Faith Of Israel Research Articles

A Brief Guide to New Testament Interpretation: History, Methods, and Practical Examples by Roy A. Harrisville

Reviewed by: A Brief Guide to New Testament Interpretation: History, Methods, and Practical Examples by Roy A. Harrisville Charles B. Puskas A Brief Guide to New Testament Interpretation: History, Methods, and Practical Examples. By Roy A. Harrisville. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2022. 120 pp. The academic study of the New Testament encounters issues like the synoptic problem, the function of parables, the fulfillment of Israel's scriptures, apocalyptic language, and the ending of Mark's Gospel. Since early last century, various methods have been employed from the lower critical methods of textual criticism to the higher critical methods of source, form, and redaction criticisms. Recalling the heuristic figurations of Paul Ricoeur, New Testament study has also focused on the world of the text (such as synchronic narrative, structural, and rhetorical criticisms) and the lifeworld of the reader (reader-response and ideological criticisms), in addition to its attention on the world behind the text (diachronic textual and historical criticisms). This author, a preeminent Lutheran scholar of New Testament studies, has added to the array of books on exegetical methods. This volume is particularly important given his many decades as a professor at Luther Seminary. What sets this thirteen-chapter book apart is his concern for the seminary student and pastor, specifically, regarding kerygma, event, and witness in the initial chapters. Another unique feature is his thumbnail sketch of the history of New Testament interpretation from the ancient church to the present, which is basically a summary of his Pandora's Box Opened (Eerdmans, 2014). Also distinctive are his helpful New Testament illustrations of the method and limits of the interpretative approach found throughout the book. His concise discussions of lower and higher criticisms recall early developments such as the Gutenberg press (22) and some of the earliest pioneers in this field (28). Next, the chapters on source, form, [End Page 195] and redaction criticisms demonstrate the work of an experienced practitioner of the methodology. His illustrations are insightful (see on the textual variants of Rom 5:1, 24–25) as are his caveats of the shortcomings (see on redaction analysis, 45). Still, I had hoped that he would have mentioned how redaction criticism often ignores the storyline of Jesus in its efforts to recover the contextual clues of the post-resurrection community and its author. The final chapters include sections on lexicography, sociological criticism, rhetorical criticism, structural analysis, post-structuralist analysis, reader-response criticism, feminist analysis. More could have been included (for example, genre analysis, canonical criticism). In chapters ten through thirteen on synchronic and post-modern methods the author states, "Over the years, malaise increased over the viability of historical method … The result has been a flurry of methods" (62). Many of his caveats are noteworthy. For example, while acknowledging the marginalization of women in our society and in the patriarchal culture of the Bible, Harrisville points out that "to distinguish Israel's faith … from Canaanite worship in which the goddess Astarte vied for equal status with Baal, or from Greek and Roman religion with their plethora of gods and goddesses … the male pronoun Jahve or El … or 'I am' … was sorely needed." (79). His concluding chapter hearkens back to the first chapters on the historical context of the kerygma, the witness of faith, the living message of God embodied in the text. Unfortunately, I have found some typographical errors: "the gragment-hypothesis of F. D. E. Schleiermacher" (28), "Isaiah 9" should read Isaiah 6:9 (41), and "Rom 12:24" should read Rom 12:21. I also wish that more was written about Bultmann and Käsemann, but they are more fully discussed in his The Bible and Modern Culture with co-author Walter Sundberg. The book includes a short glossary of key terms, a bibliography of works cited, and author and scripture indexes. This brief guide by a seasoned scholar will make an excellent supplemental text to courses on the New Testament, the Four Gospels, New Testament Exegesis, and Homiletics. [End Page 196] Charles B. Puskas Lino Lakes, Minnesota Copyright © 2023 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc.

