of the letter (1.26-27; 3.6, 17; 4.8) but that juxtaposition of purity and pollution functions strongly within James' overall strategy of 'contrasts' and is specifically intended to challenge decision -making of his audience. Purity language is seen to distinguish 'the world' as set against the purity of God, thereby implying the need for separation from the impure world in order to be wholeheartedly devoted to God. Lockett concludes with a consideration of what degree of separation the author of James envisaged. He postulates that James is not calling for a sectarian level of separation, but rather demonstrates a degree of cultural accommodation while simultaneously calling forth specific socio-cultural boundaries between his readers and the world.
The result of this careful analysis enables Lockett to demonstrate not only that purity language is used at crucial points of the letter (1.26-27; 3.6, 17; 4.8) but that juxtaposition of purity and pollution functions strongly within James' overall strategy of 'contrasts' and is specifically intended to challenge decision -making of his audience. Purity language is seen to distinguish 'the world' as set against the purity of God, thereby implying the need for separation from the impure world in order to be wholeheartedly devoted to God. Lockett concludes with a consideration of what degree of separation the author of James envisaged. He postulates that James is not calling for a sectarian level of separation, but rather demonstrates a degree of cultural accommodation while simultaneously calling forth specific socio-cultural boundaries between his readers and the world.
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Darian R. Lockett takes up the issue of early use of the Epistle of James (or the lack thereof) in the patristic period in his chapter titled “Use, Authority, and Canonical Status of James in the Earliest Church.” He considers the... more
Darian R. Lockett takes up the issue of early use of the Epistle of James (or the lack thereof) in the patristic period in his chapter titled “Use, Authority, and Canonical Status of James in the Earliest Church.” He considers the reception history of the epistle through the end of the fourth century, by which time the letter had been received as canonical. Specifically, Lockett sifts through the epistle’s literary relationships with 1 Peter, 1 Clement, and the Shepherd of Hermas for hints about the date of composition of James. Then, starting with the use made of the letter by Eusebius, Lockett works backwards to weigh evidence of early knowledge and use of James in patristic citations and in early canon lists. Attention finally turns to the manuscript tradition and what such early Christian artifacts might suggest about the use and authority of James.
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Numerous linguistic and thematic connections between James and 1 Peter have been well-documented, yet the common use of Leviticus 19 has not been noted as one of those significant connections. This article argues that James 2:1–13 and 1... more
Numerous linguistic and thematic connections between James and 1 Peter have been well-documented, yet the common use of Leviticus 19 has not been noted as one of those significant connections. This article argues that James 2:1–13 and 1 Peter 1:15–22 are both influenced by the larger literary context of Leviticus 19:2–18. Both texts cite Leviticus 19 directly (19:18b in Jas 2:8; 19:2 in 1 Pet 1:16) and both show evidence of secondary allusions to Leviticus 19 in the immediate context (19:15 in both Jas 2:1, 9 and 1 Pet 1:17). There is a further allusion to the command to love one’s neighbor (Lev 19:18b) in 1 Peter 1:22 which leads to the conclusion that both texts offer extended commentary on Leviticus 19 contextualizing the love command in the particular rhetoric of each letter. Finally, the article argues that this neglected parallel between James and 1 Peter must be considered in the reassessment of the larger question of the literary relationship between the two letters.
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A salvation-historical approach to biblical theology emphasizes the historical and progressive nature of revelation such that the Bible’s primary meaning is (too often) reduced to its reference to the sequential events of a special... more
A salvation-historical approach to biblical theology emphasizes the historical and progressive nature of revelation such that the Bible’s primary meaning is (too often) reduced to its reference to the sequential events of a special (salvation) history. After offering a general description of the development of the salvation-historical approach to biblical theology, the essay considers the representative example of D. A. Carson. Then, noting the criticisms of Hans Frei, Karl Barth, and Brevard Childs, the paper argues that limiting one’s biblical theology to a salvation-historical approach replaces Christ as the subject matter of both Testaments with “the temporally distinct and ordered stages of the history of salvation.” Although the insights of a redemptive-historical biblical theology are important, when taken as the exclusive methodology for biblical theology it risks flattening the relationship between the two Testaments and missing Scripture’s theological subject matter.
