scholarly journals God our king

Author(s):  
Jan Muis

This article discusses whether the metaphor of “king” can still be used in Christian God-talk. Firstly, it is argued that the “king” metaphor for God is an indispensable key metaphor in both the Old and the New Testament. “King” has become a root metaphor in the canonical text of the Old Testament and Jesus’ proclamation of the coming kingdom of God presupposes that God is king. Secondly, the Biblical meanings of the metaphor are explored. God’s kingship implies his authority and power to fight the forces of evil, to liberate and lead his people and to control the events of history. Modified by Jesus Christ, God’s kingship is universal, non-violent and in accordance with his love. Then, the use of the metaphor in contemporary God-talk is considered. Because “king” is the only metaphor that can give expression to God’s ultimate highness and authority, it cannot be replaced by others. In the concluding section the “king” metaphor for God is conceptually explained in terms of the relationship, the agency and the power of God it implies.

2010 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Dariusz Kasprzak

Neither the Apostles nor any Christian minister is admitted to use the priest’s title in the text of the New Testament. Nevertheless, in the New Testament we can perceive the development of the doctrine of the priest ministry in the early Church. Albert Vanhoye maintains that the lack of the term “priest” in the New Testament suggests the way of understanding of the Christian ministry, different from this in the Old Testament. It can’t be considered as a continuation of Jewish priesthood, which was concentrated mainly on ritual action and ceremonies. In the first century the Church developed the Christology of priesthood (Hbr) and ecclesiology of priesthood (1 P). Early Christians focused first on the redemptive event of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and Jesus as the mediator of a new covenant. Only then the religious communities adopted the priest’s title for their ministry.In the early years of the Church, all the ministries were regarded as a charismatic service among the Christian communities. In their services the early Christians followed Jesus Christ sent by God to serve. The Holy Spirit sent by God in the name of Jesus bestowed the spiritual gifts upon the Church (1 Kor 12–13). Consequently the disciples of Jesus and their successors could continue his mission. The Twelve Apostles’ ministry was the very first and most important Christian ministry. It was closely connected to the service of Jesus Christ himself. The Apostles were sent by the authority of Jesus Christ to continue his mission upon earth and they preached the Good News of the risen Christ. The Apostolicity was the fundamental base for every Church ministry established in different Christian communities. Successive ministries were established in order to transmit the teaching of Jesus Christ and to lead the community. For the early Christians the priesthood was not an individual privilege. It had rather the community character.


1995 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Van Staden

Taking cognizance of the fact that language - especially metaphorical language - can be expressive of deeplying cultural or religious symbol sets in man, the study explores the  possible original content of the syntagma εἰΚὼν ΤΟῦ θεΟῦ in both the Old and the New Testament. It is argued that there is a definite shift in the symbol set of which the concept (metaphor) 'image of God' is expressive. Whilst the Old Testament usage of the term probably attests to the conviction that humankind is part of the genus God and may even resemble him physically, the New Testament substitutes Jesus Christ for man as the primary carrier of the 'image of God'. Humankind in general does not reflect that image any more. It is only to be found in those who through faith in Jesus Christ regain the image of God. Our thesis is that the concept of 'image' is to be regarded as much an ethical injunction as it is an ontological state-ment. The faith of adherents to the community of believers finds expres-sion in distinctive behavior - that is, in conduct that clearly identifies them as reflecting the image of God.


2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (2/3) ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. Du Rand

How can God allow it? A bibliological enrichment of the theodicy issue from a comparison between the Book of Revelation and 4 EzraIn the process of understanding and defining the relationship between God and man, the theodicy issue frequently floats to the surface. A long strand in the history of philosophy and theology has addressed itself to the task of reconciling God’s omnipotence and benevolence with human suffering and the existence of evil. Some of the philosophical and theological views are represented in this article. According to reformed scholarly presentation, theodicy should seriously take into account the soteriological and eschatological hermeneutical views. This is confirmed by the Old Testament, intertestamental literature and the New Testament. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the apocryphal 4 Ezra which puts surprising views about theodicy on the table.


2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-229
Author(s):  
Michael Straus

