In an essayistic manner, drawing on both exegetical and systematic theological insights, this paper explores the contours of the notion of authority in the New Testament, arguing that authority in the New Testament is primarily the performance of (liberating) authority by Christ, to which the New Testament witnesses. This witness is the New Testament’s own source of authority, but only in as far as the communities reading the New Testament engage in a communal praxis that is in line with Jesus’ own exercise of authority. The New Testament, it is argued, operates in a manner similar to that of a sacrament, while the diversity contained within its canon offers encouragement for an ongoing search for identity in Christ, rather than constituting a theological embarrassment.

中文翻译：

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新约中的权柄和新约的权柄

本文以散文的方式，借鉴解经和系统神学的见解，探讨了新约中权威概念的轮廓，认为新约中的权威主要是基督对（解放）权威的表现，新约见证人。这个见证是新约自己权威的来源，但仅限于阅读新约的社区参与与耶稣自己行使权威一致的公共实践。有人认为，新约以类似于圣礼的方式运作，而其正典所包含的多样性鼓励人们不断寻求基督的身份，而不是造成神学上的尴尬。