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A number of studies explore temporal vocabulary in the Old Testament generally and Ecclesiastes particularly, yet few attempt a holistic approach of reading Ecclesiastes through its presentation of time. Scholars have long recognized the work’s tensions, but the link that holds the tensions together in a unified reading has received less attention. This unifying idea is the presentation of time. Time is not a singular concept, however, and this project undertakes a sustained engagement with the broad presentation of time both to examine Ecclesiastes’ inquiry after what is good for human beings and its often-identified tensions. As such, this study fills a considerable gap in current Ecclesiastes scholarship. Part One, consisting of chapters two and three, examines terms for time, including ʽEt, yom, dor, ʽolam, shanah, zekher/zikhron, through a close examination of these words in their contexts. It becomes clear that time in Ecclesiastes is a mixture of reflections on the main character’s present, the past, and the passing of time over the course of generations. The project argues in Part Two that approaching time with an awareness of how Ecclesiastes creates, compares, and contrasts time horizons aids the reader to comprehend the contradictions and tensions. Chapter four demonstrates the presence of identifiable and quantifiable horizons in what is widely regarded as the introduction of Ecclesiastes, 1:1-2:26. These horizons, identified as nature’s time, generation time, lifespan time and event time, are juxtaposed in order to point toward the benefit of short-duration thinking for life under the sun. Chapter five examines Ecclesiastes 3:1-12:14 according to the categories of nature’s time, generation time, and lifespan time to ascertain characteristics common to these horizons. Consistently, Ecclesiastes presents these horizons of time as impenetrable and inaccessible to human endeavour. Chapter six examines the same material but from the perspective of what occurs in defined situations, which are designated event time. Ecclesiastes presents event time as partially controllable thereby suggesting proper and improper uses within this horizon. The chapter concludes with a discussion of wisdom and event time, demonstrating that wisdom in Ecclesiastes is not focused on success over one’s whole life (lifespan time), but focuses upon capturing the potential of the present moment to provide rest, companionship, and enjoyment in the short-term. The exploration of time as temporal horizons suggests an opportunity to observe similar phenomena in other works associated with wisdom and in other non-narrative works within the Hebrew Bible.

In the past most studies about Proverbs were concerned with the original'form and setting of the text. Very little interest has been shown in the final form' and setting. This thesis is an attempt to study the final form of the text as it stands in the Hebrew Bible. The introductory chapter begins with a brief survey of the study of Wisdom in the past, the aim of the this thesis, the setting of the canonical form of Proverbs, the structure of Proverbs and concludes., _ - with an explanation of the methodology used in, this thesis. In the chapters that follow the Hebrew terms for the participants, teaching methods, style, content, outcome and value of education as portrayed in Proverbs 1-9 are discussed. By using the Semantic Field method the author seeks to establish the meanings of those terms. which related to education in the final form of Proverbs 1-9. The study shows that the meanings of most of them are very different to their original meanings in the context of education. They have lost their initial ethical-neutral characters, and are now charged with religious implication. This study not only provides a new understanding and appreciation to Proverbs as 'it stands, it also illuminates our understanding of education in the Second Temple period.

The subject of this dissertation is the biblical Cherubim. The Cherubim are mentioned in a fairly small number of texts in the Hebrew Bible; nevertheless, they are described in quite diverse ways. For instance, one distinctive feature is their outward appearance, which is portrayed in radically different ways in several books of the Bible. Do these distinctions merely reflect the varied views of the biblical authors, or, from the perspective of the entire biblical canon, does this variety and mutability reveal an essential feature of their nature? My hypothesis is that there is, in fact, a certain nucleus of biblical notions about the Cherubim. I demonstrate that, although various biblical writers represent the specific characteristics of the outward appearances of the Cherubim in their own ways, these differences testify, essentially, to the dynamic, changeable nature of the Cherubim. By employing the canon of texts collected in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, this dissertation argues that changeability is, in fact, the central biblical image of the Cherubim. The critical method employed in this work is canonical criticism developed by Brevard Childs. To illustrate a canonical approach in action, I look at the different biblical appearances of the Cherubim, drawing both positive and negative inferences about the function, role, and nature of these creatures as understood by individual biblical writers in conversation with their larger cultural, religious, and literary contexts. At the same time, I compare and contrast these specific instances against the background of the entirety and variety of biblical appearances. If one connects these depictions of the Cherubim with other biblical accounts, the following conclusions can be reached. First of all, the Cherubim appear as agents and therefore are real creatures. Second, the apparent changeability of their countenance indicates that they are spiritual creatures. Third, they possess a great degree of perfection; they are in direct proximity to God's glory and, consequently, are somehow involved in it. On the basis of these traits, the Hebrew Bible views the Cherubim as a special class, as angels sui generis.

