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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Boston University. / The purpose of this study is to describe the OT creation concept, assess its importance, and investigate the problem of creation ex nihilo. The approach of biblical theology is made, postulating some degree of unity and validity in major OT ideas. Every passave in the OT bearing on creation is noted. The word bara is used 48 times, always of action by God only, but the word does not require the ex nihilo idea. Twelve other verbsal roots express creation. [truncated]

Proverbs 1-9 has long been called a "prologue" and "introduction" to the book of Proverbs, a label that I attempt to clarify by answering the following question: how does Proverbs 1-9 function with respect to the interpretation of Proverbs 10-31? I argue that, in the detail and holistic context of Proverbs, Proverbs 1-9 functions didactically by supplying interpretive frameworks in literary, rhetorical and theological contexts for representative portions of Proverbs 10-31. Proverbs 1-9 functions didactically by intending to teach interpretive skills, and it functions for the interpretation of Proverbs 10-31 by instilling the competence required to explicate this material. In this way, Proverbs 1-9 provides a didactic introduction for the remainder of the book. The exegetical starting point for this study is Prov 10:1-22:16, a collection of proverbs with hermeneutical challenges that require certain information and skills for interpretation. After exposing the assumptions that underlie these interpretive challenges, I demonstrate how Proverbs 1-9 informs them and hence how it functions didactically, whilst organising the material based on three features of the entire book of Proverbs: character types, educational goals, and the book's theology. Character types involve the identity and function of certain characters in Proverbs, such as the wise, wicked or diligent man. Educational goals account for the overall aims and values towards which Proverbs guides the reader, as well as highlighting the importance of discerning moral ambiguity. The theological context considers passages representative of those that mention the Lord: human postures towards the Lord, the Lord's affection and assessment, and his superior wisdom and sovereignty. With established conclusions regarding the relationship of Proverbs 1-9 and 10:1-22:16, the didactic function of Proverbs 1-9 for 22:17-31:31 is also explored, showing the book-wide function of this "introduction." This study demonstrates the function of Proverbs 1-9 for Proverbs 10-31 in some of the most prominent interpretive contexts of the book and, in the process, advances current key interpretive debates within Proverbs scholarship.

The works in the field of general narratology that have been written since the first introduction of the concept by Genette in 1972 demonstrate a great dynamic in the development of this concept. Unfortunately, the refinements of Genette’s theory often suffer from inconsistency of definitions and remain heuristic, which does not allow the dissemination of the achievements to other types of texts (for example, Old Testament narratives). In the field of biblical narratology the concept of focalization (especially its recent development) was largely overlooked, and the attempts to study the Old Testament narratives in relation to the notion of focalization are generally not accompanied by careful examination of the subject. The purpose of the present research is the consideration of the narratological concept of focalization with regard to the Book of Ruth. To this end, the research examines if recent narrative theories suggest a universal methodology of exploring focalization that can be equally applicable to any narrative texts (including Old Testament narratives) and what are the specifics of applying this methodology to the Old Testament narratives? To answer the question above, the research considers Wolf Schmid’s ideal genetic model of narrative constitution and Valeri Tjupa’s theory of eventfulness and narrative world pictures as universal models for studying focalization. With some modifications and refinements these ideas are transformed into a methodology of studying focalization in the Old Testament narratives. The application of the method to the Book of Ruth shows that on the level of selection of narrative information, the narrator selects sixteen episodes that constitute four narratological events that became the basis of the plot. Then, on the level of composition by the means of reported speech and the play of horizons, those episodes and events were placed in a certain order. Finally, on the level of presentation, these events were presented mainly in the scope of internal focalization, which as demonstrated in the work correlates with the use of the qatal form of the Hebrew verb. Since Schmid’s ideal genetic model of narrative constitution claims to be universal, the method of studying focalization can be equally applied to other Old Testament narratives. Tjupa’s theory of eventfulness and narrative world pictures can help to emphasize narratological events and to blueprint the thread of the narrative and logic of selectivity for those Old Testament narratives that do not have clear division into episodes and events. A subject of special interest is the question if the hypothesis about correlation between constructions with the qatal form of the Hebrew verb and internal focalization remains true to other Old Testament narratives.

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 thesis looks at the problem of the differences between the MT Tabernacle accounts and the LXX translation in the Book of Exodus (chs. 25-31 and 35-40). Although the differences between MT Exodus 25-31 and the LXX appear to be a matter of the type of variation which might be expected between source and receptor text with their own history of development, the differences between MT and LXX Exodus 35-40 are far more complex. The order of LXX Exodus 36-39 is quite distinct from that of the MT; the LXX translation is also much shorter than its counterpart. In the past, the general consensus of scholars has been to agree with D.W. Gooding that the arrangement and brevity of LXX Exodus 36-39 were due to the hand of an incompetent translator. After a survey of the problem of the Tabernacle accounts in Chapter one, methodologies are investigated in Chapter two in order to assess the competence (or otherwise) of the translation technique employed by the translator. This methodology is then applied in Chapters three to seven as comparisons are made between 1) the MT Tabernacle accounts; 2) the LXX Tabernacle accounts; 3) the LXX and MT Tabernacle accounts. Since Exodus 29 and 40 do not have a parallel these chapters are studied on their own (Chapters six and seven). The results of each investigation are examined for any clues which may help to solve the problem of major differences or minor discrepancies between the Tabernacle accounts. One difference between this investigation and those previously undertaken, e.g., by Gooding, is that hermeneutical intertextuality plays an important role in discerning the nature of the translation technique of the Tabernacle translator.

