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The Abraham Narratives in Genesis 12–25
Abstract
This article attempts to trace the development of exegesis of Genesis 12–25 in scholarly works published since 2000. Five types of studies are introduced and briefly evaluated: (1) commentaries on the biblical pericopes in question; (2) works discussing the historical formation of the Abraham narratives; (3) synchronic and theological studies; (4) reception studies; and (5) other detailed studies of Genesis 12–25. The article presents a wide range of methodological approaches, and aims to delineate current trends in the study of Genesis 12–25.
The Bible places faithfulness as a pre-eminent, sought-after, and highly desired character trait by both God and man. In relation to relationships, loyalty is the currency for a relationship that determines whether the relationship continues to grow or even disbands. This article intends to portray God's faithfulness to believers referring to Romans 3:1-8 from the meaning of Pentecostals. The use of the narrative qualitative method and supported by literature review is expected to provide a directed, thorough, and academically strong description of the biblical narrative about God's faithfulness, the narrative of God's faithfulness in Romans 3:1-8 as well as the portrait of God's faithfulness from the meaning of people Pentecostal. It was concluded that Pentecostals see God's faithfulness directed to His chosen people, God acts faithfully because of His promises, faithfulness is the character of God and the identity that God uses when dealing with humans. Abstrak Alkitab menempatkan kesetiaan sebagai karakter unggul, dicari, dan sangat diinginkan baik oleh Allah maupun oleh manusia. Dalam kaitannya dengan hubungan, kesetian merupakan mata uang bagi sebuah hubungan yang menjadi penentu apakah hubungan itu terus bertumbuh atau malah bubar. Artikel ini bermaksud memotret kesetiaan Allah pada orang percaya merujuk pada Roma 3:1-8 dari pemaknaan kaum Pentakostal. Penggunaan metode kualitatif naratif dan didukung oleh kajian literatur diharapkan bisa memberikan gambaran yang terarah, cermat, memiliki pemaparan yang dalam serta kuat secara akademik terkait narasi Alkitab tentang kesetiaan Allah, narasi kesetiaan Allah dalam Roma 3:1-8 juga potret kesetiaan Allah dari pemaknaan kaum Pentakostal. Disimpulkan bahwa kaum Pentakostal melihat kesetiaan Allah terarah pada orang pilihanNya, Allah berlaku setia karena janjiNya, kesetiaan merupakan karakter Allah dan identitas yang Allah gunakan ketika berhubungan dengan manusia.
In this post-modern era, the issue of gender has become increasingly complex. Within Christianity itself, there is a debate about whether the gender issue can be tolerated and accepted within a religious context or not. Churches also tend to differ in their implementation of policies related to this issue, ranging from rejection, indifference, to acceptance. From this dilemma, it is interesting to understand how Pentecostals, in particular, view this matter. This article seeks to examine how the Bible, especially Genesis 1:27, perceives the concept of gender and how this perspective can be applied to LGBT individuals from a Pentecostal standpoint. Through textual analysis and careful literature review, this article investigates the Bible's viewpoint on the LGBT community and offers an interpretation in the form of a divine gender concept according to the Bible. The Pentecostal reflection found includes an emphasis on gender, sexual organs in relation to the divine reproductive system, the holiness of a believer's life, and the need for a divine community to provide support in implementing the divine gender concept in a holistic manner.Abstrak: Pada zaman post-modern ini, isu mengenai gender menjadi semakin rumit. Dalam Kekristenan sendiri, terdapat pertentangan apakah isu mengenai gender ini dapat ditoleransi dan diterima dalam konteks keagamaan atau tidak. Gereja pun cenderung berbeda dalam menerapkan kebijakan terkait isu ini, mulai dari yang menolak, mengabaikan hingga menerima. Dari dilema ini, maka menarik untuk memahami bagaimana kaum Pentakostal, menilik hal ini. Artikel ini berupaya mengkaji bagaimana Alkitab, terutama kitab Kejadian 1:27, memandang konsep gender dan bagaimana pandangan ini dapat diterapkan pada orang-orang LGBT dari sudut pandang kaum Pentakostal. Menerapkan analisis teks serta menggunakan kajian literatur secara seksama, artikel ini menyelidiki cara pandang Alkitab terhadap komunitas LGBT dan membuat interpretasi berupa konsep gender yang ilahi menurut Alkitab. Refleksi Pentakostal yang ditemukan mencakup penekanan pada gender, organ seksual dalam hubungannya dengan sistem reproduksi ilahi, kesucian hidup orang percaya, serta perlunya komunitas yang ilahi untuk memberikan dukungan dalam rangka menerapkan konsep gender yang Ilahi secara holistik.