The portrayal of the divine character in a literary context shows the God in the narrative as he is perceived by the narrator. The chapters which follow focus on the pericopes within the narrative which are concerned with the portrayal of God as a character in the story. The present study reveals a unique image of the God of Israel as portrayed in the narrative. I have devoted chapters 1,2, and 6 to the three pericopes, labelled within the text as "visions of God" (chs. 1: 4-3: 15; 8: 1- 11: 24; 40-48) because they create the ground work for the divine character's activity revealing the narrator's portrayal of the God in the narrative. These three "visions" are strategically arranged at the opening, middle and closing of the narrative. The first "vision" shows God's encounter with Ezekiel while he is in exile. The second "vision" shows the reason for God's activity in the opening "vision" and the basis for all the activity within the narrative. The third "vision" shows that God's actions have not been in vain but will culminate in a reordering of God's place within the cultus. Ezekiel 37 contributes to the narrator's portrayal of the divine character and for this reason I have included it within my analysis in chapter 5. Likewise, in chapter 3, I have included the "divine oracle" of Ezekiel 16 which reveals the depth of the bond of the covenant and its effect on the God of the narrative. Furthermore, in chapter 4,1 have focused on the "divine oracles" in Ezekiel 20 and 36 because of the narrator's emphasis on the profanation and vindication of the name of God. That the narrator has carefully crafted his portrayal of the divine character is evident, and attested to in the construction of the pericopes. My reading and analysis of the text are a critical attempt to show, at least in portions of the text, that the narrator's portrayal of the divine character is an anomaly.

This dissertation is an investigation into how the Hebrew Bible is used in (Rabbinic) Jewish and Christian liturgical settings, and how this impacts biblical scholars. I argue against the neglect of liturgy and ritual in reception studies and make the case that liturgy is one of the major influential forms of biblical reception. I do this by taking Isa. 6:3 as my example. My liturgical material is the qedushah liturgies in Ashkenazi Judaism and the Sanctus in three church traditions; (pre-1969) Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism (the Church of England) and Lutheranism (Martin Luther, and the Church of Sweden). As my focus is lived liturgy I investigate not just worship manuals and prayerbooks but also architecture, music and choreography. With an eye to modern-day uses, I trace the historical developments of liturgical traditions. To do this, I have used methodological frameworks from performance and theatre studies, as well as Clifford Geertz’s concept of “thick description”, from the realm of anthropology. I then analyse the impact this can have on biblical researchers, who often come from religious backgrounds. First I raise the issue of the identity of the seraphim in Isaiah 6, and their transformation in both the qedushot and the Sanctus into angels. I show how some of the tendencies in Jewish and Christian liturgy, and Christian iconography, recur in scholarship, for example the association with cherubim. The idea of an ongoing angelic liturgy, stressed especially in Jewish worship, also finds its way into scholarship. A second theme is the presumed liturgical nature of Isa. 6:3 itself. This common idea may, however, owe more to Jewish and Christian liturgical uses of it than to the text itself. In this context I discuss Christian liturgical uses which stress Trinitarian and Christological understandings of the text. I also bring up a nineteenth-century Swedish liturgical use which deviates from the Sanctus tradition. I use this to probe some of the modern ideas of holiness, and how Protestant liturgy has played a part in shaping the sentiments among scholars. Lastly I discuss the theme of Divine presence. Both the qedushot and the Sanctus are concerned with the presence of God. Jewish liturgy has shown a strong tendency to complicate the notion while in Christian liturgy it is instead concretised, either affirmatively or negatively. Some of these issues translate into scholarly debates, where scholarship often bears clear marks of especially Reformed theology. One shared tendency in both Jewish and Christian worship is to “spiritualise” Isaiah 6, and transpose it to a heavenly court. I argue that these ideas still make themselves felt in research on Isaiah 6.

