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Lyle Brecht 25-Jul-09 EFM Notes: I Chapter 3 - THE PRIESTLY CREATION STORY1 Gen 1-2:4a God’s creation of the all that is in the space-time cosmos out of chaos. The Priestly creation story is the product of a community of faith engaged in theological reflection on creation. The text utilizes and transforms older creation myths. The text was written in ~6th century BCE addressed to exiles in order to refute Babylonian theological claims of possessing superior Gods to that of Israel. To despairing exiles, it is declared that the God of Israel is the Lord of all things and all life. This is a theological and pastoral statement addressed to a real historical problem. The story makes the assertion that God can be trusted, even against the contemporary data of the Babylonian captivity. The story is also a statement of faith; making the theological claim that God’s spoken word can transform reality. The story proclaims the news of God intervening in history which redefines the world.2 The God of Genesis 1 (Elohim rather than YHWH) is a God who acts through his word in creation and in history; it is this that makes him God. The action which is the basis of every event in creation and in history is a command from God whose execution must necessarily follow. For example, in creation, when God speaks his command “Let there be light” there is nobody there to whom his command is directed or through whom the command can be executed. The reality of this world exists only because God acts. When the OT speaks of God it means the reality of one who acts in creation and in history. For the OT, the question of whether there is a God has no meaning because the world exists.3 What the Priestly creation story accomplishes:4

1. Dualism is rejected. God is behind all that is; it is God alone who keeps chaos under control. Creation is not an accident, but the deliberate act of divine will. And God considers his work5 good. God responds to his work with a sense of achieving divine intention, which includes aspects of beauty, purpose, and praise.6

1 The Priestly creation story (Gen 1-2:4a) and the JE creation and fall story (Gen 2:4b-3:24) function together to provide a canonical picture of creation. The Priestly point of view is liturgical – the people of God’s whole life is to be lived as a liturgy to God; this is an unconditional covenant that God has with humankind (“sola gratia”); God’s unconditional grace is evident in his creation. God created humankind because he wanted to – with love; and God is sovereign over all of creation (class discussion). 2 Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis: Interpretation Series (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982) pp. 22 – 39. 3 Westermann, Claus. Genesis 1 -11, trans. John Scallion (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1984) pp. 80 – 177. 4 de Bary, Edward Oscar, Gen. Editor, Education for Ministry – Year 1, Chapter 3 (Sewanee, TN: University of the South, 1999). 5 “Bara” used to speak about the newness and uniqueness of what God brings into being. 6 New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol 1: Genesis pp. 340 - 352

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The world as it comes from the hand of God is perfect: whatever evil there now is in the world is not due to God.

2. God is both immanent and transcendent. God is immanent in that by creating

humankind he no longer chooses to be alone – he involves himself in our history. God remains transcendent in that only he has created the heavens and earth and all things and we can never know his mind fully – the fullness of God remains a mystery to us.

3. There is freedom in the world. Human beings are given a role to play in God’s

creation and they must respond from their own free-will. Nothing is determined beforehand or sealed by fate.

4. Fertility is from God, and God alone is to be worshiped since only God is the

source of this creativity.

5. Humanity is made in the image (selem) and likeness (demult) of God. The pattern of which human beings are created comes from outside the sphere of the created. The creation of humankind, the last of God’s creative acts, is the climax of God’s creation.

6. God created humankind so that both sexes are needed for completeness. The

female images the divine equally to the male; both are created in the image and likeness of God. The modern notion of individual self-sufficiency is ruled out.

7. Human beings are God’s representatives here on earth – stewards for his creation.

As an image and likeness of God, human beings are to mirror God to the world in their words and their actions – to be an extension of God’s own dominion. There is perfection in humankind’s original relationship to God and to his created world.

8. This God, the God who created heaven and earth and all things, and this God

alone, is the God who acts in history and has a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sealed with Moses at Sinai – thus creating the people of Israel.7

9. God’s rest (sabat) on the seventh day indicates that the Sabbath belongs to the

created order. God created the Sabbath to celebrate his covenant with the people of Israel. This covenant is the basis of Israel’s faith and the dignity of all humankind.

10. The two pillars of Israel’s faith are:

a. God’s gift of life and authority to humankind as his representative here on

earth – “a people under God.”

7 For the Hebrew people, personhood was defined through the belonging established in a covenantal relationship. Pembroke, Neil. The Art of Listening: Dialogue, Shame, and Pastoral Care (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2002) p. 52.

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b. God’s gift of the Sabbath – a day of celebration of God’s people under

God through God’s covenant with his people.