Not everyone can write down his life story but the Bible gives a special place to the story of Abraham's life to be passed on to today's believers. The story of Abraham's intercession for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18:16-33 is an interesting story to study. It is said that God had determined to destroy the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, but Abraham tried to negotiate with God so that if possible God would keep His punishment against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, in reality the only survivors of this tragedy were Lot and his two daughters. This research intends to frame the story of Abraham's intercession from the perspective of Pentecostal spirituality. By using the method of narrative interpretation and literature review, it is hoped that it will provide a clear overview of the life lived by Abraham, provide a strong meaning about Abraham's intercession, and frame it from the perspective of Pentecostal spirituality. In conclusion, the Pentecostals view that the story of Abraham's intercession is a story of perseverance in faith, the courage to act out of compassion for others, and is a picture of the mission of the church empowered by the Holy Spirit. Tidak semua orang bisa menuliskan kisah hidupnya namun Alkitab memberikan tempat khusus pada kisah kehidupan yang dijalani oleh Abraham untuk diwariskan pada orang percaya masa kini. Kisah syafaat Abraham untuk kota Sodom dan Gomora di Kejadian 18: 16-33 adalah kisah yang menarik untuk dikaji. Diceritakan bahwa Allah telah berketetapan untuk membinasakan penduduk Sodom dan Gomora, namun Abraham mencoba upaya bernegosiasi dengan Allah agar sekiranya mungkin Allah menjauhkan hukumanNya terhadap kota Sodom dan Gomora. Walaupun, pada kenyataannya yang selamat dari tragedi ini hanyalah Lot dan kedua anak perempuannya. Penelitian ini bermaksud membingkai kisah syafaat Abraham ini dari perspektif spritualitas Pentakostal. Dengan menggunakan metode tafsir naratif dan kajian literatur diharapkan bisa memberikan ulasan yang jelas tentang kehidupan yang dijalani oleh Abraham, memberikan makna yang kuat tentang syafaat Abraham, dan membingkainya dari perspektif spritualitas Pentakostal. Disimpulkan, kaum Pentakostal memandang bahwa kisah syafaat Abraham merupakan kisah tentang ketekunan iman, keberanian untuk bertindak karena belas kasihan terhadap sesama, serta merupakan gambaran misi gereja yang diberdayakan Roh Kudus.
Baik itu di masa lalu maupun hari ini, dosa masih membawa dampak buruk dalam kehidupan manusia. Narasi dosa Akhan yang dijadikan kajian utama penelitian ini contohnya, memperlihatkan bahwa dengan mudah dosa masuk melalui ketidakmampuan Akhan mengalahkan keinginannya memiliki barang rampasan yang begitu menarik perhatiannya, serta bernilai tinggi secara ekonomi maupun juga rasa kagum. Hal ini kemudian memicu Akhan untuk berani melawan perintah Allah. Tindakan yang Akhan lakukan ini, bukan sekedar merusak kehidupan Akhan secara pribadi, melainkan juga berdampak pada tewasnya tiga puluh enam prajurit Israel yang menyerang kota Ai serta membuat Akhan, anak-anaknya mendapatkan hukuman Allah karena tindakannya. Artikel ini bermaksud membaca narasi dosa Akhan dari potret kaum Pentakostal. Penggunaan metode tafsir naratif dan kajian literatur diharapkan sanggup memberikan gambaran yang teliti dan runut perihal narasi penaklukan Yerikho oleh bangsa Israel, tafsir naratif dosa Akhan, serta potret kaum Pentakostal terkait kisah ini. Disimpulkan, kaum Pentakostal memotret narasi dosa Akhan ini sebagai sikap Allah yang tidak pernah kompromi dengan dosa, jangan memandang remeh perintah Allah, setiap tindakan memiliki konsekuensinya, serta pentingnya selalu mengkoneksikan diri pada janji Allah.
