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  • From: "John Brand" <jbrand AT gvsd.mb.ca>
  • To: Corpus-Paul <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Corpus-Paul] Second Temple Judaism and Covenant
  • Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 13:02:41 -0500

Tim Gallant wrote:

> John, I am in agreement with the Heidelberg (which I think is an
> improvement on Anselm) on this point.  (No huge surprise there; as you
> can see, I am a Reformed pastor.)  I admit its particular *angle of
> approach* is not entirely Paul's (since its purpose is catechetical in
> a manner quite unlike his own exposition), but a necessary derivative
> (as I think) from his position.

John:
This is helpful for me in contextualizing your thoughts. I know that the foedos idea is integral to the logic of the Heidelberg Catechism. Here is how I approach the covenant concept.

The focus of the story of Abraham is the blessing Yahweh pronounces upon him (Genesis 12:1-3).  David J.A. Clines has shown that this blessing forms the theme of the Pentateuch:

The theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment - which implies also the partial non-fulfillment - of the promise to or blessing of the patriarchs.  The promise or blessing is both the divine initiative in a world where human initiatives always lead to disaster, and a re-affirmation of the primal divine intentions for man.  The promise has three elements:  posterity, divine-human relationship, and land.  The posterity-element of the promise is dominant in Genesis 12-50, the relationship-element in Exodus and Leviticus, and the land- element in Numbers and Deuteronomy. (David Clines, 'The Theme of the Pentateuch' see also, Von Rad's commentary on Genesis)

Genesis 17:7-8 indicate that the covenant God initiates means that Abraham's descendants will inherit the land of Canaan but the purpose of the choosing of Abraham is that 'all families of the earth will acquire a blessing through [Abraham] (12:3). The commitment of God is ultimately to redeem the entire creation from her 'bondage to decay' (Romans 8:21) and to return it to the rest of the Sabbath day.  To do this he begins by electing a remnant in which he infuses faith and the grace to be able to fulfill what it takes to draw the rest of the creation to himself. 'What it takes' is outlined in his covenants.

A covenant is an agreement between two parties.  Clines above has said that it the promise or blessing of Abraham is the 'divine initiative in a world where human initiative always leads to disaster, and a re-affirmation of the primal divine intentions for man.' In a covenant, the stronger of the two parties of the covenant makes a commitment to act in the interest of the weaker when default occurs.  Thus, the divine justice works itself out in the history of mankind in that God takes the initiative to provide mankind with a means by which he might become reconciled with his creator.  He does this by choosing one nation through which he will specially reveal his intentions and the conditions of the divine blessing.  Other families who choose to make their own way can, then, look to this special revelation as a means by which to guide themselves back into the divine favor.  Thus, the covenant concept is like an umbrella with many facets related to it and embraced by it that are also called covenants rather than an old being succeeded by a newer.

For example, the covenant with Abraham points back to an earlier 'umbrella' covenant God makes with the 'heavens and the earth.' It relates itself back to an earlier covenant which God had made with mankind in general through Noah. Before the judgment of the flood is brought to the earth, Yahweh promises Noah that he will establish his covenant with him (6:18).  After the flood Yahweh reiterates this promise:

Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. (9:8-10)

He then repeats his commitment to the creation:

This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:  I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (12-13)

The key word is make, heqim in the original language:

The _expression_ "establish a covenant" (heqim berit) is used in the sense of "confirm" rather than "initiate."  When a covenant relationship is begun the two parties are always said to "cut" (karat) a covenant. [August Konkel, Promise and Covenant Supplement, (Otterburne:  Unpublished Class Notes, 1989), 23.]

In Genesis 15:18  Yahweh cuts (karat) a covenant with Abraham and his descendants saying that he will give the land of Canaan to his descendants. However, God stands by his earlier commitment to the entire creation as the promise to Abraham indicates "... in you shall all the families of the earth acquire a blessing" (12:3b).  God intends to eventually bring all the families of the earth and all of creation together into one unity (see Ephesians 1:10). [The Westminister Larger Catechism asserts that the divine decree made before the foundation of the world and worked out through time is verbalized in Isaiah 14: 24, 26 and 27 in conjunction with Ephesians 1:10.  See W. G. T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, Volume I, for an explanation of this decree and how the other decrees relate to it and Henry C. Thiessen, Systematic Theology.] 

At this point in the Genesis history the story focuses on Abraham and his descendants.  But we know at the outset that there is a grander plan in view.  The prophet Joel tells us that God intends to pour out his spirit "on all people" (Joel 2:28).  And Peter tells us that this was being fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:17). Daniel is told by the angel Gabriel (Daniel 9:25ff) that the beginning of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem which would be made by Cyrus the Persian (6th Century BC; see Nehemiah 2:1-8), will begin seventy sevens of weeks ...

... to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet and to anoint a most holy place.

