The Problem of War in the Old Testament

The Problem of War in the Old Testament PDF Author: Peter C. Craigie
Publisher: Grand Rapids : Eerdmans
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
The predominance of war in the Old Testament troubles many Christians. However it is an issue that must be faced, says Peter C. Craigie, because it has serious ramifications for contemporary Christian attitudes about war. Professor Craigie categorizes the problems into two kinds - personal and external. The personal problems arise from the Christian's attempt to grapple with the emphasis on war in a book fundamental to faith. Three areas are considered here: the representation of God as warrior; God's revelation of himself in a book which preserves an extensive amount of war literature; and the seemingly conflicting ethics taught in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The external problems are critiques against the Bible and the Christian faith, based on the war-like nature of the Old Testament and the close association between Christianity and war throughout history. Only by examining and understanding the problem of war in the Old Testament will Christians be able to respond intelligently to attacks on their faith, to educate their youth in the nature of war, and to influence modern attitudes toward war. Peter C. Craigie was Academic Vice-President of the University of Calgary, professor of religious studies, and authored The Book of Deuteronomy in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series (Eerdmans). "Dr. Craigie is acutely aware of the ethical problems posed by his subject, and his study should be helpful to others who are equally aware of these problems. I am glad to commend this book." - F. F. Bruce University of Manchester "Professor Craigie approaches a difficult subject in an irenic, open manner, conveying both his grasp of the subject matter and his deep concern as a theologian and churchman for helping lay people think about a troubling problem in a fresh way. . . . Any person or group seeking to wrestle with the problem of war in the Old Testament will find Craigie's thoughtful study one of the most helpful resources available." - Patrick D. Miller, Jr. Princeton Theological Seminary

Holy War in the Bible

Holy War in the Bible PDF Author: Heath A. Thomas
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830884289
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
The challenge of a seemingly genocidal God who commands ruthless warfare has bewildered Bible readers for generations. The theme of divine war is not limited to the Old Testament historical books, however. It is also prevalent in the prophets and wisdom literature as well. Still it doesn t stop. The New Testament book of Revelation, too, is full of such imagery. Our questions multiply. Why does God apparently tell Joshua to wipe out whole cities, tribes or nations? Is this yet another example of dogmatic religious conviction breeding violence? Did these texts help inspire or justify the Crusades? What impact do they have on Christian morality and just war theories today? How does divine warfare fit with Christ s call to "turn the other cheek"? Why does Paul employ warfare imagery in his letters? Do these texts warrant questioning the overall trustworthiness of the Bible? These controversial yet theologically vital issues call for thorough interpretation, especially given a long history of misinterpretation and misappropriaton of these texts. This book does more, however. A range of expert contributors engage in a multidisciplinary approach that considers the issue from a variety of perspectives: biblical, ethical, philosophical and theological. While the writers recognize that such a difficult and delicate topic cannot be resolved in a simplistic manner, the different threads of this book weave together a satisfying tapestry. Ultimately we find in the overarching biblical narrative a picture of divine redemption that shows the place of divine war in the salvific movement of God.

God Is a Man of War

God Is a Man of War PDF Author: Stephen De Young
Publisher: Ancient Faith Publishing
ISBN: 9781955890045
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
Infanticide. Holy war. Divine wrath. Violence in the Old Testament has long been a stumbling block for Christians and skeptics alike. Yet conventional efforts to understand this violence-whether by downplaying it as allegory or a relic of primitive cultures, or by dismissing the authority of Scripture altogether-tend to raise more questions than they answer. God Is a Man of War offers a fresh interpretation of Old Testament accounts of violence by exploring them through the twofold lens of Orthodox tradition and historical context. Father Stephen De Young examines what these difficult passages reveal about the nature of Christ and His creation, bearing witness to a world filled not only with pain and suffering-often of human making-but also with the love of God.

The Problem of War in the Old Testament

The Problem of War in the Old Testament PDF Author: Peter C. Craigie
Publisher: Grand Rapids : Eerdmans
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
The predominance of war in the Old Testament troubles many Christians. However it is an issue that must be faced, says Peter C. Craigie, because it has serious ramifications for contemporary Christian attitudes about war. Professor Craigie categorizes the problems into two kinds - personal and external. The personal problems arise from the Christian's attempt to grapple with the emphasis on war in a book fundamental to faith. Three areas are considered here: the representation of God as warrior; God's revelation of himself in a book which preserves an extensive amount of war literature; and the seemingly conflicting ethics taught in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The external problems are critiques against the Bible and the Christian faith, based on the war-like nature of the Old Testament and the close association between Christianity and war throughout history. Only by examining and understanding the problem of war in the Old Testament will Christians be able to respond intelligently to attacks on their faith, to educate their youth in the nature of war, and to influence modern attitudes toward war. Peter C. Craigie was Academic Vice-President of the University of Calgary, professor of religious studies, and authored The Book of Deuteronomy in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series (Eerdmans). "Dr. Craigie is acutely aware of the ethical problems posed by his subject, and his study should be helpful to others who are equally aware of these problems. I am glad to commend this book." - F. F. Bruce University of Manchester "Professor Craigie approaches a difficult subject in an irenic, open manner, conveying both his grasp of the subject matter and his deep concern as a theologian and churchman for helping lay people think about a troubling problem in a fresh way. . . . Any person or group seeking to wrestle with the problem of war in the Old Testament will find Craigie's thoughtful study one of the most helpful resources available." - Patrick D. Miller, Jr. Princeton Theological Seminary

