Biblical Texts Research Articles

The Changing Character of Iron Age Jerusalem as Revealed in the Ophel Excavations

ABSTRACT Excavations by Benjamin and Eilat Mazar on the Ophel – south of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount – have yielded important and substantial remains from the Iron Age. This area stands close to where the biblical text locates the Israelite royal precinct, about which we know almost nothing archaeologically. Aspects of these remains have been presented and discussed in recent publications by Eilat Mazar, Ariel Winderbaum, Israel Finkelstein, and the present author. Winderbaum’s work adds significant new information. The present paper critically evaluates Winderbaum’s conclusions, against the backdrop of Mazar’s and Finkelstein’s conclusions, and offers a significantly different reconstruction of the area’s Iron Age history, particularly in relation to the 11th, 10th and 9th centuries bce.

Genesis 3:16—Text and Context

Genesis 3:16 is arguably the most troubling biblical verse for issues of gender relations and women’s roles. It figures prominently in later Jewish and especially Christian sources, and discussions in those texts have influenced subsequent understandings of the verse and of the Eden narrative in which it is embedded. This article engages in a careful reading of the biblical text in order to elucidate its meaning apart from later traditions. Recognizing the poetic character of the four lines of this verse is an important part of the analytical process, as is situating it within the Eden tale. Also, because no text arises in a vacuum, considering the Iron Age context—the world of the Israelite populace, that is, the world behind the text, a world vastly different from our own—provides the requisite socio-historical sensitivity. An awareness of that ancient context means openness to a suggestion about what Gen 3:16 may have meant to its ancient audience.

And to thine own self be true: ideological tensions of Orthodox Bible teachers in pluralistic schools

ABSTRACT This phenomenological study looks at the ideological dilemmas that religiously Orthodox Jewish Bible teachers face when teaching in a pluralistic environment, where the majority of students would identify with a non-religious or secular worldview, in its varied manifestations. The study used a theoretical framework of ideological dilemmas, combined with pedagogical hermeneutic orientations, to understand the lived experience of these teachers and to identify the specific tensions that they encounter in classroom interactions. Ten teachers of diverse Orthodox affiliations participated in semi structured interviews to uncover their lived experience of the pluralistic school milieu, their students’ beliefs. Their pedagogical decisions in interpretation of Biblical texts and their hermeneutical approaches, were used as a vehicle for understanding these experiences. Two areas of tension emerged: 1. remaining authentic to their own beliefs while being sensitive to those of their students, and 2. the tension between the value they placed on pluralism from a pedagogical standpoint, while resisting this worldview on a personal level.

Orality and Memory in Bible Translation

In the last three years, the field of Bible translation has seen a growing interest in oral Bible translation. While this has been seen as an advantage in bringing the Bible to cultures where orality is the norm, surprisingly, the oral nature of the biblical text in the Hebrew Bible has received less attention. Usually, indigenous translators have worked from Bible translations that have been produced for written language, making the text more difficult to translate into their languages in an oral way. In this article I advocate for a closer exploration of the Hebrew text, its characteristics, and its oral forms, as a means of facilitating the work of translators in oral Bible translations.

Tensions, struggles and forbidden sexual relations in Noah’s Ark: The narrative of the “uncalm ark” in the Aggadic homilies

The biblical text does not mention any events that occurred in the ark during the flood. The impression formed by the verses is that life in the ark involved no problems and everything seems to have proceeded smoothly (7:15–8:19). The creatures in the ark, apparently, existed harmoniously side by side with no territorial boundaries, tensions, or rivalries. The current study discusses three midrashim that refute the impression formed by the text. The midrash portrays negative occurrences within the ark. One deals with forbidden sexual relations in the ark, the second relates to the rivalry and confrontation between the cat and the mouse, and the third is about the lion that injures Noah and renders him disabled. The midrashim relating that which occurred within the ark strengthen the insight whereby the evil urges of the creatures, and first and foremost of humankind, did not change, and the attempt to create a new ideal and sinless system did not meet with success.

Stages of Ancient Israelite Religion: From Polytheism to Monotheism

In the past scholars traced monotheism to the time of Moses, around 1200 BC. But in the last decades that date changed to 7th-6th century BC. Further, the discovery of the Ugaritic texts in 1928 on the north coast of Syria has helped historians of religion to notice the development of Israelite religion from a polytheistic Canaanite stratum to monotheistic Yahwism. Through examining biblical and extra-biblical texts, archaeological material, and inscriptions, this study traces the religious similarities of the Israelite and Canaanite culture. Genesis 49, Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32:8-9 are thoroughly analyzed and conclusions are made about Israel’s original God, and the original tiers of the pantheon. In the pre-exilic period (and perhaps as early as the 8th century BC) Israel enjoyed perhaps a lesser pantheon than that in the Ugaritic texts, but certainly it was considerably more extensive than what the biblical record reports. The God of Biblical Israel may not actually be very different from the gods of the neighboring nations, but claiming that he is, is an important part of the rhetoric promoting devotion to that God alone.