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Lyle Brecht 25-Jul-09 EFM I Ch 4 – THE JE ACCOUNT OF CREATION & FALL Genesis 2:4b-3:24 Primeval History of Humankind When We Alienate Ourselves

from God because of Our Transgression and Disobedience The J writer presupposes Genesis 1:1-2.4a. Human life is not taken for granted; it is a gift of God. We receive our human existence by participating in God’s life-giving spirit. Humanity has no right of its own to survive. Life and the future which is necessary for life to unfold are God’s gifts.8 As humans, we are supposed to represent God here on earth and to mold our conduct according to God’s will. Our human freedom is given to us, not to do whatever we want, but rather freedom to live according to God’s will. As God’s representatives, we derive our self-understanding and communion with others from the task of doing God’s will.9 In Genesis 2:4b-3:24 even though humankind knows that humans live by the gifts of God, humans are disobedient to God, to whom we owe everything.10 The purpose of this narrative is not how did death come into this world or what is the origin of sin. The question the narrative is designed to answer is “Why is humankind who is created by God limited by death, suffering, toil, and sin?” But the J writer does not expect a causal answer to this existential question. The answer is that the alienation of humankind from God does not mean a definitive separation from God. God drives us out of the garden, but leaves us life; and by giving us a commission outside the garden, God gives meaning to our alienated existence. However, guilt, sin and death continue to be stark realities that remind us of our limitations, even as we remain creatures of God’s creation.11

1. The LXX Greek word for sin is hamarita. The LXX concept of sin has a sense of

“missing” e.g. the way (Prov. 19:2); what is sought (Prov. 8:36); the mark (Judg. 20:16). While used for wrong action, the word suggests always the idea of going astray. In this narrative humankind wishing to be as wise as God and understanding his designs opens up a mistrust in which we renounce our proper attitude as creatures of God; acting as though we were ourselves God, responsible only to ourselves (hubris).12

2. “One does not find in the OT any word that means precisely what Christians mean

by ‘sin.’ There was breach of the law (Torah), and consequent fear before God; there was guilt and a sense of liability to punishment; there was consciousness of evil and suffering, etc. but no SIN as a thing in and of itself.” For J, primeval sin

8 Schwartz, Hans. Creation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002) p. 177. 9 Schwartz, pp. 182-183 10 Westerman, Claus. Elements of Old Testament Theology trans. Douglas Stott (Atlanta: John Knox, 1978) p. 96. 11 Westerman, Claus. Genesis 1-11 trans. John Scullian (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1974) p. 277. 12 Kittel, Gerald, ed. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Abridged in One Volume by Geoffrey Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985) pp. 44-46.

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is actions in disobedience to God, which is true for all humanity.13 In later Judaism, those who have and keep the law (Torah) are kept from sin in both an ethical and legal sense, but those outside the law (the Gentiles) have no similar possibility. This is due to their rejection of the law; resulting in idolatry, ritual uncleanness, lack of sexual mores, and pagan ways. For Paul, sin was opposition to God. Sin entered the world with Adam, enslaving us (Rom. 7:14) and handing us over to death so that we cannot fulfill the law (Rom. 7:15ff). Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection overcomes sin for all of us and establishes a new history (from the history begun in Gen. 2.4b-3:24) for humankind.14 The point Paul is making in Rom. 5:12-21 is that Christ’s righteousness is, by God’s grace, more than enough to offset the effects of sin.15

3. The NT view of sin was dramatically different than the Hellenistic Greek use of

hamartia (sin). Classical Greek viewed sin as defect and guilt, not as enmity against God. By Hellenistic times hamarita was used for predetermined destiny which is the cause of guilt but without personal responsibility; redemption comes through certain rites or gnosis (knowledge).16

4. The LXX Greek word for evil is kakos arising mainly in connection with

hamarita. The Jews thought of evil in two ways. First, evil is the punishment for sin, especially for idolatry and apostasy. God saves from evil when his people repent. That is, evil has a political or national dimension, as the penalty for turning away from the law. Secondly, evil has a personal ethical meaning. If we willingly chose evil, through ignorance or ungodliness, evil results will follow.17

5. The OT Hebrew word for “the devil” is satan, but the word is used very

infrequently. When it is used it means the legal accuser; whether as a divine prosecutor, a human agent who accuses on God’s behalf, or as a destructive force of nature.18

6. The OT is not interested in how evil came into the world. The OT offers no

theological statement about the origin of evil. There is no hint in Genesis that the serpent is an embodiment of evil or symbolizes the devil.19 When J allows man and woman to be led astray by the clever snake, creature of God, he is saying that it is not possible to know the origin of evil. We are at a complete loss in the face of the fact that God has created a being that can lead humankind to disobedience. The origin of evil is a complete mystery. The most important thing that J has to say here is that there is no etiology for the origin of evil: “the temptation stands as

13 Westerman, pp. 277-278. 14 Kittel, p. 51-52. 15 de Bary, Edward Oscar, Gen. Editor, Education for Ministry – Year 1, Chapter 4 (Sewanee, TN: University of the South, 1999) p. 67. 16 Kittel, p. 48-49. 17 Kittel, p. 392. 18 Kittel, p. 151. 19 Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis: Interpretation Series (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1982) pp. 40-46.

