Biblical Theology

Biblical Theology Christopher T. Begg, Thomas Hieke, and Fred W. Guyette ________ 1363. The OT and the Idea of Retribution Hans Ausloos, "It's a Matter of Justice! The Old Testament and the Idea of Retribution, " OTE 36 (1, 2023) 151–65. My essay seeks to do justice to an often misunderstood aspect of biblical thought, here specifically OT, concept of justice, i. e. , the doctrine of retribution. After some introductory considerations regarding terminology, I present various facets of the OT idea of retribution, i. e. , individual retribution, collective and corporate retribution, and transgenerational retribution. I likewise offer reflections on the role of God in the OT's doctrine of retribution. Finally, I show that, in some instances, OT authors highlight various problematic features of the doctrine of retribution. Adapted from published abstract—C. T. B. 1364. The Ambiguity of the Identity of God in Genesis 18–19 Attila Bodor, "Die Ambiguität der Identität Gottes in Genesis 18–19, " BZ 67 (2, 2023) 265–77. Genesis 18–19 presents an ambiguous image of God, who is portrayed in these chapters both as Yhwh and as a human being. My article examines this ambiguity in the representation of the God of Israel with a focus on the literary development of the narrative. I argue that traces of an ancient Yahwist religion (which did not exclude the appearance of the deity in an ambiguous form, simultaneously God and human, one figure and multiple figures) are found throughout the above chapters, this suggesting that such a representation of the deity was integral to the concept of God in ancient Israel. Adapted from published abstract—C. T. B. 1365. Migrants in the OT Arturo Bravo, "Los migrantes en el Antiguo Testamento ¿Aceptación o rechazo? " TV 63 (4, 2022) 561–90. This paper aims to show how migrants are presented in the OT and to determine whether it is possible to ascertain an overall biblical position on the question of whether migrants are to be accepted or rejected. In pursuing this goal, I analyze the terminology used for migrants in the OT and survey a range of texts reflecting both a universalist outlook as well as others that express different perspectives on the question of migrants. On this basis I present my own view on the matter as well as various recommendations regarding it. Adapted from published abstract—C. T. B. 1366. The History of the Idea of Intergenerational Punishment Simeon Chavel, "Inter-generational Punishment: A New History, " The Pentateuch and Its Readers, 285–306 see #1517. C. traces the development of the idea that Yhwh punishes one generation for the faults of its precedessor (s) across its biblical manifestations. "The argument here makes six points. (1) The idea of intergenerational punishment rests on the idea of Yhwh's patience and love; it imagines Yhwh to bear offense and manage it piecemeal over time; (2) the terms and concepts of intergenerational punishment come from the family sphere of life. They express the anxieties around family circumstances … and around family identity, which depends on longevity. In the old cliché, intergenerational accountability explains why bad things happen to good people; (3) its application to the nation is a metaphorical extension …; (4) criticism arose in the late Neo-Babylonian period, when life in Judea had deteriorated grievously and Judeans felt Yhwh's management to have gone awry; (5) the prophetic texts depicting this criticism give Yhwh opposite responses to it. In one he accepts it; in the other he rejects it; (6) by a certain point, in the Persian period, the conditions of family, society, and divinity that undergirded the ideas of intergenerational accountability ruptured by the Babylonians were reconfigured … to produce a whole new set of ideas" (p. 286). —T. H. 1367. Trauma Hermeneutics and Gendered Metaphors for God in the Book of Jeremiah L. Juliana Claassens, "Theological Language in Crisis? The Importance of Trauma Hermeneutics for Exploring Gendered Metaphors for God in the Book of Jeremiah, " OTE 36 (1, 2023) 202–19. In this article that explores male and female metaphors for God in the HB, I argue with specific reference to the. . .