This thesis investigates the ethical system of the book of Isaiah, treating the book as a single literary work from a broadly reader-oriented critical perspective. It begins with a study of ethics and literature which examines how the Old Testament prophetic books communicate their moral teaching, with particular reference to the performative force of their rhetoric. The second section of the thesis presents a descriptive analysis of the ethical ideologies in the book of Isaiah. It is concluded that the root of sin for Isaiah is the failure to acknowledge God. The thesis then proceeds to consider the conduct of the deity with regard to the ethical demands he makes of Israel, and finds that, while he is not evil or immoral, he fails to attain the standard he establishes for his people. There is a distinct double standard in operation. The inevitable result of such failure is the undermining of either the ethical system, the status of Yahweh, or both. The final chapters seeksome explanation for Yahweh's conduct. Evidence to suggest the book is conscious of the difficult moral position of the deity is presented and analysed, and it is concluded that the double standard demonstrably in operation is a deliberate rhetorical device and even a necessary result of Isaiah's religious beliefs. Isaiah's monotheism demands that God cannot be bound or restricted in any way, and righteousness for Yahweh is defined simply by what he does. Isaiah's God could never adhere to Isaianic ethics, because his actions continually redefine them. This has the unfortunate but necessary side-effect of destabilising Isaiah's ethical system. The thesis concludes with a short autobiographic-critical study of the place of the Bible in the Christian faith and the problems it poses.

John Calvin's use of the Old Testament reveals his deep commitment to it. Calvin made use of the Old Testament in all areas of his life and work as a Reformer. However, the continued use of the Old Testament within the Christian Church of the 16th Century was not without its problems. Calvin discerned in the approach to the Old Testament taken by the Anabaptists and the Roman Catholics what he saw as a 'Judaizing' tendency. Calvin's own approach and understanding of the Old Testament was shaped by his confrontation with these groups and his perception of their 'Judaizing' of the Old Testamegt. His Old Testament hermeneutics were in part an attempt to appropriate the Old Testament for the Christian Church. For Calvin the Old Testament belongs to the Christian Church because Christ is present in it. Hence Calvin's fundamental hermeneutical goal is to read the Old Testament with the aim of finding Christ. This goal, however, does not lead Calvin into an allegorical method of Old Testament exegesis. On the contrary, Calvin repudiates allegory and adheres tenaciously to the literal meaning of the Old Testament as discovered by a grammatical-historical form of exegesils. Calvin's historical-grammatical exegesis, however, seems A be in tension with his hermeneutical presupposition of reading the Old Testament with the aim of finding Christ there. This tension is overcome by the twin ideas of accommodation and typology which in Calvin's Old Testament Hermeneutics form a bridge between his christological hermeneutical goal and his exegetical method. Calvin's doctrine of the unity of the two Testaments can be seen to be in full harmony with his Old Testament hermeneutics and is in fact their quintessence. Thus for Calvin the Old Testament is emphatically Scripture for the Church of Christ.

The meaning of Genesis 12:3 is much controverted. This study, considering the final form of Genesis, argues that it is in the first place a promise of security and greatness to Abraham and Israel, but that in its context, following Genesis 1-11, it also indicates a divine plan to extend blessing to all the earth's peoples. In receiving God's blessing, Abraham/ Israel act as models and/ or pioneers of blessing for others. God's actions remain free, but also invite appropriate human response. Examination of the near-parallels to Genesis 12:3a in Genesis 27:29b and Numbers 24:9b shows that they are concerned more with the security of the person blessed than with the possibility of others gaining blessing. Detailed discussion of the Hebrew niphal concludes that it normally has either passive or 'middle' force (and is very rarely reflexive). No 'middle' sense found elsewhere for the niphal plausibly fits and hence the niphal in Genesis 12:3 (and 18:18 and 28:14) ispassive: analysis of these passages in their contexts supports this grammatical conclusion. The hithpael in general this study argues to be usually 'middle' in force, though sometimes passive and occasionally reflexive. The hithpael of V"[n2 when used outside Genesis is probably a 'speech action middle', meaning 'utter blessing', and this sense fits Genesis 22:18 and 26:4: this is argued to be compatible with understanding the niphal as a passive. The semantics of are also discussed. 'Blessing' in the Old Testament essentially relates to divine bestowal of prosperity onto humans, though God grants humans in certain circumstances the privilege of invoking his blessing on others. (The sense of also extends to, for example, greeting and to praising God.)

Thèse--Faculté de théologie protestante de Paris. / Includes bibliographical references.