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something inexplicable; it appears suddenly amid the good that God has created. It will remain there as a riddle” (W. Zimmerali).20

7. The forbidden tree’s characteristics in Hebrew mean: “good for food,” “a delight

to the eyes,” and “desirable in acquiring wisdom.” The women ate of the tree of good and evil “in order to become wise.” The type of fruit was not mentioned. The idea that Eve ate an apple from the tree arose from a mistranslation of the Latin Bible.21

8. “To know good and evil” does not mean moral knowledge. For J this knowledge

was all encompassing and meant the knowledge necessary for humankind to master life and be successful. However, this is not personal knowledge so much as knowledge that is concerned above all with the communal life of humans. Humans are only what God intended us to be as humankind lives in community with one another – and that basic form is the community of man and woman.22

9. There is no linkage of sex to sin in J’s narrative.23

10. The OT does not assume a “fall” of humanity from a state of divine grace to one

of sinfulness that is part of our history. The whole course of events from the moment humankind was placed in the Garden of Eden to the expulsion from the Garden is primeval – an event on the other side of our historical experience. One cannot carve up the narrative to describe the status of humankind from our vantage point in human history. Our history knows no humankind before “sin.” The Jews of ancient times did not think of this narrative as a definite event at the beginning of human history, even though it remained eminently real to them. It was only in late Judaism when perceptions of the differences between historical reality and primeval reality were lost and the “fall of humanity” became an historical event – but the idea of original sin is an entirely Christian idea.24 When Augustine opposed Pelagius, who had been teaching that Adam influenced humanity by giving us a bad example, Augustine introduced the idea of transmission of sin by propagation or inheritance. Augustine also introduced the idea of gratia sanans (healing grace) and gratia elevans (elevating grace). With the introduction of these ideas into the debate with Pelagius, the narrative in Gen. 2:4b-3:24 was recast in terms of “the Fall.” Adam fell from an elevating grace to a healing grace.25 Since the 5th century CE the church has taught that every person who is born shares in original sin, even before she has committed any acts of sin.26

20 Westerman, p. 239. 21 Hamilton, Victor. Book of Genesis Ch 1-17 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990) pp. 190-191 22 Westerman, p. 242. 23 Bruggeman, p. 42. 24 Westerman, p. 276. 25 Fitzmyer, Joseph. Romans: Anchor Bible (New York: Doubleday, 1992) p. 409. 26 EFM, p. 67.

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11. Death is not a punishment for sin. The J writer is reflecting not so much on death as on alienation.27 Death in and of itself belongs properly to the human life God wills for humankind. In the OT, humans “missing the mark” is presupposed, and belongs to human existence. Actions of certain individuals could have a “representative” character, being regarded as, in some sense, the actions of many other individuals at the same time.28 Thus the actions of Adam do affect humanity, and not merely in the sense of presenting an example not to imitate. Sinning is a cause of what Adam has done in his willfully disregarding God’s command.. Our lives are the fruit of Adam’s actions. For Paul, Jesus is the “new Adam” to correct this state of affairs by offering a model of righteousness for us to imitate.29

12. Modern Christian message of Genesis 3:(1-7)8-21 is interpreted in light of II

Corinthians 4:13-5:1 and Mark 3:20-35 in the Lectionary. Both NT texts affirm God’s powerful resolve to overcome alienation. This leaves us with the hope that, in Jesus, the creator is at work renewing his creation (of which humankind is part) every day.30 Psalm 130 (v. 6-7) for that day summarizes this redemptive message:

For with Yahweh is faithful love, With him generous ransom; And he will ransom Israel From all its sins.31

The major themes of Jesus’ ethical theology come directly from Genesis 1:1-3:24 narratives:

1. God is Creator of all that is in this space-time cosmos. Because God is creator, God is both transcendent and immanent. God did not abandon creation when God finished the work of making or when humankind disobeyed his command; God remains involved in the world’s history.

2. God is Forgiving. Because God forgives, humans are required to act likewise. Forgiveness requires repentance; that the sinner desires to act in a way which pleases God and not in a way that displeases him.

3. God is Loving. This is the basis of God's gift of creation and his forgiveness. Humans are likewise required to exhibit love when they become followers of Jesus and thus show their love towards others through praxis. The theologies of Paul, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John and the other NT writers come from their interpretation of Jesus’ ministry.

27 Bruggeman, p. 42. 28 Moo, Douglas. The Epistle to the Romans – NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996) pp 323-326. 29 Moo, p. 215. 30 Bruggeman, p. 43. 31 New Jerusalem Bible. This psalm was one of Martin Luther’s favorite psalms and based his hymn ‘Out of the Depths I cry to Thee’ on it (Barton, John and John Muddiman, ed. The Oxford Bible Commentary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) p. 400.).

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Irenæus32 was the first Christian thinker to make use of Genesis 1 and 2 to develop a doctrine of salvation, explaining it as a Trinitarian creation – the God who created us is the God whom we also know as Jesus Christ who is the Word for us and the God whose is also the Creator Spirit. We are created by God to live in communion with him. HOWEVER, the tragedy of creation is that we choose to be sinners by setting our wills against those of God’s; we put ourselves out of communion. To Irenæus, separation from God is death, just as separation from light is darkness. God, then, must lay demands and pass judgment on us to control the course of sin in human life and prevent it from degenerating into chaos. Through his incarnation, Jesus Christ made us what he is. He brought us into communion with God by taking on the bondage of sin and giving us life again. This renewal of life is given in baptism through the church, which God provides us for the nourishment of our lives. The life we experience now through the church will only be more abundant in the “kingdom” to come when we shall be “perfectly what God created us to be,” as Irenæus put it.