Giving and receiving is something that is unavoidable when humans carry out their social functions in public life. However, if you look closely, it turns out that receiving gifts from someone will make you happier than when you give, which sometimes feels the opposite. Human nature prefers to receive rather than give. The Bible also focuses a lot on giving and receiving. Through the words of the apostle Paul quoted by Luke, it contains a radical idea which states that it is more blessed to give than to receive. This article intends to explore the meaning of the phrase it is better to give than to receive in Acts 20:35 from the Pentecostal frame. Through the method of text analysis and literature review, it is expected to be able to describe carefully, deeply and systematically regarding the Bible's description of giving, further analysis of the phrase giving is happier than receiving in Acts 20:35, and its application according to Pentecostals. It was concluded that for Pentecostals giving is happier than receiving because giving is a lifestyle that makes believers imitate Christ, giving helps others, giving indicates a fruitful Christian life, and giving can be a channel for spreading good news.Abstraksi: Memberi dan menerima merupakan sesuatu yang tidak terhindarkan ketika manusia menjalani fungsi sosialnya dalam kehidupan publik. Namun, jika dicermati ternyata menerima pemberian dari seseorang akan membuat lebih berbahagia dibandingkan dengan ketika memberi yang kadang merasakan hal sebaliknya. Natur manusia memang lebih suka menerima dibandingkan dengam memberi. Alkitab pun banyak menyorot terkait memberi dan menerima ini, melalui ucapan rasul Paulus yang di kutip Lukas tertuang gagasan radikal yang menyatakan bahwa lebih berbahagia memberi dari pada menerima. Artikel ini bermaksud mendalami makna prasa lebih baik memberi dari pada menerima dalam Kisah Para Rasul 20:35 dari bingkai kaum Pentakostal. Melalui metode analisis teks dan kajian literatur diharapkan mampu menjabarkan secara cermat, dalam, dan tersistimatik terkait uraian Alkitab tentang memberi, analisis lebih jauh prasa memberi lebih berbahagia dari menerima di Kisah Para Rasul 20:35, dan aplikasinyanya menurut kaum Pentakostal. Disimpulkan bahwa bagi kaum Pentakostal memberi lebih berbahagia dari menerima karena memberi merupakan gaya hidup yang membuat orang percaya meneladani Kristus, pemberian itu menolong sesama, memberi mengindikasikan kehidupan Kekristenan yang berbuah, dan memberi bisa menjadi saluran yang mengalirkan pemberitaan kabar baik
Polite children are highly desired, hoped for, also needed by parents, extended families, communities, and God's church. Good manners are important for children to have, apart from being a superior character associated with their social intelligence, they are also a surefire recipe for building and maintaining social relationships, and are very connected to the brightness of a child's future. This article is intended to examine the strategy of fathers in building cultural support for children in Christian families. The narrative qualitative method and literature review were chosen in working on this article with the hope of being able to get a strong, systematic meaning, and have an academic foundation when discussing biblical narratives about politeness, the importance of politeness for a child, and father's strategies in building a polite culture in children. It was concluded that a father will play an optimal role in building a culture of politeness in children when he makes himself the main channel of children's education, forbids it at the child's level of understanding and uses the child's love language, and makes himself the closest model of politeness that can be seen by children.Abstrak: Anak yang santun sangat diinginkan, diharapkan, juga dibutuhkan baik oleh orang tua, keluarga besar, komunitas masyarakat, maupun gereja Tuhan. Sopan santun penting anak-anak miliki selain karena itu merupakan karaker unggul yang terafiliasi dengan kecerdasan sosialnya juga merupakan resep jitu dalam membangun dan mempertahankan hubungan sosial, serta sangat berkaitan dengan kecerahan masa depan anak. Artikel ini bermaksud mencermati strategi ayah dalam membangun budaya santun pada anak di keluarga Kristiani. Metode kualitatif naratif dan kajian literatur dipilih dalam mengarap artikel ini dengan harapan mampu mendapatkan makna yang kuat, sistimatik, dan memiliki landasan akademik ketika membahas terkait narasi Alkitab tentang kesantunan, arti penting kesantunan bagi seorang anak, dan strategi ayah dalam membangun budaya santun pada anak. Disimpulkan bahwa seorang ayah akan berperan maksimal dalam membangun budaya santun pada anak ketika menjadikan dirinya saluran utama dari pendidikan anak, mengajarkannya pada tingkat pemahaman anak dan menggunakan bahasa cinta anak, serta menjadikan dirinya role model kesantunan yang paling dekat yang bisa di lihat oleh anak.
