Theological Reflections on the Oracles against the Nations
In: Horizons in Biblical TheologySearch for other papers by Moon Kwon Chae in
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This paper illuminates the positive theological value of the oracles against the nations (oans) in the Old Testament. Tracing the historical development of the oan tradition, I propose that the oan tradition originated in a war or a cultic setting and went through three stages of transformation: first, the shift from salvation oracles for Israel to oracles against Israel by the 8th century prophets Amos and Isaiah: second, the shift from a realistic depiction of enemies to a more cosmic depiction of them during the exilic period: third, the inclusion of the nations into the future restoration in the postexilic period. The trajectory of the development of the oan tradition shows how Israel’s self-understanding and attitude toward foreign nations changed with a strong emphasis on Yahweh’s kingship. The emphasis on Yahweh’s kingship over Israel’s special status provides a ground for the inclusion of foreign nations into Yahweh’s plan. By prioritizing Yahweh’s kingship, his people can avoid the danger of self-elevation and embrace the other people into the community.
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9
Hugo Gressmann, Der Ursprung der israelitisch-jüdischen Eschatologie. (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1905).
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13
Gerhard von. Rad, Der Heilige Krieg im Alten Israel (Zürich: Zwingli-Verlag, 1951).
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16
Gunkel, Einleitung in die Psalmen die Gattungen der religiösen Lyrik Israels, xxxii-xxxiii.
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18
J. Begrich, “Die priesterliche Heilsorakel,” Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 52 (1934), 81-92; Hayes, “The Usage of Oracles Against Foreign Nations in Ancient Israel,” 87.
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19
Ibid., 89-90.
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20
Ibid., 90.
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25
Graham R. Hamborg, “Reasons for Judgement in the Oracles Against the Nations of the Prophet Isaiah.” Vetus Testamentum 31 (1981): 145-159.
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27
John B. Geyer, “Mythology and Culture in the Oracles Against the Nations.” Vetus Testamentum 36 (1986): 129-145; C. Crouch, “Ezekiel’s Oracles Against the Nations in Light of a Royal Ideology of Warfare,” Journal of Biblical Literature 130 (2011): 473-492.
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28
Crouch, “Ezekiel’s Oracles Against the Nations in Light of a Royal Ideology of Warfare,” 492.
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29
Louis Stulman, Order amid Chaos: Jeremiah as Symbolic Tapestry (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998), 94-97; Smelik also notices the lack of detailed historical allusion in Jer 50-51 (Klaas A. D. Smelik, “The Function of Jeremiah 50 and 51 in the Book of Jeremiah,” pages 87-98 in Reading the Book of Jeremiah [Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2004]). By comparing Jer 50-51 with other oracles against Babylon in Zech 2:10-16, Isa 13-14, 21, 47, Reimer concludes that they commonly lack historical allusion (David J. Reimer, The Oracles against Babylon in Jeremiah 50-51: A Horror among the Nations [San Francisco: Mellen Research University Press, 1993]).
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30
Stulman, Order amid Chaos: Jeremiah as Symbolic Tapestry, 94-99; Martin Kessler, Battle of the Gods: The God of Israel Versus Marduk of Babylon: A Literary/Theological Interpretation of Jeremiah 50-51 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2003), 199.
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Theological Reflections on the Oracles against the Nations
In: Horizons in Biblical TheologySearch for other papers by Moon Kwon Chae in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
This paper illuminates the positive theological value of the oracles against the nations (oans) in the Old Testament. Tracing the historical development of the oan tradition, I propose that the oan tradition originated in a war or a cultic setting and went through three stages of transformation: first, the shift from salvation oracles for Israel to oracles against Israel by the 8th century prophets Amos and Isaiah: second, the shift from a realistic depiction of enemies to a more cosmic depiction of them during the exilic period: third, the inclusion of the nations into the future restoration in the postexilic period. The trajectory of the development of the oan tradition shows how Israel’s self-understanding and attitude toward foreign nations changed with a strong emphasis on Yahweh’s kingship. The emphasis on Yahweh’s kingship over Israel’s special status provides a ground for the inclusion of foreign nations into Yahweh’s plan. By prioritizing Yahweh’s kingship, his people can avoid the danger of self-elevation and embrace the other people into the community.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1117 | 61 | 6 |
| Full Text Views | 295 | 6 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 195 | 9 | 0 |
