Aims Gen12-25 Flashcards
instruction
esp Gen 17
‘Torah’ itself means instruction, and offers a way of life for those who follow it. The word Torah is derived from a Hebrew root which means ‘to guide or teach’, and the meaning is therefore translated as ‘teaching’, ‘doctrine’ or ‘instruction’. The covenant of circumcision, for instance, is portrayed as a human obligation, and one which Wenham notes ‘is an ineradicable mark which reflects the eternity of the covenant, reminds the Israelite of his special spiritual relationship, and his obligation to walk before God and be perfect’.
identity
through abraham
retrospective
universal and transcendent
abrahamic religions- christianity
identity- abraham
Moberly points to verses like 18:19, where Abraham is to teach his descendants to obey YHWH, so he may bring Abraham what he has promised him.
-future tense
God intends for him to not receive the fruits of his promise, but they shall be given to his descendants in the future (c.f. Genesis 15),
‘Abraham himself somehow represents the people of Israel’
Both a land and a people are necessary elements for a nation and, taking Moberly’s suggestion that we see Abraham as representative of Israel as a whole, we see that God intends for this nation to be special among all
identity- retrospective
Mendenhall and Herion language similar to the Davidic charter
(God’s covenantal promise of offspring and land made with David in the books of Samuel)
Moberly Genesis 15, the covenant seems largely unilateral, which would have been a strange use of a word originally meant to refer to a two-party contract. Because of this some scholars argue that the Abrahamic narrative only uses the language of covenant retrospectively,
they can provide a historical context and a stronger identity for themselves as a people with a covenant relationship with God.
Mendenhall and Herion specifically argue that after the united monarchy was discredited in 586 B.C.E, the population as a whole needed to see themselves as recipients of God’s promise, thus the Abrahamic narrative was created. Although this theory is highly speculative and may be jumping the gun a little too much on what we can be sure of, it remains clear that the Abraham narrative aimed at establishing the identity of Israel as being a people with a covenantal relationship with God
identity- universal and transcendent
‘typology’ (Wenham’s chosen term to describe a motif found in multiple settings), for later Pentateuchal narratives, it helps consolidate an identity for Israel.
We have basic typologies, such as Sarah’s barrenness (the idea of the barren wife is found again in Isaac and Rebecca, Samson’s mother and elsewhere).
Wenham points out that all the later patriarchal narratives contain the theme of promise, specifically of descendant’s land and blessing, that we find in 12:1-3. Moreover, David Clines contends that the whole Pentateuch is the ‘partial fulfilment of the promises to the patriarchs’, and we see the theme of promises being fulfilled painfully slowly (created by Sarah’s barrenness in Gen 12-25), repeated in many subsequent narratives.
identity- abrahamic religions
whether the aim of this was to culminate only in the later events of the Pentateuch or whether it extends further. Whereas Jewish readers may see Abraham as representative of the Israelites, Christian readers have also seen the narrative, especially the binding of Isaac sequence in chapter 22, as representative of Christ. Brueggemann shows us the frequent use of reference to Isaac amongst the New Testament writers (St Paul in Galatians and the author of Hebrews), where Isaac is represented as a proto-Christ, the son who was going to be lost in sacrifice was given back by God’s providence. For Christians in particular, the movement from chapter 12, culminating in chapter 22 shows God’s ability to provide life out of an impossible situation (reflected in the virgin birth and the resurrection)
— depends on prior theological position
As John Scullion notes, the ‘Abraham cycle presents a portrait of Abraham which is definitive biblically and which has determined all subsequent Jewish and Christian understanding of Abraham up to the enlightenment.’
example of abraham
microcosm of the Israelite people
archetype of the individual believer,
Gunn: he was already leaving and on the way to Canaan,
Abraham’s pretending that Sarah was just his sister twice, the second time even after God demonstrated the importance of Sarah in his divine plan (she was to be the mother of the promised child).
Gunn asks us to consider whether Abraham sees Sarah as simply expendable, in essence he sold his wife to the Pharaoh for a hefty profit.
the aqedah
abraham as example?
demonstration of simple self-preservation
—too far, and when we consider that Abraham was willing to intercede for the Sodomites and Lot’s life
Abraham ‘weakly allows Sarah to deal harshly with Hagar.’ This may cause us to doubt Abraham’s deservedness of being the ‘father of many nations’ (Gen. 17:5) and the bearer of God’s covenant to his people,
T.W. Mann have argued that ‘the biblical authors persistently refuse to moralize, their characters are adamantly earthy creatures. Far from being cardboard stereotypes of moral virtue—or vice—they are ‘credible’ men and women of great and ultimately impenetrable complexity.
Gunn argues that if we let Abraham come out positively from this story, this ‘leaves the character of God in a rather sticky situation. At the very best one might assert that God is simply unfathomable; At the worst, God is deranged and sadistic.’
reliance
motif of bareness: God’s chosen people are literally dependent upon His
not only chosen but also made by God
Brueggemann points to the theological value of this problem, highlighting how it shows God’s direct intervention as a necessary part of the very physical existence of the Israelite people
the Israelite people are not simply connected to God through a spiritual covenant but owe their biological origin to his providence.
Moberly parallels this point by pointing to the ritual of circumcision in chapter 17
‘in the very act of sexual intercourse there should be an intimate reminder to both male and female within Israel that the child which is begotten is not simply the result of human processes but it also a gift from God in fulfilment of his promise’.
reliability
to reveal the reliability of God’s blessings and promises, and this is demonstrated by the frequency of their achievement. There is a lesson, as Brueggemann suggests, that ‘the gift of god is given especially to those who trust and who will risk according to what is promised’. Regardless of the delays, tribulations, complications involved in the process of the attainment of blessings and fulfillment of promises, it is crucial to note that they are eventually effectual. They do, however, await human action and obedience, but ultimately indicate God’s constant presence. Sarah is promised a son in 17:16 and this blessing is fulfilled in 21:17, she is promised she shall ‘be a mother of nations’ and this is actualized in 36:1-3, Ishmael is told he will have 12 princes and this is actualized in 25:12, the promise of land for Abraham and his descendants continues to be actualized throughout the narrative
paul williamson
conclusion: As Paul Williamson notes, in Genesis ‘covenants do not stand alone, but are integrated into a story that ‘focuses on Abraham’s faith and loyalty, and there is sometimes an explicit causal relationship between Abraham’s faith and the making of the covenant’
john scullion
‘The final account is neither mere history, nor mere story, nor mere retrojection. It is a coherent narrative in which all three elements coalesce within a theological framework.’ Scullion, John
