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Covenant in the Old and New Testaments: Some Current Research (1994-2004)
Abstract
The amount of biblical scholarship on covenant over the past decade is not great; however, significant work on the definition and taxonomy of covenant has helped to overcome certain reductionistic tendencies of older scholarship, which has contributed, in turn, to a better grasp of the canonical function of the term in the Old and New Testaments. In Old Testament scholarship, the idea that covenant simply means ‘obligation’ and is essentially one-sided (Kutsch, Perlitt) has been largely abandoned in favor of the view that covenants establish kinship bonds (relations and obligations) between covenanting parties (Cross, Hugenberger). There is also broad recognition that the richness of the concept cannot be exhausted merely by analyses of occurrences of berith or certain related phrases. In New Testament scholarship, some small strides have been made in assessing the significance of covenant in the Gospels; whereas discussion of covenant in Paul has been dominated by the ‘New Perspective’ debate over ‘covenantal nomism’. Finally, some light has been shed on the meaning and significance of diatheke in two highly controverted texts (Gal. 3.15-16; Heb. 9.16-17).
The terminology of the economic wealth is not actually related to the poor in terms of poverty and wealth in the Bible. The terminology of wealth and poverty is not a matter of relationship to the business or economy, but they are rather to have relationships to seek the righteousness of God. Thus, one should clarify the meaning of wealth and poverty in order to seek the real meaning of the Old Testament theology. The eras of Nomadic to Post Exilic give the idea of how God dealt with the people of God in term of sinful nature. It is not the matter of the economic situation, but it is blessedness for the people who seek Him with all their heart. Nomadic era gives an idea of how God gives the promise land to the people of Israel as long as they can keep the covenant. However, throughout the history the Israelites never entered into the promise land, except Caleb and Joshua. The picture of Babylonia is the wrath of God to the people of Israel who never listen to the command of God. In conclusion, seeking God with full heart will find ‘rest’ forever and keep the promise forever more. Keeping the righteousness of God will bring justice to the poor and let the poverty be away from the poor.
Le 17 novembre 1980, au cours d’une rencontre avec les représentants de la communauté juive de Mayence en Allemagne, le Pape Jean-Paul II a décrit le dialogue entre juifs et catholiques comme une « rencontre entre le Peuple de Dieu de l’ancienne Alliance, jamais révoquée par Dieu, et le Peuple de Dieu de la nouvelle Alliance ». Que changeait cette remarque ? Quel a été son impact sur les interventions subséquentes de Jean-Paul II et celles de ses successeurs ? L’auteur présente les principaux textes du Nouveau Testament et des origines chrétiennes qui ont façonné la pensée traditionnelle de l’Église sur le peuple juif. Puis il examine les paroles et gestes de Jean-Paul II et de ses deux successeurs, Benoît XVI et le Pape François. Il signale en terminant la réception de cette déclaration dans divers milieux.
This article is an analysis of the story of the killing of Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī at Karbala in 61/680, as it is presented by al-Ṭabarī. The main argument is that the notion of the divine covenant, which permeates the Qur'an, constitutes a framework through which al-Ṭabarī views this event. The Qur'anic idea of the covenant is read in structural/thematic continuity with the Hebrew Bible account of the covenant between Yahweh and the Hebrew people, which has, in turn, been traced back in its basic form to Late Bronze Era treaties between rulers and their vassals.
The present study focuses on four speeches ascribed to Ḥusayn during the encounter he and his group had with the vanguard of the Kufan army led by al-Ḥurr. These are analysed in accordance with their use of Qur'anic covenant vocabulary. They are also categorised within the broader framework of the eight standard characteristics of Ancient West Asian and Biblical covenants, as presented by Mendenhall and Herion, which have recently been developed in a Qur'anic context by Rosalind Ward Gwynne. This article argues that al-Ṭabarī’s Karbala narrative presents the pact of loyalty to Ḥusayn as a clear extension of the divine covenant.
In this article, I examine whether the notion of covenantal nomism is applicable to the Gospel of Matthew. I survey several key concepts of covenantal nomism in Matthew to see how they function in the presentation of the story of Jesus. Then I discuss two equally binding terms in Matthew's soteriology: Torah and its hermeneutics by Jesus. I will show how Matthew significantly alters the terms of covenantal nomism and articulates a soteriology that is still thoroughly anchored in Jewish roots and yet distinctively shaped by the teaching of Jesus.