SPREADING THE UNDERSTANDING OF WOMEN'S IDENTITY WITHIN THE METO CULTURE THROUGH THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SPACE USING THE CONTEXTUAL TEACHING AND LEARNING MODEL

Women in Meto culture have a uniqueness that can only be understood if they understand the construction of Meto culture. In general, many people always associate women's issues with patriarchal culture whose assumptions are oppressive and unfair to women. Women are often seen as marginalized. This paper aims to build a new understanding of women's identity in Meto culture that is more positive in patriarchal culture. There are discussions of women's identity in the Meto culture and its approach through Christian education. This positive understanding is then formed in dialogue with the appropriate biblical texts. Furthermore, the process of seeding this understanding can be carried out in the Christian education space with the Contextual Teaching and Learning learning model. This research was carried out using a literature study that is relevant to the issue of women’s identity in the Meto culture and the results found as content in the Christian education space are that the identity of women in the Meto culture is unique, relational, collective, and cosmic.

File din istoria textului biblic ebraic

This study articulates a profound exploration into the intricate stewardship exercised by scribes and Masoretes over the Hebrew Biblical text. It accentuates their unparalleled dedication to the scriptural integrity, embodying a meticulous commitment to the transmission of these sacred writings. By presenting the methodologies employed for textual annotation, correction, and preservation, the study elucidates on the efforts undertaken to ensure the text's purity and its faithful conveyance through generations. This article c enriches our comprehension of the Hebrew Bible's textual preservation, highlighting a legacy of devotion to maintaining the essence of these ancient texts

The Prosōpon of Jesus’ Soul in Origen’s Homilies on Psalm 15 (16)

Abstract Prosopological exegesis was integral to the trinitarian theology of several second- and early third-century Christian theologians who argued that the different divine personae or prosōpa that speak in biblical texts were distinct from one another in reality. Unlike these predecessors, Origen’s use of prosopological exegesis in the Psalms occurs in a less polemical context and gravitates towards Christology and ecclesiology rather than trinitarian theology. In his homilies on Psalm 15 (16), Origen identifies the soul of Jesus as a speaking prosōpon distinct from, and acted upon by, the divine Word. This instance of prosopological exegesis highlights the distinctiveness of Origen’s theological use of this literary practice. In particular, I argue that Origen draws conclusions of soteriological and ecclesiological relevance from his notion of the speaking prosōpon of Jesus’ soul, which mediates a kind of communicatio idiomatum between the human Christ and the Church.

From disconnection to connection: the healing potential of household hospitality to the stranger

ABSTRACT This article finds its origin in a hermeneutic phenomenological research study which examined the practice of hospitality to strangers by lay persons within private Canadian Christian homes. Special attention is given to key findings from the study which reveal the disconnection experienced by strangers, and the potential within hospitable encounters to contribute to healing human disconnection. The healing power of hospitality is explored through the voices of those who practice hospitality to strangers within their homes, the contributions of biblical texts regarding hospitality, and key tenets of Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) which emphasize the healing potential of relational connection. Hospitality was found to have the potential to heal disconnection through the provision of welcome, physical, emotional, and spiritual care, relational connection, communal living, and the appropriate use of power. Through proximity and mutual connection, both host and guest experience growth-fostering relationships that move them from disconnection to connection.

Challenges to Traditional Understandings of Christology

ABSTRACT The long-studied theological concept of Christology is re-examined. Two new books have been published and are reviewed. The first draws on South American Liberation Theology and argues that any new developments in understandings of Christology must originate from reflective listening to the ways in which poor people and communities approach the biblical text. The second book develops issues first raised at the Girton Conference of 1921 organised by what was then called the Modern Churchman’s Union. After debating Christology in Liberal Theology then and now, it draws on feminist theology, Hindu and Buddhist theology and Palestinian Liberation Theology. Arguments pursued concern a no longer “white” Jesus, colonialism and imperialism and the ways in which the powerful have used Christianity as a controlling and unifying force for their own ends. Traditional understandings of Christology are compared with these new contributions.