The theme of holiness is prominent in the book of Ezekiel. This fact should not be surprising, given that Ezekiel is said to be a priest. However, a number of passages in the book express ideas about holiness chat relate specifically to Ezekiel's exilic setting. The present thesis examines how the concept of holiness is used in these oracles to provide an explanation ~of Israel's disaster and to prophesy the nation's restoration. Chapter 1 discusses the methodology of the thesis with reference to previous scholarly study of che book of Ezekiel. As in other areas of OT study, recent research has seen a polarization into diachronic and synchronic approaches. The present work generally adopts a synchronic approach, and particular emphasis is placed on rhetorical criticism as a means of discerning coherent blocks of text. This has the added benefit of highlighting those literary features that are particularly important for the interpretation of the passages being studied. The next four chapters present the main argument of the thesis. Chapter 2 examines Ezek. 20:5-26 for its literary structure and thence deduces the main themes of the passage. The point is that Yahweh's election of the people involves a promise of land, but that this promise could not yet be fulfilled because of the people's being defiled. However, Yahweh refrains from destroying his people completely in order to preserve the holiness of his own name. Chapter 3 turns to the theme of the "mythic mountain", whereby mountain imagery is employed to signify the land. Three concepts underlie Ezekiel's use of this metaphor: this mythic mountain represents the land of Israel; this land is seen as Yahweh's sanctuary; and the land is the place of Israel's inheritance. The mountain thus symbolizes the hope of the ideal future in which Yahweh, the people and the land are brought together. Chapter 4 examines the allegorical portrayal of the city of Jerusalem as a prostitute in Ezek. 16 and 23 . These chapters 'are similar in many ways, but differ in one important respect: while Ezek. 23 focuses on the sins of the people of the city, Ezek. 16 adopts the perspective of Jerusalem as placeYahweh's sanctuary. The sins of prostitution and adultery in these chapters represent idolatry and the illicit political alliances which Jerusalem forges with the peoples of Egypt, Assyria and Babylon. These chapters thus show how such "prostitution" opposes Yahweh's plans for holiness just as literal prostitution jeopardizes a marriage. At the same time, the dual focus on people and land as being married to Yahweh demonsrrates again the ti:iparrire nature of the relationship in the prophet's thinking. The contrasting themes of scattering and gathering, which are presented in a number of passages in Ezekiel, are then discussed in Chapter 5. These themes occur in a set pattern which demonstrates a significant degree of authorial (or redactional) skill. Thus it is reasonable co regard the ideas found in these several passages as a single point of view. It emerges that scattering and gathering depict the exile and restoration as affecting all parties in the tripartite relationship. Moreover, these themes constitute two parts of Yahweh's plan to achieve the state of holiness. The final result of these developments represents not only a return of the people to the land, but also a fulfilment of the original intention behind Yahweh's election of the people: the sanctification of the people, the land and Yahweh's name. Chapter 6 draws some conclusions from the preceding discussion. To Ezekiel, holiness is used in a broad sense. All forms of sin lead to the loss of the people's holiness, just as holiness brings about blessing on every aspect of life. Holiness is not merely seen as a cultic concern, but is an outworking of the motives and desires of the people. It is Yahweh's pursuit of holiness which causes the people to be "scattered" into exile. In the same way, however, the holiness of Yahweh's name provides the assurance of a transformation of the people and their future 'gathering" to their land. The theme of holiness is prominent in the book of Ezekiel. This fact should not be surprising, given that Ezekiel is said to be a priest. However, a number of passages in the book express ideas about holiness chat relate specifically to Ezekiel's exilic setting. The present thesis examines how the concept of holiness is used in these oracles to provide an explanation J of Israel's disaster and to prophesy the nation's restoranon. Chapter 1 discusses the methodology of the thesis with reference to previous scholarly study of the book of Ezekiel. As in other areas of OT study, recent research has seen a polarization into diachronic and synchronic approaches. The present work generally adopts a synchronic approach, and particular emphasis is placed on rhetorical criticism as