God’s Love Story
Past, Present and Future in the Deuteronomistic Composition
by Gershon Galil
Gershon Galil’s study examines the formation of the books included in the “Deuteronomistic Composition”, and the historical and theological perceptions of the Deuteronomist (Dtr), who composed the “Deuteronomistic Composition” during the Babylonia exile, and completed it ca. 560 BCE. According to the author, the “Deuteronomistic Composition” included not only the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua-Kings, but the book of Jeremiah as well. Deuteronomy is the preface to this composition, and Jeremiah seals it; in Deuteronomy the path is demarcated and the norms are fixed; the body of the composition, namely the books from Joshua to Kings, presents a detailed history of the relation between God and Israel, from the conquest of the good land to the destruction of the Temple and the loss of the land. The book of Jeremiah, which concludes the composition, discusses at length the decline and fall of Judah, analyzes the sins that brought about the destruction, and at the same time propagates the gospel of redemption among the exiles. Like Moses, who predicts exile but also redemption, Jeremiah is the prophet of destruction but also of redemption. So Dtr examines the past according to the principles of the “Torah of Moses” (Deuteronomy) – and delineates the future in light of God’s word in the mouth of His prophets – primarily Moses and Jeremiah. God’s eternal love for Israel is the main tenet of Dtr’s worldview. In his opinion, the bond between the Lord and Israel is endless. Its beginning is in the days of the Patriarchs but it will never end. As the relationship is everlasting, the nation of Israel is divine by nature: eternal and holy. The circular nature of the relationship between God and His people implies, in essence, a reality of closeness and distance, affection and anger, sin and repentance, punishment and salvation. Fulfillment of the word of God is one of the central motifs of the “Deuteronomistic Composition”. Since the main message of Dtr is that God promises Israel a return to the land, eternal love and an everlasting covenant, the people may wonder whether God’s promises can be trusted. The answer comes in many scriptures that emphasize the fulfillment of the word of God and teach that God’s promises can always be trusted.
- By (author) Gershon Galil
Other Titles in this Series
Rishon le-Zion. Volume I
The Middle Bronze Age II Cemeteries (Volume I/1: The Excavations + Volume I/2: Finds and Conclusions)
Volume 88
Die Suche nach Gottesnahe
Untersuchungen zur Personlichen Frommigkeit in Agypten von der Ersten Zwischenzeit bis zum Ende des Neuen Reiches
Volume 73
Kinneret II
Results of the Excavations at Tell el-'Oreme, 1994-2008: Vol. 1: The Bronze Age, Iron Age II, Post-Iron Age Periods, and Other Studies
Volume 120
A Sage in New Haven
Essays on the Prophets, the Writings, and the Ancient World in Honor of Robert R. Wilson
Volume 117
Der Raum der Zeit
Eine Untersuchung zu den altagyptischen Vorstellungen und Konzeptionen von Zeit und Raum anhand des Unterweltbuches Amduat
Volume 64
From Stone Age to Stellenbosch
Studies on the Ancient Near East in Honour of Izak (Sakkie) Cornelius
Volume 107
From Memphis to Babylon
African Individuals and Groups in Texts from Chaldean and Achaemenid Babylonia
Volume 125
Agyptische Tier- und Gotterbronzen aus Unteragypten
Untersuchungen zu Typus, Ikonographie und Funktion sowie der Bedeutung innerhalb der Kulturkontakte zu Griechenland
Volume 81
The Late Egyptian Underworld
Sarcophagi and Related Texts from the Nectanebid Period: Part I: Sacophagi and Texts, Part II: Plates
Volume 72
Mezad Yeroham
A Caravanserai Site of the Roman and Byzantine Periods in the Negev Highlands
Volume 134
Sonnenlauf und kosmische Regeneration
Zur Systematik der Lebensprozesse in den Unterweltsbuchern - Teil 1: Untersuchungen, Teil 2: Materialien des Tabellenwerks und der Schautafeln
Volume 71
Tell it in Gath
Studies in the History and Archaeology of Israel. Essays in Honor of Aren M. Maeir on the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday
Volume 90
Egypt and the Hebrew Bible / Agypten und Altes Testament
Proceedings of the Conference Celebrating 40 Years AAT, Munich, 6-7 Dec. 2019 / Fachtagung '40 Jahre AAT', Munchen, 6-7. Dez. 2019
Volume 100
Aufruhrer, Rebellen, Widersacher
Untersuchungen zum Wortfeld 'Feind' im pharaonischen Agypten. Ein lexikalisch-phraseologischer Beitrag
Volume 74
Inszenierung von Herrschaft und Macht im agyptischen Tempel
Religion und Politik im Theben des fruhen 1. Jahrtausends v. Chr.
Volume 95
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