The description of Yahweh found in Exodus 34:5-7 is a significant and influential passage from the Old Testament text which is foundational for biblical theology, since it provides the most complete description of both the name and the nature of God found anywhere within the scriptural canon. Its significance can is noted by the fact that this passage is quoted and referred back to at least eleven times throughout the Old Testament including in the books of Jeremiah, Joel, Numbers, Nehemiah, Lamentations, Daniel, and 1 Kings.. In order to fully understand the meaning and purpose of this passage, several other passages must be considered which serve both as anticipatory texts and texts which provide contextual meaning. One such text is found in the thirty third chapter of Exodus. The passage from Exodus 34 is especially significant as many characteristics of Yahweh are revealed to Moses by Yahweh Himself. Another important aspect of this passage is its poeticism and the fact that it reveals the innate characteristics of God in such a way that demonstrates literary beauty and rhythm. Many phrases and expressions in this passage are presented in pairs. This is augmented by the fact that this passage, in the broadest sense, serves to emphasize the two aspects of God which are most basic. These two aspects are His love and His justice. The purpose of this paper is to examine and analyze this passage in Exodus 34, as well as several contextual texts, in order to attempt to grasp
Joseph M. Bolton RELS 103-02 Online Old Testament Studies Spring Semester 2011 Session E May 8, 2011 to July 2, 2011 The Old Testament TimeLine Creation & Primeval History The Creation: * God creates the Heavens and the Earth * God creates man in his image. *
The introduction deals with the ideas of authority and perspective, and how they function properly in the process of Biblical interpretation. A key idea is that reading is a dialogue between the text and the reader. Both sides have a role to play. If we acknowledge this, then we must also acknowledge that the perspective of the reader has some significance in how the Bible is interpreted and exercises authority. This dialogical reading transcends the categories of ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’, and
Within the these three verses of Genesis 1:26-28 lies a myriad of interpretive questions upon whose answers stand the weight of our theologies of creation and anthropology. Beyond the interpretation of Genesis 1:26-28 in its original context, the use of the image of God in the New Testament plays a prominent role within Paul’s theology of new creation and the glorification of mankind in Christ (hereafter “Paul’s image theology,” cf. Rm. 1:23; 8:29; 1 Cor. 15:49; 2 Cor. 3:18; 4:4; Col. 1:15; 3:10). Understanding the contemporary Jewish interpretation of Genesis 1:26-28 with special emphasis on the image of God will assist in a fuller understanding of Paul’s image theology. Thus, we will set out to uncover early Jewish interpretation
This paper focuses on the theological message of the book of Judges. Identifying how God is portrayed in this book will enlighten readers on how God is portrayed in the remaining sixty-five books of the Bible. Also, this study will attempt to determine the books theme, motifs, as well as the central theological message.
In his book God Behaving Badly David Lamb examines difficult texts in the Old Testament and tries to answer the hard questions that arise from those readings. In my own examination of Lamb’s God Behaving Badly I will look at a few of the- questions and difficult texts that I found most interesting. Specifically, I will examine Lamb’s response to God 's anger, apparent lack of concern for race and genocide, and violence in the Old Testament, and I will offer my own response.
For this essay I will present the range of the symbolic meaning of the word; Water. I will list my findings of connections between the Hebrew Bible and the New testament. I will attempt to break down the symbolic affect the word ‘water’ represents into the bible.