The fundamental problem of the law in Paul, posed with fresh urgency by the work of E. P. Sanders, remains the separation
of the law in Paul’s theology from its gracious covenantal context. Paul’s claim of the impossibility of righteousness through
the law depends upon a disjunction of law and covenant which appears both logically incoherent and radically un-Jewish. The
solution, I propose, lies in a crucial but neglected aspect of Jewish covenant theology. According to a widespread strain
within Jewish thought, apart from the grace and forgiveness found within the covenantal relationship, there is no one who
is righteous or who can stand before God’s judgement. Through echo of Psalm 143:2, Paul’s pivotal formulation within Romans
3:19–20 explicitly draws upon this feature of Jewish covenantal thought. Accordingly, the ‘works of the law’ in Romans do
not refer to the law within the gracious framework of the covenant (a covenant which in Paul’s thought was operative throughout
Israel’s history, and had now reached its climax in Christ), but rather to the law’s observance apart from the covenant and its promise of mercy in Jesus Christ. The distinction between the law’s fulfilment considered within or apart from the covenantal relationship of faith is the
key which unlocks the coherence and profoundly Jewish character of Paul’s theology of the law.
From the beginning, one of the predominant elements of worship within the church was the celebration of the eucharist. Much scholarship has been done on the eucharist, examining the observance through the disciplines of church history, theology, New Testament studies, and ecclesiology. This thesis merely aims to complement current scholarship in the area of eucharistic origins. The question examined is this: "Did the Corinthian church model their eucharist observance upon the existing Greco-Roman banquet model?" In answering that question, exegetical work is presented on 1 Cor 11:17-34, the banquet is examined as to form and function, and parallels are made between the two. The study leads to important applications in contemporary eucharistic thought and practice.
This chapter presents an essay on Moses and the covenant in the Pentateuch and the The Assumption of Moses, one of the amplifications of the Pentateuch which reflect Judean conditions in the Second Temple period. It analyses the origin of the title 'mediator of the covenant' in The Assumption of Moses. It examines how this title is linked with the eulogy of Moses in superhuman terms, for which the text is well known.
Ernest Nicholson's contribution to Old Testament study is here honoured by former pupils, colleagues, and friends. Throughout his career, in Trinity College, Dublin, and in the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, he has been an effective ambassador for his subject at several levels: as a committed scholar, as an inspiring teacher, and as a loyal friend. The topic of Old Testament covenant has been a long-standing focus of many of his publications, and it is wholly appropriate that it should serve as a framework for this collection. The chapters explore this topic from a variety of perspectives: literary, exegetical, historical, religious, and theological, and demonstrate its continuing vitality as a basis for original work in Old Testament study. The contributions include an evaluation of Ernest Nicholson's writings.
This chapter presents an essay on the covenant and law in Ben Sira. It explores the wisdom of Ben Sira in the context of biblical covenant theology, the wisdom and Torah in Ben Sira, the covenants of the Fathers from Noah to Jacob/Israel, and the role of Moses as transmitter and teacher of God's instruction. It also examines the priestly covenant with Aaron and Phinehas, David's covenant in the shadow of the priestly covenant, and the Law of Creation and the Law of Sinai.
This chapter presents an essay on the Davidic covenant in the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah is the longest of all the prophetic writings and necessarily raises a number of fundamental questions about its origin and structure which bear closely on how its central themes are to be interpreted. This makes it particularly hard to provide an accurate interpretation of the prophecies and covenants mentioned in Isaiah. This chapter examines the covenant for a royal dynasty in chapter 55, the prophecy for the reign of Ahaz in chapter six, and the prophecies about King Josiah's reign.
This chapter presents an essay about the covenant and composition of the Pentateuch. It examines passages which seem to have played an important part in establishing a covenantal dimension for the final form of the Pentateuch as a whole. All of these passages deal with the covenant with the patriarchs and they raise the intriguing question of whether later references to the Pentateuch as the old covenant, or as the book of covenant, may have considered the patriarchal covenant instead of just the Sinai covenant.
This chapter presents an essay on the relation between the covenant and creation in the Old Testament. The Noachic covenant has often been neglected by biblical scholars because they tend to see it as part of a postexilic development that gradually brought covenant into closer harmony with ideas about creation. Another related reason is the view of creation ideas in the Old Testament as 'late' and subordinated to the doctrine of redemption such as the historical events of Exodus and the Mosaic covenant that establish Israel as the covenant people.
This chapter presents an essay on the issue of covenant in Old Testament theology. It examines the view of Julius Wellhausen on this issue based on his book Theology of the Old Testament. Wellhausen considers the covenant between Israel and Yahweh as an idea that owed its existence to the great prophets. He believes that it was the great prophets who first envisaged the possibility that Yahweh had freely chosen Israel, which in turn had decided to take Yahweh as its God and to be obedient to his guiding hand.
