Yahweh

utilized between a ruler and a subject during the second half of the second millennium BC. It is worthwhile to note that the Sinai covenant resembles the patterns of the Suzerainty-Vassal Treaties because the Sinai covenant literally constitutes Yahweh as their master and the LORD; the master dictates the terms and the vassal has to obey to the terms without any say. God led His people out of Egypt to make them His people and be their God as he promised to Abraham. According to the…

claim to be descendants of the native Israelites. Historically, after Samaria collapsed in 722, the population was made up of remaining native Israelites and foreign colonists. Following this, at the “rise of the Samaritan community”, the temple for Yahweh on Mount Gerizim began to be built (Dictionary of New Testament p451). According to Josephus, the “initiative came from the priests who had been excluded from Jerusalem, because their marriages had been rejected as mixed marriages” (Dictionary…

gods (other than Brahman) are Vishnu, the god known for his preservation, or Shiva, the destroyer. Aside from referring to their god by his name, Jewish people simply refer to their only god as “God” even though the Hebrew Bible references him as “Yahweh” or “Elohim”. Another difference between Hinduism and Judaism is the way their believers are expected to worship. Followers of Judaism worship in synagogues or temples with a rabbi preaching and reading prayers to a mass amount of people. A…

The principles of today’s religions were largely shaped from three main belief systems; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Although other religious movements have developed throughout the years, these three belief systems have had the most impact on Western civilization. Together they have over four billion followers. Overall, they greatly influenced the structure of our current government and laws, as well as societies’ social roles and norms. In order to truly appreciate the effect of these…

Text Review: The Wisdom Literature In “The Wisdom Literature” Kathleen O’ Connor explores the six wisdom books of the Old Testament: Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth, the Song of Songs, Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon. Although some of these might seem familiar, others might feel foreign, and this is because they are books typically found in different versions of the bible. Through her volume, she breaks down the spiritualties, implicit or explicit, of the wisdom books of the Old Testament. She also…

how the LORD God formed man and woman, and places for them to live and work. I’ve found out that there are two different narrators in the first two chapters. The ‘God’ in Genesis 1 referred to Elohim, and the ‘LORD God’ in Genesis 2 referred to Yahweh, according to the course notes. However, only one God exists in the Bible. Hence, these two accounts must be referred to the same God. In this discussion,…

absence of that view in their cosmological view. Judeo-Christian culture has that aspect where “Satan” the adversary or the source of the “active evil” has been assigned to deceive and speak contrary to the teaching of the Christian God or Jewish God, Yahweh. In Abrahamic faith religions, this aspect is further developed with the teaching of sin, and a world without sin is a world released from guilt. East Asian culture embraces a different approach in which harmony and balance are known to…

Parables have long been a custom to educate people about pertinent morals. The Gospel of Matthew is constantly informative because it urges “the reader to identify with characters ‘who receive’ Jesus and ‘do’ God’s will” (Achtemeier 662). This claim is evident throughout the Gospel of Matthew and in The Parable of the Ten Virgins, as Matthew would constantly “persuade the reader to emulate their example” (Achtemeier 662). The Parable of the Ten Virgins symbolizes God’s Parousia during the…

187 intention of the prophet seems not to provide the exact historical or social backdrop; rather, the major concern of the prophet is a theological one: the problem within the community that hinders the coming salvation of God. The prophet presents the nearness of God’s salvation (the new age), which has already been anticipated from Isaiah 40-55 (cf. 56:1). The promise of God is still valid to the community in whatever situation. The prophet intends to further develop and enrich the theme of…

Joscelyn Behlin Babylon and Hebrew Before Christ, two major organizations were created which also set the tone for the emergences of civilization. Hammurabi being the leader of Babylon while Moses led the Hebrews, both men created regulations to keep their cultivation within peace. Even though both superiors had a similar goal which was to maintain a well-structured organization, both men differ in the tactics and level of importance of their principles. However, both establishments looked…