Excerpts from John J. Kilgallen, "The Sadducees and Resurrection from the Dead: Luke 20,27-40" (1986)

  

The full context, then, determines what precisely is the question the Sadducees pose. Jesus’s response recognizes the precise nature of the question he is to address. To be exact, Jesus’s use of gameō shows his acceptance of the limited question of the Sadducees. In v. 34 gamiskontai indicates a repetitive aspect to marriage which corresponds very well with the situation of the woman described by the Sadducees. In v. 35, gamidsontai suggests a being ‘forced’ to marry, which corresponds to the situation of the woman forced by the Law to enter six marriages, as are the six brothers as well.

 

The combination of these verbal expressions together with the fuller contextual significance of the Sadducees’ final question indicates that Jesus intends to address a question of marriage in the terms in which it is posed: “Which of the seven mean will be husband of the woman in the next life, in order to raise up the requisite heir who will thwart the blotting out of the original husband’s name, who will perpetuate the house of the man.” It is to this limited question that Jesus responds; . . . (John J. Kilgallen, “The Sadducees and Resurrection from the Dead: Luke 20,27-40,” Biblica 67, no. 4 [1986]: 484-85)

 

 

. . .  translations of these forms of gameō are hypothetical. As for gamidsō, it is perhaps too much to press a sense of "forcing one to marry", though the verb is used designedly for those situations in which a woman's future is determined by another (1 Cor 7,38); in this response of Jesus, the "other" would be the Levirate Law. As for gam- iskō, it is quite true that the loci citati of the dictionaries do not carry any sense of repetitiveness and thus make my view 'antiquarian', but two questions lead toward an acceptance of my understanding. First, is Luke, aware of Mark's upcoming gamidsontai, using gamiskontai at an earlier place simply as a synonym? (Pace MONTANTI, my note 9). Secondly, though aware of the usual meaning of gamiskontai, Luke could be subtly recalling a repetitive sense of -isk, outmoded by Luke's day, yet part of the verb which makes it particularly significant in this Levirate Law situation. So it is reasonable to think Luke chose these verbs carefully in view of the circumstances within which Jesus is to frame his answer. Thus, it is the circumstances of the Sadducees' question which determine the way Jesus is to answer; the verbs reflect the effort to remain within these circumstances. Still, it remains true that this interpretation of these two verbs is hypothetical. (Ibid., 484 n. 16)

 

Examples of Greek and Latin Fathers Identifying the "Rock" of Matthew 16:18 with Christ or Peter's Confession

 The following comes from:

 

Hilarion (Troitsky) the Hieromartyr, “The Cornerstone of the Church,” in Bible, Church, History: A Theological Examination (trans. Nathan Williams; Uncut Mountain Press, 2025)

 

Greek Fathers:

 

Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew 54:3: “’Upon this rock’ . . . that is, on the faith of his confession [τη πιστει της ομολογιας]” (PG 58:324; NPNF1 10:333); Homilies on Matthew 82.3: “He . . . has built His church upon Peter’s confession [επι την ομολογια]” (PG 58:741; NPNF1 10:493) (398 n. 815)

 

 

Gregory the Theologian, Orations 32.18: “One is called rock, and is entrusted with the foundations of the church [ο μεν Πετρα καλειται, και τους θεμελιους ‘Εκκλησιας πιστευεται]” (PG 36:193C; SPP 56). (398 n. 820)

 

 

Epiphanius, Panarion 59.7: “[Peter] confessed that ‘Christ’ is ‘the Son of the living God,’ and was told, ‘On this rock of sure faith [τη πετρα ταυτη της ασφαλης πιστεως] will I build my church” (PG 41:1029B; The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, books 2 and 3, Frank Williams, trans. [Leiden & New York: J.E. Brill, 1987], p. 109). Shortly before this, Peter is called the rock which supports the Lord’s faith (στερεα πετρα θεμελιουσα την πιστην του Κυριου). (399 n. 821)

 

 

Cyril of Alexandria, A Dialogue on the Trinity 4: “Πετραν, ομαι, παρωνυμως, ετερον ουδεν, η την ακατασειστον και εδραιοτατην του μαθητου πιστιν αποκαλων, εφ’ η και αδιαπτωτως ερηρισται τε και διαπεπηγεν η ‘Εκκλησια Χριστου [The rock, I think, is what in similitude He is calling the unshakeable and most firm faith of the disciple upon which the Church of Christ is immovably built]” (PG 75:865C). (399 n. 822)

 

 

Latin Fathers:

 

Jerome, Commentary on Matthew 16:18: “To Simon, who believed in Christ the rock [petra] was granted the name of Peter [Petrus]” (FOTC 117:192). (398 m. 817)

 

 

