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CRITICAL ESSAY ON DEUTERONOMY
CRITICAL ESSAY ON DEUTERONOMY
CRITICAL ESSAY ON DEUTERONOMY
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The Main Theological Concerns Within the Book of Deuteronomy The book of Deuteronomy is one of the most important and extensive
books within the Old Testament. Its content is diverse and explicit,
focussing specifically on the introduction of an apparently new and
radical theology. One of its primary aims was not, as many OT books
had done previously, to initiate and educate a minority of the
Israelite people, rather its aim was to teach and manifest the
theology of the nation to the nation[1]; and promulgate a
comprehensible religion proposing unrivalled belief in and devotion to
YHWH.
Of the theological concerns within the book of Deuteronomy, the
doctrine of God is easily the most important, and is explicitly
referred to throughout the book. The Deuteronomic writers were trying
to initiate the people to a new line of thought, to destroy the
superstitious and magical elements present within Israel[2]. That
there were many rival sects within Israel at that time was of great
importance for the foundation of Deuteronomic theology. It tried to
clearly express the nation's belief in one God, in order to curb the
encroaching sects and cults. Chapter 6:5 explicitly asserts that
there is in Israel one single God, namely YHWH, and that the
Israelites are now part of a monotheistic nation[3]. From this God
emanates power and love...
... middle of paper ...
...my, p58ff
[15] G.von Rad, Studies in Deuteronomy, p43
[16] R.E.Clements, Deuteronomy, p53
[17] A.D.H.Mayes, Deuteronomy, p63
[18] R.E.Clements, Deuteronomy, p57
[19] A.D.H.Mayes, Deuteronomy, p66
[20] ibid., p58
[21] P.C.Craigie, Deuteronomy, p37
[22] ibid., p37f
[23] ibid., p38ff
[24] R.E.Clements, God's Chosen People, p51
[25] J.G.McConville, Law and Theology in Deuteronomy, p11
[26] ibid., p18
[27] A.D.H.Mayes, Deuteronomy, p71
[28] ibid., p71/2
[29] R.E.Clements, Deuteronomy, p64
[30] J.G.McConville, Law and Theology in Deuteronomy, p18
[31] A.D.H.Mayes, Deuteronomy, p74
[32] R.E.Clements, Deuteronomy, p60
[33] ibid., p61
[34] ibid., p60ff
[35] J.G.McConville, Law and Theology in Deuteronomy, p19ff
[36] P.C.Craigie, Deuteronomy, p42
“Exploration of Similarities in Religious Texts: A Further Look at the Koran, the Tanakh and the New Testament”
In his second volume on Jewish apologetics, Michael Brown answers twenty eight Jewish theological objections. Brown summarizes this book in his preface:
Deuteronomy 28 is surrounded around blessings and curses. God’s promise in the blessings and curses is a conditional covenant. In verses 3-14 He establishes the idea that if you fully obey Him, they would be blessed, but if they don’t, then they would be cursed. “ You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country, the fruit of you womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks” (NIV, 28:3-4). Curses are the premise of the second half Deuteronomy 28. “ You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed”(NIV, 28:16-17).
There are many different forms of covenants in the Old testament that the people of God agree to. The first one being looked at is between God and Abraham. God promised Abraham a great nation and God said he would bless Abraham (Gen 2:2). God also promised him the Promise Land (Gen 15:18) and said he would be the father of many nations (Gen 17:4). All God asked of him was devotion from him and his people and to have circumcision be the sign from the people (Gen 17:11). The promises of the covenant directly impact Abraham, but they also impacted the people who would follow. God would also use these vows in other covenants because they had historic meaning. The Mosaic covenant has several similarities to the Abrahamic covenant. God told Moses that he would make the people of Israel his treasured possessions (Exo 19:5), which corresponds with the promise of blessings in the first covenant. God also promises to bring the people into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exo 6:8). God still expected the people to follow and adhere to his words and the sign he required was following the ten commandments. These covenants were made when the people were forced to be a nomadic due to persecution. The promise of blessings and nations and land was something the people needed. The next covenant God made was with King David, this covenant also resembles the Abrahamic covenant. After the people had settled into their land God talks to King David, through the prophet Nathan. God tells David he will have a child who will establish a kingdom forever (2 Sam 7:13) and the kingdom, as well as the house, will be forever and his child will not lose the throne (2 Sam 7:16). These promises are like the ones made to Abraham, both are promised nat...
