Authors:Mari Joerstad First page: 1 Abstract: Source: Volume 40, Issue 1, pp 1 - 16This article reads Psalm 137 in light of colonial appropriation of land and culture, contextualizing the violence of verses 8 and 9 as a response to exile and as a method of protecting Judean cultural practices. Two modern art pieces serve as points of comparison: Steve McQueen’s film 12 Years a Slave, and Joe David’s totem pole Cedar Man. The article concludes by considering how the violent language of Psalm 137 may guide contemporary ethical reflection. PubDate: 2018-04-12T00:00:00Z
Authors:Gregory Goswell First page: 17 Abstract: Source: Volume 40, Issue 1, pp 17 - 40This article argues that Hebrew and Greek OT canonical orders are both ancient, and that there is no evidence that the Hebrew canon represents the oldest arrangement or that the Greek way of ordering the biblical books was due to Christian influence. This finding precludes the idea that either order is to have hermeneutical priority over the other, or that either organization can be made the exclusive basis for a theological appreciation of the OT. The Hebrew and Greek OT canons need not be read as competing traditions in early Jewish communities, and, in terms of interpretive method, the contemporary reader is not required to decide which sequence of books is to have precedence as a frame for interpretation. The various canonical arrangements are better viewed as interpretive options available to ancient readers and now offered to present-day readers for their pondering. PubDate: 2018-04-12T00:00:00Z
Authors:William Briggs First page: 41 Abstract: Source: Volume 40, Issue 1, pp 41 - 64In light of the growing importance of creation in contemporary discussions of the theology of the Hebrew Bible as well as modern ecological concerns, this essay examines the connected passages of Ezek 6; 35:1-36:15. These texts portray Yahweh as concerned with issues of order, land and land ownership, and the pollution of the land. Human idolatry and failure to recognize that the land belongs to Yahweh leads to the pollution of the land and the violation of the creational order. Ezekiel 6; 35:1-36:15 are considered in view of the contemporary malpractices of large agricultural corporations, allowing the text of Ezekiel and the modern world to shed light on one another. In contexts both ancient and modern, Ezekiel speaks against notions of unbridled human dominion over creation and asserts that humans are deeply intertwined with the world around them, in line with Terrance Fretheim’s conception of creation theology. PubDate: 2018-04-12T00:00:00Z
Authors:Jesse J. Lee First page: 65 Abstract: Source: Volume 40, Issue 1, pp 65 - 77While the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 and the slave-girl Rhoda in Acts 12 are not commonly compared or connected, they both present a distinctive expression of joy in the face of great opposition and oppression. It is argued that their overwhelming expressions of joy that drove them to distraction are not best understood as simple responses to recent events or experiences in their narratives, i.e. non-cognitive emotion, but rather as willful and decisive proclamations demonstrative of their character, values, and worldview, i.e. cognitive emotion. In this way, their joyful behavior was a means of asserting their inclusion into the communities and culture that marginalized them. Despite their sudden disappearance from the text, their last words and actions were of joy and vindication, which continue to stand as their legacy and challenge. PubDate: 2018-04-12T00:00:00Z
Authors:Matthew D. Beach First page: 78 Abstract: Source: Volume 40, Issue 1, pp 78 - 91This article explains how 2 Sam 6:1-8 was redacted during the Babylonian exile in order to impart a theological message of hope and warning to the exilic community. This is demonstrated through an exploration of the similarities between 2 Sam 6:1-8 and Exod 32. The primary similarities include: (1) how Uzzah fulfills the same priestly role as Aaron; (2) how David serves as a symbolic “Moses figure” who guides the people and the ark to Jerusalem; and (3) how Yahweh broke out against Uzzah in anger, symbolic of how Yahweh allowed the Babylonian army to overthrow Jerusalem and take the people captive. PubDate: 2018-04-12T00:00:00Z
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