32 Irenæus was a “biblical theologian”. He insisted that the Hebrew Scriptures, along with the writings that we now call the New Testament, were the truth because they are apostolic (meaning teaching that is handed down). This succession of the true faith from the apostles through their successors, the bishops, is the foundation of his defense against Gnostic distortions. Irenæus argued that if Jesus had given some secret gnosis to his disciples to be handed down, it had not been transmitted as no one seemed to know what it was. Therefore, the church’s teaching is consistent with truth and ascertainable in its truest sense by anyone who reads or hears it. All other teaching can be measured by this standard for validity. The teaching authority of the church hierarchy was asserted as one means of deciding the proper interpretation of the scriptures (EFM, Year 3, Chapter 4).

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Lyle Brecht 5-Dec-03 EFM Notes 1.8-9: THE ABRAHAM SAGA The whole of the OT looks to the fulfillment of YHWH’s promise to Abraham. Yet, at the end of Israel’s canonical history, in the proclamation of the exilic and post-exilic prophets, YHWH’s promises to Abraham are unveiled as eschatological – unfulfillable under the conditions of the history God begun in Gen. 1. The fulfillment of YHWH’s promises to Abraham would fully occur only at “the end of days” when the kingdom of God breaks in on human history. In the NT, Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God is near and in his message and deeds personifies this message as with his death and resurrection, he has entered the Kingdom. Both in the OT and NT descriptions of the eschaton are political. What is coming is God’s Kingdom of Heaven – which means the replacement of all human forms of government by a new time when humankind is united by faith in one God. eschatological: the end of Gen. 1 history initiated by God and the beginning of a new history (the

kingdom of God). eschaton: the final event of history, considered by some to mean the return of Jesus Christ to

earth. YHWH = Yahweh: God’s personal name used in OT speech. This is an anthropomorphic God

that rejoices, loves, hates, feels jealousy and anger, and experiences change of heart (repentance). YHWH is in constant interaction w/ his people and w/ their history.

Genesis – four major sections:

• 1.1-11.26: the primeval story where God creates human history with life and purposeful order:

o 1.1-6.4: creation of the space-time cosmos and first humans. o 6.5-11.9: the flood and dispersal of humanity. o 11.10-32: ten generations from Shem to Abram.

Patriarchal Salvation History – the story of call and response, of election and faith: • 11.28-25.11: the gift of the promise to Abraham and divine designation of

Isaac. • 25.12-35.29: the divergent destinies of the descendents of Ishmael (25:12-18)

and Isaac (Esau and Jacob in 25.19-35.28). • 36.1–50.26: the divergent destinies of the descendents of Esau (36.1-43) and

the sons of Jacob/Israel (Joseph and his brothers in 37.1-50.26). toledot – Heb. “begettings” @ 5.1, 10.1, 11.10, 25.12, 36.1 used at the beginning of a genealogical register or enumeration or, “openings” functioning as heading of a new narrative cycle @ 6.9 (Noah and the Deluge), 11.27 (beginning of Abraham story), 25.19 (beginning of Jacob cycle), 37.2 (beginning of Joseph story) + 2.4a – the heaven + earth (all that exists in the world) are objects of God’s begetting. Structure of Genesis: life-survival-offspring-fertility-continuity. God’s commandment, “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth” (1.28) predominates. It is the promises of God that carry forward the life cycles. All three matriarchs, Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel are barren – an insurmountable obstacle to continuity. The conception is always

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represented by God’s opening the womb of the barren woman, after which she can give birth (yaldah); not as a begetting (holid) by the father. Thus birth achieves the status of a miracle, foreseen and effected by God alone. Primogeniture is subverted: Ishmael is older than Isaac; Jacob outrivals Esau; 25.23 “and the elder shall serve the younger.” God foments rebellion against the established order of primogeniture. God Covenants: Covenant forms a bond that did not previously exist by normal ties of blood or social ties. In the Abrahamic covenant God solemnly commits himself by an oath to provide land and nationhood to Abraham’s descendents; this covenant depends only on the unchangeable character of the One who makes it. Only God lays himself under obligation. [In the Mosaic covenant, Israel takes an oath and places the nation under stringent stipulations of the covenant.] Gen. 12-50 are the beginning (genesis) elements of salvation history. God has freely chosen one man and his descendents through whom “all the families of the earth shall find blessing” (12.3). Those who live by the covenant are to live a life of trust and faith in him who calls. God’s faithfulness to his purpose is universal; for all people in all times and places. Only God’s grace which calls (elects) us is the key to the redemption which God intends. Faith (a “Yes” to God’s call) is what counts as an adequate response to God, rather than a total righteousness. 11.27-25.11: The Story of Abraham – despite his falling short (sins), Abraham never abandons YHWH and the divine response is one of redemption [to the conditions of sin described in Gen 1-11]. The call and the covenant of promise which goes w/ it can only be responded to in faith; it cannot be empowered by any act of human ingenuity or strength, but persists in the face of human stupidity and weakness.

