Kingship Of God Research Articles

Buber's Idea of Community

Abstract This article suggests that Buber's idea of the community may hint at an alternative to the more common foundations of political thought, usually grounded on notions of power or rationality. Showing how Buber's idea of the community developed from a neo-romantic form (in his early writings) to a principle informed by the dialogical dimension of human life (from I and Thou onwards), I will point out the vertical dimension of political life ensuing from Buber's discourse. A discussion of the theopolitical principle as expressed in Buber's Kingship of God will lead to the conclusion that, both descriptively and normatively, politics needs an openness to transcendence.

Martin Buber's Dialogical History: Theopolitics as a Critique of the History of Human Power

This essay explores the relationship between Buber's philosophy of history and his political theory, known also as theopolitics. Buber's first book on theopolitics, Kingship of God (1932), implemented the principle of dialogue as a critique of leadership. Dialogue reconciles the paradox of authoritarian theocracy and absolute freedom of anarchy: it unites the interhuman relationship (religious anarchy) and the divine-human relationship (direct theocracy). Without dialogue, anarchy would become chaotic and theocracy would actually mean the tyranny of the priests (hierocracy). But Buber's theopolitics also revealed a particular understanding of history. As this essay demonstrates, Buber held a notion of dialogical history (contrary to Hegelian dialectic history), which ultimately functioned as a critique of the history of victory and power. Dialogical history criticizes not only secular but also any kind of religious or sacred history claiming to authorize human power by divine justification. Dialogical history, therefore, should be seen as "counter-history," not only because it is based on a rehabilitation of myth (Hasidic tales and biblical myths) but also because it is engaged in an alternate philosophy of history, whose fulfillment is vouchsafed neither by the necessary unfolding of a spirit, nor by "great" historical deeds, but by everyday human agency and responsibility alone.

Revisiting Sinai Covenant Theology, Its Values and Resonances for Today

The relevance of Sinai covenant (Exod 19-24, 32-34; Deut, Josh-2kings) in Hebrew and Christian religions cannot be overemphasized. It is a point of departure for understanding Israel’s basic religion and its components: God’s relationship with his people, the kingship of God, revelation and liberation from myth. It also illumines the riches of Israel’s history, its persons, liturgy, rituals, cults and commandments, the role of the prophets, fulfilled in Christ, the Messiah stressed by our honoree in the course of his ministries. Many would see it as a conditional and relational covenant binding both God and his people. Its meaning, nature, and patterns as discussed historically, pastorally and contextually in this essay, went through various roots of nuances and shifts in the ancient Near East, Hebrew, Greek and Roman cultures, including commitment, faithfulness, resilience, and obedience, trust in divine providence and sharing together. Finally, its relevance, NT resonances and theological importance of Sinai Covenant for the church in African and beyond are highlighted.

Between Political Theology and Theopolitics: Martin Buber’s Kingship of God

Between Political Theology and Theopolitics: Martin Buber’s Kingship of God

History, Myth, and Divine Dialogue in Martin Buber's Biblical Commentaries

This article addresses the tension between history and myth in three biblical commentaries written by the German-Jewish thinker Martin Buber (1878-1965): Königtum Gottes (Kingship of God, 1933); Torat Ha-nevi'im (The Prophetic Faith, 1942); and Moshe (Moses, 1945). I argue that these commentaries represent a distinct, late stage in the development of Buber's biblical hermeneutics, and I examine them closely to offer a new perspective on his life's work and to illustrate how he drew theological conclusions from sacred text using techniques of close reading and historical critical analysis. I begin with an analysis of Buber's reading of the book of Judges in Königtum Gottes and then continue to his account of the covenant-forming events at Mount Sinai in Moshe. Finally, I turn to Torat Ha-nevi'im and Buber's understanding of the relationship between God and the people in the context of the destruction of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. I show that Buber's aim in the commentaries was to articulate the narrative of what he saw as the "true history" of Judaism, with Judaism understood as a theological tradition developed by individuals in dialogical relationship with God. His examination of particular instances of human-divine relationship in the biblical narrative lends nuance to this understanding. Thus, aspects of Buber's commentaries may also be read as revisions of the philosophy of dialogue for which he is best known.