Review Article

Review Article

A Subdued Demon in Exodus 15:7-8

AbstractThe Song of the Sea is long known to contain allusions to mythological motifs related to Canaanite religion that have been adapted to the faith of Israel. On the basis of a recent study of the Ugaritic texts KTU 1.107 and 1.100 it is shown that Exod 15:7-8 falls in this category of reinterpretation. It is proposed to render verse 7b ‘you sent your Ḥoron, he devoured them like stubble’. Suffixed personal pronouns with the names of deities are attested in Ugarit and ancient Hebrew inscriptions. However, in Exod 15 Ḥoron has been reduced to a redoutable assistant of God, an executioner called up to punish God’s opponents.

«… dann darfst du mir wieder Mund sein» (Jer 15,19). Das Reifen des Propheten Jeremia an seiner Berufung

The vocation to be a prophet to the nations apparently overburdens Jeremiah. Although God's promise of his presence and support is a fundamental part of his vocation, in Jeremiah's pursuit of God's mission he is nonetheless confronted with rejection, loneliness and persecution on all sides. In the second confession (15,10-18), one of the most poignant complaints of the Book of Jeremiah, the prophet describes himself as an incurable patient, for whom every last hope - even God Himself - has vanished. He then compares the Lord with "a deceptive stream" and with "uncertain waters", thus misinterpreting God's nature and radically calling into question God's faithfulness, the foundation of Israel's faith. In return, God offers Jeremiah his enduring presence and promises the renewal of his prophetic mission, if he is willing to repent and speak righteously. Through his own suffering, Jeremiah gains insight into his personal experience and his struggle as messenger of God, and is led to greater maturity in his vocation.

Sensus Fidelium and the Old Testament: Learning from the Faith of Israel

AbstractRecent scholarship has reflected upon the relationship between sensus fidelium and scripture, but the Old Testament appears marginalized in this undertaking. This essay argues that the church can learn from Israel's faith for the concept of sensus fidelium. It presents the ‘canonical approach’ as an exegetical tool to bring the church as a reading community into conversation with many generations of believers in Israel and its own tradition. Furthermore, it provides one example of how a contemporary interpretation of an Old Testament text might deepen the understanding of the infallibility of the whole church in relation to its failures and sins.

Narrative World, Rhetorical Logic, and the Voice of the Author in 4 Ezra

The relationship between the dialogues in the first three episodes of 4 Ezra and the visions and epilogue in the closing four episodes has challenged scholars for over a century. The inconclusiveness of the dialogues (episodes 1-3) along with the apparently different emphases in the visions and epilogue (episodes 4-7) has made it difficult for scholars to agree on the actual author's position. Who does the author want the reader to agree with: Ezra, Uriel, neither, or some combina tion of both? This article seeks to address these problems from a fresh perspec tive by studying the foundational narratives appealed to and presupposed in the worldviews of Ezra and Uriel in the dialogues, and by the visions in the second half of 4 Ezra. A concluding section will explore the answers provided by the author of 4 Ezra to the two dominant problems he raises in the book (the one/ many, and many/few) and will reflect on the rhetorical force of the book, the voice of the author, and the purpose of 4 Ezra. The narrative frame and flow of 4 Ezra solidly root the authors own convictions and theology in episodes 4 through 7. The author's primary purpose for the book is to renew Israel's faith in its covenant-keeping God and motivate the people to pursue righteousness through obedience to the law in the absence of a functioning temple.

A Clue Toward Knowing Truth and God

A Clue Toward Knowing Truth and God

Official Ecclesial Documents to Implement the Second Vatican Council on Relations with Jews: Study Them, Become Immersed in Them, and Put Them into Practice

In the wake of recent tensions in Catholic Jewish relations in the United States, this article examines the implementation of the Second Vatican Council's decision "to evaluate and define in a new way the relationship between the Church and the faith of Israel," as Pope Benedict XVI has described it. Official documents of the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and a body of papal teachings put forth by Pope John Paul have authoritatively delineated the direction according to which the Council is to be interpreted and put into practice. This trajectory of implementation has begun to articulate what could be called a "theology of shalom" concerning the Catholic Church's relationship to Judaism and the Jewish people, which includes a respect for Judaism's continuing covenantal life with God and a commitment to interreligious dialogue for the purpose of mutual understanding. However, this post-conciliar trajectory is challenged by Catholics who fear that the universal salvific mediation of Christ is being threatened. Advancing theological concepts that express a sort of "neo-supersessionist" devaluation of Judaism, these critiques necessarily disregard relevant papal and Vatican teaching. The article ends with an examination of the magisterial weight of the conciliar and post-conciliar implementing documents, concluding that their clear direction must be followed. As John Paul II declared, "It is only a question of studying them carefully, of immersing oneself in their teachings and of putting them into practice."

