Beyond the Conflict Between ‘Reason’ and ‘Revelation’

Grotiana ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-118
Author(s):  
Yvonne Sherwood
Keyword(s):  
Sovereign Power ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Genesis 22 ◽  
The Law ◽  
Radical Revision

In De veritate, sacrifice is appealed to as a universal rite and the ultimate guarantee of immutable truth, beyond reasonable deduction or natural instinct (Book 1, Chapter 7; cf. De satisfactione Christi). But sacrifice also stands as the ultimate example of the abrogation and alteration of law (Book 5, chs. 6–8). As an example of the abrogation of law, sacrifice signifies in both directions. The case of Abraham (Genesis 22) demonstrates God’s sovereign power of dispensatio. Divine right to radical revision is demonstrated in the command to sacrifice. But more generally it is the suspension of the command to sacrifice that stands as the ultimate sign of sovereign right not just to annotate but to radically rewrite the law. In this paper I explore how sacrifice operates as a guarantee of immutability and mutability: the intractability of scripture, and its equally necessary revision and alteration. Sacrifice reaches across all time and space, and stands as a sign of the parochialisation of biblical time and space. This tension relates to the principle of accommodation which, I argue, is already in operation in the Bible. By extrapolating this fundamentally biblical operation, Grotius produces a paradox that will help to sustain the Bible in modernity. The Bible (as emblematised in sacrifice) is localised and parochialised but also persists as a ‘universal’ foundation.

„Rzymski” Żyd – nieznana twórczość Romana Brandstaettera

2012 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-61
Author(s):  
Dariusz Konrad Sikorski
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Interwar Period ◽  
Free Speech ◽  
Role Model ◽  
The Self ◽  
Polish Literature ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Law

Summary After 1946, ie. after embracing Christianity, Roman Brandstaetter would often point to the Biblical Jonah as a role model for both his life and his artistic endeavour. In the interwar period, when he was a columnist of Nowy Głos, a New York Polish-Jewish periodical, he used the penname Romanus. The ‘Roman’ Jew appears to have treated his columns as a form of an artistic and civic ‘investigation’ into scandalous cases of breaking the law, destruction of cultural values and violation of social norms. Although it his was hardly ‘a new voice’ with the potential to change the course of history, he did become an intransigent defender of free speech. Brought up on the Bible and the best traditions of Polish literature and culture, Brandstaetter, the self-appointed disciple of Adam Mickiewicz, could not but stand up to the challenge of anti-Semitic aggression.

Text-Critical Issues in Ezra-Nehemiah and 1 Esdras

2020 ◽  
pp. 63-78
Author(s):  
Lisbeth S. Fried
Keyword(s):  
Persian Empire ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Archaeological Methods ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
The Law

Ezra-Nehemiah and 1 Esdras are the books of the Bible that describe the return to Judah under the Persians, so it is important to understand what in their portrayal is accurate, and what can be assigned to the imagination of the writers. Text-critical, historical-critical, and archaeological methods enable us to disentangle these elements. They confirm returns to Judah under Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes I, a temple rebuilt under Cyrus and Darius, and a rebuilt wall around Jerusalem under Artaxerxes. We may confirm as well that a man named Ezra was an official in the Persian Empire who served as the “eyes and ears of the King,” but that he did not bring either the Torah or Torah-law to Judah, and there was no law-reading ceremony. The law-reading ceremony, currently described in Nehemiah 8, was written in the Maccabean period, perhaps to emphasize to their Seleucid overlords that even the Persians had supported Judean traditions.

The Binding of Isaac in J.R.R. Tolkien and Stephen King

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-174
Author(s):  
Sebastian Selvén
Keyword(s):  
Biblical Text ◽  
Stephen King ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Genesis 22 ◽  
Intertextual Dialogue

Abstract This article investigates biblical reception in the works of two popular modern fantasy authors. It stages an intertextual dialogue between Genesis 22:1-19, “the binding of Isaac”, and two episodes, in Stephen King’s The Gunslinger and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King. After presenting the dynamics of what happens to the biblical text in these two authors and the perspectives that come out, a hermeneutical reversal is then suggested, in which the modern stories are used to probe the biblical text. One can return to the Bible with questions culled from its later reception, in this case King and Tolkien. This article argues that the themes touched upon by the two authors are important and hermeneutically relevant ones, sometimes novel and sometimes contributions to exegetical debates that have been going on for centuries.