12.1-3: The sudden, radical call of Abram though election by God. It answers the disturbing question about God’s relationship to his scattered, alienated, and sinful humanity (Tower of Babel story 11.1-9, the only account of sin and judgment which in itself contains no note of redemption). The choice of Abram and the unconditional promises of lands and nationhood have as their ultimate goal the blessing of all of earth’s communities. The salvation that God promises Abram embraces all humankind. This blessing-bearing is the messianic purpose of Israel – the nation itself is called to be the messiah. Abram’s response is one of faith – he does as God has called him to do.

YHWH said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you;

I will make great your name, And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,

And curse him that curses you, And all the families of the earth Shall bless themselves by you.” (12:1-3, NJPS)

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12.4-9: Abram’s journey from Haran (Ur) to the land of Canaan at 75 years old,

leaving the house of his father before his father’s death – this was against ancient tradition.

12.10-13.1: Abram leaves Canaan for Egypt and first story of endangerment of Sarai, the matriarch.

13.2-18: Lot and Abram separate. Lot is self-interested and selects what he believes to be the best land, settling near the archetypal sinners of Sodom. Abram faithfully remains in the land of Canaan. 14.1-24: Abram’s heroic campaign to rescue Lot from the eastern kings. [Melchizedek is the source of the priesthood of the Davidic king (Psalm 110)].

15.1-21: The J (Yahwist) account of the covenant w/ Abram where YHWH promises Abram an heir and a land. “And he [Abram] believed YHWH; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness.” [righteousness in the Bible is not a norm-prescribing ethics, but faithfulness to a relationship. The righteous person in relation to God is fulfilled when that relationship is characterized by faith (see Rom. 1.16f; 4; Gal. 3.6-9). Abram’s righteousness resided in his faith in God’s gracious promise. God condescends to place himself under an oath in order to affirm to Abram the certainty of his promises. [“religious experience” involves mysterium tremendicum et fascinans (Rudolf Otto: The Idea of the Holy) – the mystery which both attracts w/ its fascination and terrifies w/ its overwhelming power.]

16.1-16: Hagar’s encounter w/ God and the birth of Ishmael. 17.1-27: The P (Priestly) account of an everlasting covenant with Abraham, a promise about Sarah, and sign of circumcision. Abram becomes Abraham (“the [divine] ancestor is exalted”); Sarai becomes Sarah. These new names signify a new relationship or status as one who is God’s possession. Like the covenant w/ Noah (9.8-17), this covenant is an everlasting covenant because it is grounded in the will of God, not human behavior. God’s covenant w/ Abraham is based on the faith with which Abraham accepted God’s call, not his righteousness. The one condition for the covenant is the acceptance of circumcision (“bridegroom” and “circumcision” are from the same Heb. root word; circumcision was originally a marriage rite). All the gods of the tribes, by whatever name, are really the one true God of Israel. [monotheism – belief in one god; polytheism – belief in many gods; henotheism – there is only one god for our tribe, but other tribes may have other gods.] 18.1 – 19.38: The conception of Isaac and the destruction of Sodom.

18.1-15: YHWH’s visit to Abraham and Sarah. 18.16-33: Abraham’s intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah. [In Hebrew

Bible: law of blood revenge – the whole community must suffer for the sins of

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any of its members vs. lex talionis – “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” vs. NT: Jesus’ admonition to not seek revenge at all (Mt 5.39)

19.1-38: The rescue of Lot and his family from God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

20.1-18: Abraham and Sarah in Abimelech’s court and the second story of endangerment of the matriarch. 21.1-8: The promise to Sarah fulfilled at last. 21.9-21: The expulsion of Ishmael and Hagar. 21.22-34: Abraham and Abimelech make a pact.

22.1-19: The testing of Abraham where God calls Abraham to obedience to sacrifice Isaac (the symbol of promise). Abraham meets the test and thus becomes the model of faith that God asks of his people. Faith is the willingness to be obedient to YHWH, whatever the calling and however much it may run contrary to any human calculations of good and evil. The divine call includes the unique, once-for-all approach of God to humanity such that the response is the highly personal, “here I am” in which the only thing at issue is what it is God commands. And upon answering the call, the God of all grace shows his faithfulness – as “YHWH who will provide” – to those who fear him (vv. 12, 14). “The fear of God” is a religious stance – the response to the mysterium tremendum of God’s power in one’s life. Abraham’s radical obedience, in spite of his knowledge of good and evil, contrasts w/ Adam’s moral autonomy. [Human sacrifice may have been practiced by the Hebrews into the 8th century BCE; Deut. (c. 621 BCE) expressly prohibits child sacrifice).