Tyrant and Penitent: Nebuchadnezzar and Biblical Exemplarity

ABSTRACT At the end of the fourth chapter of the Book of Daniel, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar is punished for his pride. He is cast out from his kingdom, forced to eat grass with wild beasts, and repents before being restored to his throne. This article examines the encounters between this ancient biblical narrative, humanist rhetoric of exemplarity, and reformed doctrines of repentance. Nebuchadnezzar’s narrative tested the capacity of exemplarity to absorb singular biblical texts into reformed theologies. Exemplarity offered John Calvin a rhetorical tool with which to refashion Nebuchadnezzar as a model of reformed penitential doctrine. The article shows that the popular preacher Henry Smith (c. 1560–91) read Calvin’s lectures on Daniel, and applied Nebuchadnezzar’s example to the lives of his Elizabethan congregants. Annotations and a manuscript notebook reveal that readers turned to Smith’s sermons for the extractable moral and spiritual lessons carried by Nebuchadnezzar’s exemplary narrative.

Women, Biblical Texts and COVID-19 in Zimbabwe: Navigating the Mental Health Terrain

From its onset in Zimbabwe, COVID-19 disrupted the mental health of many Zimbabweans. Its quick transmission and viciousness caused fear and panic as people tried to ensure their safety from infection. When lockdown was first declared as the death toll slowly climbed up, it became clear that a number of people would suffer from mental health problems mainly because of isolation, failure to take care of the sick loved ones as well as stigmatization of those who got infected and recovered. In most cases, name calling resulted from ignorance of how to treat those who had recovered from the disease. While recovery was celebrated, the recovered patients were labelled as ‘vaya vakamborwara neCOVID’ (those ones who once suffered from COVID) or ‘pamba peveCOVID-19’ (the home of the COVID-19 sufferers, sic). As infection cases soared and hope seemed to be lost, many people turned to religion. The genderedness of the pandemic became clear as women suffered the most, both as carergivers for the sick as well as from Gender-based Violence (GBV). In such cases, the deployment of biblical texts took centre-stage in most Zimbabwean societies and beyond as women tried to make meaning of their situation. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to investigate how biblical texts were deployed by women for the sake of taking care of their mental health in a threatening environment. The intention is to establish the many ways that religion becomes a useful resource in pandemic contexts particularly for the mental wellbeing of women in Zimbabwe. This is largely a qualitative paper which utilizes in-depth interviews of women in Harare’s Central Business District (CBD). The African Womanist Approach informs the study.

«Религия» в Библии: понятие, термины и контексты

It is widely known that the term "religio" has been adapted by some languages from Latin and is used as a scientific concept denoting the subject of religious studies and philosophy of religion. A situation like this is standard for many humanitarian scientific terms: we denote by them not only what they originally referred to, but also what was not so called either in their region or in the corresponding era, for example, the religion of Ancient Israel or the religion of the Buddhists. Purists would criticise this mode of using words, while some of them, apparently, would like to research on a phenomenon in history to be conducted only in its own language, since the scientific language turns out to be under suspicion for its “western” and, probably, “colonialist” character. The other way, along with the uncritical use of terms and the rejection of scientific terminology in general, is precisely their critical use, that is, taking into account how they developed in the historical context and clarifying the original meanings. In the Vulgate, the word religio means: a) rituals, b) piety, including that of the others, c) confession, including that of the others. Thus, in Acts 26:5, the Apostle Paul calls Judaism “our religion”, talking about his Pharisaic past and characterizing Pharisaism as a secta of this religion. The word θρησκεία is found in similar positions in the Greek text of the Bible, sometimes it is replaced by εὐσέβεια and εὐλάβεια in the narrower meaning of “piety”. The concept of “religion”, of course, in biblical texts is not rigidly tied to the term, therefore it is necessary to take into account those fragments in which the word “religio” is missing. In 2 Thess 2:4, Paul speaks of the Antichrist as “exalting himself above everything that is revered”, thereby revealing the nature of religion as the ultimate veneration. Here the subject is σέβασμα or quod colitur (cf. cultus). In Acts 17:22, he calls the Athenians δεισιδαιμονεστέρους, i.e., as if excessively pious (superstitiosiores by St Hieronymus), drawing their attention to the fact that they honor the God as a precaution and without knowing Him.