AbstractThis article takes as its springboard the well-known text of Psalm 2:7, in which the Psalmist – presumably David, king of Israel – refers to himself as a ‘begotten’ son of God by virtue of his Lord's decree. The article first explores various linguistic and theological options as to the identity of the ‘son’ to whom the passage refers; and analyses the relationship between that son and the one who is stated to have begotten him. In this context, the article addresses ways in which the passage more generally sheds light on the relationship between God and Israel, including through analysis of a number of fluctuating usages of singular and plural terms in the Old Testament to describe that relationship. Second, and against that background, the article examines texts in the New Testament which quote or refer to Psalm 2:7 to see whether they provide a better understanding of the nature of the relationship between the father and the son described in the Psalm; and further to see whether any enhanced understanding of that relationship reciprocally sheds light on the relationship of God the Father to God the Son as revealed in the New Testament. The article then seeks to determine whether these passages, taken as a whole, provide explicit, implicit, or proto-Trinitarian concepts in anticipation of those given fuller expression in orthodox Church doctrine. Finally, the article explores the concept of circumincession, or coinherence, John of Damascus’ highly abstracted and nearly poetic effort at the close of the Patristic era to provide an extra-biblical explanation of the relationship between the Father and the Son as well as the relationship among the three members of the Trinity. The article concludes by finding that his attempted articulation, and quite possibly all such efforts, will ultimately fail, leaving intact the mystery of the Trinity as one escaping, or rather surpassing, conceptual analysis.


Author(s):  
Н. Я. Сипкина

В статье исследуются православные идеалы А. А. Блока и Н. С. Гумилёва, ярких представителей поэтического поколения конца 19 - начала 20 века, изучавших Закон Божий, в котором излагались общечеловеческие принципы мирного существования людей планеты Земля. Нагорная проповедь Иисуса Христа для поэтов - Новозаветный закон любви о путях и делах, через которые человек сможет войти в Царство Божие, то есть спасти свою душу. Для Блока и Гумилёва божественный «кодекс» совести не утратил своей актуальности: о неосуждении («Не судите, и не будете судимы; не осуждайте, и не будете осуждены»), о прощении («Прощайте, и прощены будете»), о любви к врагам («Любите врагов ваших, благословляйте проклинающих вас, благотворите ненавидящих вас и молитесь за обижающих вас и гонящих вас, да будете сынами Отца вашего Небесного»), об отношении к ближним («Во всём, как хотите, чтобы с вами поступали люди, так поступайте и вы с ними»), о силе молитвы («Просите, и дано будет вам; ищите и найдёте; стучите, и отворят вам») [Библия, 1990, с. 4 - 8] и другие заповеди. The article examines the Orthodox ideals of A. Blok and N. Gumilyov, prominent representatives of the poetic generation of the late 19 - early 20 centuries, who studied the Law of God, which set out the universal principles of the peaceful existence of people on our planet Earth. The sermon on the mount of Jesus Christ for poets is the new Testament law of love about the ways and works through which a person can enter the Kingdom of God, that is, save his soul. For Blok and Gumilyov, the Divine "code" of conscience has not lost its relevance: about non - condemnation ("do not judge, and do not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned"), forgiveness ("Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven"), love for enemies ("Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be sons of your Father in Heaven"), the attitude towards the others ("In everything as want that with you people acted, so do you also to them"), about the power of prayer ("Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you") and the other commandments [1, p. 4 - 8].


1996 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
G. M. Booy

Isaiah 52:13-53:12: Prediction or word of comfort? The New Testament frequently applies this poem to Jesus Christ as well as to the receiving and proclamation of the gospel. It is possible to regard the New Testament’s use as criterium for the interpretation of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and to understand it therefore as a direct prediction of Jesus Christ. Such an interpretation, however, degrades the Old Testament and ignores the meaning which the Isaiah-text has in its historical and literary context.


Author(s):  
Harry Maier

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.


Author(s):  
Gerald O’Collins, SJ

‘Saving truth’ is a more biblical and positive term than ‘inerrancy’ or freedom from error. Rather than being identified with biblical inspiration, the truth of the Scriptures is a major consequence of inspiration. It is close to the notion of the divine faithfulness and reliability. A progressive approach to biblical truth acknowledges that truth is to be found primarily in the whole Bible. Jesus Christ is the Truth, attested prophetically in the Old Testament and apostolically in the New. Ultimately biblical truth is something to be lived and practised. A closed list of inspired and authoritative books (which determine the Church’s faith and practice), the canon was constituted by maintaining the inherited Scriptures and accepting the New Testament on the basis of their apostolic provenance (taken in a broad sense), orthodox teaching (or adherence to the ‘rule of faith’), and wide and consistent usage in the Church’s liturgy and teaching.


1997 ◽  
Vol 53 (1/2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petrus J. Grabe

The Old Testament background for understanding the covenant motif in the New Testament - Part 1: Description of the question and analysis of the meaning of the word בְדִית* The concept of the covenant has once again become extremely relevant within the context of the debate on the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, as well as within the context, of the quest for determining the relationship between the Church and Israel. In this article the meaning of the word בְדִית* is discussed. It is argued that this concept has to be understood within the context of the semantic field in which it is used in the Old Testament. Certain facets of meaning in specific contexts in which בְדִית* occurs, are accentuated and discussed.  The Septuagint's translation of בְדִית*, as well as the translation of בְדִית* in the Vulgate and in some modem translations, is also discussed briefly.


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