Yahweh's coming of age /
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In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the deity YHWH is often portrayed as an old man. One of the epithets used of YHWH in the Hebrew Bible, the Ancient of Days, is a source for this depiction of God as elderly. Yet, when we look closely at the early traditions of biblical Israel, we see a different picture : God is relatively youthful, a warrior who defends his people. This book is an examination of the question: How did God become old? The transformation from young deity to Ancient of Days took place at the intersection of two trajectories in the traditions of Israel. One trajectory is reflected in the way that apocalyptic traditions found in the book of Daniel recast the old Canaanite mythic imagery seen in the Ugaritic and early biblical texts. This trajectory allows YHWH to take on qualities, such as old age, that were not associated with him during most of Israel's history but were associated with El in the Canaanite traditions. The second trajectory, a depiction of Israel's God as elderly, is connected with the development of the idea of YHWH as father. The more comfortable the biblical tradents became with portraying YHWH as a father a metaphor that was not embraced in the early traditions the easier it became for the people of Israel to think of YHWH as occupying a stage of the human life cycle.
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vii, 163 pages ; 24 cm :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
1575061724 (hardback : alk. paper)
9781575061726 (hardback : alk. paper)
Scriptural interpretation and community self-definition in Luke-Acts and the writings of Justin Marty r
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Scholars of Christian origins often regard Luke-Acts and the writings of Justin Martyr as similar accounts of the replacement of Israel by the non-Jewish church. According to this view, both authors commandeer the Jewish scriptures as the sole possession of non-Jewish Christ-believers, rather than of Jews. Offering a fresh analysis of the exegesis of Luke and Justin, this book uncovers significant differences between their respective depictions of the privileged status that Christ-believers hold in relation to the Jewish scriptures. Although both authors argue that Christ-believers alone possess an inspired capacity to interpret the Jewish scriptures, unlike Justin, Luke envisages an ongoing role for the Jewish people as recipients of the promises that God pledged to Israel.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [283]-310) and index. :
9789004201590 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Das Los Judas : über Entstehung und Ziele der Landbeschreibung in Josua 15 /
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In this book the origin and objects of the land description in Joshua 15 and its context are examined. Town lists and border descriptions are literarily, historiographically and theologically classified against the background of their relationships to Tetrateuch/Pentateuch/Hexateuch and the Deuteronomistic History. The first part deals with the text, context, and literary relationships of Joshua 15. The second part is devoted to the historical-geographical analysis of the area defined by the town list and border description of Joshua 15. In the third part the respective origins and objects of the successive phases in the history of the text are examined. All those who are dealing with Joshua 13-21 and the historiographical and theological meaning of land descriptions should read this thorough and encompassing study
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Revision of the author's thesis--Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, 2002. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004276222 :
0083-5889 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Contested creations in the Book of Job : the-world-as-it-ought-and-ought-not-to-be /
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In Contested Creations in the Book of Job: the-world-as-it-ought- and -ought-not-to-be Abigail Pelham reads the Book of Job both 'forwards'-examining the perspectives on creation presented by Job and his friends and corrected by God's authoritative voice from the whirlwind-and 'backwards,' demonstrating how the epilogue explodes readers' certainties, forcing a reappraisal of the characters' claims. The epilogue, Pelham argues, changes the book from one containing answers about creation to one which poses questions: What does it mean to make the world? Who has the power to create? If humans have creative power, is it divinely sanctioned, or has Job, acting creatively, set himself up as God's rival? Engaging more thoroughly with Job's ambiguity than previous scholars have done, Contested Creations explores the possibilities raised by these questions and considers their implications both within the book and beyond.
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1 online resource (ix, 261 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004230293 :
0928-0731 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The afterlife imagery in Luke's story of the rich man and Lazarus /
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Despite the keen scholarly interest in the Gospel parables, the afterlife scenery in the story of the rich man and Lazarus has often been overlooked. Using insights from the orality studies and intertextuality, the author places the Lukan description of the fate of the dead into the larger Hellenistic matrix, provided by a large number of Greco-Roman and Jewish sources, both literary and epigraphic. Moreover, she challenges several conventional stances in Lukan studies, such as tracing the original of the story to Egypt, or maintaining that eschatology is a key for understanding Luke's work and the purpose for writing it, or harmonizing Luke's eschatological thinking by positing an intermediate state between death and general resurrection. Thus, the book offers fresh insights both to the way the fate of the dead was understood in the ancient world and to the concept of Lukan eschatology.