Review of Moore, Anne, Moving Beyond Symbol and Myth: Understanding the Kingship of God of the Hebrew Bible through Metaphor

Review of Moore, Anne, Moving Beyond Symbol and Myth: Understanding the Kingship of God of the Hebrew Bible through Metaphor

Moving beyond Symbol and Myth: Understanding the Kingship of God in the Hebrew Bible through Metaphor (Studies in Biblical Literature #99). By Anne Moore

Moving beyond Symbol and Myth: Understanding the Kingship of God in the Hebrew Bible through Metaphor (Studies in Biblical Literature #99). By Anne Moore

Voorzienigheid en verantwoordelijkheid

Providence and responsibility Providence is usually regarded as a theological concept that sets human hearts at rest. God rules our lives, and in particular those of Christians. Modern people often have problems with this idea. How can a good God rule a world with diseases and disasters? And can we actually imagine such an all-controlling power? Nevertheless, these are not the real issues concerning the concept of providence. The existential problem is that providence in the Bible has to do with responsibility: God takes responsibility for his world. This responsibility is total; it even implies responsibility and punishment for sin. Thus providence and atonement are not two separated fields of theology, but coincide. The chapter in the Bible to which the concept is originally related makes this plain: Genesis 22, and verse 8 in particular, states, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son”. (The Vulgate reads: “the victim for the holocaust”.) In Genesis 16-22 the word “to provide”, literally “to see” (r’h), turns out to be a key concept. Who sees? The Lord sees, Abraham sees and Hagar sees – and it is always in a situation of life and death in which they are called to responsibility to save lives. But actually these are lives that have already been sacrificed. Thus providence demands the ultimate from human beings, as it asks the ultimate from their God. Noordmans highlights this in a meditation on Matthew 6:34: “Jesus does not say this in order to lay worries to rest but in order to raise worries”. If you search for the kingship of God, all things that are needed will be given to you – such as feet to walk the second mile.

Die eskatologiese betekenis van Sion as agtergrond tot die teologie van die boek Openbaring

The eschatological meaning of Sion as background to the theology of the book of Revelation The core of the theology of the Book of Revelation focuses on the kingship of God. His kingship should be established on earth as it is in heaven. According to the Old Testament eschatological traditions God's kingship is linked with the Davidic dynasty by way of application. And the Davidic kingship is very much focused on Sion and Jerusalem. Through a theological review of the Old Testament meaning of the place and function of Sion within eschatology, linked up with God’s kingship, a necessary background for the theology of the Book of Revelation is sketched.

Kingship of God in Crisis. A Close Reading of 1 Samuel 1-12

Kingship of God in Crisis. A Close Reading of 1 Samuel 1-12

Book Review: II. Biblical Studies: The Kingship of God

Book Review: II. Biblical Studies: The Kingship of God

Kingship of God. By Martin Buber. Translated by R. Scheimann. (London: Allen and Unwin. 1967. 222 pp. 30s.)

Kingship of God. By Martin Buber. Translated by R. Scheimann. (London: Allen and Unwin. 1967. 222 pp. 30s.)

Book Review: Kingship of God

Book Review: Kingship of God

BOOK REVIEWS

Kingship of God. By Martin Buber. Translated by Richard Scheimann. Jesus and the Zealots. By S. G. F. Brandon. The Phenomenon of the New Testament. By C. F. D. Moule. God and World in Early Christian Theology. By Richard A. Norris. Augustine of Hippo. A Biography. By Peter Brown. Byzantine East and Latin West: two worlds of Christendom in Middle Ages and Renaissance. Studies in ecclesiastical and cultural history. By Deno J. Geanakoplos. Aeneas Sylvius Piccolominus (Pius II). De Gestis Concilii Basiliensis Commentariorum—II. Edited and translated by Denys Hay and W. K. Smith. Lectures on Philosophy. By George Edward Moore. Edited by Casimir Lewy. Scepticism and the First Person. By S. Coval. Body, Soul, Spirit. A Survey of the Body‐Mind Problem. By C. A. van Peursen. Material Objects. By W. D. Joske. The Concept of Irony with Constant Reference to Socrates. By Søren Kierkegaard. Translated by Lee M. Capel. The Grave of God. Has the Church a Future ? By Robert Adolfs, o.s.a. Translated by N. D. Smith. The Future of Belief. By Leslie Dewart. God is a New Language. By Sebastian Moore. Insearch. Psychology and Religion. By James Hillman. The Glory of Man. By David E. Jenkins. The Word in History. Edited by T. Patrick Burke. The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation of Vatican II. Commentary and translation by George H. Tavard. La parole vivante au concile. By Roger Schutz and Max Thurian. Theology of Revelation. By Gabriel Moran, f.s.c L'Ecclésiologie hier et aujourd'hui. Lancelot Andrewes—Sermons. Edited by G. M. Story. Newman ou la Recherche de la Vérité. By L. Cognet. Apologia pro vita sua. Traduction de L. Michelin‐Delimoges. The Newman Brothers. By William Robbins. The Agrarian History of England and Wales, 1500–1640. Edited by Joan Thirsk. Religious Revolution in the Philippines. By Pedro S. Achótegui and Miguel A. Bernad.