In Abraham's life, obedience was the principle that motivated his life. He willingly obeyed God, not out of law, but out of love. In the course of his life, Abraham was an obedient and God-fearing man. In addition, the story in Genesis chapter 22 becomes a severe test in Abraham's life, where God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son as a burnt offering (Gen 22:2a). This article aims to find the meaning of Abraham's obedience in offering Isaac in Genesis 22:1-19. The method used is narrative analysis. The result is in this case explaining how the life of Abraham who always feared God as evidence of faith in God. Abraham's life can be a guide for the Christian life today. In this context, Abraham is an example of faith, how people live in obedience to God by giving the best, namely the most beloved son in Abraham's life.Abstrak: Dalam kehidupan Abraham, ketaatan merupakan prinsip yang memotivasi kehidupannya. Ia dengan rela menaati Allah, bukan karena hukum, melainkan karena kasih. Di dalam perjalanan hidupnya, Abraham adalah seorang yang taat dan takut kepada Tuhan. Selain itu, kisah di Kejadian pasal 22 menjadi ujian yang berat dalam hidup Abraham, dimana Allah memerintahkan Abraham untuk mengorbankan anaknya yang tunggal menjadi kurban bakaran (Kej 22:2a). Artikel ini bertujuan menemukan makna ketaatan abraham dalam mempersembahkan ishak di Kejadian 22:1-19. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah kualitatif dekriptif dengan pendekatan hermeneutik analisa naratif. Hasilnya adalah dalam hal ini ini menjelaskan bagaimana ketaatan Abraham dalam mempersembahkan Ishak si Kejadian 22:1-19. Kehidupan Abraham yang taat akan Allah sebagai bukti iman kepada Allah. Kehidupan Abraham dapat menjadi pedoman bagi kehidupan orang Kristen pada zaman sekarang ini. Dalam konteks ini, Abraham menjadi contoh teladan iman, bagaimana umat hidup dalam ketaatan kepada Tuhan dengan memberikan yang terbaik, yaitu anaknya yang paling dikasihi dalam hidup Abraham.
Failure to instill perseverance in early childhood can have a fatal impact on him, both for current and future life. Perseverance is very important for early childhood because it correlates with their independence, responsibility, and future success as well as the growth of a child's Christian character. In fact, instilling perseverance in early childhood is a long process that requires fathers to be actively involved continuously to connect with the child. This study aims to mitigate the role of fathers in instilling perseverance in early childhood in Christian families. Using the description method, as well as support from the literature review is expected to be able to describe in more depth and systematic related to perseverance in the biblical picture, the urgency of perseverance in the life of children after an early age, as well as the role of fathers in instilling perseverance in early childhood in Christian families. As a result, a father will play a maximal role in determining perseverance in early childhood if he begins to introduce perseverance as early as possible by applying it through daily communication, helping to direct the child to continue to learn perseverance, motivating, and making himself the closest character that the child can model.Keywords: Christian family; persistence; child perseverance; father's role; parenting styleAbstrakKegagalan dalam menanamkan ketekunan pada anak usia dini bisa berdampak fatal baginya, baik untuk kehidupan saat ini maupun di masa depan kelak. Ketekunan merupakan sesuatu yang sangat penting bagi anak usia dini karena berkorelasi pada kemandirian, tanggung jawab, dan kesuksesannya kelak serta pertumbuhan karakter Kristiani anak. Pada kenyataannya menanamkan ketekunan pada anak usia dini adalah sebuah proses panjang yang menuntut para ayah untuk terlibat aktif secara terus menerus untuk terkoneksi dengan anak. Penelitian ini bertujuan memitigasi peranan ayah dalam menanamkan ketekunan pada anak usia dini di keluarga Kristiani. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskripsi, serta dukungan dari kajian literatur diharapkan bisa mengambarkan secara lebih mendalam dan sistematik terkait ketekunan dalam gambaran Alkitab, urgensi ketekunan dalam kehidupan anak usai dini, maupun peranan ayah dalam menanamkan ketekunan pada anak usia dini di keluarga Kristiani. Hasil penelitian ini, seorang ayah akan berperan maksmial menanamkan ketekunan pada anak usia dini apabila ia mulai memperkenalkan ketekunan sedini mungkin dengan menerapkannya melalui keseharian komunikasi, membantu mengarahkan anak untuk terus belajar ketekunan, memotivasi, serta menjadikan dirinya tokoh terdekat yang bisa dicontoh oleh anak.Kata Kunci: keluarga kristiani; ketekunan; ketekunan anak; peran ayah; pola asuh