a means of discerning coherent blocks of text. This has the added benefit of highlighting those literary features that are particularly important for the interpretation of the passages being studied. The next four chapters present the main argument of the thesis. Chapter 2 examines Ezek. 20 :5-26 for its literary structure and thence deduces the main themes of the passage. The point is that Yahweh's election of the people involves a promise of land, but that this promise could not yet be fulfilled because of the people's being defiled. However, Yahweh refrains from destroying his people completely in order to preserve the holiness of his own name. Chapter 3 turns to the theme of the "mythic mountain", whereby mountain imagery is employed to signify the land. Three concepts underlie Ezekiel 's use of this metaphor: this mythic mountain represents the land of Israel; this land is seen as Yahweh's sanctuary; and the land is the place of Israel's inheritance. The mountain thus symbolizes the hope of the ideal future in which Yahweh, the people and the land are brought together. Chapter 4 examit:!.es the allegorical portrayal of the city of Jerusalem as a prostitute in Ezek. 16 and 23 . These chapters are similar in many ways, but differ in one important respect: while Ezek. 23 focuses on the sins of the people of the city, Ezek. 16 adopts the perspective of J erusalern as placeYahweh's sanctuary. The sins of prostitution and adultery in these chapters represent idolatry and the illicit politic::tl alliances which Jerusalem forges with the peoples of Egypt, Assyria and Babylon. These chapters thus show how such "prostitution" opposes Yahweh's plans for holiness just as literal prostitution jeopardizes a marriage. At the same time, the dual focus on people and land as being married to Y dhweh demonstrates ag::iin the tripartite nature of the relationship in the prophet's thinking. The contrasting themes of scattering and gathering, which are presented in a number of passages in Ezeki el, are then discussed in Chapter 5. These themes occur in a set pattern which demonstrates a significant degree of authorial (or redactional) skill. Thus it is reasonable to regard the ideas found in these several passages as a single point of view. It emerges that scattering and gathering depict the exile and restoration as affecting all parties in the tripartite relationship. Moreover, these themes constitute two parts of Yahweh's plan to achieve the state of holiness. The final result of these developments represents not only a return of the people to the land, but also a fulfilment of the original intention behind Yahweh's election of the people: the sanctification of the people, the land and Yahweh's name. Chapter 6 draws some conclusions from the preceding discussion. To Ezekiel, holiness is used in a broad sense. All forms of sin lead to the loss of the people 's holiness, just as holiness brings about blessing on every aspect of life. Holiness is not merely seen as a culcic concern, but is an outworking of the motives and desires of the people. It is Yahweh's pursuit of holiness which causes the people to be "scattered" into exile. In the same way, however, the holiness of Yahweh's name provides the assurance of a transformation of the people and their future ''gathering" to their land.

The book of Ezekiel, like much of the Hebrew Bible, depicts Yahweh as a king. However, Ezekiel’s presentation of Yahweh’s kingship has been largely ignored by modern scholarship, and, when it has been addressed, has been categorized as a grand metaphor for Yahweh’s divine superiority. In contrast, this study argues that Yahweh’s kingship is a genuine political force, not merely a cipher for the exalted status of Israel’s deity. To answer the objection that ‘Yahweh is king’ is a metaphor, Chapter 2 shows that the approach to metaphors so commonly applied in Biblical Studies is deficient. A new approach is thus warranted and provided, enabling utterances such as ‘Yahweh is king’ to function within a spectrum literality. To show that Ezekiel’s presentation of Yahweh’s kingship merits consideration as a literal claim, Chapters 3-7 offer a close reading of the five texts that overtly hail Yahweh as king: Ezekiel 1-5, 8-11, 20, 34, 40-48. The political ramifications of Yahweh’s kingship are shown to be of such importance that Yahweh’s kingship is best understood as a claim for Yahweh himself to govern his people as a political, not merely religious, king. Chapter 8 briskly traces several key themes throughout the book confirming that Ezekiel presents Yahweh’s kingship in order to establish divine rule over all human affairs. And Chapter 9, as a conclusion, ties together the previous chapters while also demonstrating the value of the thesis both for scholarship on the book of Ezekiel and for the broader question of the kingship of God.