The foundations of the house (Q 2: 127)

2009 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Witztum
Keyword(s):  
Central Point ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Genesis 22

AbstractIn Quran 2: 127 Ibrāhīm founded “the house” (most probably a reference to the Kaʿba) together with his son Ismāʿīl. This scene does not appear in the Bible and none of the attempts to find a literary precedent for it are satisfactory. This paper argues that this scene reflects post-biblical traditions concerning Genesis 22. The argument is based on a comparison of the Quran, quranic commentaries, rabbinic sources and Syriac homilies on Gen. 22. After suggesting an origin for the story, the paper analyses the ways in which the Quran adapted and appropriated the story to its needs. The replacement of Isaac with Ismāʿīl is a central point addressed in this context.

scholarly journals Menemukan Universalitas Pesan Alquran Sebagai Keniscayaan dalam Penafsiran Multi-Interdisipliner

MUTAWATIR ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-123
Author(s):  
Wardani Wardani ◽  
Wardatun Nadhiroh
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Ethical Principle ◽  
Ethical Principles ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Philosophical Foundation ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
The Law ◽  
Modern Era

This article aims to lay a philosophical foundation on the universality of the message of the Qur’an as a necessity in a multi-interdisciplinary approach to interpret the Qur’an. The study departs from the thoughts of Qur’anic scholars from the classical to the contemporary period as set out in their works. The “universality” here means two senses: first, compatibility of the message, owing to its universal and perennial ethical contents, to be applied across boundaries of time and space; second, various aspects of contents of the Qur’an, such as theological, legal, ethical, and scientific issues. This article also suggests methods in exploring the universality of the Qur’anic doctrines and gives one example of its application, especially in understanding Quranic values in its doctrine of warfare. The authors conclude that an integrative approach to the Qur’an is needed to be accompanied by an awareness of the universality of the message of the Qur’an which lies in the spirit of ethical principles and the need for meaning in a broader spectrum in the modern era. Neglecting its universal message will cause interpretations losing this spirit, such as classical Moslem interpreters’ understanding on jiha>d-verses by insisting that the jihad as warfare is a permanent obligation upon Moslems. The falsehood of the interpretation is due to neglecting the ethical principle i.e. humanity behind the law of reciprocity that underlies particular verses on warfare.

scholarly journals Penulis Loh Batu Kedua Sepuluh Perintah Allah

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32
Author(s):  
Rubyantara Jalu Permana ◽  
Sonny Eli Zaluchu
Keyword(s):  
Text Analysis ◽  
Evangelical Christian ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Christian View ◽  
God's Word ◽  
The Law ◽  
Christian Beliefs

The literal differences found in the text of Exodus 34 verses 1 and 28 can trigger accusations of Bible inconsistency. In fact, in the Christian view, the Bible is a book that cannot be wrong or inner. Evangelical Christian beliefs assert that the Bible contains God's word and God's word itself. If there are differences and inconsistencies in the Bible, is that an indicator to deduce the low credibility of truth in the Christian scriptures? This study aims to answer that question through a hermeneutic and theological analysis of the differences in texts in Exodus 34 or 1 and verse 28, about who actually wrote the two new tablets. God as referred to verse 1 or Moses as read in verse 28. In addition to conducting text analysis, the author also uses the source approach and theological concepts. As a result, verse 28 actually legitimizes verse 1 that God himself wrote the law. This perspective also confirms that the search for the meaning of texts in context does not merely involve a grammatical approach.

scholarly journals (Post-)Deuteronomistic Prohibition of Transvestitism (Deut 22:5)? The Question of Its Actual Meaning and Motivations

