Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

corpus-paul - Re: Richard:Re: [Corpus-Paul] Toward a Theology of OT Covenant

corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Corpus-Paul

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "John Brand" <jbrand AT gvsd.mb.ca>
  • To: Corpus-Paul <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: Richard:Re: [Corpus-Paul] Toward a Theology of OT Covenant
  • Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 14:27:56 -0500

From:                        "meta" <meta AT rraz.net>
To:                            "Corpus-Paul" <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject:                    Richard:Re: [Corpus-Paul] Toward a Theology of OT Covenant
Date sent:                 Fri, 17 Sep 2004 20:16:14 -0700

Richard wrote:
> Ok, but sin was not reckoned because yhwh is only at this time trying
> to establish a relationship with this people, long before this god
> could establish any law.  And perhaps this is why the covenant was so
> lopsided with the god's promise without requiring obedience to any
> commandments or laws from Abram, fundamentally different when yhwh has
> won the people over through deliverance, and then he could require law
> through Moses.  Again the Abram covenant appears to require nothing of
> Abe, other than recognition which was realized through his faith.  I
> don't see any particular relevance in the remaining portion of your
> comments in this segment.

John responds:
I intend to respond further to your posting as well as another post which I have not yet responded to. However, I thought that this statement of yours was helpful in terms of understanding how you are understanding YHWH and his attempts to establish a relationship with the Abraham and his descendants.

If we are looking at this from the perspective of the ANE pantheon (which is a fascinating vantage point IMO), we see gods who claim certain city-states to which they will be indentified. By means of this stake in the realm of mankind they are able to wield influence in the pantheon. Thus, Marduk and his city becomes head of the pantheon by his defeat of Tiamat.

YHWH/Elohim claims that he is the one who has split the waters (Genesis 1) and from that created the dry land and mankind. Genesis 1-11 constitute a unit (we can move through the proof for this if you wish) prefatory to the Abraham narrative. YHWH has been continually limiting the spread of violence in the earth by various divine acts of judgement just as the gods of the pantheon do in other mythologies.  I mentioned the creation of Enkidu. We could also think of Ishtar's request to El that Gilgamesh be stopped from his high minded attitude toward her. El responds by the decision that Enkidu be killed.

If you'll look at the word study of Heqim which I sent along off-list, you will note that one of the figurative nuances of heqim is that of setting a legal precedent to be passed on to future generations:

PSA 78:5  He established (heqim) a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, (RSV)

The Psalmist here appears to be reflecting the idea that I mentioned in connection with Genesis 18:19 where YHWH says that Abraham will command his children to follow the way of YHWH and so succeed in their endeavors.

Looking back the nation affirms the trustworthiness of YHWH. Abraham affirms this trust from the start.

Any comments? I'll add to these thoughts in my response to the other posts.

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



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page