Hilary of Poitiers, On the Trinity 6:36: “Super hanc confessionis petram Ecclesiae aedificatio est [This is the rock of confession whereon the Church is built]” (Migne, PL 10:186C; NPNF2 9:111); “Haec fides Ecclesiae fundamentum est [This faith it is which is the foundation of the Church]” (Ibid. PL 10:187A; NPNF2 9:112). (398 n. 818)

 

 

Ambrose of Milan, The Sacrament of the Incarnation of our Lord 5,34: “Fides est Ecclesiae fundamentum: non enim de carne Petri: sed de fide dictum est: quia portae mortis ei non praevalebunt [Faith, then, is the foundation of the Church, for it was not said of Peter’s flesh, but of his faith, that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’]” (FOTC 44:231). (398 n. 819)

 

 

Cassiodorus, Explanation of the Psalms 45.6: “Commoveri non potest Ecclesia, quae in solidissima petra, hoc est Domino Christo noscitur esse fundata [The Church cannot be moved as it is seen to be founded on the most solid rock which is the Lord Jesus]” (PL 70:330C; ACW 51:455). (399-400 n. 825)

 

 

Erik Eynikel and Jeremy Corley on the Use of Genesis 2:7 in Wisdom 15 and the Screed Against Idolatry

  

Another echo of Gen 2:7 appears in Wisdom of Solomon, where the author criticizes and idolater for worshiping images of wood or ceramics. Such created things, venerated as gods, have no living spirit, because an ignorant human being made them: “He did not know the one who formed him and inspired [εμπνευσαντα] him with an active soul and breathed him and inspired [εμφυσησαντα] him with an active soul and breathed [εμφυσησαντα] a living spirit [πνευμα ζωτικον] into him” (Wis 15:11). The statement that the idol-maker received life (πνευμα), breathed by God, is a clear allusion to the creation of Adam (Gen 2:7). Moreover, having received the breath of life from God, the human being is depicted in Wis 15:16 as “one whose spirit is borrowed” (το πνευμα δεδανεισμενος). Similarly, Wis 16:14 parallels “spirit” and “soul,” saying that only God has control over death and life: “A person in his wickedness kills but cannot bring back the departed spirit [εξελθον πνευμα] or set free the soul that has been taken [ψυχην παραλημφθεισαν]” (cf. Deut 32:39; Tob 13:2). (Erik Eynikel and Jeremy Corley, “Πνευμα in the Septuagint,” in Missed Treasures of the Holy Spirit: Distinctive New Testament Pneumatologies, ed. Jeremy Corley and Jessie Rogers [Catholic Biblical Quarterly Imprints 5; Eugene, Oreg.: Cascade Books, 2024], 64)

 

Jessie Rogers on the Eschatological Interpretation of επιουσιον

  

Another option is that αιων (“age”) and not ημερα (“day”) is the implied noun qualified by επιουσιον. In other words, it is of the age that is coming. This would render the request one for “the bread of the age to come.” Although αιων does not appear in the immediate context, it occurs a few times in Luke, particularly to distinguish between the present age and the age to come. It is used with the nearer demonstrative in Luke 16:8 to compare the children of this age with the children of light. In Luke 20:34 it is used with the father demonstrative and linked to the resurrection from the dead, clearly referring to the culmination of God’s kingdom. Luke 18:30 compares the present time with the age to come (εν τω αιωνι τω ερχομενω). Both “age” and “day” are temporal, but where “the coming day” could have this-worldly as well as an eschatological meaning, “the coming age” would be indisputably the latter.

 

To read επιουσιον as referring to “the coming (age”) would be consonant with the eschatological context suggested in the earlier appeal that God’s kingdom come. It would suggest a continuation of the eschatological focus instead of a shift to a request for the mundane necessities of life. (Jessie Rogers, “’The Bread of the Age to Come’: The Holy Spirit in Luke 11:1-13,” in Missed Treasures of the Holy Spirit: Distinctive New Testament Pneumatologies, ed. Jeremy Corley and Jessie Rogers [Catholic Biblical Quarterly Imprints 5; Eugene, Oreg.: Cascade Books, 2024], 154-55)

 

 

Arthur A. Tiger on Paul's Missing Epistle in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11

  

The evidence is unambiguous. In his first canonical letter to the Corinthians, Paul refers to a previous communication: “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people” (1 Cor 5:9). This letter—which scholars call the “Previous Letter” or “Corinthians A”—has not survived. (Arthur A. Tiger, The Last Epistles of Paul: What Was Left Outside the New Testament [2d ed.; His Story for Us Publishers, 2025], 9)

 

 