2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (5) ◽  
pp. 123-151
Author(s):  
Janusz Lemański
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Cultural Milieu ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Single Instance ◽  
Sitz Im Leben ◽  
Actual Meaning ◽  
The Law

Deut 22:5 marks the single instance of a prohibition of transvestitism in the Bible, and in its whole cultural milieu. The context in which it is situated suggests that it may have been inserted there as an addition, after the Babylonian captivity. That helps to narrow down the range of speculations as to the original Sitz im Leben of the law, and enables us to read it most of all within the canonical framework of the entirety of the Pentateuch. Hence, the precept pertains mainly to the principle of division of the human nature into the two sexes (Gen 1–2), the principle of retaining the order of creation (by not mixing kinds; Lev 19:19; Deut 22:9–11), and of keeping the procreational power, referred to here predominantly to masculinity (Gen 5:1–3; cf. Gen 1:28; 9:1.7).

scholarly journals ‘Text as condenser of cultural memory’: intertextual space of Valerii Shevchuk’s prose

2020 ◽  
pp. 33-54
Author(s):  
Iryna Prylipko
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Continuous Process ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Intertextual Dialogue

The paper considers the demonstrative aspects of intertext in the prose by Valerii Shevchuk and focuses on the peculiarities of the works’ interaction with the Bible, mythology, and literature, which takes place at the level of different forms and types of intertext. Particular attention is paid to revealing the specifc ‘dialogue’ of V. Shevchuk’s works with their pretexts — hagiography, autobiographical and diary’s literature of Baroque. ɒ e examples discussed testify to the depth and ramifications of the intertextual dialogue in the writer’s prose, reveal the intellectual, philosophical, and elitist nature of his texts. A dialogue with the Bible, mythology, world and Ukrainian literature in the works by V. Shevchuk unfolds in the form of open and hidden quotations, allusions, reminiscences. These details aim at deepening the representation of ideas and themes, forming the subtexts, interpreting images. The writer creates a new artistic form — metatext — mainly through the reinterpretation of the pretexts, among which the works of the Baroque period (poetic, autobiographical, diary genres) and hagiography dominate. Transforming the pretexts at the level of contents, plot, genre, time and space, narrative, V. Shevchuk expands them with monologues, dialogues, descriptions, and details. In the process of interpreting prototexts, the writer resorts to modeling original images, in the context of which he actualizes some worldview points, reveals important moral, ethical, and philosophical problems. Allowing the perception of his work as a ‘textual game’, the writer, at the same time, does not reduce the role of intertext to the level of intellectual play. Intertext becomes a peculiar way of continuing the literary discourses of the past in a dialogue with them. They become re-read, ‘supplemented’ and thus brought once again into the continuous process of forming culture.

Conclusion

John Selden ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 229-250
Author(s):  
Jason P. Rosenblatt
Keyword(s):  
Paradise Lost ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Fair Hearing ◽  
Judicial Authority ◽  
The Law ◽  
Westminster Assembly

This draws conclusions based on John Selden’s acceptance of the Talmud as an authoritative source. His many references to Jewish ancestral custom and opinion reveal his understanding that ancient Talmudic traditions exist independent of the Bible, and of course these include the Adamic/Noachide laws. Despite its dubious historicity, Selden accepts the tradition of a seamless transmission of judicial authority in both sacred and civil issues from Moses to the time of the synedrion, which he regards as a model for Parliament. He regards the sages of the Talmud as legal scholars rather than as religious figures. In the fierce debates in the Westminster Assembly over Deuteronomy 17:8–10, the Presbyterians read the text literally, which gave priority in adjudication to the clergy, while Erastians like Selden followed the rabbinic interpretation, which favored those who were skilled in the law. The conclusion tries to explain why both Selden and Milton (at least in his divorce treatises and in the middle books of Paradise Lost) relied on simile and analogy rather than metaphor and typology. Milton would have found everything he needed to create the laws of paradise in Selden’s De Jure Naturali et Gentium, with its thousands of marginal references and its method of giving a fair hearing to all opinions.

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