22.20-24: The children of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 23.1-20: Abraham acquires a family burial ground (the Cave of Machpelah). Sarah dies in Hebron, 20 miles from Jerusalem, also the first seat of David’s kingship (2 Sam. 2.1-4). 24.1-67: Abraham procures a proper wife for Isaac (Rebekah) from Laban (the archetypal opportunist) in Haran rather than Canaan. [Intermarriage w/ the Canaanites, a lethal threat to Abraham’s identity and destiny, is strictly forbidden in Deut. 7.1-4). [hesed = steadfast love; loyalty, trust, truthfulness to one’s own nature, love w/o sentimentality, and concern (24.12) [NT Gk.: Charis (CAH-ris); agape (ah-GAH-pay)]. 25.1-11: The death of Abraham at 175 years old. A good life is a long life and a quiet death. A short life and violent death are seen as punishment from YHWH. [confederation of tribes = amphictyony (am-Fick-tee-oh-nee)].

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Bibliography Alter, Robert and Frank Kermode. The Literary Guide to the Bible (Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1987). Berlin, Adele and Marc Zvi Brettler. The Jewish Study Bible (Jewish Publication Society TANAKH trans., Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2004). Coogan, Michael D. ed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible (3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2001) Jenson, Robert W., “The Great Transformation” in The Last Things: Biblical & Theological Perspectives on Eschatology, eds. Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jensen (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002). LaSor, William Sanford, David Allen Hubbard, Frederic Wm. Bush. Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996). Wright, Rebecca Abts. Education for Ministry: Year One (3rd ed. University of the South, 2000).

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Lyle Brecht 2-Dec-03 EFM Notes 1.12-16: EXODUS “Exodus” derived from LXX, exodos “departure” (Exod. 19.1), in Heb. Shemot “names.” The Torah consists of five books (Pentateuch): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The building blocks of the Torah are: promise, election, deliverance, covenant, law, and land. The plot of the narrative of the Torah is: Yahweh chose the people he delivered dramatically from slavery at the Red Sea as “his treasured possession out of all the peoples” (Exod. 19.5). Then he bound them to himself in his covenant as their God. His gracious, unmerited deliverance is the only grounds for the covenant. For the benefit of his people, Yahweh gave them the law. This story is recorded in Exodus through Deuteronomy. Gen. 12-50, the patriarchal history, sets forth the promise (Gen 12.1-2: land, nationhood, and of blessing) which the deliverance from Egypt, the granting of the covenant, the law, and giving of land fulfills (Exod. 6.6-8; Deut. 34.1-4). Gen. 12-Deut. 34 with its focus on promise, election, deliverance, covenant, law and land is given special theological meaning by its relationship to Gen. 1-11, the universal primeval history, which describes how humankind’s deep alienation from God and his creation came about. The relation between these two major divisions of the Torah is one of question and answer, problem and solution, with the hinge at Gen. 12.3: I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. The structure begun here in Gen 12-Deut. stretches beyond the Torah and the OT for all three elements of the promise (land, nationhood, blessing) are only partially fulfilled in the Torah and nowhere does the OT set forth a final solution to the universal problem of humankind’s alienation portrayed in Gen. 1-11. This consummation is found in the Son of Abraham (Matt. 1.1), who draws all people to him (John 12.32). Thus only with the NT and Jesus does the answer to problem of the alienation of humanity from God and of individuals from one another receive an answer and solution to the question and problem set forth in Gen. 1-11. Exodus is a recapitulation of Gen 1. Out of a situation where there is no identity, where there are no names, only the anonymity of slavery and powerlessness, God makes a human community, calls it by name, and gives it or restores it a territory. Nothing makes God do this but God’s own free promise; from human chaos God makes human community. It is a summons, a call through which the very possibility of an answer emerges. God’s sovereign purpose is what the world is becoming. And God is creating this world, second by second by his attention to and involvement in the history of his people. The date of the Exodus is ~1300-1250 BCE. During reign of Seti I (1305-1290 and Ramses II (1290-1213). The theological themes of Exodus are foundational to the Bible, to Judaism, and to Christianity, as well as to Islam:

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1. Exodus is based on a thoroughly monotheistic world-view. YHWH is the creator

and to him the whole earth and all living things belong. Yet he has committed himself to one people, the people of Israel and is present in the ongoing daily life of Israel, his people of promise and covenant – ‘he will dwell among them.’ This presence is permanently promised to them in promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “Do not fear, for I am with you; Be not frightened, for I am your God;” (Isaiah 41.10, NJPS).

2. We know who the one who promises is as he has given us his name – YHWH.

When the OT speaks the name of God, it is referring to the fullest extent of the knowledge of God that is available to humankind. “This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations (Exod. 3.15, RSV).

3. God acts in his own time. Sometimes his presence feels more like absence. As the

book of Exodus begins, descendents of Jacob have been living in Egypt for almost 400 years (Ex 12.40). “Why, Yahweh, do you keep so distant, stay hidden in times of trouble? (Ps. 10.1, NJB).

4. God is numinous (see Rudolf Otto The Idea of the Holy). God’s presence evokes

mysterium tremendum et fascinans – the mystery which both attracts with its fascination and terrifies w/ its awesome power (it is the combination of these two contrary aspects that makes an experience truly religious). “And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God” (Exod. 3.6b, NJPS).