The life of a believer cannot be separated from the truth of God's word and one of the best environments to learn God's word and love it is family. Because children spend most of their lives in the family, the role of a father is encouraged to the maximum in teaching children to love God's word. Loving God's word is important for children because God's word is a compass that directs children's lives in God's will and purpose. This article intends to explain the role that a father can play to maximally teach his child to love God's word. Through the method of description and scientific support from literature review, the researcher seeks to describe the picture of the Bible loving God's word, the importance of loving the word for children, and the maximum contribution of fathers in teaching children to love the word. It is concluded that fathers will contribute maximally if they form an environment that loves the word, teaches children from childhood, guides with love, becomes an example of love for the word. Kehidupan orang percaya tidak bisa dilepaskan dari kebenaran firman Tuhan dan salah satu lingkungan yang paling baik untuk belajar firman Tuhan dan mencintainya adalah keluarga. Karena anak-anak paling banyak menghabiskan hidup mereka di tengah keluarga untuk itu peran seorang ayah didorong maksimal dalam mengajarkan anak mencintai firman Tuhan. Mencintai firman Tuhan penting bagi anak karena firman Tuhan adalah kompas yang mengarahkan kehidupan anak dalam kehendak dan tujuan Tuhan selain itu firman Tuhan bisa memberikan inspirasi, motivasi, dan sebagai bekal hidup anak baik masa kini maupun nanti. Artikel ini bermaksud ingin menjelaskan peran yang seorang ayah bisa lakukan untuk maksimal mengajarkan anaknya cinta pada firman Tuhan. Melalui metode deskripsi dan dukungan ilmiah dari kajian literatur, peneliti berupaya menjabarkan gambaran Alkitab mencintai firman Tuhan, arti penting mencintai firman bagi anak, dan kontribusi maksimal ayah dalam mengajarkan anak cinta firman. Disimpulkan bahwa ayah akan berkontribusi maksimal jika membentuk lingkungan yang cinta firman, mengajari anak sejak kecil, membimbing dengan kasih, menjadi teladan cinta firman.
In Christian and church life, Faith and Rationality are often opposed to one another. Some Christians reject the aspect of rationality in doing theology, and vice versa. In the Bible presenting Abraham as an example of faith learning through his experiences when he was tempted to offer up Isaac to his only son, he was without a doubt prepared to carry out the commandments he received with a thoughtful attitude; that God is able to raise (Isaac) people even from the dead (Hebrews 11: 17-19). The research method used is exegetical study with background and grammatical contexts. The aim of this research is to find the meaning of Abraham's faith in Hebrews 11: 17-19. The result of this research is that the quality of faith is tested and that faith thinks rationally and continuously based on God's word.
In this commentary James McKeown treats Genesis as a book of beginnings and a foundational sourcebook for biblical theology. He begins with exegesis of the Hebrew text, highlighting the recurrence of key words, phrases, and themes throughout the book. He also draws attention to passages particularly pertinent to earlier readers either facing or returning from exile, offering a historical context outside a solely Christian perspective.
The second half of the book unpacks the numerous theological horizons of Genesis — main unifying themes (descendants, blessing, land); key theological teachings of Genesis (creation, fall, character and image of God, life of faith); and the contribution of Genesis to theology today, including its impact on science, ecology, and feminist theology.
McKeown’s Genesis provides a solid examination of a scriptural book that reflects the struggles and hopes of its readers — ancient and modern — and offers encouragement for their walk with God.
