The Old Testament

2020 ◽  
pp. 66-76
Author(s):  
John Barton
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Christian Belief ◽  
Christian Churches

This chapter surveys the passages from the Old Testament that have traditionally been used in Christian churches in the Christmas season. It argues that sometimes these passages may have generated features in the Christmas story, and that their use is a reading of the Old Testament with the hindsight provided by Christian belief: some of the ‘prophecies’ of the coming of Jesus were not regarded as messianic before Christians began to read them in the light of their own distinctive beliefs, for example passages in Isaiah and Micah. The texts used in Christmas festivals were not taken over from contemporary Jewish reading of the Old Testament Scriptures.

1 Clement

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Maier
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Body Of Christ ◽  
Christian Belief ◽  
Book Of Revelation ◽  
Clement Of Alexandria ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Canonical Text ◽  
Eusebius Of Caesarea

1 Clement is a letter attributed to Clement of Rome (fl. second half of the 1st century ce). It is from a single hand, comprising sixty-five chapters, written from a body of Christ followers in Rome to those in Corinth. It is a long and often rambling writing whose chief aim does not appear until chapters 39–44. Clement, on behalf of the Roman community, advises his audience to restore harmony to the Corinthian church through the reappointment of leaders some have deposed. Parts of the early church treated it as canonical. In Codex Alexandrinus it appears, together with 2 Clement, directly after the Book of Revelation, and in a Syriac manuscript both writings appear before the Apocalypse. Clement of Alexandria quoted the letter as a canonical text. It nowhere states it is from Clement but there are three warrants for accepting the attribution: in the 2nd century Dionysius of Corinth cited him as its author; the Shepherd of Hermas, a document many argue to be contemporary with the writing, identifies a Clement who has the responsibility of sending writings to other cities (Vision 2.4.3), arguably a direct allusion to 1 Clement; the possibility of association as a freed person with the aristocratic family of Titus Flavius Clement and his wife Flavia Domitilla, the latter of whom Eusebius of Caesarea records as persecuted by Domitian for Christian belief. Its chief importance is that it is the earliest preserved Christian letter outside the New Testament. As a text that is contemporary with, if not earlier than, several canonical writings, it offers a snapshot of emergent Christianity in Rome and Corinth. Since its discovery it has played a central role in debates concerning the earliest conceptions of leadership in the ancient church and it is here where most attention has been directed. Scholarly study has also centered on its uses of rhetorical conventions, philosophical traditions, liturgical formulae, and lengthy Old Testament quotations, as well as possible echoes of New Testament texts.

scholarly journals Defiling the Church: The Impact of Mmusuo in Akan Conception

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-17
Author(s):  
Agana-Nsiire Agana ◽  
Charles Prempeh
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
African Culture ◽  
Religious Philosophy ◽  
Christian Religion ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Biblical Texts ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Church

Many Christian churches in parts of Ghana dominated by Akans do not allow corpses to be brought inside the church during funerals services. Others face constant and vehement objection when it is done. Cultural differences on the subject have fuelled heated disputes that have led in some cases to severe congregational division. Opposition is often sustained by a culturally biased approach to biblical texts concerning sacredness and defilement as related to Old Testament sanctuary and temple ritual. Particularly, the religious philosophy of mmusuo provides the psycho-emotive motivation from which many Akan Christians vehemently oppose the practice as sacrilegious. It also provides an analytical and rhetorical framework for appropriating various biblical passages relating to religious sacrilege. This paper unpacks this framework and proposes effectively contextualized theology as a means of avoiding such erroneous conflations and resolving the disputes that arise at the interface of African culture and Christian religion, especially in multicultural congregations.

scholarly journals Celebrating the feasts of the Old Testament in Christian contexts

2006 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdel Le Roux
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Religious Experience ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Protestant Churches ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
The Church

Many early Christian churches incorporated a number of non-biblical, even “pagan” symbols and rituals into their liturgy (e. g. the origin of Christmas). They were contextualized into the church by a brand new Christian content to them. From its first inception Christianity attempted to slander and suppress the pagan myths and rituals in the name of its own message. This, however, does not alter the fact that the church also sought some connections in the sphere of myth. Since the Reformation many Protestant churches have tended to “cleanse” the church from all forms of symbols and rituals that could be reminiscent of its earlier connection with the Roman Catholic Church. The article argues that this left an emptiness, a longing for symbols and rituals which usually form an essential part of a normal religious experience. The Old Testament has both a “deficit” and a “surplus” which might have an abiding significance for Christians. It has become clear from archaeological discoveries that Jewish societies formed an integral part of early Christian societies.

Onward Christian Soldiers

2019 ◽  
pp. 135-140
Author(s):  
Philip Gerard
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Chattel Slavery ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Book Of Genesis ◽  
The Ideal

The Confederacy aims to establish a Christian republic based on chattel slavery, a crusade cast in Old Testament allegiance to tribe, culture and God, justified by using the Biblical Book of Genesis to cast blacks as the descendants of Ham, cursed by God to perpetual slavery. Most Christian churches split over the issue. The Religious Military Press unites the southern sects-they produce inspirational tracts for soldiers and prayers to recite in the event of victory, defeat, or death. Chaplains and evangelical missionaries follow the troops, exhorting them to behave like Christian soldiers and promising them an eternal reward if they fall in battle. Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk-an Episcopal bishop-embodies the ideal of the Christian soldier, fighting under a battle flag emblazoned with the Cross of Constantine.