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Should the Catholic Epistles be read in isolation from each other, taking their individual historical situations as the guiding principle for their interpretation, or rather, do their literary and theological character as a discrete... more
Should the Catholic Epistles be read in isolation from each other, taking their individual historical situations as the guiding principle for their interpretation, or rather, do their literary and theological character as a discrete canonical collection constitute the context within which they should be read and interpreted? Though the modern era has been dominated by the historical-critical approach to biblical interpretation that considers these texts in isolation from one another, a vibrant discussion arguing that the Catholic Epistles should be read as a discrete canonical collection has been developing. This article offers a status quaestionis by outlining recent proposals for reading the Catholic Epistles as a collection, specifically considering the work of Peter Davids, Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr, Carey Newman, David Nienhuis and Robert Wall, and Brevard Childs.
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The traditional understanding of Jude 22-23 is that the author exhorts his audience to extend mercy to members of the community who are wavering in their faith due to the influence of the intruders. This position rests on two primary... more
The traditional understanding of Jude 22-23 is that the author exhorts his audience to extend mercy to members of the community who are wavering in their faith due to the influence of the intruders. This position rests on two primary asser- tions: first, that διακρινομένους (v. 22) be translated “doubt” and, second, that the three relative pronouns (οὕς) in vv. 22-23 refer to subcategories within Jude’s audience. Both of these assertions have been challenged on grammatical grounds. Building on such evidence, I argue that Jude’s “prophetic discourse” follows the traditional model of prophetic condemnation with a final offer of hope and mercy. Elements of typical Jewish prophetic literature’s paradigmatic warning, indictment, announcement of judgment, and final extension of mercy surface in Jude. Thus, not only grammatically but also in keeping with his “prophetic discourse,” Jude both announces condemnation and holds out hope of mercy for the intruders.
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As an academic discipline, Biblical Studies has traditionally taken up the tools of history and social context in an effort to situate and understand the texts of the New Testament. For over three-hundred years the historical-critical... more
As an academic discipline, Biblical Studies has traditionally taken up the tools of history and social context in an effort to situate and understand the texts of the New Testament. For over three-hundred years the historical-critical method has lead a majority of interpreters to read the Letters of James, Peter, and Jude in isolation from each other as discrete bits of communication between an individual author and a general audience. Yet, both the manuscript tradition and the history of interpretation indicate these letters have been read together as a rough collection. Eusebius is an early voice describing them as a specific collection (Hist. Eccl. 2.23.25) and Augustine seems to have read these letters as bearing a coherent apostolic theology (De fide et operibus 21). Two questions arise from this: When and why did these letters cease to be read together? The issue at hand is whether these letters should be read in isolation from each other, taking their individual historical situations as the guiding principle for their interpretation, or whether their literary and theological placement within the New Testament specifically and within the Christian canon generally should constitute the context within which they are interpreted. This paper outlines the early reception of James, Peter, and Jude (and 1—3 John) as a collection and reflects on the hermeneutical implications for reading these letters together.
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Biblical Theology is a much talked-about enterprise pursued with little agreement on method or goal. Biblical Theology’s lack of definition is out of proportion to the potential importance of its findings both for the academy and the... more
Biblical Theology is a much talked-about enterprise pursued with little agreement on method or goal. Biblical Theology’s lack of definition is out of proportion to the potential importance of its findings both for the academy and the church. Rather than offering a new definition of Biblical Theology, this paper sketches a framework for such a definition by describing various theories and practices of “whole Bible” Biblical Theologies published since 2000. Using the categories developed in Understanding Biblical Theology (Zondervan, 2012), this paper categorizes a range of recent offerings by plotting them on a spectrum extending from more historical to more theological. Noting especially how each work settles issues of historical diversity versus theological unity, the descriptive versus prescriptive nature of the discipline, whether Biblical Theology is an academic or ecclesial discipline, and especially the kind and degree of unity/disunity between the Old and New Testaments, this paper will isolate the weaknesses of each work. Here a pervasive weakness surfaces, namely, the failure to consider the canon as a criterion for Biblical Theology. Upon isolating this and other shortcomings, the paper will conclude by arguing for a broader, more eclectic approach to Biblical Theology—one that balances both historical and theological concerns as a fitting way forward.
