The Tension Between God as Righteous Judge and as Merciful in Early Judaism

The Tension Between God as Righteous Judge and as Merciful in Early Judaism PDF

Author: Barry D. Smith

Publisher: University Press of America

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 406

ISBN-13: 9780761830887

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In recent years, the scholarly consensus has emerged that early Judaism should no longer be classified as a religion of legalistic works on righteousness, but rather defined primarily by God's covenant with Israel. In this work, it is argued, instead, that there is actually a tension in early Judaism between God as righteous judge and as merciful. As E. Sj berg maintained in his Gott und S nder im pal stinischen Judentum, in the sources used for a reconstruction of early Judaism, there are two mutually exclusive ways in which God is said to relate to human beings. First, God as righteous judge deals with human beings as they deserve. They are assumed to be morally free and responsible, and God judges and recompenses them in history and eschatologically. Not only are the wicked punished for their sins, but the righteous are also rewarded for their obedience. And second, God as merciful does not deal with human beings as they deserve. Rather, he removes the guilt resulting from disobedience to the Law, sometimes on the simple condition of repentance. This means that a person can escape the consequences of disobedience. The understanding of God in the sources vacillates between God as righteous judge and God as merciful, without coming down definitively on one side to the exclusion of the other.

The Concept of God in James – Importance and Implications

The Concept of God in James – Importance and Implications PDF

Author: Jojan Jose

Publisher: Notion Press

Published: 2017-07-03

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1947349503

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This book is an explanation of the author’s investigation into James’ concept of God, using the historical-critical approach as a hermeneutical tool to find out how it was important to different realms of the early Messianic community and its significance to Christians today. The Epistle of James faced lot of struggles to be included in the New Testament. For various reasons, the book was not considered for early canonization. The main reason was the view that there were less theological aspects in the content of the book. Martin Luther described this book as “an epistle of straw.” Respectively, scholars like Martin Debelius, J. H. Ropes, E. J. Goodspeed and A. M. Hunter also underscore the nature of its relatively limited theology by highlighting other aspects of the Epistle of James. Therefore, this book attempts to investigate James’ theological concepts by looking into his use of the concept of God in the socio-political, religious and economic settings of the people in the text.

Mercy

Mercy PDF

Author: Hans Schaeffer

Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster

Published: 2018-04

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 3643909438

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Mercy is an important concept in the Christian moral tradition. It is one of the most prominent divine attributes, and is embodied in Jesus Christ. This volume investigates the concept of mercy from a Protestant point of view with respect to its consequences for an increasingly non-Christian society. Starting from its biblical origins, a group of international authors explicates the intrinsically messianic logic of divine mercy for its potential in current theological ethics, practical ecclesiology, systematic and public theology.

Paul and the Gift

Paul and the Gift PDF

Author: John M. G. Barclay

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2017-09-11

Total Pages: 672

ISBN-13: 0802875327

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John Barclay explores Pauline theology anew from the perspective of grace. Arguing that Paul's theology of grace is best approached in light of ancient notions of "gift," Barclay describes Paul's relationship to Judaism in a fresh way. Barclay focuses on divine gift-giving, which for Paul, he says, is focused and fulfilled in the gift of Christ. He both offers a new appraisal of Paul's theology of the Christ-event as gift as it comes to expression in Galatians and Romans and presents a nuanced and detailed consideration of the history of reception of Paul, including Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Barth.

The Apostle Paul

The Apostle Paul PDF

Author: Porter

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 487

ISBN-13: 0802841147

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"There are many introductions to the life, thought, and letters of Paul the apostle. Some concentrate upon his life, while others focus upon his thought, and still others on his letters. A few of them, like this book, try to integrate all three of them -- including on occasion material from the book of Acts -- into a useful portrait of the man and what he said and thought as revealed through his letters." - from preface.

Sinners and Sinfulness in Luke

Sinners and Sinfulness in Luke PDF

Author: Slawomir Szkredka

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Published: 2017-05-05

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 9783161550577

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Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and Dead Sea Scrolls -- Philo, Josephus, and Classical Greek Sources -- Index of Modern Authors

The Spirit Is Moving: New Pathways in Pneumatology

The Spirit Is Moving: New Pathways in Pneumatology PDF

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-02-26

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 9004391746

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How does the Spirit of God relate to the Bible, to the Christ, to the human person, to the church and to the world? This volume probes these questions in light of the recent worldwide revival of pneumatological reflection and debate.

Judgment According to Works in Romans

Judgment According to Works in Romans PDF

Author: Kevin W. McFadden

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2013-10-01

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 145146567X

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Kevin W. McFadden shows that Paul wrote the letter to remind Roman Christians of his gospel because of his vocation as apostle to the Gentiles. The letter simultaneously demonstrates the guilt of the world and calls Paul's audience to live out the implications of the gospel. The theme of judgment thus appears in two distinct ways. Paul opposes justification by works of law, but simultaneously affirms––as did most of the early Christian movement, McFadden argues––a final judgment according to works. These are not contradictory observations but belong together in a cohesive understanding of Paul's theology and of his purpose in the letter.

Death and the Afterlife

Death and the Afterlife PDF

Author: Paul R. Williamson

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2018-03-06

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 0830887237

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Significant aspects of death and the afterlife continue to be debated among evangelical Christians. In this NSBT volume Paul Williamson surveys the perspectives of our contemporary culture and the biblical world, and then highlights the traditional understanding of the biblical teaching and the issues over which evangelicals have become increasingly polarized. Subsequent chapters explore the controversial areas: what happens immediately after we die; bodily resurrection; a final, universal judgment; the ultimate fate of those who do not receive God's approval on the last day; and the biblical concept of an eschatological "heaven." Taking care to understand the ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman backgrounds, Williamson works through the most important Old and New Testament passages. He demonstrates that there is considerable exegetical support for the traditional evangelical understanding of death and the afterlife, and raises questions about the basis for the growing popularity of alternative understandings. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

History and Memory in the Dead Sea Scrolls

History and Memory in the Dead Sea Scrolls PDF

Author: Travis B. Williams

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-05-16

Total Pages: 463

ISBN-13: 1108493335

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Charts a new methodological course in Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship by employing memory theory to inform historical research. This is an instructive resource for scholars who are seeking an alternative to currently constructed approaches to the subject, and will be of appeal to those interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls more generally.