We know from history that at the 6th Century BC, called 'the axial age' [Karl Jaspers] God began moving families of the earth to seek explanations for their own history which to that time had been transferred from one generation to another through highly complex myths.  After we have looked at the beginning of the Genesis history, we will focus on the reflections of the 6th Century BC in terms of western civilization by looking at the pre-Socratics, Socrates and Plato. Justin Martyr posits that as the law was a pedagogue to Christ for the Jew, so philosophy (logos) was a pedagogue for the Greek (First Apology).  However, there is a huge difference in terms of progress of the apprehension of the dikaiwma of nomos (Romans 2:15 cf. 8:4) when one compares the progress of the Jew from the axial age forward and the Greco-Roman of that same period. Let's take a look at the Jew during the Second Temple Period.

According to the prophets, Israel never rose above ritual in their practice of the covenant (see Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 6:20; 7:21-22; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21-27; and Micah 6:6-8). After 70 years of captivity we see national leaders such as Daniel and Nehemiah understanding from Jeremiah that the exile was to last 70 years (Daniel 9:2) and on the basis of their belief that this was to be fulfilled in their day, they confess their sin and ask God to renew his covenant with Israel (Nehemiah 1:3ff cf. Daniel 9:4ff). From  this initial beginning, we see the rise of the penitential prayer as religious institution (Nehemiah 9:5ff; Ezra 9:5ff). We see a renewal of sacrifice (Ezra 9:5); the renewal of the Feast of Booths (Nehemiah 8:14ff); seeking of spiritual needs in terms of strength to fulfill torah versus a mere physical deliverance; there is a beginning of torah interpretation as a focus of the reconstruction community where Deuteronomy 4:29 `if [from your exile] you seek YHWH your God ... and return to YHWH your God ... he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to [you] by oath' (see also Leviticus 26:40ff; 1 Kings 8:22ff; and compare these with Ezra and Nehemiah); and we see a renewal of Sabbath observance (Nehemiah 9:14; 13:15ff).

What we do not see is an apprehension of the `weightier matters of the law' (Mathew 23:23) in terms of eleos (cdqh) and krisis (+&pt). Isaiah had rebuked the people of his day for fasting without loosening `the chains of injustice,' setting `the oppressed free,' sharing `food with the hungry,' providing `the poor wanderer with shelter,' and clothing `the naked' (Isaiah 58:6ff). He echoes the voice of his contemporary, Hosea, who also had rebuked Judah for substituting sacrifice (ritual) for mercy (Hosea 6:6).

In reign of Darius the Mede, after the return of the exiles to Jerusalem, a delegation is sent from Bethel to the priests and prophets at Jerusalem asking if they were still required to keep the fast of the fifth month (Zehariah 7:1ff). Zechariah refers them to the words of the former prophets (v. 7) which they had, obviously, still not understood. He charges them to `administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor' (v9-10). The law was obviously not yet written on their heart whereas the dikaiwma of nomos was written on the heart of the Gentile (Romans 2:15). Since, the blessing of the covenant is a function of the obedience of the people, the restoration of Isaiah awaited the realization on the part of the remnant that they were falling short of the righteousness of the torah even though they  were diligent in matters related to ritual. To move to this level of covenant fulfillment they needed 'the spirit to be poured out from on high' (Isaiah 32:15).

Let's look at Jesus critique of Second Temple Judaism. He pointed the Jew forward away from his petty observance of Torah toward a grander fulfillment viz a vis `unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven' (Mathew 5:20). Jesus warns his hearers in the Sermon on the Mount spanning this section of Mathew's gospel, that they were to be `careful not to do your righteousness before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.' The Greek has dikaiosune for `righteousness' which shares the same Semantic range of meanings as the OT cdaqah. Here it is parallel with elehmosunh (v 2) `so when you practice almsgiving, do not announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites ... they have their reward in full.'

When Jesus admonishes the people to exceed this righteousness, he means that they are to go beyond the ritualistic approach of their forefathers. They are to pursue the weightier matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness (Mathew 23:23). He does not mean that they should rely upon his merits in fulfilling the divine imperative.

Those who have the law written on their heart are those who do these works. At the coming of Jesus each man will be judged according to his works (Mathew 16:27). What kind of works? Works done out of love for their Lord: they feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and welcome the stranger (Mathew 25:34-36). It is those who have done good in these terms who will rise to live while those who have neglected these matters will rise to condemnation (John 5:28-29). What we sow in terms of loving our neighbor, we will reap in terms of eternal life both now and in the world to come (Galatians 6:7-8).

Thus, I see a connection between our works and the new covenant. In the new covenant there is an empowering of the Spirit from within to do what the older covenants based as they were sarx were unable to do. Theology after Augustine tends to marginalize the role of human cooperation in the process of the fulfillment of God's initial covenant with Abraham.

Any comments?

John Brand
B.A. Bib Stu (Providence College, Otterburne, MB, Canada, 1980)
M.Min. (Providence Seminary, 1991)
jbrand AT gvsd.mb.ca



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