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One line of current research in the Epistle of James focuses upon the inter-relationships between traditional wisdom, prophetic, and eschatological material. In support of this line of inquiry this article investigates the combination of... more
One line of current research in the Epistle of James focuses upon the inter-relationships between traditional wisdom, prophetic, and eschatological material. In support of this line of inquiry this article investigates the combination of eschatological and sapiential concerns in James by comparing James with the intertestamental Jewish wisdom document 4QInstruction. In comparing literary forms, and sapiential and eschatological themes, the thesis is advanced that both texts incorporate traditional sapiential themes within an eschatological world-view and, therefore, James, as wisdom paraenesis, is not novel in combining these two traditions.
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A salvation-historical approach to biblical theology emphasizes the historical and progressive nature of revelation such that the Bible’s primary meaning is (too often) reduced to its reference to the sequential events of a special... more
A salvation-historical approach to biblical theology emphasizes the historical and progressive nature of revelation such that the Bible’s primary meaning is (too often) reduced to its reference to the sequential events of a special (salvation) history. After offering a general description of the development of the salvation-historical approach to biblical theology, the essay considers the representative example of D. A. Carson. Then, noting the criticisms of Hans Frei, Karl Barth, and Brevard Childs, the paper argues that limiting one’s biblical theology to a salvation-historical approach replaces Christ as the subject matter of both Testaments with “the temporally distinct and ordered stages of the history of salvation.” Although the insights of a redemptive-historical biblical theology are important, when taken as the exclusive methodology for biblical theology it risks flattening the relationship between the two Testaments and missing Scripture’s theological subject matter.
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This article aims to reconsider the social function of purity language in the letter of James, specifically to ask whether such language indicates impermeable social boundaries and identity through difference. Looking at the relationship... more
This article aims to reconsider the social function of purity language in the letter of James, specifically to ask whether such language indicates impermeable social boundaries and identity through difference. Looking at the relationship between Christian community and culture through the lens of purity in James indicates a demand for separation between the believing community and culture. Yet the question remains what type and degree of separation. To clarify this question the article considers the overall cultural stance of James and what it may indicate regarding the degree and kind of separation in view. The research here suggests that forcing James into either an open or sectarian social stance fails to take account of the nuanced language of the letter. Rather than categorizing the letter as entirely open or sectarian, it is better to understand the boundary lines between church and culture as definite, yet permeable—strong in the case of antithetical values deriving from the world, weak in the case of social relationships.
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Should the Catholic Epistles be read in isolation from each other, taking their individual historical situations as the guiding principle for their interpretation, or rather, do their literary and theological character as a discrete... more
Should the Catholic Epistles be read in isolation from each other, taking their individual historical situations as the guiding principle for their interpretation, or rather, do their literary and theological character as a discrete canonical collection constitute the context within which they should be read and interpreted? Though the modern era has been dominated by the historical-critical approach to biblical interpretation that considers these texts in isolation from one another, a vibrant discussion arguing that the Catholic Epistles should be read as a discrete canonical collection has been developing. This article offers a status quaestionis by outlining recent proposals for reading the Catholic Epistles as a collection, specifically considering the work of Peter Davids, Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr, Carey Newman, David Nienhuis and Robert Wall, and Brevard Childs.
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1. Introduction: Purity in James 2. A Reassessment and Taxonomy of Purity Language 3. An Approach to the Text 4. Exegesis of Purity Language in James 5. Purity and the Cultural Stance of James 6. Summary and Conclusion.
