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Embodying God's Final Word: Understanding The Dynamics Of Prophecy In The The Ancient Near East And Early Monotheistic Tradition, Naila Z. Razzaq

University Scholar Projects

This thesis studies the various forms of oral and literary prophecy in the Ancient the Ancient Near East and Second Temple Judaism. After an introductory background section on the dynamics of prophecy in Ancient Assyria and Mesopotamia, I problematize the nineteenth century concept of the “cessation of prophecy” after Malachi, the last prophet in the Tanakh.

Too often prophecy is seen as a punctiliar process with a determined beginning and end. I complicate this simplified view by discussing the following questions while analyzing several key primary sources from the Second Temple period: In what forms does prophecy continue even after …

Written With The Finger Of God: Divine And Human Writing In Exodus, Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

"The presence of writing in the book of Exodus must be considered not only for its contribution to the narrative as story, but also as a witness to several key socio-political issues (such as the interplay of textuality and orality in ancient Israel), for the role of writing in the history of Israel's religion, and for the struggle to define, through several centuries and editorial layers, the nature of YHWH's "true image'' in the world."

To The Jew First: A Socio-Historical And Biblical-Theological Analysis Of The Pauline Teaching Of `Election' In Light Of Second Temple Jewish Patterns Of Thought, Anthony Thornhill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Paul's "doctrine" of election has remained a controversial and enigmatic topic for centuries. Few studies, however, have approached Paul's doctrine through the context of Second Temple Judaism. This study examines Paul's view of election through the lens of Second Temple Jewish texts written prior to 70 CE. In doing so, it is argued that the best framework through which to view Paul's discussion of election is through a primarily corporate model of election. While such a model is rooted in Judaism, Paul departs from his Jewish contemporaries in arguing that the locus of election is in God's Messiah, Jesus.

A Comparative Study Of The Apocalyptic Kingdom Of God In Second Temple Jewish Literature And The Teachings Of Jesus In Matthew, Jeremiah Stallman

Masters Theses

The apocalyptic kingdom of God is a common theme in Second Temple Jewish literature. This kingdom is often presented differently in the various literary works of this era. This first chapter of this thesis considers the various aspects of the kingdom in relation to God's coming judgment and the coming messiah who is often seen as the one bringing judgment and setting up the kingdom of God. The second chapter elaborates upon Jesus' teachings about the apocalyptic kingdom of God and compares and contrasts them with the teachings of the kingdom in His day as understood through the Second Temple …

Clay-Potter Imagery In The Bible: Theological And Practical Implications For Daily Christian Life, Karl Stelzer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

God, the Master Potter, uses clay-potter imagery to explain spiritual truth. These passages are ignored, explained superficially, or misinterpreted and have not had the divinely intended impact. Theologically, doctrines of Theology Proper, Bibliology, and Anthropology have been compromised. Practically, the Holy Spirit has been hindered. To demonstrate the need for clay-potter instruction, research will include a comparative analysis of information gathered through questionnaires to churches that have held a clay-potter conference and those that have not, and an examination of written material and popular presentations. This author combines professional pottery expertise and biblical training to present accurate exposition. This thesis …

The Fate And Power Of Heroic Bones And The Politics Of Bone Transfer In Ancient Israel And Greece, Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

No abstract provided.

Ezekiel’S Topography Of The (Un-)Heroic Dead In Ezekiel 32:17–32, Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

This essay is an attempt to address several interpretive problems in Ezek 32:17–32 in light of religious ideas prominent in ancient Mediterranean expressions of hero cult. Previous studies have not adequately dealt with the richness of Ezekiel’s striking and unusual imagery in this passage, and I contend that a reading that more fully develops the meaning of Ezekiel’s presentation vis-à-vis the history of religious ideas regarding the power of the heroic dead is the most appropriate one in terms of Ezekiel’s overarching message in this chapter. I argue that Ezekiel’s invocation of ancient Israelite heroic traditions involving the Gibborim and …

Ancient Iconic Texts And Scholarly Expertise, James W. Watts

Religion - All Scholarship

This essay probes the origins of iconic textuality in the ancient Near East, informed by post-colonial perspectives on iconic texts. The surviving art and texts from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia exhibit at least four forms of iconic textuality: monumental inscriptions, portraits of scribes, displays and manipulations of ritual texts, and beliefs in heavenly texts. The spread of literacy did not displace the social prestige of scribal expertise that was established in antiquity. The every-growing number and complexity of texts accounts for the continuing cultural authority of scholarly expertise. The tension between expert and non-specialist uses of texts, however, explains scholarship’s …

The Last Of The Rephaim: Conquest And Cataclysm In The Heroic Ages Of Ancient Israel, Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