To truly comprehend a biblical passage, it is important to have knowledge of the ‘hermeneutics which enables an understanding of the locus of meaning and the principles of bible interpretation’ . The audience needs to have a clear interpretation of the biblical passage which includes ‘content and unity of the whole of Scripture if the meaning of the sacred texts is to be correctly worked out’ , this supports the argument that all worlds of the text are equally important. ‘Biblical passages are often taken out of context and interpreted to support a particular viewpoint of justify a particular action’ . It is imperative to note that ‘in order to discover the sacred authors' intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their
A person both is and is not identical with God and in this way must be both possessed of a capacity to know Him and equally must be beholden to the laws that He lays down for behaviour and worship. The simultaneous closeness and distance is present in the idea of that people are made in the image of God. This paper will consider the breadth of the Hebrew Bible in order to show the consequences of this seeming contradiction that a person is an incomplete replication and possesses a separated, although potentially bridgeable relationship to Divine. To begin with it will argue that, while prior
The supporters of that idea stress out that the figure of Moses and his role varies from source to source which exhibits that stories about Moses developed gradually. According to the documentary theory, the character of Moses was rather generalized and metaphorically embellished than historically precise. [SOURCE]. Even though the primary source of information about Moses and his achievements is Biblical narrative, in this paper I will provide evidence of Moses’s
Thesis: Traditionally theodicy is expressed as the inability to reconcile the co-existence of a good God and the ever-present evil at work in the world. How could God and evil coexist? Does this mean that God is not stronger than the evil? If God is all-powerful, then is he not willing to save mankind from evil? These questions of theodicy are fundamental to the texts of Ecclesiastes and Job, yet both texts taking on their own motifs on how to cope with the present experience of evil and Yahweh’s coexistence. I will argue both of these texts conclude the only remedy is to fear God in spite of their (Job and Qohelet’s) personal experiences. When life does not make sense, fear God and cling to him.
The following assignment is an analysis of the book of Exodus, chapter 3, verses 2-12. In this particular passage God calls on Moses to go back to Egypt and free the Israelites. In examination of Exodus 3:2-12, there are multiple aspects of this verse that should be studied. Below I have explained the importance of this passage to it’s original audience and it’s current audience. I have also illustrated its cultural-historical background, the literary genre and context of the passage, as well as highlighted keywords and phrases within the passage.
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible has provided me with a critical analysis of the Hebrew Bible and introduced a wide variety of interpretive strategies, including African American, anthropological, feminist, historical-critical, Jewish, and literary perspectives. These approaches were presented by our author’s, L. Juliana M. Claassens, Peter Enns, Walter Brueggemann, and John L. Collins. Each author provides a unique interpretation to help us comprehend how the text is an expression of one’s interpretive understanding. Having said that, the biggest influence has been how I will seek to present Old Testament scriptures more effectively while remembering the context and the audience in which I am presenting. For example, I believe the greatest lessons that I have been reminded of are, the Old Testaments Scriptures from my childhood, which have become a big part of my relationship with God and are based on a childlike faith, which must now grow in the richness of the different interpretations, it is this message that I can apply to life.
God’s goodness and mercy far transcends the comprehension of the most brilliant human mind! He “who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth”(Psalm 113:6).Yet in His infinite love for us He stoops down to reveal Himself to us by a multitude of illustration, types, and shadows, so that we may learn to know him. This paper will describe what is meant by the Kingdom of God; examine the religious philosophy of the various sects of Judaism during the Second Temple period: Pharisee, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots, describe the religious philosophy and political philosophy of each sects, it will also describe how the Messianic expectation differ from the Messianic role that Jesus presented, and include an exegesis of
To speak of the Hebrew Scripture is to speak of story, a story stretching from the very beginning of time to only a few centuries before the beginning of the Common Era. It is to speak of richness of content, of purpose and of reality and to engross oneself in an overarching narrative that, depending on your personal convictions, continues to the present day. Within this richness is found a wide variety of different events and experience, told through a series of genre ranging from foundational myth to apocalypse, law giving to poetry, genealogy to wisdom and many more. Within this diversity however, three broad sections can be discerned that speak to a shared purpose and content, these are the sections of Law, Prophecy and Writings. It
Many argue that the Bible especially the Old Testament is not the inspired word of God because of the command to destroy the Canaanites. Many use this as a basis of their argument that the scriptures are not inspired by God because they wonder how could God, a God of non-violence, mercy and goodness command such a thing. The focus of this paper will be “how is one to respond to this accusation that the Old Testament is not inspired because of commands to destroy people such as the Canaanites? This paper will attempt to answer this question by offering contrary evidence, will argue that when God’s nature is properly understood, the command for destruction of the Canaanites is not against God’s nature and that God had justified reasons in this command. This paper will provide proof of the goodness, mercy and moral nature of God, as well as the accountability that God demands from all people. It will then show the justified reason for such commands not only for the Canaanites but other nations as well. This paper will show that in spite of the commands of destruction from God that Scripture is indeed inspired by God.