Benedict and Israel: the possibilities of friendship

The article explores the possibilities of friendship between Israel and the Pope in the light of Pope Benedict's denial of a reduction of religions to cultural artefacts and his commitment to religious claims to truth. Any discussion of Benedict XVI and Israel must take into account this call for the respect of the human desire for truth, the confidence in the ability of reason, and the validity of religious statements. This article offers some reflections on Benedict XVI's contribution to the larger debate of interreligious dialogue between Christianity and the Jewish faith. After a brief look at Vatican II's Nostra Aetate and at John Paul II, the essay examines some sections of Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth and his first encyclical Deus Caritas est with a view of developing the category of friendship as it applies to his attitude to the faith of Israel.

Monotheism, Polytheism, Monolatry, or Henotheism? Toward an Assessment of Divine Plurality in the Hebrew Bible

Abstract Israel's view of God and his relationship to other divine beings in the Hebrew Bible has long been the subject of scholarly debate. The dominant critical consensus since the late nineteenth century holds that Israel's faith evolved from polytheism or henotheism to monotheism. Passages in the Hebrew Bible that assume the existence of other gods are compared to other passages that put forth the declaration that "there are no other gods besides" the God of Israel as proof of this view. Other scholars who reject this evolutionary paradigm tend to assume passages evincing divine plurality actually speak of human beings, or that the other gods are merely idols. This view insists that "monotheism" must mean that the existence of other gods is denied. Both views are problematic and fall short of doing justice to the full description of Israel's view of God and the heavenly host in the Hebrew Bible. This article overviews the difficulties of each view and offers a coherent alternative.

Monotheism, Polytheism, Monolatry, or Henotheism? Toward an Assessment of Divine Plurality in the Hebrew Bible

Abstract Israel's view of God and his relationship to other divine beings in the Hebrew Bible has long been the subject of scholarly debate. The dominant critical consensus since the late nineteenth century holds that Israel's faith evolved from polytheism or henotheism to monotheism. Passages in the Hebrew Bible that assume the existence of other gods are compared to other passages that put forth the declaration that "there are no other gods besides" the God of Israel as proof of this view. Other scholars who reject this evolutionary paradigm tend to assume passages evincing divine plurality actually speak of human beings, or that the other gods are merely idols. This view insists that "monotheism" must mean that the existence of other gods is denied. Both views are problematic and fall short of doing justice to the full description of Israel's view of God and the heavenly host in the Hebrew Bible. This article overviews the difficulties of each view and offers a coherent alternative.

Revival – A Classic Pentecostal View

1Beginning with the primitive Christian community – arguably a revival of the faith of Israel in its final and finest form – and using the experience of the earliest believers as a benchmark by which to judge and evaluate subsequent moves of the Spirit, this article surveys such ‘times of refreshing’ from the first to the twentieth century, concluding with comment on the links between the Welsh Revival and emergent Pentecostals.2Edited version of a short paper delivered at the University of Wales at Bangor to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Welsh Revival of 1904-05, June 2004.

Reconciliation in Deuteronomy

The Book of Deuteronomy holds a central position in the Old Testament, and indeed in the Bible as a whole. It provides a summary of what the faith of Israel in the Old Testament is all about. It speaks about the covenant God made between himself and his people, about faithfulness to that covenant and of the implications of breaking the covenant. This covenant had implications not only for the way the people of Israel had to live as God’s people in God’s land, but also for the relationship among the members of the covenant. This article discusses the structure of the book of Deuteronomy, and then the way in which reconciliation appears in each of the different parts. The theme of reconciliation is not dealt with explicitly in all the passages discussed, but it does form a part of the subtext of the book of Deuteronomy. The people could only experience the Lord’s blessings in the promised land after He had brought about reconciliation between Himself and them. To keep on experiencing the Lord’s blessings, they had to remain faithfull to Him, obey his commandments and live within the boundaries He prescribed.

