Chapter Seven. Heaven And Earth In The Old Testament And Second Temple Literature

2007 ◽  
pp. 163-191
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Second Temple ◽  
Second Temple Literature ◽  
Heaven And Earth

scholarly journals Developing an integrated approach to interpret New Testament use of the Old Testament

2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Y. Phillips ◽  
Fika Janse van Rensburg ◽  
Herrie F. Van Rooy
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Second Temple ◽  
Second Temple Judaism ◽  
Historical Method ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Second Temple Literature ◽  
Natural Sense

The aim of this article is to develop a specific approach to interpreting New Testament use of the Old Testament. The approach has integrated the most useful insights of studies in both Second Temple Judaism and present day literary theory in order to reach most consistently and effectively a valid explanation of the biblical data. In the process, severalimportant hermeneutical issues have been addressed. The focus of New Testament use of the Old Testament in the person and redemptive work of Jesus should always be the goal of Christian interpretation. Whilst old and new texts mutually interpret one another, it has been argued that there has been no ultimate ambiguity about the author’s intended, singular meaning or distortion of the original meaning of the old text. It is important to be aware that all readers come to a text with preconceived worldviews that are inevitably a mixture of biblical and unbiblical perspectives. However, this does not prevent a reader from attaining a valid understanding that adequately overlaps with the most probable meaning of the text as intended by the author. This most probable meaning is determined by the explanation that logically makes the most coherent and natural sense of most biblical data. The methodological procedure proposed has taken thegrammatical-historical method as the normative starting point of exegesis. It has then proceeded to imitate the New Testament in consideration of the broader canonical context, before considering explanations derived from the Second Temple literature or present day literary theory.Die ontwerp van ‘n geïntegreerde benadering om Nuwe-Testamentiese gebruik van die Ou Testament te verstaan. Die bedoeling met hierdie artikel is om ’n benadering te ontwerp om die Nuwe-Testamentiese gebruik van die Ou Testament te verstaan. Dié benadering moet die mees bruikbare insigte van die navorsing oor die Tweede Tempelperiode en die hedendaagse literêre teorie integreer, met die oog daarop om op die mees konstante en effektiewe wyse ’n geldige verklaring van die Bybelse data te gee. In hierdie proses word etlike hermeneutiese vraagstukke onder die loep geneem. Aangesien die fokus van die Nuwe-Testamentiese gebruik van die Ou Testament die persoon en verlossingswerk van Jesus is, is dit nodig dat hierdie fokus by die Christen se verstaan ook teenwoordig is. Dit is so dat ouer en nuwer tekste mekaar interpreteer; dit hou egter nie in dat daar dubbelsinnigheid is oor die outeur se bedoelde enkele betekenis, of ’n skeeftrekking van die oorspronklike betekenis van die ouer teks nie. ’n Leser kom noodwendig na die teks met ’n spesifieke wêreldbeskouing, wat ’n mengsel is van Bybelse en onbybelse perspektiewe. Dit verhoed die leser egter nie om by ’n geldige verstaan van die teks uit te kom wat voldoende oorvleuel met die mees waarskynlike betekenis van die teks soos wat die outeur dit bedoel het en wat logieserwys die meeste van die bybelse data goed en organies verreken nie. Die voorgestelde benadering neem die grammaties-historiese metode as die normatiewe beginpunt vir eksegese, en volg dan die Nuwe Testament self na deur die breër kanoniese konteks te verreken. Eers dan word die literatuur van die Tweede Tempelperiode asook die literêre teorie van die huidige tyd verreken.

scholarly journals Pieter M. Venter’s contribution to Old Testament Studies – an appreciation

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter C. Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Second Temple ◽  
Wisdom Literature ◽  
Interpretive Community ◽  
Second Temple Literature ◽  
Critical Theology ◽  
The Church ◽  
Old Testament Studies