The Oxford Handbook of the Apocrypha

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Second Temple ◽  
Reception History ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Early Judaism ◽  
Current State ◽  
The World

The Oxford Handbook of the Apocrypha is meant to be a premier reference work for the study of the so-called Old Testament Apocrypha, important early Jewish texts that have become deutero-canonical for some Christian churches and non-canonical for other churches and that are of lasting cultural significance. In addition to the place given to the classical literary, historical, and tradition-historical introductory questions, this Handbook will focus on the major social and theological themes of each individual book. Special attention will be given to the Apocrypha’s portrayal of gender and sexuality, their ethics, and their reception history. Several chapters will deal with overarching topics, such as genre and historicity, Jewish practices and beliefs, and the relation of the Apocrypha to the Septuagint, Qumran, Pseudepigrapha, and New Testament, thus also offering important insights on the place of the Apocrypha in Second Temple (or early) Judaism. With contributions from leading scholars from around the world, the Handbook provides the authoritative reference work on the current state of Apocrypha research, and at the same time, carves out future directions of study.

The Role of Social Anthropology in the Debate on Funeral Rites in Africa

Exchange ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 248-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerard van 't Spijker
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Social Anthropology ◽  
Funeral Rites ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Anthropological Research ◽  
Funeral Practices ◽  
And Function

AbstractIn view of the actual debate on funeral rites in Christian Churches in Africa, a revision of the old position of missionaries that forbade all traditional ritual concerning death as belonging to paganism should be undertaken on the basis of social anthropological research which analyses structure and function of the funeral practices. Thus the mourning rites are understood as means of purification and reconciliation of the bereaved extended family. Parallels between African rituals and those of Israel of the Old Testament may also be taken into account. The efforts towards contextualisation of the Christian message in days of mourning by the ancient Ethiopian Church and by churches in Zimbabwe of today may serve as guidelines for developing rituals marking the end of mourning focused on reconciliation and the victory of life over death.

scholarly journals The Sabbath as a remedy for human restlessness

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
The Body ◽  
Jewish Tradition ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
The Gift ◽  
History Of ◽  
Effective Remedy ◽  
Short Section ◽  
People Today

Considering that many people today suffer from restlessness, it would be very helpful to remind ourselves of a very old, very simple but very effective  remedy: rest on the Sabbath. In the Christian tradition, Sabbath-keeping often only focused on its  spiritual aspects. This article has focused on the benefit of rediscovering the gift of the Sabbath  as ‘a delight to the soul and a delight for the body’ (Heschel). It has shown how we can explicitly  learn from the Jewish tradition of holistic Sabbath observance. The article consists of four  parts: the phenomenon of human restlessness, ten different facets of the Sabbath in the Old  Testament, a short section on the history of pro-Sabbath and anti-Sabbath attitudes within the  Christian churches and a concluding section about applying the basic principles of the Sabbath  in modern life for the sake of a good work-life balance. Examples from the German context  are included.Die Sabbat as kuur teen menslike rusteloosheid. Wanneer die hedendaagse rusteloosheid van mense in ag geneem word, het dit  waarde om onsself aan ‘n baie ou, eenvoudige dog effektiewe maatreël tot herstel te herinner, naamlik om op die  sabbat te rus. In die Christelike tradisie fokus sabbatsonderhouding dikwels slegs op godsdienstige  aspekte. Hierdie artikel het gefokus op die wins in die herontdekking van die  sabbatsgeskenk as ‘n ‘behae vir die siel en die liggaam’ (Heschel). Dit toon duidelik hoe ons uit die Joodse tradisie van ‘n holistiese sabbatsonderhouding kan leer. Die artikel het bestaan uit vier dele,  naamlik die verskynsel van menslike rusteloosheid, tien verskillende fasette van die sabbat  in die Ou Testament, ‘n kort historiese oorsig oor pro- en teen-standpunte van die  Christelike kerk ten opsigte van die sabbat, en ten slotte die toepassing van basiese  sabbatsbeginsels in die moderne lewe ter handhawing van ‘n goeie balans tussen werk en lewe. Voorbeelde  uit die Duitse konteks is ook ingesluit.

A Model to Combat Racism

1976 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-364
Author(s):  
Gary L. Chamberlain
Keyword(s):  
Christian Faith ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Christian Belief ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
Cultural Racism ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Laboratory Training

“In this discussion, I will begin with the apparent confirmation … between Christian belief and racist behavior and explore one possible strategy which the Christian churches can use to overcome the gap between belief and behavior. The model under study here combines laboratory training methods with the content of the Christian faith as a way of developing a community of people equipped with the tools and analysis necessary to deal with personal, institutional, and cultural racism.”

scholarly journals A Biblical Holistic Approach to Proverty

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-153
Author(s):  
Jon Gunthorpe
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Christian Churches ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
God's Grace ◽  
Biblical Perspective ◽  
The Way

Historically, 'the poor' are those who are in need materially and so the way to care for them is to give financial or material assistance. While there has been some progress in the recent century, poverty alleviation still remains a major issue in our world. From a Biblical perspective poverty is one of the consequences of sin, but it is understood in a broader way than merely physical poverty. God works to reverse the results of sin and restore all things, which includes all forms of poverty. In the Old Testament the poor are most often discussed in economic terms, however there are also references to those in spiritual need. The primary principle was that the Israelites were to care for the poor among them, which reflected God's care for them. However, they often fail and are rebuked for exploiting the poor. In the New Testament poverty is discussed even more clearly in an holistic way: there are the materially poor, the socially poor, but all people are spiritually poor. Hence the way to care for the poor must address these different types of poverty. Of paramount importance is to help people out of spiritual poverty, for that has eternal consequences. However, it is also clear that Christians who properly understand God's grace to them, will respond by caring for others holistically. Such care was seen in the early NT church from congregations who were transformed to serve, as taught and modelled by Jesus. The ongoing challenge for Christian churches today is to continue to care for all varieties of the poor, enabling and empowering them to help themselves as Jesus' instructed.

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