Notably, Bultmann’s approach is less as a debunker and more as an interpreter: his idea of the NT is a kind of pure theology written in the poetry of narrative. Therefore, the narrative elements are not important they are means of expressing a theological insight born of an encounter with God. Particularly, Jesus’ the death and resurrection are not two separate events, or two halves of one event. Christ simultaneously is crucified and God resurrects him to conquer death, is a singular event. As a result, the act of proclaiming Christ transcendence of the fallen world results in the person experiencing an encounter and relationship with Christ. Therefore, faith is an act of trust in this encounter and Christ's resurrection is an ongoing activity within the kerygma, and historical "facts" become irrelevant. Bultmann is criticized of denying the actual resurrection; perhaps it may be more accurate to say he redefines it.
Robinson, B. A. (2008, March 30). Books of the Hebrew Scripture . Retrieved May 7, 2011, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_otb3.htm
Judaism is a religion with an excess of 13 million believers located mainly within the United States and Israel. Of all the religions practiced today, Judaism is one of the oldest. The roots of Judaism can be traced back over 3500 years to the Middle East with a lineage that descends from Abraham as a patriarch. With Abraham as a common ancestor, Judaism is considered one of the Abrahamic faiths alongside Christianity and Islam. The historical events within the Bible of Judaism’s past, all the way back to Abraham, have molded the beliefs and traditions practiced by Jewish adherents today.
I am a very spiritual person and am always interested in learning about other religions, especially the three monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I feel I have an adequate knowledge of Christianity and Islam, but I do not know much about Judaism. This paper will focus on the questions I have about Judaism. I have always wanted to know the fundamental beliefs of Judaism. I want to know how many Jews there are in the United States and in the world. I often see Orthodox Jewish men wearing yarmulkes and prayer shawls, and I wonder what is the purpose of wearing these. And finally, I wanted to know what is the role of women in Judaism.
The Exodus of the Israelites is the equivalent to our present day Fourth of July or Bastille Day to the French. Israelite writers discuss the Exodus the most out of any other event in history. The story of the Exodus is one of the most famous stories of the Old Testament. Three of the most significant aspects of the story of Exodus are the call of Moses, the use of plagues as miracles, and the Passover.
The most highly referenced and revered as sacred are The King James Version, considered a masterpiece of English literature, The Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, The Aprocrypha, the books believed left out of some bibles, The Vulgate, the Latin Bible used for centuries by the Roman Catholic religion, and The Septuagint, the first ancient Greek translation of the Tanakh (Geisler and Nix 15, McCallum 4). The Bible is considered a sacred text by three major world religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Many believers consider it to be the literal truth. Others treat it with great respect, but believe that it was written by human beings and, thus is often contradictory in its tenets.
... of Israel, 2d ed.: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament. Garden City: Baker Academic, 2002.
The Old Testament serves as a foundation for the teachings of God, while the New Testament continues to build and preserve God’s principles. The Old Testament and New Testament have a very unique relationship, as they are complementary to each other. The Old Testament contains many prophecies that are fulfilled in the New Testament. God can be viewed as fearsome in the Old Testament, whereas God portrays a friendlier and more compassionate persona in the New Testament. Although there are many differences between the two, there are also many similarities due to the heavy influence that the writings of the Old Testament had on the books and passages of the New Testament. An example of similarity between the Old Testament and the New Testament can be examined between passages from the First Book of Samuel and the Gospel of Luke, located in the Old Testament and New Testament respectively.
As I was helping my brother with his Bible study, I trembled over very two important words: Deuterocanonical Books. It took me a minute to realize that not everyone knows the true significance and the fight it took to prove the incense of these books. The Deuterocanonical Books are recognized by the Coptic Orthodox Church as completion to the Holy Bible, and just like anything in the church understand the meaning and importance of these books is essential. After all we should study every valuable thing in our church. Some individuals have seen the Deuterocanonical Books as the mysterious books. Why are they not recognized by all Christian dominations? Is it just matter of how many number of books there is in the Bible or is this addition another
Deuteronomy, 31:8 is one of the best verses I have read in the Bible. It tells you that God is wherever you go and as long as you have a strong faith on him, he will never forget about you. It encourages us to have faith in God no matter what the circumstances are. Since the beginning of time people believe that having faith in God is an important role in someone’s life. I do have faith in God because of the experiences I have had that testify that he is real. When I read in the scriptures, when I go to pray, I have the most comforting feelings, it’s like a confirmation, that what I believe is real. I have even prayed, and had those prayers answered, sometimes right away, other times in his own time but answers nonetheless.