Land in the Torah as a Source of Christian Religious Education (original) (raw)
Related papers
Michael F. Trainor and J. Cornelis de Vos. New Testament Perspectives on the Land
Pages 21-42 in Enabling Dialogue About the Land: A Resource Book for Jews and Christians. Edited by Philip A. Cunningham, Ruth Langer, and Jesper Svartvik. Studies in Judaism and Christianity. New York, Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press. 978-0-8091-5495-1 , 2020
In conclusion, there are different and rather diverse perspectives on the Land in the New Testament. Nevertheless, we emphasize here, there is a way to find a discussion of the physical Land of Israel, even though there are texts that universalize, spiritualize, christologize, transcend, and eschatologize the concern. While these latter categories are to be acknowledged, the focus here needs, for the sake of this book, to be the resources available for a Christian understanding of the Land. The New Testament texts that we have looked at do not offer a final "Christian" word about the Land. Their writers never thought that their words would still be read and studied two millennia later.
A Jewish Theology of Israel and the Land
The following essay represents an attempt to articulate a contemporary Jewish theology of Israel and the Land. My own proficiency is in the critical study of the Hebrew Bible as this is pursued in the world of the academy. The academic approach to biblical studies is founded on the principle of personal detachment and objectivity, at least as a goal to be strived for even if never completely achieved. For some people, the findings of this approach to the biblical text have no place in contemporary theological discourse which, by its nature, is confessional, or faith centered. My own approach is very different. 1 For me, the critical study of the Bible offers a crucial corrective to what is problematic with so much of theological writing. In so many instances, theology bends the texts to the wishes of the theologian, distorting or obscuring their plain meaning to fit in with a particular agenda. A few texts are selectively highlighted, and opposing texts are conveniently ignored, giving the impression that the sources speak in a single, authoritative voice. One of the most important contributions of the critical study of the Bible is the recognition of the many and often contradictory voices found in Scripture. The attempt of the theologian to flatten these voices all under a single rubric not only reflects poor scholarship. It also fails on religious grounds, for it reflects a refusal on the part of the theologian to give an earnest and open-hearted listening to the full breadth of the biblical testimonies of faith. From my point of view, all of the biblical voices need to be given equal consideration. Even the voices that are clearly predominant are not to be privileged over the more marginal voices. The approach to Jewish biblical theology that I 1 See David Frankel, The Land of Canaan and the Destiny of Israel: Theologies of Territory in the Hebrew Bible, Eisenbrauns 2011, 382-400.
An Old Testament Theology of the Land of Promise
This paper explores a biblical theology of “land” in the Old Testament, specifically as it relates to Israel. By examining how Land is used in the Hebrew Bible, I conclude that modern day Israel is not entitled to the land of contemporary Israel. A brief look at the New Testament theology of the land is also incorporated at the conclusion of the essay.
Comparative Christian Hermenuetical Approaches to the Land Promises to Abraham
CrossCurrents, 2014
W hile formerly inflammatory topics such as the deicide charge 1 have waned in Jewish-Christian relations, disputes over the land and State of Israel provoke intense controversy and disagreement. Decades ago, in the Christian world, this topic was already widely said to be especially divisive, and today, it remains so. 2 It is not surprising that an issue that provokes intense geopolitical interest and touches on territory of nearly unsurpassed religious significance would be so provocative. The nexus of politics and religion is especially volatile. Among Christians, church organizations and individual theologians in the west (North America, Europe) join diverse religious claims and biblical interpretations to their foreign policy statements and arguments. Sometimes, it seems that the political views trump the religious. For example, Christian disputes over the State of Israel often can be mapped onto existing deep divisions in the American churches over domestic policies or military action, with left and right presenting predictable arguments. It is understandably tempting to see appeals to Scripture and theology as tools to buttress preexisting political views.
2015
The theology of the land must start in the Garden of Eden. Eden is a sanctuary, a covenanted land, and a royal garden. Eden is proto-land, and Adam is proto-Israel. Starting in Eden underlines the universal dimension of the land promise and its conditionality. It also elevates ethical behaviour above the gift. The theology of the land in the OT reflects these Edenic themes: holiness, covenant, and kingdom. First, the holiness of the land depends on the presence of God in the land, and on the holiness of its dwellers; there is no permanent holy place in the OT. Secondly, the land is a gift under treaty; the goal of the gift is establishing an ideal covenantal community that witnesses to other nations in other lands. Thirdly, the land is the sphere of God’s reign on earth through his vicegerent. The vicegerent brings justice and peace to the land. God remains the ultimate king in the land. The original promise to Israel is a promise of universal dominion. After the exile, the prophets...