The Problem of War in the Old Testament

The Problem of War in the Old Testament PDF Author: Philip Peter Jenson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781851745098
Category : Bible
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description


Making Sense of the Bible [Leader Guide]

Making Sense of the Bible [Leader Guide] PDF Author: Adam Hamilton
Publisher: Abingdon Press
ISBN: 1501801325
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
In this six week video study, Adam Hamilton explores the key points in his new book, Making Sense of the Bible. With the help of this Leader Guide, groups learn from Hamilton as his video presentations lead groups through the book, focusing on the most important questions we ask about the Bible, its origins and meaning.

Bloody, Brutal, and Barbaric?

Bloody, Brutal, and Barbaric? PDF Author: William J. Webb
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830870733
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description
Word Guild Award Shortlist — Biblical Studies Word Guild Best Book Cover Award Association of University Presses Design Show — Book, Jacket, and Covers Christians cannot ignore the intersection of religion and violence, whether contemporary or ancient. In our own Scriptures, war texts that appear to approve of genocidal killings and war rape—forcibly taking female captives for wives—raise hard questions about biblical ethics and the character of God. Have we missed something in our traditional readings? In Bloody, Brutal, and Barbaric? William Webb and Gordon Oeste address the ethics of reading biblical war texts today. Theirs is a biblical-theological reading with an eye to hermeneutical, ethical, canonical, and ancient cultural contexts. Identifying a spectrum of views on war texts ranging from "no ethical problems" to "utterly repulsive," the authors pursue a middle path using a hermeneutic of incremental, redemptive-movement ethics. Instead of trying to force traditional Christian answers to fit contemporary questions, they argue, we must properly connect the traditional answers with the biblical storyline questions that were on the minds of Scripture's original readers. And there are indeed better answers to the ethical problems in the war texts. Woven throughout the Old Testament, a collection of antiwar and subversive war texts suggest that Yahweh's involvement in Israel's warfare required some degree of accommodation to people living in a fallen world. Yet, God's redemptive influence even within the ugliness of ancient warfare shouts loudly about a future hope—a final battle fought with complete and untainted justice by Christ.

God at War

God at War PDF Author: Gregory A. Boyd
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830898301
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 419

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Book Description
In this bold and compelling work, Gregory Boyd undertakes to reframe the central issues of Christian theodicy. By Boyd's estimate, theologians still draw too heavily on Augustine's response to the problem of evil, attributing pain and suffering to the mysterious "good" purposes of God. Accordingly, modern Christians are inclined not to expect evil and so are baffled but resigned when it occurs. New Testament writers, on the other hand, were inclined to expect evil and fight against it. Modern Christians attempt to intellectually understand evil, whereas New Testament writers grappled with overcoming evil. Through a close and sophisticated reading of both Old and New Testaments, Boyd argues that Satan has been in an age-long (but not eternal) battle against God, and that this conflict "is a major dimension of the ultimate canvas against which everything within the biblical narrative, from creation to the eschaton, is to be painted and therefore understood." No less edifying than it is provocative, God at War will reward the careful attention of scholars, pastors, students and educated laypersons alike.

The Problem of the Old Testament

The Problem of the Old Testament PDF Author: Duane A. Garrett
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830843779
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description
Biblical Foundations Book Awards Finalist For Christians, the Old Testament often presents a conundrum. We revere it as God's Word, but we don't always comprehend it. It has great truths beautifully expressed, but it also has lengthy lists of names that we cannot pronounce, detailed rules for religious rites that we never observe, and grim stories that we never tell our children. Theologians and laypeople throughout church history have struggled to define it, interpret it, and reconcile it with the New Testament. In The Problem of the Old Testament, Duane A. Garrett takes on this conundrum and lays a foundation for constructive study of the Old Testament. He surveys three primary methods Christians have used to handle the Old Testament, from the church fathers to today: hermeneutical, schematic, and conceptual. Garrett also explores major interpretive topics such as the nature of the law, the function of election and covenants, and how prophecy works, boldly offering a way forward that is faithful to the text and to the Christian faith. "I argue," Garrett writes, "that the Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus Christ and that it is authoritative and edifying for Christians." This thorough, accessible work is essential reading for all students of Scripture seeking to discover the Old Testament's riches beyond the challenges.

Holy War in the Bible

Holy War in the Bible PDF Author: Heath A. Thomas
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 083083995X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 353

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Book Description
The first of its kind, this collection offers a constructive response to the question of holy war and Christian morality from an interdisciplinary perspective. By combining biblical, ethical, philosophical and theological insights, the contributors offer a composite image of divine redemption that promises to take the discussion to another level.

Same-Sex Unions

Same-Sex Unions PDF Author: Ian Paul
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781851748945
Category : Marriage
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description