The subject of demons and demonology has fascinated scholars and non-scholars, ancient and modern alike; it is not surprising that much work has been done on the topic by biblical scholars too. Chapter 1 places the present study within the existing scholarship showing that the early works on ‘OT demonology’ were influenced by comparative religion, anthropology, and an increasing interest in Mesopotamian and Canaanite parallels as well as a concern to seek and find vestiges of ancient religious beliefs in the Old Testament. The consensus of early 20th century scholars regarding what constitutes a ‘demon’ in the Old Testament has not been challenged by modern scholarship. Chapter 2 shows that biblical scholars still commonly turn to the ancient Near Eastern religions and cultures to explain difficult passages in the Hebrew Bible, to find parallels or the ‘original’ of difficult terms and concepts. Since it is generally accepted without challenge that azazel, lilith, deber, qeteb and reshef are the personal names of ‘demons’ appearing in the Hebrew Bible, the necessity arises to return to the texts in order to examine each term in its context. The present study seeks to answer the question whether these five terms are names of ‘demons’ in the Hebrew texts as we have them today. To accomplish its goal the present study will provide an exegesis based on Close Reading of all the relevant biblical passages in which the terms azazel (chapter 3), lilith (chapter 4), deber (chapter 5), qeteb (chapter 6), and reshef (chapter 7) appear. Attention is paid to the linguistic, semantic, and structural levels of the texts. The emphasis is on a close examination of the immediate context in order to determine the function (and if possible the meaning) of each term. The reading focuses on determining how the various signals within the text can guide towards meaning, noting how the (implied) poet/author uses the various poetical/rhetorical devices, especially personification, but also parallelism, similes, irony, and mythological elements. The present study shows that contrary to former and current scholarship there is nothing in the texts to support the view that azazel, lilith, deber, qeteb and reshef are the names of ‘demons’. Azazel appears as the personification of the forces of chaos that threaten the order of creation; his role is to stand in contrast to Yahweh. The context requires that lilith is regarded as a bird, a night bird being the most plausible explanation of the term. Deber, qeteb and reshef are personifications of destructive forces and appear as agents of Yahweh, members of his ’Angels of Evil’ who bring punishment (death) on the people of Israel for disobedience. There is no evidence to suggest that there are mythological figures behind azazel, lilith or the personifications of deber and qeteb. In case of reshef there is a possible connection to the Semitic deity Reshef. However, the mythological motifs are used merely as a poetic device.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This dissertation examines the roles Edom played in the Hebrew Bible. The oracles against the nations included in the prophetic books anticipate the complete destruction of the Edomites by Yahweh and connect that destruction to the divine plan for the restoration of Israel. The goal of the dissertation is to determine how Edom became cast in this role. The approach of this study is first to review the archaeological data that have been used to recreate Edom's history. Early research was biased by a desire to fit the results to the Hebrew Bible. Evaluation of the data shows the close development of these two nations. It also reveals an Edomite presence in the Negev late in the monarchy and during the restoration after exile. The place of Edom in the biblical "histories" is analyzed. I then show how the oracles against Edom transform motifs introduced in the histories, such as the theophany from Sier. Edom was held responsible for participating in the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in 587 B. C. E. This event created a theological crisis since Edom was spared and Israel was destroyed. This crisis was dealt with in the oracles against Edom by anticipating that Edom will be eliminated. I conclude that Edom is remembered by Israel as unique amongst the nations. The postexilic period produces oracles against Edom to assist the community to deal with the difficulties of restoration. As the oracles move toward the apocalyptic, the divine plan includes the destruction of Edom. / 2031-01-01