Zion, the City of the Great King
Zion, the City of the Great King

Author: Ben C. Ollenburger

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 1987-07-01

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0567311414

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While previous research has illuminated the origins and development of the Zion tradition, this book is the first to make a thorough study of Zion as a theological symbol within the larger Jerusalem cult tradition. Drawing primarily on the Psalms and Isaiah of Jerusalem, Ollenburger shows that Zion serves pre-eminently to symbolize the kingship of Yahweh on Zion as creator and defender of world order. As such, Zion serves also to symbolize security and refuge, particularly for the poor. This study constitutes a powerful argument against the tendency of Old Testament theologians to devalue the cosmic Zion symbolism in favour of the historical theology of the exodus, especially when assessing the contemporary import of Old Testament theology. Zion symbolism is anything but an ideological tool legitimating a self-sufficient and self-serving monarchy. Instead it serves as the basis for a radical critique of the projects and pretensions of Judah's royal court.

The Origin of Israelite Zion Theology
The Origin of Israelite Zion Theology

Author: Antti Laato

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2018-08-23

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 0567680037

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In this examination of Zion theology and how it arises in the book of Psalms Antti Laato's starting-point is that the Hebrew Bible is the product of the exilic and postexilic times, which nonetheless contains older traditions that have played a significant role in the development of the text. Laato seeks out these older mythical traditions related to Zion using a comparative methodology and looking at Biblical traditions alongside Ugaritic texts and other ancient Near Eastern material. As such Laato provides a historical background for Zion theology which he can apply more broadly to the Psalms. In addition, Laato argues that Zion-related theology in the Psalms is closely related to two events recounted in the Hebrew Bible. First, the architectural details of the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 6-7), which can be compared with older mythical Zion-related traditions. Second, the religious traditions related to the reigns of David and Solomon such as the Ark Narrative, which ends with David's transfer of the Ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam 6). From this Laato builds an argument for a possible setting in Jerusalem at the time of David and Solomon for the Zion theology that emerges in the Psalms.

Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament
Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament

Author: G. Johannes Botterweck

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 1974

Total Pages: 644

ISBN-13: 9780802823366

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Volume XII of the highly respected Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament expands the scope of this fundamental reference tool for biblical studies. Ranging from pāsah, pesah ("Passover") to qûm ("stand, rise"), these eighty-six articles include thorough etymological analysis of the Hebrew roots and their derivatives within the context of Semitic and cognate languages, diachronically considered, as well as Septuagint, New Testament, and extracanonical usages. Among the articles of primary theological importance included in Volume XII are these: par'ōh ("Pharoah"), pāsa, pesa; ("sin, offense, crime"), sebāôt ("Sabaoth"), sādaq, sedeq, sedāqâ ("[be] righteous, righteousness"), qds, aōdes ("holy"), and qāhāl ("congregation"). Each article is fully annotated and contains an extensive bibliography with cross-references to the entire series.

The Cultic Motif in the Book of Daniel
The Cultic Motif in the Book of Daniel

Author: Winfried Vogel

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9781433107030

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This unique study of the theology of the book of Daniel examines the cultic motif within the book as it relates to space and time. Numerous references and allusions to cult are investigated with linguistic, literary, and contextual analyses. The findings are then related to the main theological themes of the book such as judgment, eschatology, kingdom, and worship. It is evident that the idea of cult plays a dominant role in Daniel, and that it demonstrates the intention of the author to present the issue of conflict of two opposing systems of cult and worship. For all who are interested in an exegesis of Daniel that pays dutiful attention to the theology of Daniel, The Cultic Motif in the Book of Daniel is a must-read.

The Zion Traditions and the Aims of Jesus
The Zion Traditions and the Aims of Jesus

Author: Kim Huat Tan

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1997-01-09

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 9780521580069

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This book provides an exciting reinterpretation of the sayings and actions of Jesus. Setting him firmly in the context of first-century Judaism, it asks how important the city of Jerusalem and the theological traditions centred on it were to Jesus. At this time, Zion had become 'the symbol of the life, beliefs and hopes of all Jews'. Those Jews who expected the coming of a messianic Davidic king assumed that it would be from Zion that he would reign. Dr Tan examines how Jesus viewed the significance of Jerusalem in relation to his own vocation, and asks why he went there in what proved to be the last weeks of his life. Skillfully integrating what Jesus is recorded to have said with what he is recorded to have done, the author argues that, as a prophet, Jesus was attracted inevitably to the city of Zion. His message concerned the establishment of God's sovereignty on earth, and this in itself impelled him to go to the city to bring it under the divine rule. Jesus' actions in Jerusalem can also be interpreted as part of a common theme of the restoration of God's people for the fulfillment of their promised destiny. An understanding of the importance to Jesus of the Zion traditions, therefore, not only helps us to understand the unifying aim behind his ministry, but can also provide us with the key to the riddle of who Jesus thought he was.

Zion, City of Our God
Zion, City of Our God

Author: Richard S. Hess

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9780802844262

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For three thousand years Jerusalem has held a special place in the hearts of Jews and Christians. More than any other site in the Bible, Jerusalem signifies God's judgment and hope. It is the focus of much of the Old Testament, and acquaintance with this background is essential for understanding the importance of the city in Jesus' time, in our own age, and in the prophecies of the world to come.

Like Mount Zion
Like Mount Zion

Author: Wen-Pin Leow

Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht

Published: 2024-03-11

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 3647500062

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Critical spatial approaches — particularly those informed by the scholarship of Lefebvre, Foucault, and Soja — have significantly impacted biblical scholarship over the last twenty years. However, these spatial approaches have been limited due to the methodological challenges inherent in transposing the social-scientific approaches of the aforementioned scholars to the task of biblical interpretation. This volume adapts conceptual metaphor theory as a methodological bridge to address such constraints. The first half of the volume begins by surveying the field of critical spatiality in biblical studies, arguing for the need for fresh methodological development. Thereafter, the volume delineates a particular critical spatial approach, inspired by Lefebvre and Foucault, for which conceptual metaphor theory is proposed as a methodological bridge. The second half of the volume begins by proposing the Psalms of Ascents as a case study upon which the method could be applied. It is then argued that the proposed method – if efficacious – should provide insight on corpus' "Zion theology" and its so-called pilgrimage character. Using the proposed method in conjunction with conventional historical-grammatical tools of poetic analysis, each psalm is analysed with regard to its metaphor and spatiality. The volume concludes that the case study demonstrates the efficacy of the proposed methods by allowing a rich reading of each psalm, especially by explicating the spatial narratives and/or spatial metaphorical conceptualisations that underlie each text, and providing fresh insight on the collection as a whole.