عنوان

The Land as Covenant Gift in the Minor Prophets

Number

TLpq2470029628

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

The Land as Covenant Gift in the Minor Prophets

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Schiau, Irina

Subsequent Statement of Responsibility

Tully, Eric J.

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Trinity International University

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2020

Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item

174

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

M.A.

Body granting the degree

Trinity International University

Text preceding or following the note

2020

Text of Note

In his book The Problem of the Hexateuch and Other Essays, Gerhard von Rad declares that: "In the whole of the Hexateuch there is probably no more important idea than that expressed in terms of the land promised and later granted by Yahweh." In the same line of thought, Walter Brueggemann writes that "land is a central, if not the central theme of biblical faith." The land plays a major role in the Old Testament and is inseparable from Israel's consciousness of their unique covenant relationship with Yahweh. However, in spite of the high frequency of references to the land, land studies in the Old Testament have mostly concentrated on the Pentateuch and Historical Books due to scholars' interest in the promise-fulfillment scheme of land. Some works focused on Joshua and Judges in an attempt to answer the method of Israel's settlement in the land. There are a few contributions to the understanding of the theology of land as found in the prophets, but the main prophets studied are Jeremiah and Ezekiel due to an interest in the exile and return to the land theme. The Minor Prophets seem to be largely neglected in the studies of the land. The land, however, is a very significant theme in the Minor Prophets as evidenced by the pervasiveness of this topic and the distribution of the land references in this collection. (1) The corpus starts and ends with references to the land (Hos 1:2; Mal 3:24). (2) Each prophetic book refers to the land in its introductory verses (verses 1-6, verse 10 in Zech). (3) Furthermore, the theme also often occurs in the beginning of each major part of a book. (4) Finally, with the exception of Jonah, each of the Minor Prophets also ends with allusions to the land or aspects related to the land (agricultural fertility or land imagery). It appears that the land is playing a major role in what the Minor Prophets have to say. One aspect that stands out in the writings of the Minor Prophets is an emphasis upon a bond that exists between Israel and the land, almost always within the context of Israel's relationship with Yahweh. Laurie J. Braaten states that there is an intimate, three-way relationship between Yahweh, the land, and Israel. He maintains: When anything in the relationship goes wrong, it affects all parties and disrupts the entire relationship. Whenever one member of this three-way relationship is affected by sin or suffering, the others are drawn in, they are all somehow involved in both the sin and the suffering. This interrelationship between Israel and the land and between Israel and Yahweh implies that "the historical land gift tradition, including especially the Exodus and settlement, was closely identified with the belief in the existence of a covenant relationship between Yahweh and Israel which imposed obligations and conditions, sanctioned by threats of judgment." The Minor Prophets' understanding of the land in the corpus is one that treats the land as a covenantal gift. As such, it cannot be enjoyed apart from obedience to Yahweh and his law. It is for this reason that the relationship between the people of Israel and God always affects the land as in a "cycle of cause and effect in terms of human experience and that of the natural world." The actions of the people determine the destiny of the land: If Israel is obeying the Lord and following his precepts, then the land is flourishing and they are promised security in their land. If the people are rebelling against the Lord and going after the practices of other nations, then they are threatened with agricultural devastation and the casting away from the land through exile. This thesis will look at the theme of the land as covenant gift in the Minor Prophets and try to determine how it is used by these writings individually and collectively to convey their message.

Biblical studies

Theology

Schiau, Irina

Tully, Eric J.

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y