Hill Road Journal

A Hope in Total Darkness: A Hidden Messianic Hope in the Book of Samuel

Tony HK SHER

Deuteronomic History, composed of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, is considered to be written in the 6th century BC at the time of the destruction of the Israelite kingdoms, with the main purpose of explaining to the survivors the reason why the disaster has fallen upon them. But is the only purpose of this masterpiece merely to pass a pessimistic message to its readers telling them the disaster that came to them was because of their and their fathers' sinful deed, as proposed by Martin Noth , the advocate of the Deuteronomic Historical theory? This paper argues that a Messianic hope is embedded in a crucial episode of the work, ie the book of Samuel, in particular in the three songs of the book, the Song of Hannah, the Song of David, and the Last Word of David. All these songs fit in with their literary contexts, yet at the same time creating tension with them. This tension directs the readers away from the time and events narrated in the stories surrounding these songs to events to come—a hope for the future. It is this embedded hope that is most needed in the time of darkness for the survivors to face up to their current hardship and to repent and return to the proper path of faith.

How Metaphors Related to Plants Evoke Hope in the Book of the Twelve

Marcus KM TSO

This paper gives a succinct introduction to two seminal cognitive approaches to the study of metaphors, namely, Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Conceptual Blending Theory. It then identifies instances of images of plants in the Book of the Twelve and how they might evoke hope, as metonymies of the blessings of the good life, as metaphors for God's people, and in a unique instance, as metaphors for God. The paper then analyzes these metaphors using the cognitive approaches presented, seeking for coherence among the diversity of related but inconsistent metaphors. Drawing from the results, this paper focuses on how the predominant metaphorical blend “people as tree” had continued its life in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament, outlining some of the ways the blend had been elaborated through different self-definitions and theologies. The body of this paper finishes by applying metaphor theories to examine the continuities and discontinuities between how plant-related metaphors might work in the contemporary world and how they might have worked in antiquity. This results in the proposal of two general strategies for working with these biblical metaphors in the church now. Finally, and following the insights of the cognitive approaches presented, this paper concludes that the best way to release the power of metaphors to evoke hope today is not only to understand how they work but to explore and live in the blend.

Giving Back Our Deserved Honor—Taking Philippians 2:5-11 and 4:4-9 as Examples

Michelle HY CHAN

New Testament scholar Vernon Robbins highly values the importance of anthropology in the study of the New Testament, pointing out that the authors of the New Testament deliberately cultivated a unique culture of Christianity through their writings. This is to distinguish the Christian community from other groups in society and to give them a special and attractive identity so that they would not be absorbed by other contemporary cultures. Another New Testament scholar, Joseph Hellerman, points out that the colony of Philippi was highly conscious of social status symbols. In addition, Paul used quite a lot of honor and shame language in Philippians. It is thus reasonable to assume that the Philippians were living in a strong culture of honor and shame.
The purpose of this article is to explore how Paul uses an honor and shame discourse in Philippians to construct the concept of honor and shame in Christian culture. On the one hand, it is to provide a powerful justification for the humiliation suffered by Jesus and Paul himself. On the other hand, it serves to transform the Philippians' cultural values of honor and shame, thus helping them to establish their Christian identity. This article first explores the concept of honor and shame in other non-Christian cultures by examining the literature of the Greeks, the Romans, and the Jews. Then an analysis is made by comparing their concept of honor and shame with that in the discourse of Philippians 2:5-11 and 4:4-9, so as to get a glimpse of the Christian concept of honor and shame that Paul wants to construct.