This book suggests that human trauma gave birth to the Bible. The Bible's ability to speak to suffering is a major reason why the sacred texts of Judaism and Christianity have retained their relevance for thousands of years. In a reinterpretation of the Bible's origins, the book tells the story of how the Jewish people and Christian community had to adapt to survive multiple catastrophes and how their holy scriptures both reflected and reinforced each religion's resilient nature. The book's analysis demonstrates how many of the central tenets of biblical religion, including monotheism and the idea of suffering as God's retribution, are factors that provided Judaism and Christianity with the strength and flexibility to endure in the face of disaster. In addition, the book explains how the Jewish Bible was deeply shaped by the Jewish exile in Babylon, an event that it rarely describes, and how the Christian Bible was likewise shaped by the unspeakable shame of having a crucified savior.
Genesis is a literary unity, and is the foundation for the Pentateuch and for the entire Primary History (Genesis‐2 Kings). This unity is complex, like the human body with its many diverse parts. As with the body, no major part preexisted other parts; all came to birth simultaneously. Three features of Genesis are pivotal. (1) Genesis is encyclopedic, synthesizing literature, religion, the science of the time, and experience (2) Genesis is artistic literature. The many variations and apparent contradictions of the text reflect a unified artistic strategy. Above all, Genesis is like a series of two‐part paintings or diptychs – two accounts of creation, two of sin, two genealogies, and so on. Every piece fits, and the diverse parts set up a dialog. (3) Genesis illustrates intertextuality; its sources include extant documents, especially from Mesopotamia, from Judea (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel), and from western Asia (Homer's Odyssey). The documentary theory (JEDP) is unnecessary and misleading.
How can academic biblical interpretation fruitfully contribute to Christian belief and living in today's world? This book offers a synthesis of some of the best in pre-modern, modern and post-modern approaches to biblical interpretation, and locates the discipline within a self-critical Trinitarian rule of faith, where historical criticism, systematic theology, ethics, and spirituality are constructively combined. Moberly reclaims biblical and patristic principles of what is necessary for meaningful and truthful speech about God to be possible; he engages with contemporary ideological suspicions directed both to scripture and to its interpreters; and he offers an account of God and humanity in relation to both Old and New Testaments. Hermeneutical theory is given practical shape in in-depth studies of Genesis 22 ('The Akedah'), the Journey to Emmaus (Luke 24), and the Christology of Matthew's Gospel, studies which should be of interest to both Jews and Christians.
Genesis calls its readers into a vision of human community unconstrained by the categories that dominate modern thinking about identity. Genesis situates humanity within a network of nurture that encompasses the entire cosmos-only then introducing Israel not as a people, but as a promise. Genesis prioritizes a human identity that originates in the divine word and depends on ongoing relationship with God. Those called into this new mode of belonging must forsake the social definition that had structured their former life, trading it for an alternative that will only gradually take shape. In contrast to the rigidity that typifies modern notions, Genesis depicts identity as fundamentally fluid. Encounter with God leads to a new social self, not a “spiritual” self that operates only within parameters established in the body at birth. In Belonging in Genesis, Amanda Mbuvi highlights the ways narrative and the act of storytelling function to define and create a community. Building on the emphasis on family in Genesis, she focuses on the way family storytelling is a means of holding together the interpretation of the text and the constitution of the reading community. Explicitly engaging the way in which readers regard the biblical text as a point of reference for their own (collective) identities leads to an understanding of Genesis as inviting its readers into a radically transformative vision of their place in the world.
'The Book of Genesis in Late Antiquity: Encounters between Jewish and Christian Exegesis' is a co-authored research volume examining the relationship between Jewish and Christian biblical commentators.
This article discusses the growth of the Old Testament, which presupposes the Israelite-Judaean scribal culture. From it the biblical tradition took over the practices, knowledge, and literary remains of the scribes. At the same time they pioneered with what they took over, or produced independently on the basis of it, a very particular way that was also unique in the whole of the ancient Near East. The genre and the content of the biblical books burst the limits of the usual praxis of the scribes. From the scribes developed the scribal scholars, and from the Israelite- Judaean scribal culture they developed the Jewish tradition in the Old Testament.
The Sacrifice of Isaac is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. It is also a shocking account of how Abraham's faith in God was demonstrated by a willingness to sacrifice his long-awaited son at God's command. This story has been a source of fascination for Jews and Christians for many centuries and here, Edward Kessler offers an enthralling account of Jewish and Christian interpretations of this biblical story. For understandable reasons, it has been assumed that Judaism influenced Christian interpretation but relatively little attention has been given to the question of the influence of Christianity upon Judaism. Kessler provides an insight into this absorbing two-way encounter and argues that neither Jewish nor Christian interpretations can be understood properly without reference to the other. As Jews and Christians lived, and continue to live, in a biblically orientated culture, Kessler shows how both were 'bound by the bible'.