The contribution that Professor Pieter M. Venter has made to the study of the Old Testament during his academic and ecclesiastic career is reviewed. After a brief biographical introduction, the article surveys the development of his research interests, focusing specifically on his contributions to the study of wisdom literature, narratives and narratology, second temple literature, the formation of the canon, and Old Testament Theology. The review concludes with reference to his way of practising critical theology, taking full cognisance of research into the linguistic, historical critical, narratological and ideological aspects of Old Testament texts, but always with a sensitivity for the needs of the church as interpretive community.

scholarly journals Congruent ethos in the Second Temple literature of the Old Testament

2011 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter M. Venter
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Second Temple ◽  
Modus Operandi ◽  
Second Temple Period ◽  
Second Temple Literature

Proposing the term ‘congruent ethos’ for studying Old Testament ethics, this article indicates (in line with existing research) that opposing ethical viewpoints are found in the Old Testament. The modus operandi followed was firstly to compare the penitential prayer in Daniel 9:4–19 with those in Ezra 9:6–15 and Nehemiah 9:6–37. This comparison shows that the phenomenon of conflicting ethics was present in Yehud during the Second Temple period. Whilst the Daniel text reflects a more universal attitude, the penitential prayers in Ezra and Nehemiah propose a nationalist view of God and an exclusivist identity for Israel. Although Daniel can be dated later than Ezra-Nehemiah, the tendency to juxtapose an exclusivist viewpoint with an inclusivist one was already present in the earlier period of the Second Temple. This is evidenced by the literature of Isaiah 56–66, Ruth, Jonah, Esther, Tobit, Judith and even Joshua.

scholarly journals Old Testament Studies at the University of Pretoria: Glimpses of the past and future

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Dirk J. Human ◽  
Alphonso Groenewald ◽  
Esias E. Meyer ◽  
Ananda Geyser-Fouch ◽  
Sampson S. Ndoga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Second Temple ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
Second Temple Literature ◽  
Social Contributions ◽  
Church And Society ◽  
African Context ◽  
The University

In a short historical overview of the academic and social contributions of the Department of OTS at the UP over the past century (1917–2017), this chapter provides a limited picture of how the department has contributed to academia, church and society. In this year of the Faculty of Theology’s centenary celebrations, this chapter contemplates selected highlights of the past and intends to discover the avenues of future vistas through current academic strengths, research foci of personnel and the actualisation of the OT in the African context(s).From the inception of the UP in 1908, the Faculty of Humanities has been involved in OT related studies, namely the study of the Hebrew language. OTS has become known over many years through individual scholars’ expertise regarding Bible translation and the foci on specific parts of the OT, namely the Pentateuch, Psalms, Prophets or Second Temple literature. World renowned projects started since 1990 to involve several international scholars. These include inter alia Pro Pent, Pro Psalms, Pro Prof and Qumran projects.Because the department is located at a FT in Africa, it has continuously strived to become theologically relevant for local and African contexts. The department continually envisions excellence and relevant

Bavli Menaḥot 29b and the Diminution

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-105
Author(s):  
Azzan Yadin-Israel
Keyword(s):  
Second Temple ◽  
Second Temple Literature ◽  
New Interpretation ◽  
Interpretive Authority

The first part of this essay offers a new interpretation of the narrative in b. Men. 29b that sees Moses travel forward in time to Rabbi Akiva’s bet midrash. Though this passage has been discussed extensively, I argue that scholars have failed to note the overriding significance of the corresponding mishnah (m. Men. 3.7) for the interpretation of the Bavli. To wit, the tale of God delaying the completion of the Torah in order to append crowns to the letter, is a narrative midrash on the phrase כתב אחד מעכב in the Mishnah. In the second part of the essay, I examine the image of Rabbi Akiva as one who is able to bring to light the interpretive secrets hidden in the Torah. I argue that this view represents the return of a model of interpretive authority that enjoyed great prominence in Second Temple literature but lost favor in Tannaitic sources.

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