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Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral)--University of Helsinki, 2004. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [305]-329) and indexes. :
9789047410584 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The mission of the church in Paul's letter to the Philippians in the context of ancient Judaism /
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Paul seemingly nowhere in his letters commands his congregations to preach the gospel. Therefore many scholars have concluded that Paul's thinking had little or no place for a mission of the church. This study undertakes a fresh investigation of the question by devoting close attention to a text hitherto overlooked in discussion of early Christian mission, Paul's letter to the Philippians. The Jewish context of Paul's thought in Philippians is the key to unlocking his understanding of church and mission in the letter. The study accordingly begins in Part One with an investigation of conversion of gentiles in ancient Judaism. Part Two, drawing upon this Jewish context, focuses on close exegesis of Philippians, revealing the crucial place of the mission of the church in Paul's thought. The questions addressed by this study go to the heart of our understanding of Paul and of mission in earliest Christianity.
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1 online resource (xv, 380 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047415831 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Jewish eschatology, early Christian christology, and the Testaments of the twelve patriarchs : collected essays of Marinus de Jonge.
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This volume, which appears on the occasion of Marinus de Jonge's retirement as Professor of New Testament at Leiden University, brings together twenty essays which he wrote recently for various periodicals and collective works. A number of articles deal with the expectation of the future in Jewish sources, like Ps. Sol., the Qumran Scrolls and Josephus. Closely connected with these are some essays on the question of how such titles as 'Christ', and 'Son of David' came to be applied to Jesus. Eleven essays delve into various important aspects of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs: eschatology, ethics, paraenesis, but also their use of Jewish source material and their view of the history of God's dealing with man, a view related to that held by Justin and Hippolytus. This book throws light on the Jewish origins of early Christian theology and on its relationship with the Hellenistic culture in which it developed. The book also includes Marinus de Jonge's bibliography.
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1 online resource (xix, 342 pages) : portrait. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [314]-326) and indexes. :
9789004266933 :
0169-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Jubilee in the Bible : using the theology of Jürgen Moltmann to find a new hermeneutic /
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The biblical message of Jubilee is becoming more credible in our days in dealing with the socio-economic and moral-spiritual issues of today's world. It continues to exercise a powerful influence on the religious thoughts and actions of God's people. In addition to that, this book reveals a new hermeneutical code of reading and interpreting the message of Jubilee. The synthesis of the exegetical analysis of the biblical texts regarding the Jubilee and Sabbath/Sabbath year and Moltmann's understanding of this subject reveals the meaning and significance of the topic, how it is recognized, as well as its implications in today's world. This synthesis reveals a new vision and starting point for socio-economic and moral-spiritual reform in our time. "The biblical Sabbat / Jubilee-traditions are much richer than we thought. This book shows it. Theologically often neglected they are a source of new ideas to solve problems of human community and the ecology of the earth. That my theological works can be used to apply them today, is a surprise to me, a happy surprise." Jürgen Moltmann
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004343474 :
0928-0731 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Jacob's wealt h an examination into the nature and role of material possessions in the Jacob-cycle (Gen 25:19-35:29) /
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Various biblical studies on wealth and poverty have been published over the last thirty years. Some of these studies touch on the wealth of the patriarchs in Genesis 12-50, but they focus predominantly on other parts of the Bible. Scholars who have studied the patriarchal narratives in detail comment on aspects of patriarchal wealth, but do not offer an in-depth analysis of this topic. This book on Jacob's wealth shows that such an analysis is warranted. In the Jacob story, material possessions and their associated attitudes and actions are essential to understand the various relationship dynamics. Often, possessions are the cause of conflict, but they also play a role in conflict resolution. As a result, this study contributes to a fuller understanding of the Jacob-cycle.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [325]-342) and indexes. :
9789004209596 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Heaven and earth in the Gospel of Matthew /
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A much-overlooked aspect of the Gospel of Matthew is the theme of heaven and earth. Rather than being a reverential circumlocution for God, 'heaven' in Matthew is part of a highly developed discourse of heaven and earth language. Matthew's idiolectic way of using heaven language consists of four aspects: 1) a distinction in meaning between singular and plural forms of ouranos ; 2) frequent use of the heaven and earth word pair; 3) regular reference to the Father in heaven; and 4) the recurrent use of the Matthean expression, kingdom of heaven. This book examines the historical precedents for each of these aspects and shows in Matthew how they serve one overriding theological purpose: to highlight the tension that currently exists between heaven and earth or God and humanity, while looking forward to its eschatological resolution.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [353]-376) and indexes. :
9789047421849 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Christ and the future in New Testament history /
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Christology and eschatology form a double-core conception in the New Testament that enables one to understand other themes radiating out from it. The present volume addresses fifteen topics within this central core, seven on 'the person of Jesus', and eight on 'this age and the age to come'. The essays interact with and further discussion on disputed topics in contemporary New Testament Studies, including the historical Jesus and the Gospels; deity christology in the Synoptics and in the Pauline writings; the meaning of resurrection in the teaching of Jesus, the Sadducees and Qumran; eschatology in Luke's writings and the structure of Pauline eschatology; New Testament teaching on hell; and other christological and eschatological motifs. Three concluding pieces provide the historical and hermeneutical framework from which the theological studies proceed. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.
