Biblical Theology

Abstract

Biblical Theology Fred W. Guyette, Christopher T. Begg, Thomas Hieke, and Carol J. Dempsey OP Fred W. Guyette Erskine College and Seminary Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America Thomas Hieke Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz Carol J. Dempsey OP University of Portland 674. [Christian Ethics and the Hebrew Bible] Julián Andrés and González Holguín, "Christian Ethics and the Hebrew Bible," The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible and Ethics, 306-19 [see #777]. There are good reasons to be suspicious of people who claim to know "exactly what the Bible says" on a certain subject—as if they owned it themselves. Something that would be much more exciting, although potentially much more troubling, too, is an encounter with Scripture itself and the mysterious questions raised by Bible stories. Genesis 22 is a good example of a story that resists any definitive interpretation. Abraham brings his cherished son Isaac to Mt. Moriah for the sole purpose of sacrificing him, according to God's command. To obey God is normally a good thing, yes? But what if we should "hear" God commanding us to do something immoral? Would we not question the wisdom of our doing so, at least? Abraham does not understand why God wants this to happen. At the last possible moment, an angel appears to Abraham and tells him to stop what he is doing. "Do not harm the boy!" But again, we do not know why. Judging by the subsequent chapters in Genesis, Isaac was traumatized by Abraham's apparent willingness to go through with the sacrifice. Sarah was traumatized, too. Their experience on Mt. Moriah was just that terrifying. As for Abraham, he does not have much to say to anyone after what happened on Mt. Moriah. Isaac becomes deeply contemplative, almost completely silent. Rather than taking the initiative to seek a bride for himself, a young woman must be found for Isaac. His marriage to Rebecca has to be arranged by others, lest Abraham and Sarah end up without descendants. And yet, the message Moses hears at the burning bush does confirm Isaac's role in salvation history as Christians understand it: "I am the God of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." What does this all prove? That questions might be more important than answers when it comes to reflection in Christian theology and ethics.—F.W.G. Google Scholar 675. [Protection of Strangers in the Pentateuchal Law Codes] José Antonio Bande García, "La protección hacia el extranjero en los principales códigos legales del Pentateucho," StOv 47 (2019) 247-60. The centerpiece of B.'s essay is his survey of the three major pentateuchal legal codes, i.e., the Covenant Code of Exodus 21–23; the Deuteronomic Code of Deuteronomy 12–26; and the Holiness Code of Leviticus 17–26 and their respective laws concerning Israel's dealings with foreigners with whom it comes in contact against the background of the given code's historical context. This central portion of his study is preceded by remarks on Israel's own experience of living in a land not its own and of Yhwh's accompaniment of its ancestors on their way toward the land allotted them by Yhwh as a motivation for all the pentateuchal laws enjoining respect for strangers, as well as a consideration of the Hebrew terms (zār, nokrî, and gēr) which the laws use in reference to various categories of non-Israelites. The essay concludes with a synthesis of the pentateuchal laws' message concerning the required treatment of the stranger and its ongoing relevance for contemporary Christians living in a highly mobile and globalizing world.—C.T.B. [End Page 225] Google Scholar 676. [Jewish Ethics and the Hebrew Bible] Deborah Barer, "Jewish Ethics and the Hebrew Bible," The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible and Ethics, 291-305 [see #777]. Jewish ethics are often misunderstood, especially when their scope is reduced to questions such as: "What does the Law say about that?" What halakhah teaches is less like a formulaic "answer," and more like a mode of reasoning or working through a...