5. YHWH demonstrates that he is the divine destroyer, the God of all the earthly

powers in his victory over Pharaoh. “For the Lord is enraged against all nations, and furious against all their hordes; he has doomed them, has given them over for slaughter” (Isaiah 34.2, NRSV)

6. God is faithful; he is a God of grace and glory. He demonstrates his commitment

in his calling of Moses, his revelation of his name, his deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt, and his appearance to them at Sinai. “In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed; you guided them by your strength to your holy abode….You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession” (Exod. 15.13, 17a).

7. God is loving. The covenant which he offers the Israelites embodies the basic

requirement that they should be committed to him alone, and governs the entire story of the people of Israel from this point onwards. The Ten Commandments were never intended to institute a system of legal observances by which one could earn God’s acceptance. Rather they are stipulations of a covenant relationship anchored in grace and God’s love for his people.

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Outline of Book LIBERATION: Ch. 1-15 God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt + journey to Sinai: 1.1-18.27 Oppression of Hebrews in Egypt: 1.1-22 [Pharaoh = all Egyptian kings who have

enslaved and exploited generations of Israelites.]

Birth and early life of Moses: his call & mission to Pharaoh: 2.1-6.27 God reveals himself to Moses: 3:6 – he does so in terms from Genesis: “I

am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” In 3.15, he even reveals his proper name, the tetragrammaton YHWH = I AM THAT I AM = (‘ehyeh ‘asher ‘ehyeh). “I am YHWH is proclaimed 5X to Egypt (7.5, 17; 8.22; 14.4, 18) and 5X to Israel (6.2, 6, 7, 8, 29).

Covenant formula: 6.7a – ‘I shall take you as my people and I shall be

your God’ (NJB). The covenant formula is also found in: Lev. 26.12; Deut. 26.17-18; 2 Sam. 7.24; Ezek. 11.20, 14.11, 37.23, 27; Jer. 7.23, 11.4, and 31.1, 33; Zech. 8.8.

Plagues and Passover: 6.28-13.16

First Set Second Set Third Set Structure 1. water turns to blood

4. land swarms w/ flies

7. hail destroys crops

Moses appears before Pharaoh in morning at river

2. frogs leave water, cover land

5. cattle in field die of plague

8. locusts devour all that is left

Moses “comes before” Pharaoh

3. land fills w/ mosquitoes or gnats

6. boils cover man & beast

9. thick darkness covers land

Moses and Aaron do not appear before Pharaoh but use a symbolic gesture

10. Passover (Passover meal, Seder 12.1-14), and Shavout (festival of

Weeks, occurring 50 days after Pesah (Passover, commemorating the exodus from Egypt). These two festivals plus Sukkot (the Feast of Booths, constitute the three “Pilgrimage Festivals” (shalosh regalim) of the Jewish religious calendar.

Exodus from Egypt and deliverance @ Sea of Reeds: 13.17-15.21

Song of Moses: Ch. 15 Journey to Sinai: 15.22-18.27

Crisis involving water: 15.22-27 Crisis involving food: Ch. 16

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Crisis inv. Water: 17.1-7 War w/ Amalek: 17.8-16 Jethro’s advice to Moses w/re delegation of power: Ch. 18 COVENANT: Ch 16-40 – the Law is the fullness of God’s gift to his chosen people. It is a possession and an inheritance that makes Israel different from other nations. The Law is the Wisdom of God, which found no resting place in the rest of the world and was eventually assigned by God to Israel. God established a covenant with his chosen people at Sinai: 19.1-24.18 [not until Num. 10.11 does Israel break camp, continuing on its way to the Promised Land] Theophany on Sinai: 19.1-25

Granting of covenant (berit): 20.1-21. God summoned Moses and granted the Ten Commandments (20.1-17) using a suzerain-vassal treaty form. The Ten Commandments were never intended to institute a system of legal observances by which one could earn God’s acceptance. Rather they are stipulations of a covenant relationship anchored in grace. The prologue to the covenant looks back to God’s gracious deliverance and so forms a kerygma, a proclamation of good news. Redemption has already been accomplished. However, this covenant carries a dire threat; it offers Israel a blessing for obedience, but a curse for disobedience. Under the Mosaic covenant, Israel was living in the tension between these two stipulations. Their history is only understandable in light of this covenant.

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt…[kerygma] “You shall have no other Gods before me” (Exod. 20.2,3)…[didache].

Book of the Covenant: 20.22-23.33 Ten Commandments (Decaloge): 20.22-23.19

Ratification of covenant: 24.1-18 Instructions for sanctuary (tabernacle of the congregation) and cultus: 25.1-31-18 Tabernacle and furnishings: 25.1-27.21; 29.36-30.38 Priests and consecration: 28.1-29.35 Craftsmen of tabernacle: 31.1-11 Observance of Sabbath: 31.12-18 Breach and renewal of covenant: 32.1-34.35 Golden calf: 32.1-35 – sinners (Gk. hamartoloi; Heb. rahim) is a technical term to

describe those who were deliberate and unrepentant transgressors of the Law.