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Preface Literature Introduction Commentary 1. Salutation and Address (1.1) 2. The Outcome of Trial (1.2-4) 3. Wisdom, Faith, Doubt (1.5-8) 4. The Contrary Futures of Poor and Rich (1.9-11) 5. Temptation and God (1.12-15) 6. The Goodness... more
Preface Literature Introduction Commentary 1. Salutation and Address (1.1) 2. The Outcome of Trial (1.2-4) 3. Wisdom, Faith, Doubt (1.5-8) 4. The Contrary Futures of Poor and Rich (1.9-11) 5. Temptation and God (1.12-15) 6. The Goodness of God (1.16-18) 7. Quick to Hear, Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger (1.19-21) 8. Hearing and Doing (1.22-25) 9. Pure Religion (1.26-27) 10. Partiality Condemned (2.1-13) 11. Faith Without Works (2.14-26) 12. The Sins of Speech (3.1-12) 13. Wisdom, Humility, Peace (3.13-18) 14. Friendship with the World Versus Friendship with God (4.1-12) 15. Denunciations of the Prosperous (4.13-5.6) 16. The New End and Patient Endurance (5.7-11) 17. Prohibition of Oaths (5.12) 18. Prayer, Healing, Restoration (5.13-20)
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The related issues of structure and coherence in James have been perennial questions for students of this letter. Though a number of studies have begun to appreciate the coherence of James, there has been little consensus regarding... more
The related issues of structure and coherence in James have been perennial questions for students of this letter. Though a number of studies have begun to appreciate the coherence of James, there has been little consensus regarding James' structure. This article attempts to bypass arguments regarding the structure of James to consider how the text seeks to communicate its overall (theological) message. Given the difficulty to clearly identify James' overall structure on the one hand, and the apparent thematic use of contrasts on the other, this article argues that the contrasts function to move readers to a decision between one of these two extreme "ways" or "paths" of living and that these contrasts largely function along the lines of the traditional Jewish "Two Ways" motif.
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Acknowledging that the concept/category of canon is the foundation for the dialect between theology and history within biblical interpretation, this paper offers an illustration of the difference canon makes in reading James and 1 Peter... more
Acknowledging that the concept/category of canon is the foundation for the dialect between theology and history within biblical interpretation, this paper offers an illustration of the difference canon makes in reading James and 1 Peter together within their context as Christian Scripture. In these letters both Jewish and Gentile readers are addressed as a "diaspora" people. This term not only marks out the eschatological people of God but also suggests a canonical link between the two texts.
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The concept of canon is crucial for understanding the relationship between theology and history in biblical interpretation. Avoiding reductionistic historical reconstruction on one hand and community centered theological appropriation... more
The concept of canon is crucial for understanding the relationship between theology and history in biblical interpretation. Avoiding reductionistic historical reconstruction on one hand and community centered theological appropriation untethered from the historical events to which Scripture points on the other, the idea of canon is the connecting point which holds the two necessary hermeneutical elements of history and theology together. Interpreting Scripture as canon will be the focus of my two lectures. This first talk will consider the limitations of grammatical-historical interpretation and how canon, can address these limitations specifically in its ability to balance the concerns of history and theology. Tomorrow I will give some concrete examples of what difference canon makes in interpretation focusing on how, within the context of the Catholic Epistles collection, the use of "diaspora" James and 1 Peter should be understood.
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101 Books on Biblical theology is a resource for anyone interested in learning more about how the diverse stories and themes of the Bible fit together as a whole. The list below is broken down into five intuitive sections, which are... more
101 Books on Biblical theology is a resource for anyone interested in learning more about how the diverse stories and themes of the Bible fit together as a whole. The list below is broken down into five intuitive sections, which are designed to help you explore various kinds of books about biblical theology: 1) Biblical Theology: What it is and How to Do It, 2) Whole-Bible Biblical Theologies, 3) Old Testament Biblical Theologies, 4) New Testament Biblical Theologies, and 5) Thematic Biblical Theologies. Each of these major sections are further divided into groups reflecting the level of difficulty and depth of engagement of the titles listed: “Turn to First,” “Next Steps,” and “Jedi Master.” As with any list, many titles have been left out, but the books included here represent the best resources to start your journey as a biblical theologian. Honorable mention of works not listed include several helpful books that discuss biblical theology and preaching, for example: Edmund Clowney, Preaching and Biblical Theology; Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture; and Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from the Old Testament. Also, while the following scholars are not found in the list below, each expresses a deep concern for biblical theology in their work and thus we list them here as suggestions for further reading: N.T. Wright, D.A. Carson, and Daniel Block, among many others. This list is offered in the hope that it might encourage further investigation of the depth and riches of the Bible as a single book, the comprehensive story of God.