Sodom and Gomorrah: A Prefigure and Type (original) (raw)
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The Biblical Significance of Sodom and Gomorrah
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is biblically significant as the counterpoint to the story of the fallen angels and the Flood. Just as God punishes the angels for defiling human women, by imprisoning them and destroying their unfortunate progeny in a flood of water, God punishes the men of Sodom and Gomorrah for trying to defile the angels, by destroying their city with a rain of fire and brimstone. The core lesson to be learned from both cases: sinners are punished because they have "violated a major division of creation, the divide between spirituality and corporeality." Third essay on Genesis in the "Biblical Significance" series.
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah Revisited: Military and Political reflections
That Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis have been a subject of constant cognitive itch is a truism rather than fiction. Aware that the HB is an ideological text, the story of Jordan states notably Sodom and Gomorrah may need further reflections outside sexual frontlines but from the perspectives of political dynamics of the ANE. This paper explores Sodom and Gomorrah as a political and military story that turned theological and ideological. I opine that the fire that razed Sodom and Gomorrah could have been the result of military invasion(s). What is however intriguing is the interest of the biblical writer: at what points would the military or political afterlife of Sodom and Gomorrah meet with the ideological interests of the Bible writer? What interests does the writer have in Sodom and Gomorrah that he finds it necessary not only to conceal the historical reality but also invent ideas and imageries of Sodom and Gomorrah as condemned cities? The paper employs Clines' and Exum's strategies of reading against the grain and defragmenting the stories. In this case, the different stories of Sodom and Gomorrah in chs. 10, 13, 14, 18 and 19 are read critically and in conversation with each other.
Journal of Creation, 2017
According to Scripture, Sodom was destroyed at the time of Abraham about 1900 bc on the biblical timeline. In this paper it is argued that the standard secular timeline diverges drastically from the biblical timeline in this era, and that the destruction of the cities of the land of Sodom would have been near the beginning of the Early Bronze Age (3000 bc or possibly earlier). Archaeologists therefore need to look for these cities much earlier on the secular timeline than is commonly believed. In this second installment on Sodom, we look at some implications of placing Sodom's destruction this early in secular history. Arguments are also presented against Tall el-Hammam as Sodom.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 2019
The Apocalypse of Peter, best known for its tour of hell, was a popular text in Early Christianity, but is largely neglected today. Eric J. Beck attempts to bring new life to the study of this text by challenging current assumptions regarding its manuscript tradition and primary purpose. By undertaking the rst comparative analysis utilising all available manuscript evidence, the author creates a new translation of the text that at times advocates for the reliability of the oft neglected Akhmīm fragment. He then oers the rst detailed analysis of the text in order to ascertain the purpose of the document. In so doing, he argues against a monitory interpretation of the text. Instead, Eric J. Beck suggests the text uses an integrated understanding of justice and mercy that is meant to encourage its readers to have compassion on those who receive punishment in the afterlife.
2018
This thesis examines the primary purpose of the Apocalypse of Peter. While most scholars assume the intent of the text is to use its grotesque imagery of punishments in hell to serve as a warning to its readers against sinning, no thorough exegetical analysis of the purpose of the Apocalypse of Peter has yet been undertaken to verify this claim. This thesis is, therefore, the first sustained analysis of the primary purpose of the document. It begins by reviewing previous scholarship on the text and discussing terminological and methodological concerns. Chapter three then surveys ten ancient afterlife torment texts in order to demonstrate the diverse ways the genre was utilised and the importance of the context surrounding the hellish descriptions to the interpretation of these texts. Prior to an examination of the primary purpose of the Apocalypse of Peter, chapter four presents and discusses a new, composite translation of the text that is the first to compare all the available manuscripts on a verse-by-verse basis. Chapters five and six present the exegetical analysis of the purpose of the text first by looking at the context surrounding the tour of hell and then at the tour itself. In these chapters, it is argued that the primary purpose of the Apocalypse of Peter is to move its readers to have compassion on the wicked by integrating divine justice and mercy. The study concludes by examining the possible impact the proposed interpretation of the text may have on various readers.
The Open God of the Sodom and Gomorrah Cycle
Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 2012
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah often evokes images of a closed God who acts unilaterally in judgment. This article, however, will argue for an Open God who collaborates with creation towards a unique future. This article is intended to make a small contribution to recent Pentecostal engagement with Terence E. Fretheim’s Relational Theology. Part 1 is a discussion of the Open God in Pentecostal context. Part 2 is a close reading of the Sodom Cycle with special attention to the Masoretic Text. Part 3 is a short discussion of theological implications for Pentecostal reflection including the normalization of biblical narrative, the Open God of Pneumatic experience and the freedom of evil.
The stories in the Hebrew Bible are written in code. In the case of the Sodom story, the key that enables the reader to detect the message that the redactors of the story wanted to convey, is the practice of the kingdoms of the Ancient Near East to produce fresh citizens and slaves in human breeding grounds. Unfortunately, academics refuse to acknowledge the existence of the human breeding grounds, in spite of the fact that the practice is mentioned in the ancient Near Eastern texts, all relevant details are provided by the ancient Egyptian texts, and Plato devoted a part of his “Republic”, the famous ‘eugenics’ section, in what he calls “something Phoenician”, i.e., an ancient story or a story from the East.
Fire From Heaven? Archeological Light on the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
2012
The debate on the Biblical claim that Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed by fire from heaven has recently intensified in academic circles. This debate is centered on two areas: on the very existence of Cities of the Plain which includes Sodom and Gomorrah and the manner of their destruction. This article reviews various archeological proposals on the location of Sodom and Gomorrah and attempts to reconstruct the scene of destruction based on the available historical-archeological information.