Biblical Theology

Abstract

Biblical Theology Christopher T. Begg, Fred W. Guyette, Brian J. Meldrum, Richard A. Taylor, and William J. Urbrock Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America Fred W. Guyette Erskine College and Seminary Brian J. Meldrum Catholic University of America Richard A. Taylor Dallas Theological Seminary William J. Urbrock University of Wisconsin Oshkosh 1558. [Eroticism and Sexuality in the Laws of the Torah] Rainer Albertz, "Erotik und Sexualität in den Gesetzen der Torah. Nicht nur ein Störfaktor, sondern auch ein Menschenrecht," Erotik und Ethik, 41-57 [see #1683]. In this essay, A. shows that eroticism and sexuality are a human right which is already reflected upon in the OT. Following a survey of the relevant vocabulary in the juridical texts of the Torah, A. analyzes the "disruptive factor" which various forms of sexuality appear to be in the Torah's legal texts, e.g., when a man seduces an unmarried young woman (Exod 22:15-16). A.'s thoroughgoing investigation of the texts in question [End Page 560] shows that the existing and approved free sexuality of (young) people was seen as a threat for the order of society and so was redirected into the institution of marriage. However, this stance should not be too quickly dismissed as outmoded; rather its value as a protection for the intimate relationship of sexuality and eroticism calls for appreciation. [Translated and adapted from editors' introduction, pp. 7-8—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1559. ["Divination" in Hebrew and Greek Bibles] A. Graeme Auld, "'Divination' in Hebrew and Greek Bibles: A Text-Historical Overview," Prophetism and Hellenism, 55-67 [see #1682]. A. starts with a short glimpse at the different kinds of religious specialists who occupied themselves with divination in the Greek context. From there, he proceeds to an examination of the lists of mantic practitioners in the Hebrew Bible, Deut 18:9-14 in particular. He compares the Greek equivalents for the MT designations for these figures in this passage as well as elsewhere in the OT. In so doing, A. traces a line of ongoing "nebiization," or, in other words, from divination and manticism toward prophecy in the materials studied by him. He detects the earliest stages of this development in what he reconstructs as the common source of both Chronicles and Samuel–Kings which he calls the "Book of the Two Houses." [Adapted from editors' summary, pp. 5-6—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1560. [Divine Names in Judaism and Islam] Hillel Ben-Sasson, "Representation and Presence: Divine Names in Judaism and Islam," HTR 114 (2, 2021) 219-40. Divine names are linguistic objects that underlie the grammar of religious language. They serve as both representations and presentations of the divine. As representations, divine names carry information pertaining to God's nature or actions, and his unique will, in a manner that adequately represents him. As presentations, divine names are believed to somehow effect divine presence in proximity to the believer, opening a path of direct connection to God. This paper seeks to analyze the interaction between presentation and representation concerning divine names as found in major trends within Judaism and Islam, from the Hebrew Bible and the Qurʾan to medieval theological debates. It aims to demonstrate how central currents within both traditions shaped the intricate relationship between presentation and representation through the prism of divine names. Whereas positions adopted in philosophy of language focus on either the representational or the presentational functions of proper names, Jewish and Islamic theologies suggest ways to combine the two functions with regard to divine names. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1561. [Breastfeeding in the HB] Claudia D. Bergmann, "Infant Israel Growing Up: The Theme of Breastfeeding in the Hebrew Bible," Bib 102 (2, 2021) 161-81. This article investigates the contexts in which the theme of breastfeeding occurs in the Hebrew Bible in order to determine to what extent these texts take on a literary function that goes beyond the historical information, biological facts, and descriptions of human emotions they convey. The article finds that references to breastfeeding often appear in narratives about changing circumstances for individuals as well...