The book of Genesis contains foundational material for Jewish and Christian theology, both historic and contemporary, and is almost certainly the most appealed-to book in the Old Testament in contemporary culture. R. W. L. Moberly’s The Theology of the Book of Genesis examines the actual use made of Genesis in current debates, not only in academic but also in popular contexts. Traditional issues such as creation and fall stand alongside more recent issues such as religious violence and Christian Zionism. Moberly's concern – elucidated through a combination of close readings and discussions of hermeneutical principle – is to uncover what constitutes good understanding and use of Genesis, through a consideration of its intrinsic meaning as an ancient text (in both Hebrew and Greek versions) in dialogue with its reception and appropriation both past and present. Moberly seeks to enable responsible theological awareness and use of the ancient text today, highlighting Genesis’ enduring significance.
Recent years have witnessed the emergence of a virtual cottage industry in all things "Abrahamic." Directly proportionate to the rise of religious exclusivism, perhaps best epitomized by the attacks of 9/11 and the current problems plaguing the Middle East and Afghanistan, there has been a real desire both to find and map a set of commonalities between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This is often done, however, not for the sake of scholarship, but interfaith dialogue. Recently, however, the term "Abrahamic religions" has been used with exceeding frequency in the academy. We now regularly encounter academic books, conferences, and even positions (including endowed chairs) devoted to the so-called "Abrahamic religions." Often lost in contemporary discussions of "Abrahamic religions" is a set of crucial questions: whence does the term "Abrahamic religions" derive? Who created it and for what purposes? What sort of intellectual work is it perceived to perform? In order to answer these and related questions, the book examines the creation and dissemination of this category. Part genealogical and part analytical, this study seeks to raise and answer questions about the appropriateness and usefulness of employing "Abrahamic religions" as a vehicle for understanding and classifying data. In so doing, this book can be taken as a case study that examines the construction of categories within the academic study of religion, showing how the categories we employ can become more an impediment than an expedient to understanding.
This book rethinks both the methods and historical orientation points for research into the growth of the Hebrew Bible. Building on his prior work, Writing on the Tablet of the Heart (Oxford, 2005), the author explores the possibilities and limits of reconstruction of pre-stages of the Bible. The method advocated is a "methodologically modest" investigation of those pre-stages, utilizing criteria and models derived from the author's survey of documented examples of textual revision in the Ancient Near East. The result is a new picture of the Bible's formation, with insights on the emergence of Hebrew literary textuality, the development of the first Hexateuch, and the final formation of the Hebrew Bible. Where some have advocated dating the bulk of the Hebrew Bible in a single period, whether relatively early (Neo-Assyrian) or late (Persian or Hellenistic), the author uncovers evidence that the Hebrew Bible contains texts dating across Israelite history, even the early pre-exilic period (10th-9th centuries) where many recent studies have been hesitant to date substantial portions of the Bible. He traces the impact of Neo-Assyrian imperialism on eighth and seventh century Israelite textuality, uses studies of collective trauma to identify marks of the reshaping and collection of traditions in response to the destruction of Jerusalem and Babylonian exile, develops a picture of varied Priestly reshaping of narrative and prophetic traditions in the Second Temple period, and uses manuscript evidence from Qumran and the Septuagint to reveal the final literary reshaping that produced the proto-Masoretic text.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims supposedly share a common religious heritage in the patriarch Abraham, and the idea that he should serve only as a source of unity among the three traditions has become widespread in both scholarly and popular circles. But in Inheriting Abraham, Jon Levenson reveals how the increasingly conventional notion of the three equally "Abrahamic" religions derives from a dangerous misunderstanding of key biblical and Qur'anic texts, fails to do full justice to any of the traditions, and is often biased against Judaism in subtle and pernicious ways.
