Éles Éva

The Second Epistle of Peter makes an important, and in some ways unconventional con-tribution to our understanding of biblical eschatology. The main message of the Epistle is clear: this world must be destroyed by fire so that “new heavens and a new earth may take its place”. In the New Testament, only Revelation speaks so clearly about the cosmic consequences of the Day of the Lord. However, the statement about the great final conflagration raises literary, text-critical and theological questions. In this study we will approach these questions by considering the context in which the Epistle was written and by exploring the theological thread to which the motif of the final conflagration belongs.

The study begins with the homiletical exegesis of 2 Corinthians 8:7–9. In the first major section, preparatory elements take centre stage. Throughout the exploration of the pericope's historical, exegetical, and theological dimensions, we delve into the relationship between Paul and the Corinthians, the collection for Jerusalem and theological motifs such as incarnation and offertory. The homiletical exegesis is followed by an outline for a Christmas sermon. The final points of the study provide additional perspectives and illustrations for shaping the worship service.

In the field of homiletics, one of the most intriguing questions is the dynamics of the text-pastor-preacher triad. It is notable that these constituent elements are often more amenable to individual scrutiny than when examined collectively. What constitutes the text? Who embodies the role of the preacher? And what precisely characterises the sermon? In contemporary discourse, we possess a clearer understanding of these components than ever before. This paper undertakes an analysis of the homiletic approach pioneered by Wilfried Engemann, particularly his formulation of "competent homiletics". Engemann’s approach delves into the constituent elements with greater granularity and nuance, thereby endeavouring to apprehend the intricate relationship among them with utmost precision. Furthermore, this essay underscores the essential prelude to the text-pastor-preacher triad, namely the hermeneutical text-author-reader triangle. It is imperative to recognise that the dynamics and efficacy of the former are significantly influenced by the operation of the latter. Given due consideration to this factor, this paper presents a model of scriptural interpretation that holds the potential to catalyse significant creative processes within the pastoral practice of preaching. The potential applications of this model will be explored within the context of The First Letter of Peter.

For centuries, the position of the biblical text in the preaching of the church has been determined by the Reformed principle of Sola Scriptura. Preaching starts with the Bible and ends with it. The theories of Thomas G. Long and Wilfried Engemann point out that it is insufficient and inadequate to limit the biblical preaching of the church to this observation. What is needed are theories that give a contemporary and professional interpretation of biblicism as a homiletical category and that expose the paradigm shifts behind the pathos of Sola Scriptura. The synthesis has sought to present theologians who, with clarity and proper reflection, will help us interpret the paradigm shifts. The German Wilfried Engemann considers the homiletical triangle of text-preacher-congregation in the context of life lived by faith, and the American Thomas G. Long in the context of the encounter with Jesus. Engemann provides the preacher with a homiletic map, like an online Google map indicating the current road information: where to expect road repairs, traffic jams, direction extensions, etc. From Long, we get more of a “kerygmatic homiletics”, i.e. a compass instead of a map. Engemann’s concepts are more elegant, differentiated and original, Long’s are more prosaic, expansive and embedded. Both approaches are “lamps shining in a dark place” standing on the table of the contemporary preacher, who must be able to navigate both with compass and map until “the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” (2 Pt 1:19).

1 Peter 3:18–22 is one of the strangest and most difficult texts of the Scriptures. The paraenesis addressing the unjustly suffering Christians in Asia Minor is amended by a confession of faith. The pericope testifies that the death, resurrection, ascension and redemption of Christ has much broader spatial and temporal implications than one might think at first. This article aims to mark the exegetical and theological coordinates of the mysterious encounter between Christ and the souls in prison. Three questions will be explored: Who are these souls? What did Christ preach them about? When did the encounter take place?

This article engages in an ethical analysis of 1-2Peter. In these epistles the Christians of Asia Minor receive relevant and actualized ethical message. The ethical teaching of the Petrine letters is not presented in a distilled manner, because what is at stake here is not simply an ethical exigency but the very nature of the relationship between God and humans, God and the believer. In the case of 1Pt, the focus is on submissiveness and doing good especially in times of suffering, experiencing the power of the (epistemological) turn: from intuition to imitatio Christi. As for 2Pt, we find this Relationship embedded in the tension between effort and participation.