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1 online resource (xvii, 323 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004267473 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Goochem in mokum, wisdom in Amsterdam : papers on biblical and related wisdom read at the fifteenth joint meeting of the Society of Old Testament study and the Oudtestamentisch Wer...
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This collection of essays is focused on the wisdom traditions of the Hebrew Bible, including the Book of Sira . The Biblical books are read as literary works on their own as well as in an Ancient Near Eastern setting. Some essays scrutinize Greek and Hellenistic wisdom traditions. The authors refrain from a definition of 'wisdom' which would have been a reductionist exercise in view of the great variety of material and the complexity of the perennial problems (wo)mankind is confronted with.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004314771 :
0169-7226 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Gottes Herrschaft : eine Analyse der Denkschrift (Jes 6, 1-9, 6) /
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This volume analyses the so-called 'Denkschrift' (Isa 6:1-9:6) by focussing on the image of God's Reign. It discusses the literary formation and shows that the idea of God's Reign is the red line connecting independent texts in former times. The study focuses on the literary formation and on the images of God's Reign. Subjects included are the investigation of the literary form of Isa 6, comparisons with neo-assyrian prophecies and royal texts from Egypt and the discussion of literary form and origin of the messianic announcement in Isa 9. The final description of the image of God's Reign gives a deeper insight in the development of theological ideas in ancient Israel and is useful for a closer view on Judah's history of religion between the 8th and 5th centuries B.C.E.
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Revision of the author's thesis--Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal, 2003. :
1 online resource (xiii, 340 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [301]-323) and indexes. :
9789047417903 :
0083-5889 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
La representation du divin dans les récits du Pentateuque : mediations syntaxiques et narratives /
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Though several studies have already been devoted to biblical representations of God, the present research considers the position towards the divine they imply, on the basis of syntactic and narrative analysis. The book examines, in the stories of the Pentateuch, different appearances of the divine character: his speeches, as well as their modes of reporting; his actions, their mediations, and the points of view from which they are told; his perceptions and emotions, as well as the so-called omniscient narration; and some interpretations and distortions of his words. It appears that the Pentateuch presents the divine in an essentially mimetic way, mainly from the perspectives of other characters, portraying different human experiences and interpretations of divinity.
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Slight revision of the author's thesis (doctoral)--Université Catholique de Louvain, 2007. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [497]-509) and index. :
9789047443704 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
History of the Pauline Corpus in Texts, Transmissions and Trajectories : A Textual Analysis of Manuscripts from the Second to the Fifth Century /
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In History of the Pauline Corpus in Texts, Transmissions, and Trajectories , Chris S. Stevens examines the Greek manuscripts of the Pauline texts from P46 to Claromontanus. Previous research is often hindered by the lack of a systematic analysis and an indelicate linguistic methodology. This book offers an entirely new analysis of the early life of the Pauline corpus. Departing from traditional approaches, this text-critical work is the first to use Systemic Functional Linguistics, which enables both the comparison and ranking of textual differences across multiple manuscripts. Furthermore, the analysis is synchronically oriented, so it is non-evaluative. The results indicate a highly uniform textual transmission during the early centuries. The systematic analysis challenges previous research regarding text types, Christological scribal alterations, and textual trajectories.