The Individualism of the Fourth Gospel

than it is in the present climate of theology. For the'Liberal Protestant' frame of thought it was easy to recognise the kingship of God in each individual who accepted the will of God, but harder to grasp the idea of Christianity as incorporation by baptism into membership of the Body of Christ-a corporate existence, entered upon and maintained sacramentally and institutionally. It is one of the results of the revival of 'biblical theology' that, of the two, the latter emphasis-the corporate and the sacramental--has come to be widely recognised as closer to the roots of authentic Christianity. But this recovery of a theology of the Church has tended to swing the pendulum too far, sometimes actually to distort the picture and to engender an unwarranted suspicion of anything that sounds 'individualistic'. The famous Lucan saying (Lk. xvii 21) about the kingdom of God being ivTO;q utCov is today generally so interpreted as to rescue it from the unacceptable inward and individual sense; or, if there were an acceptable alternative today, it might be to blame 'Luke the Hellene' for introducing an alien individualism into the doctrine of the kingdom. It is almost a slur on a biblical writer-or else on his expositor-if an individualistic note is detected. That may be a caricature of the situation. But if it contains even a modicum of truth, then perhaps it is not untimely to enter a plea for a reappraisal of the Johannine outlook in this particular respect. To that end I offer this essay, uncertain whether it will meet with approval from the distinguished scholar in whose honour it is presented; certain only that I am deeply indebted to him, both for warm personal friendship when I stayed at Erlangen in I952, and for all that I have learnt from the publications he has generously presented to me, including a copy of his important Theologie des

The Kingship of God in the Prophets and Psalms

The recurrence of the conception of the Reign of Jahweh in the Psalms and in prophecy both before and after the Exile, in Jewish and Christian apocalyptic, and in the Gospel of our Lord is sufficient justification for the present study. The theophany of Jahweh as King was the inspiration of the mission of Isaiah of Jerusalem (Isaiah vi); the proclamation to Jerusalem 'Thy God reigneth' was the gospel of the great prophet of the restoration from the Exile (Isaiah lii 7); it was the basis of the faith of the Jews in the Seleucid persecution (Daniel vii) and of the Christians in the sub-apostolic age, (Revelation iv, v), and was the theme of our Lord's proclamation at the outset of his mission (Mark i 15; Matthew iv 17) and the subject of many of his parables 1). The significance of this central theme of Scripture becomes apparent when we consider the complex of ideas traditionally associated with the acknowledgement that God was King. From a study of the material in the Psalms and Prophets, and particularly Apocalyptic, a definite pattern emerges. In such a vital organism as the faith of Israel, of course, we must expect the rigidity of such a pattern to be transcended occasionally, and if, as we maintain, the kingship of God was an idea not native to Israel, we must be prepared to find it considerably modified by conceptions which were the fruit of the distinctive religious and historical experience of Israel, such as the deliverance from Egypt and the Covenant. When all this is said, however, passages which deal with the conception of the kingship of God reveal an astonishing agreement, often mentioning explicitly all the main elements of the complex of ideas, namely conflict against the powers of evil or disorder, victory, God's manifestation as King,

The Kingship of God in the Prophets and Psalms

The Kingship of God in the Prophets and Psalms

The Hebrew Conception of the Kingship of God: Its Origin and Development

The Hebrew Conception of the Kingship of God: Its Origin and Development

The Hebrew Conception of the Kingship of God: Its Origin and Development

It is generally recognized by informed scholarship that the discovery at Ras Shamra of so much of the literature of Canaan on the eve of the Hebrew settlement in Palestine inaugurated a new era in Old Testament study. To say nothing of the elucidation of the sociology of the ancient Near East by the administrative texts and the literary texts Krt and Aqht, and the illustration of religious practices such as seasonal rites and sacrifices, the longer mythological texts are of great value in helping us to a new appraisal of the poetry of the Old Testament. In the Psalms, Prophets, and the Book of Job the legacy of Canaan is particularly apparent especially in poetic structure, vocabulary, and imagery. Even the mythology of polytheistic Canaan was used to enrich orthodox Hebrew poetry as late as the post-Exilic period when the writer of the Book of Job refers to God's triumph over 'the primeval serpent' 1) which we know from the passage in Isaiah (xxvii 1) to have been 'Leviathan the primeval serpent..., Leviathan the tortuous serpent' 2), the same monster the death of which is celebrated in the Ras Shamra texts 3). If one reckoned all instances of form, style, and imagery common to Canaanite and Hebrew poets there is no doubt that one could not sufficiently emphasize the significance of the former for the study of the latter, and that is what ALBRIGHT has done repeatedly. MoWINCKEL, however, in his magisterial Offersang og Sangoffer is less