Hope in Hebrews

Luke L. CHEUNG

The first readers of Hebrews were facing the crisis of yielding to the pressures of persecution, losing sight of the right perspective in life, and deviating from the focus of Christ as central to their confession of faith. Hebrews points out that believers are a pilgrim community moving towards the ultimate life goal, entering into the glorious presence of God, the eschatological rest, the abiding city, the heavenly Jerusalem. It is through Christ as the faithful and merciful high priest that this hope for them has been secured. Through incarnation, suffering, and death, God's Son was perfected and appointed as the heavenly high priest who dedicated himself as sacrificial atonement for people's sins, and he is seated at the right hand of the throne of God in the heavens. In this way, the way to God has been opened for those who believe not only as the ultimate hope at the end but even now. This picture of hope that Jesus achieved for believers inspires them to hold on to the confession of Jesus, the Son of God, as the Great High Priest and holdfast to this hope. Jesus as the Great High Priest is the one through whom the family of God is empowered to face life's pressures, even death. The solidarity of the Son with the sons of God through incarnation is the source of inspiration for them to identify with the Son in shame and suffering, even in martyrdom. The solidarity of the members of the family of God in turn becomes another source of strength for them.
The pilgrim community of the people of God believes and trusts in the one faithful God, with the one Great High Priest over them. This is a community of mutual dependence, holding fast to and embracing one hope, their ultimate destiny. This hope is an objective reality, not a subjective affection. It inspires believers to make the right decisions in life. Eventually, it is Christ who is forever faithful to the family of God and will bring his brothers and sisters into the ultimate glory of God's presence.

Concepts in Action with the Hope

PAN Yi Jung

Due to the epidemic, I have had the opportunity to perceive different Chinese Christians' struggles and spiritual needs through online conferences and workshops. People often asked how we can recognize God's presence and activity when the future looks uncertain. Many church leaders shared their sense of helplessness when facing the uncertainty ahead. Contrary to the practice of the last decade, the changing world drove church leaders to adjust their strategies in developing ministries. Numerous ministers are exploring new approaches to guide their congregations.
This article analyzes the nine basic approaches in the tradition of contemplative spirituality and reflects on their different orientations in spiritual transformation. Because of their diverse emphases of spiritual practices, there is variety in the combination between contemplation and action. This article highlights the common ground of contemplation situated between the nine approaches—to get closer to God and to experience the presence of God, which is the ultimate hope in daily life. Especially, the contemplative is emphasized to experience God's interaction in action.
The notion of contemplative in action opens up the passionate concern of the real world, which suggests a profound understanding of God comes from contemplation as well as action in a real context. From the perspective of practical theology, the construction of theology should pay attention to the unique situation of the varied place, including different cultures, personal experiences, and perspectives of marginalized groups. Both historical situations and human experience can be important locations for understanding God's actions. Furthermore, the transcendent God has always been at work in all things. He is willing to act in individuals and churches. He calls and guides people through the Holy Spirit, and even accompanies the world through churches. God continuously leads history towards His salvation plan. Moreover, because the kingdom of God is constantly being manifested in human beings and within the world, the actual practice itself is the locus of theology. Individuals and churches reflect on the Christian faith through serving the Lord and experiencing His presence in grounded practice.
This article argues that Christians can realize hope not only in the far future but also in daily life and communal hospitality by establishing daily rhythms between contemplative life and active life. Facing the unknown journey, God's leading presence and companionship become pilgrims' hope and strength.

“Be Water” Christians Become Bridging Agents – Reading Gathering and Scattering Narratives in the Book of Acts

Sin Pan HO

Because of persecution from fellow civic groups in their cities, Christians were scattered to different places but they would gather again and live out their Christian lives. The Book of Acts testifies to the gathering and scattering of Jesus' groups. Some scholars seek to explain the narrative purpose in Acts in the light of prophecies in Jewish scriptures, particularly the Book of Isaiah. Some scholars explain it from missiological insights and interpret the expansion of Jesus' groups in terms of cultural distance.
This article selects three narratives about gathering and scattering in Acts and does biblical exegesis mainly from the perspective of narrative criticism: figuring out the narrator's messages from his storytelling methods, including the plot's design and the story's character development. As a result, I propose some reflections on the narrative messages and their relevance to the present Christian communities in Hong Kong and Chinese diaspora communities worldwide.

How Scrupulosity Transformed into Religious Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Dennis HC CHAN

This article presents the history of scrupulosity by discussing the opinions of the Jesuits, the research of a historian, and the viewpoints of clinical psychologists, and points out that Ignatius of Loyola got rid of his scrupulosity by a method similar to modern behavioral therapy. illuminated the author that Martin Luther overcame the same problem by adopting a method similar to modern cognitive therapy. The combination of the two methods is similar to today's cognitive behavioral therapy, which is currently the most effective method for coping with scrupulosity. However, the transformation of the scrupulous should not only involve cognition and behavior, but also conscience, five senses, emotions, etc. Therefore, integrating psychotherapy and spiritual exercises would lead to a more holistic transformation.