The reference in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 allows us to establish certain facts about the Previous Letter while leaving much uncertain. What we can know with reasonable confidence includes several key points. The letter addressed the topic of sexual immortality (πορνεια). This was evidently, as the extended treatment in 1 Corinthians 5-7 demonstrates. The Previous Letter initiated Paul’s engagement with this issue. The letter instructed the Corinthians to avoid close association with sexually immoral persons. The specific verb (συναναμιγνυσθαι) and the noun (πορνοις) are preserved in Paul’s summary. The letter was received and read by the Corinthian community before 1 Corinthians was written. This establishes a relative chronology: Previous Letter, then misunderstanding, then 1 Corinthians with its clarification. The letter was sufficiently ambiguous, at least on this point, to permit a misreading. Paul does not accuse the Corinthians of willful distraction; he simply clarifies what he meant. (Arthur A. Tiger, The Last Epistles of Paul: What Was Left Outside the New Testament [2d ed.; His Story for Us Publishers, 2025], 29)

 

 

On the proposal that 2 Cor 6:14-7:1 preserves fragments of this missing epistle:

 

. . . there are significant arguments against identifying 2 Cor 6:14-7:1 as a fragment of the Previous Letter. The content does not match. Paul summarizes the Previous Letter as instructing Corinthains not to associate with sexually immoral persons (πορνοις). But 2 Cor 6:14-7:1 focuses on separation from unbelievers in general, with no specific mention of sexual immorality. The passage addresses a different situation. The Previous Letter’s instruction was misunderstood to mean separation from the sexually immoral “of this world.” But 2 Cor 6:14-7:1 actually does seem to call for separation from outsiders, which is precisely the misunderstanding Paul corrects in 1 Cor 5:10-11. Interpolation is a simpler explanation. If 2 Cor 6:14-7:1 is out of place in its current context, it may be a later scribal addition rather than a Pauline fragment. The manuscript tradition shows no evidence of the passage’s absence, but interpolations could have occurred very early.

 

The scholarly consensus, while not unanimous, tends to reject the identification of 2 Cor 6:14-7:1 with the Previous Letter. The passage may be an interpolation, or it may be an originally Pauline digression that fits awkwardly in its current location. Either way, it does not clearly correspond to what Paul describes in 1 Cor 5:9. (Arthur A. Tiger, The Last Epistles of Paul: What Was Left Outside the New Testament [2d ed.; His Story for Us Publishers, 2025], 33-34)

 

“Man of God” as a Prophet or Appointed Ecclesiastical Leader in Uniquely LDS Scripture (cf. 2 Timothy 3:17)

  

And a prophet of the Lord [Abinadi] have they slain; yea, a chosen man of god, who told them of their wickedness and abominations, and prophesied of many things which are to come, yea, even the coming of Christ. (Mosiah 7:26)

 

And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of god, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments. (Mosiah 23:14)

 

And it came to pass that Alma, being a man of god, being exercised with much faith, cried, saying: O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands to save and preserve this people. (Alma 2:30)

 

As I was journeying to see a very near kindred, behold and angel of the Lord appeared unto me and said: Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord; yea, a holy man, who is a chosen man of god; for he has fasted many days because of the sins of this people, and he is an hungered, and thou shalt receive him into thy house and feed him, and he shall bless thee and thy house; and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon thee and thy house. (Alma 10:7)

 

And the people began to plead with the chief judges and their leaders, that they would say unto Nephi: Behold, we know that thou art a man of god, and therefore cry unto the Lord our God that he turn away from us this famine, lest all the words which thou hast spoken concerning our destruction be fulfilled. (Helaman 11:8)

 

And behold, the people did rejoice and glorify God, and the whole face of the land was filled with rejoicing; and they did no more seek to destroy Nephi, but they did esteem him as a great prophet, and a man of god, having great power and authority given unto him from God. (Helaman 11:18)

 

And let the bishop search diligently to obtain an agent, and let him be a man who has got riches in store—a man of god, and of strong faith—(D&C 90:22)

 

Merrill and Harper on how late the source are that claim Joseph Smith Taught One Would Commit Suicide to Get to the Telestial Kingdom

  

In 1900, Lorin Farr reported having heard Joseph Smith say something like, “If we knew the condition of the spirits in the spirit world, thousands would commit suicide to get there.” Weber Stake High Priests Quorum Minute Book, 1896–1929, series 13, vol. 1, October 27, 1900, 110. Charles Lowell Walker heard Wilford Woodruff refer to Joseph teaching “that if the People knew what was behind the vail, they would try by every means to commit suicide that they might get there, but the Lord in his wisdom had implanted the fear of death in every person that they might cling to life and thus accomplish the designs of their creator.” A. Karl Larson and Katherine M. Larson, eds., The Diary of Charles Lowell Walker (Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 1980), 1:465–66. (Timothy G. Merrill and Steven C. Harper, “‘It Maketh My Bones to Quake’: Teaching Doctrine and Covenants 85,” Religious Educator 6, no. 2 [2005]: 95 n. 11)

 

Further Reading:

Committing Suicide to get to the Telestial Kingdom?

Answering the Question: "Why Don't You Kill Your Kids before they Reach the Age of Accountability if they are Guaranteed Celestial Glory?"