The New Testament Mysticism Project

 

The New Testament Mysticism Project (NTMP) was organized under the auspices of the Society of Biblical Literature to facilitate the study of early Jewish and Christian mystical traditions in the New Testament writings.

The NTMP understands early Jewish and Christian mysticism as a tradition located within formative Judaism and Christianity, a tradition centering on the belief that a person directly, immediately and before death can experience God or his manifestation. These mystical encounters occur as waking visions, dreams, trances and auditions.   Usually this experience is garnered after certain preparations are made or rituals performed, although it can also be the result of rapture. The Jewish and Christian mystics most often describe their experiences in terms of spirit possession and ascent journeys.  The culmination of the experience is transformative in the sense that the mystic is invested with heavenly knowledge, joins the choir of angels in worship before the throne, or is glorified in body. 

 


 

 

The main goals of the New Testament Mysticism Project include the following:

  • defining the major mystical paradigms in the New Testament writings, their corresponding empirical indicators (distinct symbols, technical vocabulary, etc.) and the ways they emerge in the text;

  • determining (through the analysis of the emerging  clusters) the distinct features and the stage of development of the major mystical paradigms of the New Testament authors (Mark, Matthew, Luke, Paul, etc.) as well as the main heroes of the texts, including the figures of authority (Peter, James, John, Thomas, Mary Magdalene, Paul, etc.);

  • exploring the interrelationships between the features of mystical paradigms of the authors and the features of mystical paradigms of the heroes of the New Testament writings.

 

 

Editorial Board of the NTMP:

 April DeConick (Vol. I: The Synoptic Gospels, Acts, and the Johannine Corpus)

Kevin Sullivan (Vol. II: Pauline and Deutero-Pauline Epistles)

Andrei Orlov (Vol. III: The Catholic Epistles, Hebrews, Revelation)

 

 

Annual SBL/AAR Meeting
2006, Washington, D.C.
Gospel of Matthew

  • Chris Rowland  Synopsis                        "Mysticism and Matthew"

  • Andrei Orlov                Matthew 4:1-11          The Temptation Story

  • April DeConick            Matthew 5:8             "Blessed are the pure in heart"

  • Ron Afzal                     Matthew 7:21         "Not everyone Swill enter K of H"

  • Celia Deutsch              Matthew 11:25-30  "Hidden these things from wise"

  • Alan Segal                    Matthew 17:1-8          The Transfiguration Story

  • Chris Rowland             Matthew 18:10-12     "Their angels always behold the face"

  • Jonathan Draper           Matthew 18:20           "Where two or three are gathered"

  • Kevin Sullivan            Matthew 22:23-33     "Like the angels in heaven"

  • Andrea Lieber              Matthew 23:13   "You shut people out of the K of H"

  • Charles Gieschen          Matthew 28:19           "Baptizing them in the name"


 

 

 

If you have a professional interest in the work of the project, please let us know.

NTMP © 2005

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