This essay reviews and challenges the widely accepted thesis of Moshe Weinfeld that the Davidic promises are patterned after ancient Near Eastern land grants. Examination of proposed parallels between Davidic promises and royal grants under three rubrics-structure, language, and unconditionality-reveals that Davidic promises and royal grants are not analogous. Regarding the first issue, the problematic and changing structure of land grants precludes any attempt to posit a formal parallel between Davidic covenant passages and royal grants. Similarly, the main passages describing the Davidic promises neither exhibit a common structure nor contain many of the features that are said to characterize royal grants. As to language, too much has been made of linguistic affinities between land grants and the Davidic promises. Correspondence in general formulaic phrases not unique to the land grant genre is inadequate to demonstrate that the Davidic promises and royal grants belong to the same genre. Finally, close study of the historical and literary setting of royal grants indicates that most are actually conditional. In depicting YHWH's promises to David, biblical authors draw upon a variety of genres-legal, diplomatic, and mythological. Given the complexity of the evidence, this essay advocates a broadly bilateral understanding of convenant that seeks to do justice to both ancient Near Eastern treaties and a variety of biblical covenants.
Two types of covenants occur in the Old Testament: the obligatory type reflected in the Sinai covenant and the promissory type reflected in the covenants with Abraham and David. It has been recently shown that the covenant between Yahweh and Israel was based on the treaty pattern prevalent in the ancient Near East, but no judicial prototype has been as yet found for the promissory type of the covenant. The author shows that the covenants with Abraham and with David are modelled on the "royal grant" so common in the ancient Near East. Gift of land and dynasty, the subjects of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants, are most prominent in the suzerain-vassal relationship. Like the royal grant in the ancient Near East so the covenants with Abraham and David are gifts bestowed upon individuals who excelled in serving loyally their masters. The terminology used in this context is very close to that used in the grants. Especially characteristic are: "he kept my charge," "walked before me in truth," "his heart was whole to his master," "walked in perfection."
The author has devoted his life to understanding the textual legacies of the ancient Israelites, from archaic Hebrew poetry to the Bible, and was among the first scholars to collect and interpret the Dead Sea Scrolls. In this work, he discusses specific issues which illuminate central questions about the Hebrew Bible and those who created and preserved it. He challenges the persistent attempt to read Protestant theological polemic against law into ancient Israel. Cross uncovers the continuities between the institutions of kinship and of covenant, which he describes as "extended kinship". He examines the social structures of ancient Israel and reveals that beneath its later social and cultural accretions, the concept of convenant - as opposed to codified law - was a vital part of Israel's earliest institutions. He then draws parallels between the expression of kinship and covenant among the Israelites and that practised by other ancient societies, as well as in primitive societies. Drawing on the Daliyeh Papyri, excavations on the ancient city of Gerizim in the remains of the Samaritan temple, and a host of lesser archaeological finds elsewhere, Cross also reconstructs a history of the era of the Judaean Restoration which he intends as more complete than those in the past. He closes his work suggesting that a radical rewriting of the text and canon of the Hebrew Bible has become necessary in the light of new information gleaned from the Dead Sea Scrolls he has studied, and argues that at the very least, the new data requires a wholly fresh critical approach to the Hebrew Bible.
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.
By reliable, of course, Kitchen (emeritus, Egyptology, U. of Liverpool) means the extent to which the Hebrew scripture can be made to correspond to received notions about the past from the disciplines of history and archaeology. He explores such topics as the Hebrew kingdoms, exile and return, Canaa
This paper explores points of connection between texts describing Yahweh's covenantal love for Israel and texts concerning the interpersonal loving relationships of men and women and parents and children. Although these covenantal and interpersonal relationships are to be distinguished in many ways, they do hold certain features in common: both are construed in a way that is very one-sided, and, in both, it is typically the hierarchically superior partner who is characterized as "loving". Understanding these principles helps explain the way the terms "aheb" and "ahaba" are used in some otherwise enigmatic passages: (1) texts from Hosea, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah that speak of other nations or other gods as Israel's "lovers"; (2) 1 Samuel xviii and its descriptions of Michal's love for David; and (3) Genesis xxxiv and 2 Samuel xiii, which disconcertingly use the language of love in conjunction with the act of rape.
Theology of the Old Testament (trans. J.A. Baker; Old Testament Library
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The God of Israel and the Nations: Studies in Isaiah and the Psalms
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Oswald Thompson Allis (Nutley, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed): 298-318.