In order to date the Yahwist, understood as the history of Israelite origins in Genesis to Numbers, comparison is made between J and the treatment of the patriarchs and the exodus-wilderness traditions in the pre-exilic prophets and Ezekiel, all of which prove to be earlier than J. By contrast, Second Isaiah reveals a close verbal association with J's treatments of creation, the Abraham story and the exodus from Egypt. This suggests that they were contemporaries in Babylon in the late exilic period, which is confirmed by clear allusions in both authors to Babylonian sources dealing with the time of Nabonidus.
The past in the Hebrew Bible is a represented past, not the past itself. This book argues that the biblical portrayal of the past consists of a complex interplay of historical memory, folklore, cultural self-definition, and literary brilliance. The chapters of this book attempt to survey and, to the degree possible, untangle these various layers, concentrating on the foundational narratives of the patriarchs, the Exodus, and the united monarchy. The biblical sense of the past combines traits that we separate into different genres - myth, epic, and history - but form a seamless synthesis in the biblical conception.
For well over two centuries the question of the composition of the Pentateuch has been among the most central and hotly debated issues in the field of biblical studies. In this book, Joel Baden presents a fresh and comprehensive argument for the Documentary Hypothesis. Critically engaging both older and more recent scholarship, he fundamentally revises and reorients the classical model of the formation of the Pentateuch. Interweaving historical and methodological chapters with detailed textual case studies, Baden provides a critical introduction to the history of Pentateuchal scholarship, discussions on the most pressing issues in the current debate, and a practical model for the study of the biblical text.
The power of scripture cannot be confined to any one model of canonical authority. Readers invariably discover the biblical text as a place of surprising encounter with the untamable God.
Dissertation
In the first book of the Bible, every patriarch and many of the matriarchs have significant encounters with anger. However, scholarship has largely ignored how Genesis treats this emotion, particularly how Genesis functions as Torah by providing ethical instruction about handling this emotion's perplexities. This dissertation aims to fill this gap in scholarship, showing both how anger functions as a literary motif in Genesis and how this book offers moral guidance for engaging this emotion.
After an introductory chapter outlining the goals, methods, and limitations of this study (ch. 1), this dissertation draws on works in translation theory, anthropology, and cross-cultural psychology to lay a theoretical framework for analyzing emotion described in another language by another culture (ch. 2). Next, it appropriates the findings of cognitive linguistics to analyze the terminology, conception, and associations of anger in the Hebrew Bible (ch. 3). The following chapter evaluates the advances that have taken place in the field of Old Testament ethics in recent decades, supplementing them with insights from philosophical, literary, and critical theorists to formulate an understanding of ethics and narrative that aligns with the contours of Genesis (ch. 4). The next chapter employs a rhetorical-literary approach to examine how texts in Genesis provide a conversation with one another about anger and its moral perplexities (ch. 5). Various themes from this study are then collected and summarized in the concluding chapter (ch. 6).
This dissertation concludes that understanding Genesis' message about anger requires laying aside traditional Western assumptions about both emotion and ethics. Genesis does not, for example, provide a set of ideal principles for engaging anger. Rather, readers who experience Genesis' narratives view anger from a variety of perspectives and in different lights, gaining wisdom for diverse encounters with anger they may face. They acquire a deep sensitivity to human frailty, an acute awareness of anger's power, and a realistic range of possibilities for engaging this emotion.
The biblical narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah has served as an archetypal story of divine antipathy towards same sex love and desire. Sodomy offers a study of the reception of this story in Christian and Jewish traditions from antiquity to the Reformation. The book argues that the homophobic interpretation of Sodom and Gomorrah is a Christian invention which emerged in the first few centuries of the Christian era. The Jewish tradition - in which Sodom and Gomorrah are associated primarily with inhospitality, xenophobia and abuse of the poor - presents a very different picture. The book will be of interest to students and scholars seeking a fresh perspective on biblical approaches to sexuality.
Abrahams Opfer als Chiffre des Tempels: Ein kunstgeschichtlicher Beitrag zur jüdisch-christlichen Polemik
- B Kühnel
Chosen People in a Chosen Land: Theology and Ecology in the Story of Israel’s Origins
- G Mcafee
- Hagedorn A.C.
Die Opferung Isaaks in der jüdischen Tradition
- S Mosès
Genesis: Procreation and the Politics of Identity (OTR; London: Routledge)
- M G Brett
Genesis (Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible
- M A De La Torre
Women Who Wrestled with God: Biblical Stories of Israel’s
- I Fischer