This dissertation explores the role of giants in the narrative and historiographic worlds of symbol, geography, and religion in ancient Israel. The Nephilim, Anaqim, Rephaim, Emim, Zamzumim/Zuzim, some Gibborim, and other individuals (e.g., Goliath) can all be classified as “giants”—not only with respect to their height and other physical properties, but also with respect to the negative moral qualities assigned to giants in antiquity. Previous interpreters have treated giants as merely a fantastical prop against which God’s agents emerge victorious. I argue that giants are a theologically and historiographically generative group, through which we gain insight into central aspects of …

Bab Edh-Dhra', Numeira, And The Biblical Patriarchs: A Chronological Study, Kris J. Udd

Dissertations

Problem. Bab edh-Dhra' and Numeira have been identified by archaeologists as possible candidates for two of the biblical cities of the plain, but their existence in the Early Bronze Age III is too early to match the biblical narrative (Gen 19) by many chronologies of ancient Canaan. This study sought to determine if there is sufficient flexibility in the archaeological and biblical chronologies to make the identification of Bab edh-Dhra' and Numeira with the cities of the plain a viable interpretation.

Method. The range of dates possible for both the archaeological data and the biblical narratives was analyzed. …

Theology Of Blindness In The Hebrew Scriptures, Ray Mcallister

Dissertations

Problem: A number of passages in the Hebrew Scriptures discuss blindness. Scholars have studied them individually, but not with a view to developing a theology of blindness. The purpose of the present dissertation, then, is to analyze theological implications of blindness in the Hebrew Scriptures systematically.

Methodology: This dissertation systematically analyzes blindness in the Hebrew Scriptures against their ancient Near Eastern background. The study looks at cultic implications, causation, social justice, healing, and social and religious meanings of blindness. Both physical and metaphorical aspects of blindness are examined. First, blindness in the ancient Near East is considered, with emphasis on …

Elementary Hebrew I, Howard Ervin, Cheryl Iverson, Marlene Mankins

College of Theology and Ministry Faculty Research and Scholarship

It is the object of this course to provide the student with a basic knowledge of classical Hebrew. It is a practical concern of the instruction to provide the fundamental skills to enable the student to read and interpret the Hebrew text of the Old Testament for teaching and sermonic purposes.

Assur Is King Of Persia: Illustrations Of The Book Of Esther In Some Nineteenth-Century Sources, Steven W. Holloway

Libraries

The marriage of archaeological referencing and picture Bibles in the nineteenth century resulted in an astonishing variety of guises worn by the court of Ahasuerus in Esther. Following the exhibition of Neo-Assyrian sculpture in the British Museum and the wide circulation of such images in various John Murray publications, British illustrators like Henry Anelay defaulted to Assyrian models for kings and rulers in the Old Testament, including the principal actors in Esther, even though authentic Achaemenid Persian art had been available for illustrative pastiche for decades. This curious adoptive choice echoed British national pride in its splendid British Museum collection …

Understanding The History Of Ancient Israel (Book Review), Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Review of H.G.M. Williamson, ed., Understanding the History of Ancient Israel. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2007, xxD432 pp, ISBN 978 0 19 726401 0

The Book Of Daniel In Light Of The Ancient Near Eastern Literary And Material Finds: An Archaeological Perspective, Patrick Mazani

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the text of the book of Daniel in light of some ancient Near Eastern archaeological discoveries. While chapter 1 of this research is introductory, chapter 2 begins by investigating personal and place names mentioned in Daniel and making a comparative analysis between the claims of Daniel's text and related archaeological discoveries. Archaeological evidence shows that the place names mentioned in the book of Daniel were real geographical locations where historical events are claimed to have taken place. Archeological materials not only help clarify some words, phrases, and locations of places, but seem to show that at least …

A Reevaluation Of Some Iconographic Motifs On The Taanach Cult Stand, Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Since its discovery in 1968, the so-called “Taanach cult stand” has generated no small amount of scholarly controversy; indeed, the unique combination of images on the stand evoke a variety of interpretations, perhaps due to the sheer number of key iconographic motifs used in combination and their implications for the history of religion within the borders of ancient “Israel” in the 10th century BCE. The imagery on the Taanach stand raises a series of provocative questions regarding many recent discussions, such as: Was the Israelite national deity, YHWH, depicted iconographically in ancient Israel, and are any of these images on …

Eckart Otto, Das Deuteronomium: Politische Theologie Und Rechtsreform In Juda Und Assyrien, Steven W. Holloway

Libraries

No abstract provided.

Smart Mobs, Bad Crowds, Godly People And Dead Priests: Crowd Symbols In The Josianic Narrative And Some Mesopotamian Parallels, Steven W. Holloway

Libraries

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Hezekiah To David And Solomon In The Books Of Chronicles, Mark A. Throntveit

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Hesban 06: Tell Hesban And Vicinity In The Iron Age, Paul J. Ray Jr.