God’s presence w/ Moses and people: 33.1-23 Renewal of covenant: 34.1-35

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Thirteen Attributes of God: 34.6-7 (recited in Jewish liturgy) Building of tabernacle: 35.1-40.38 Freewill offering: 35.1-29 Appointment of craftsmen: 35.30-36.1 Building of tabernacle and furnishings: 36.2-39.43 Completion and dedication of tabernacles: 40.1-38

Bibliography Alter, Robert and Frank Kermode. The Literary Guide to the Bible (Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1987). Berlin, Adele and Marc Zvi Brettler. The Jewish Study Bible (Jewish Publication Society TANAKH trans., Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2004). Coogan, Michael D. ed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible (3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2001). Gowan, Donald E., Theology in Exodus: Biblical Theology in the Form of Commentary (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1994). Houston, Walter, “Exodus” in The Oxford Bible Commentary eds. John Barton and John Muddiman Oxford: Oxford Press, 2001). LaSor, William Sanford, David Allen Hubbard, Frederic Wm. Bush. Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996). Williams, Rowan, Challenges in Christian Theology: On Christian Theology (Oxford, Blackwell, 2000), 67-69. Wright, Rebecca Abts. Education for Ministry: Year One (3rd ed. University of the South, 2000).

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EFM YEAR 1 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is presently the best all-around English translation of the OT and NT. Purchase this translation in a Study Bible edition:

• New Interpreters Bible: Study Bible, 2004. Presently the standard for NRSV Study Bibles. Contains the most commentary in a standard Study Bible.

• Coogan, Michael D. ed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2001. The Oxford Study Bible has helpful notes when reading the text.

Purchase a Bible Dictionary to lookup words/ideas/people that are introduced in your EFM lessons and Study Bible. Two good options are:

• Achtemeier, Paul, gen. ed. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. Rev. ed. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996. Easy to read and locate information that is important for your studies.

• Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000. First-rate

dictionary with contributions from more than 600 scholars representing diverse scholarly and theological approaches.

Optional: Davis, Ellen F. Getting Involved with God: Rediscovering the Old Testament. Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 2001. Ellen Davis, a lay Episcopalian, is one of the top Old Testament scholars; presently teaching at Duke Divinity School. Prof. Davis writes, “The key piece of Good News that the Old Testament communicates over and over again is that God is involved with us, deeply and irrevocably so….The reason Christians need to find the Good News in the Old Testament is that the New Testament writers always presuppose the Old Testament.” Brueggemann, Walter. An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2003, 402pp. Brueggemann is arguably the most interesting, knowledgeable, and provocative Old Testament scholar out there. This is a really good book on the OT if you are ready to think deeply about OT scripture. You will learn a lot from Brueggemann and certainly be challenged by him.

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EFM YEAR 2 Purchase a good Introduction to the New Testament to use when you are reading scripture. Two good options are:

• Johnson, Luke Timothy and Todd Penner. The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation. Rev. ed., Mpls: Fortress Press, 1999. “A brilliant engagement with the NT texts emphasizing the literary” and theological dimensions. Includes a CD.

• Brown, Raymond E., An Introduction to the New Testament. New York:

Doubleday, 1997. Raymond Brown went to seminary at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. His NT Introduction is still considered the standard guide (or companion) when you read NT scripture or as a general resource. Full of insights and exciting understandings of NT scripture.

Optional: Malina B. and R. Rohrbaugh. Social-Science Commentary of the Synoptic Gospels. Fortress, 1992. Latest socio-political research on the period of Jesus put together in one of the easiest-to-use and most accessible commentaries ever. However, this commentary contains no historical criticism, no literary criticism and no theology; it is pure social-science, but has information that you will not presently find so accessibly anywhere else. EFM YEAR 3 Bettenson and Maunder. Documents of the Christian Church. 3rd edition. Excerpts from original documents of the Church Fathers. These early church fathers were smart people who wrote awesome documents, some of which can give you goose bumps if you are in the right mood. Livingstone. Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2nd edition. Succinct definitions in one place for all the people and terms that you will encounter in EFM Year 3. Don’t leave home without it. Optional: Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: Vol. 1 The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. HarperSanFrancisco, 1984. An easy to follow history of the early church that tells the human side of the story and makes early church history interesting and understandable. Justo is a Peruvian who attended seminary in Cuba; one of clearest-writing historians about the early church out there. McKim, Donald K. Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996. EFM YEAR 4

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The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (Oxford Paperback Reference) by Simon Blackburn, Oxford University Press; New Ed edition (March 1, 1996) Optional: Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: Vol. 2 The Reformation to the Present Day. HarperSanFrancisco, 1985. An easy to follow history of the Christian church that tells the human side of the story from the Reformation to the present day. The book makes church history interesting and understandable. Philosophic Classics: From Plato to Derrida (4th Edition), by Forrest E. Baird, Prentice Hall; 4 edition (July 24, 2002) – buy used, OR The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, by Ted Honderich, Oxford University Press (August 1, 1995), buy used. A good introductory systematic theology text:

• McGrath, Alister, ed. Christian Theology: An Introduction. 3rd edition. Blackwells, 2001.

• Migliore. Deniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian

Theology. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1991.