Manna and Sabbath

A literary-theological study of the Sabbath in Exodus 16 reveals two main biblical traditions, covenantal and priestly. In the covenantal tradition, the Sabbath provides a means of testing Israel's faith and readiness for a covenantal relationship with God. The priestly tradition presents the Sabbath as the completion of God's creation of the world. God's provision of the manna in the wilderness and the Sabbath points to a new understanding of holiness and time.

Book Review: I. Biblical Studies: The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament

Book Review: I. Biblical Studies: The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament

“I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD AND YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME”: IDENTITY AND PLURALITY

International Review of MissionVolume 91, Issue 363 p. 516-522 “I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD AND YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME”: IDENTITY AND PLURALITY Monica J. Melanchthon, Monica J. Melanchthon Dr Monica Jyotsna Melanchthon is Professor of Old Testament Studies and Head of the Department of Women's Studies at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai, India.Search for more papers by this author Monica J. Melanchthon, Monica J. Melanchthon Dr Monica Jyotsna Melanchthon is Professor of Old Testament Studies and Head of the Department of Women's Studies at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai, India.Search for more papers by this author First published: 25 March 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-6631.2002.tb00364.x AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume91, Issue363October 2002Pages 516-522 RelatedInformation

The Faith of Israel. Its Expression in the Books of the Old Testament

The Faith of Israel. Its Expression in the Books of the Old Testament

God and His People: Covenant and Theology in the Old Testament

Part 1 Covenant in a century of study since Wellhausen: a time of controversy (1878-1918) the controversy ended treaty and covenant covenant as a theological idea. Part 2 The origin of the covenant between God and Israel - key texts: They saw God and ate and drank - a covenant meal at Sinai? (Exodus 24:1-2, 9-11) apostasy and renewal of the covenant at Sinai (Exodus 34:10-28) a covenant at Shechem (Joshua 24:1-28) the covenant ritual at Sinai (Exodus 19:3b-8, 24:3-8) covenant texts in Hosea. Part 3 God and His people: the covenant and the distinctiveness of Israel's faith.

The Monarchic Imperative in Rabbinic Perspective

Recent decades have seen a flowering of research into the political tradition and culture of the Jewish people. It seems appropriate, therefore, to undertake an investigation of key rabbinic discussions of a central biblical and historical institution: the monarchy. This study opens with a close reading of the sources and attempts to understand them in their conceptual and literary contexts, moves on to a consideration of possible historical contexts and repercussions, and concludes with some reflections on the relation of our topic to the messianic element in Israel's faith.

The Rebellions of Israel

ONE of the most remarkable convictions of the OT which, as far as the present writer knows, has no parallel in other religions is that Israel, after she was elected by her God in Egypt, repeatedly and constantly rebelled against him. Yet she was never finally rejected, but was over and over again forgiven and kept in the divine communion. It seems that this belief, representing a conception of man as utterly rebellious and a conception of God always overcoming human rebelliousness by forgiveness, is at the very heart of Israel's religion and makes her anthropologia and theologia unique. One hears about gods being angry with their people and bringing misery on them, as, for example, the Babylonian gods bringing the flood, or, according to the Moabite Stone, Chemosh being angry with Moab, or that gods punish evil rulers, as it was believed in Mesopotamia;' but that a god or gods forgive a series of conscious and deliberate rebellions is something peculiar to Israel's faith. This belief is not at all identical with that of the Deuteronomic framework which displays just about the same view as that of the Mesopotamians, to wit, that God punishes the wicked and rewards the good. It illustrates not the divine justice, but, at least in its final form, the divine grace. This paper will make an attempt to answer the question: how did this belief emerge, and why and how did it become part of tetrateuchal tradition?