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1 online resource. :
9789004429376
9789004428225
YHWH is king : the development of divine kingship in ancient Israel /
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Amidst various methodologies for the comparative study of the Hebrew Bible, at times the opportunity arises to improve on a method recently introduced into the field. In YHWH is King , Flynn uses the anthropological method of cultural translation to study diachronic change in YHWH's kingship. Here, such change is compared to a similar Babylonian development to Marduk's kingship. Based on that comparison and informed by cultural translation, Flynn discovers that Judahite scribes suppressed the earlier YHWH warrior king and promoted a creator/universal king in order to combat the increasing threat of Neo-Assyrian imperialism. Flynn thus opens the possibility, that Judahite scribes engaged in a cultural translation of Marduk to YHWH, in order to respond to the mounting Neo-Assyrian presence.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004263048 :
0083-5889 ;
Jesus in context : Temple, purity, and restoration /
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The Proclamation of Jesus seeks to place Jesus in the context of first-century Palestinian Judaism. The authors hope to discern the essence of his preaching, his concept of the kingdom of God, and the place of purity in his teaching and activities. Better methods for assessing not simply the authenticity of reported sayings and deeds, but for tracing the development of tradition are considered. The authors are convinced that most of the Synoptic tradition is authentic, but that much of it has been reinterpreted and recontextualized. Herein lies the real challenge for those investigating the historical Jesus. The Proclamation of Jesus opens up new avenues of study and makes new proposals for understanding Jesus in the context of his place and time.
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1 online resource (xi, 572 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 501-533) and indexes. :
9789004332478 :
0169-734X ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The idea of retribution in the book of Ezekiel /
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The objective of the book is to examine the idea of retribution in the Book of Ezekiel. The book seeks to show that underlying Ezekiel are three principles of retribution: covenant, the disposal of impurity, and poetic justice. That is to say, the consequence of an act is either governed by the terms of a covenant, or seen as the disposal of impurity produced by the act, or made to look like the act by incorporating some features of the act. The present study shows that retribution can be juridical in nature as in the case of the covenant, but it can also be non-juridical as in the cases of disposal of impurity and poetic justice. This study also provides an examination of these three important ideas seldom noted in detail in current literature on Ezekiel.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [255]-282) and indexes. :
9789047401056 :
0083-5889 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Gottes Herrlichkeit : Bedeutung und Verwendung des Begriffs kābôd im Alten Testament /
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Die Untersuchung des Begriffs kābôd JHWH im Alten Testament weist drei Profile einer biblischen kābôd-Theologie auf. Während die altorientalischen Quellen die Wurzel kbd / kbt jeweils mit der Bedeutung 'Schwere' oder 'ehren' verwenden, entwickelten es die biblischen Autoren in einem längerem Traditionsprozess zu einem Aspekt göttlicher Gegenwart fort. Die Studie zeigt, dass die Priesterschrift, das Buch Jesaja und das Buch Ezechiel unterschiedliche Motive aus unterschiedlichen Quellen, biblischen und nicht-biblischen aufnahmen und auf diese Weise drei literarische Profile des göttlichen kābôd. Die Untersuchung späterer Pentateuch- und Jesajatexte weist auf Wechselwirkungen hin, während die Vorstellungen des Ezechielbuches nicht weiter aufgenommen wurden. The investigation focusses on the meaning and function of the term kābôd JHWH in the Hebrew Bible and presents three profiles of kābôd-Theology. While Ancient Near Eastern sources contain the root kbd / kbt always with the meaning 'heaviness' or 'to hounour', in biblical texts the authors developed the term towards an aspect representing his presence. The study shows that the Priestly sources of the Pentateuch, the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Ezekiel contain different images deriving from various sources - bilibcal and non-biblical - forming three literary profiles of the divine kābôd. The investigation of later Pentateuchal and Isaian texts shows that these texts interact while the profile of the Ezekialian tradition was not incorprated anymore.
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1 online resource (xvi, 493 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [455]-471) and indexes. :
9789004225237 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Grace and agency in Paul and second temple judaism : interpreting the transformation of the heart /
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Following recent intertextual studies, Kyle B. Wells examines how descriptions of 'heart-transformation' in Deut 30, Jer 31-32 and Ezek 36 informed Paul and his contemporaries' articulations about grace and agency. Beyond advancing our understanding of how these restoration narratives were interpreted in the LXX, the Dead Sea Literature, Baruch, Jubilees, 2 Baruch, 4 Ezra, and Philo, Wells demonstrates that while most Jews in this period did not set divine and human agency in competition with one another, their constructions differed markedly and this would have contributed to vehement disagreements among them. While not sui generis in every respect, Paul's own convictions about grace and agency appear radical due to the way he reconfigures these concepts in relation to Christ.
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1 online resource (384 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004277328 :
0167-9732 ;
0167-9732 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.