All Books

"This volume presents a layer-by-layer account of the discoveries from the six Iron Age strata (12th through 5th centuries B.C.) at Tell Hesban, Jordan, with regional survey data from its immediate vicinity. Discoveries are interpreted in light of cultural, ethnological, and natural-science data as well as historical events. Implications of these finds for an understanding of the history of the biblical tribe of Reuben and the tribal kingdoms of Ammon and Moab are also examined. It includes a summary of the site and the surrounding region during the Late Bronze Age and Hellenistic periods as well as a chapter on …

Biblical Assyria And Other Anxieties In The British Empire, Steven W. Holloway

Libraries

The successful “invasion” of ancient Mesopotamia by explorers in the pay of the British Museum Trustees resulted in best-selling publications, a treasure-trove of Assyrian antiquities for display purposes and scholarly excavation, and a remarkable boost to the quest for confirmation of the literal truth of the Bible. The public registered its delight with the findings through the turnstyle- twirling appeal of the British Museum exhibits, and a series of appropriations of Assyrian art motifs and narratives in popular culture - jewelry, bookends, clocks, fine arts, theater productions, and a walk-through Assyrian palace among other period mansions at the Sydenham Crystal …

The Classification Of The Greek Manuscripts Of 1 Peter With Special Emphasis On Methodology, Kenneth Keumsang Yoo

Dissertations

The problem. Either because of methodological flaws or because of inadequate databases, Greek manuscripts of 1 Peter have not been satisfactorily examined. This study is an attempt to establish a better textual critical method and to apply it to a larger database. The method identifies new statistical techniques that facilitate quantitative analysis, necessary to establish the tentative groups that are used for the profiling of manuscripts.

The method. The method I used for the classification of Greek manuscripts of 1 Peter combines the computer-generated profile method and a statistical technique known as factor analysis. The profile method has …

William Robertson Smith, Lectures On The Religion Of The Semites: Second And Third Series, Edited By John Day, Steven W. Holloway

Libraries

No abstract provided.

Tell Hesban And Vicinity In The Iron Age, Paul J. Ray

Dissertations

Problem. Tell Hesban is a major archaeological ruin in central Transjordan. It was excavated from 1968-76 by Andrews University. However, almost 25 years after the termination of this endeavor, a final report dealing with the Iron Age remains has not yet appeared. Although relatively little remains from the Iron Age, which is the earliest period represented on the tell, an understanding of what is left is nevertheless important for comprehending the role the site played in the region at this time.

Method. A historical research design has been used in this study. The excavated architectural and soil/debris layers were analyzed …

Sargon Ii And His Redactors Repair Eanna Of Uruk, Steven W. Holloway

Libraries

No abstract provided.

Ammon In The Hebrew Bible: A Textual Analysis And Archaeological Context Of Selected References To The Ammonites Of Transjordan, James Roger Fisher

Dissertations

The study of the Transjordanian Iron-Age (ca. 1200-550 BC) state of Ammon is important to students of the Bible because of the numerous references to the Ammonites (bene 'ammon) included in the historical and prophetic sections of the Hebrew canon. The book of Genesis traces the ancestry of the "Sons of Ammon" to an eponymous ancestor named Ben Ammi--son/grandson of Abraham's nephew Lot (Gen 39:17).

Chapter 1 points out how Ammon--though often ignored or slighted in studies up to the mid-20th century--increasingly receives scholarly attention. It also shows a need for applying the results of archaeological research to facilitate a …

The Chronicler's Speeches And Historical Reconstruction, Mark A. Throntveit

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Benjamin Mazar, Biblical Israel: State And People, Philip R. Davies, In Search Of ‘Ancient Israel’, John Van Seters, Prologue To History: The Yahwist As Historian In Genesis, Steven W. Holloway

Libraries

No abstract provided.

Sociopolitical Structure Of Transjordanian Societies During The Late Bronze And Iron I Ages (Ca. 1500-1000 B.C.), Paul Z. Gregor

Dissertations

According to the biblical account the Transjordanian region was occupied with somewhat organized societies during the time of the Exodus (ca. 15th century B.C.). Unfortunately, archaeological excavations could not confirm this account, and as result, the biblical data have been dismissed as unreliable and historically inaccurate.

The purpose of this study was to provide the most recent archaeological data as well as to reinterpret the old data to see whether or not the biblical account bears any historical value. For this reason, this dissertation provides evidence from three fields: archaeological, anthropological, and biblical.

In spite of Glueck's claim that Transjordan …

Thomas Podella, Ṣôm-Fasten: Kollektive Trauer Um Den Verborgenen Gott Im Alten Testament, Steven W. Holloway

Libraries

No abstract provided.