The Value of Christological Titles, in Conversation with Leander Keck

AbstractForty years ago, Leander Keck criticised the ‘tyranny of titles’ in the study of New Testament Christology. While Keck rightly criticised early- to mid-twentieth approaches to titles for Jesus, there is no denying the importance of titles in New Testament texts. This article summarises classic twentieth-century approaches to christological titles and discusses the most important criticisms. The root issue of such approaches is the conflation of titles and concepts. A constructive proposal is offered for reading christological titles as literary strategies of characterisation. This approach begins by carefully defining what is meant by a title and how titles might be distinguished from common nouns and names. Six principles for the productive interpretation of titles are then discussed: 1) titles must be distinguished from other christological material like motifs, typologies, and references to biblical texts; 2) titles must be distinguished from each other; 3) titles are meaningful not because they refer to particular ideas but because of their relationship with biblical texts, religious life, and culture; 4) what a title does is more important than what a title means; 5) titles are flexible, polyvalent, and ambiguous; 6) titles must be read alongside other titles and non-titular material. Finally, it is demonstrated how this literary approach to titles will be fruitful for contemporary discussions in New Testament Christology and contribute to the renewal of New Testament Christology that Keck called for several decades ago.1

Daughters and Inheritance: Babylonian Boundary Stone 9 and Numbers 27

Abstract A daughter’s ability to inherit property is treated differently in various ancient Near Eastern cultures. This paper examines the difference between land inheritance by daughters in Israel and Babylon using the text of Numbers 27 and Babylonian Boundary Stone 9. The unique status of land and land allotment in the two societies are explored as well as the implications for the status of daughters. The conclusion from the comparison is that the biblical text excludes daughters because of limited landholdings and the desire to maintain the property inheritance from the initial land allotment event. However, Babylonian Boundary Stone 9 allows daughters to inherit more easily because of fluid landholdings and multiple (royal) land allotment events.

TRANSFORMASI SPIRITUALITAS

The research addressed the gap between the theological concept of the new man in Christ and its implementation in everyday Christian life, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of this concept to address uncertainties and misconceptions among believers. Through a qualitative theological approach, the study explored the subjective meaning of religious beliefs, religious practices, and biblical texts. Findings indicated that the concept of the new man emphasized the importance of spiritual transformation and the embodiment of values of love and truth in Christian life practices. Implications included shifts in self-perception and perceptions of others, conflict resolution, and understanding of true life purposes. The novelty of thought lay in the comprehensive application of the concept of the new man in the text of Colossians 3:5-17, aiming to bring positive impacts to individuals and communities. Thus, understanding and embodying this concept called believers to live in freedom, sanctity, and authentic love.

Poetics of Title in Ivan Bunin’s Short Story “The Emerald”

This article explores the poetics of the title in Ivan Bunin’s short story “The Emerald” from the collection “Dark Avenues,” which represents a small scene or prose miniature with a weakened plot. The novelty of the research lies in the analysis of the title of this work and its connection not only to the story “The Emerald” but also to Bunin’s overall body of work. The role of the expositional landscape and conflict development is revealed within the thematic context of the narrative. Key moments of the collision dynamics in the story, based on dialogue and contrast principles, are identified. Parallels between the stories “The Emerald” and "Pure Monday" are drawn, noting similarities in character portrayal: the heroines strive for the divine, are sensitive to celestial beauty, which is not understood by their lovers as bearers of a more rational and earthly mindset. The peculiarities of the poetics of the title, its connections to biblical texts, and comparisons with the writer’s poetic and prose works are explored. The author concludes that the image of an emerald (or an emerald) in Bunin’s works correlates with the divine and sublime world, symbolizing the spiritual aspirations of the heroine in the story “The Emerald” and present in other works by Bunin, embodying a longing for spiritual existence.

Debating the Heart of Christianity

In Forsaking the Fall, Daniel Spencer argues that a Christianity which takes the Bible as authoritative for faith and which holds continuity with the deep tradition of the Church can still dispense with Original Sin and the lapsarian reading of Genesis and Romans 5. While not explicit in the introduction, the motivation for this move to reject the Fall and Original Sin seems to be a desire to account for humanity’s evolutionary origin. Without a historical Garden of Eden or Adam and Eve, can a fully satisfying account of soteriology, Christology, and faithfulness to the biblical text still be held?

Значение интертекстуальных связей в истолковании религиозно-нравственного аспекта рассказа И.А. Бунина «Темные аллеи»

<p>The article is dedicated to the analysis of the intertextual connections of the story "Dark Alleys" with biblical texts — the book of Job, the book of Ecclesiastes and the story of A.I. Kuprin "Sulamith". The quote from the book of Job is analyzed in a biblical context, which indicates the failed repentance of the hero of the story Nikolai Alekseevich. A careful analysis of the quotation from the book of Job makes it possible to offer a new understanding of the author's choice of the name of the heroine Nadezhda (Hope). The allusion to the story of A.I. Kuprin "Sulamith" also makes it possible to refer to the biblical context of the story — the book of Ecclesiastes. The intertextual connections of the story with the biblical Old Testament books make it possible to explain the probable spiritual subtext of the story, in which the theme of the main character's failed repentance, which causes his misfortune and hopelessness, sounds.</p>