Old Testament Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Themes== Throughout the Old Testament, God is consistently depicted as the one who created the world. Although the God of the Old Testament is not consistently presented as [[monotheism|the only god who exists]], he is always depicted as [[Monolatry|the only God whom Israel is to worship]], or the one "true God", that only [[Yahweh]] (or {{Smallcaps|[[Tetragrammaton|YHWH]]}}) is Almighty.{{Sfn | Barton | 2001 | p = 9 |ps=: "4. Covenant and Redemption. It is a central point in many OT texts that the creator God YHWH is also in some sense Israel's special god, who at some point in history entered into a relationship with his people that had something of the nature of a contract. Classically this contract or covenant was entered into at Sinai, and Moses was its mediator."}} The Old Testament stresses the special relationship between God and his [[chosen people]], Israel, but includes instructions for [[proselyte]]s as well. This relationship is expressed in the [[biblical covenant]] (contract){{Sfn | Coogan | 2008 | p = 106}}{{Sfn | Ferguson | 1996 | p = 2}}{{Sfn | Ska | 2009 | p = 213}}{{Sfn | Berman | 2006 | p = unpaginated |ps=: "At this juncture, however, God is entering into a "treaty" with the Israelites, and hence the formal need within the written contract for the grace of the sovereign to be documented.<sup>30</sup> 30. Mendenhall and Herion, "Covenant," p. 1183."}}{{Sfn | Levine | 2001 | p = 46}}{{Sfn | Hayes | 2006}} between the two, received by [[Moses]]. The law codes in books such as [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] and especially [[Deuteronomy]] are the terms of the contract: Israel swears faithfulness to God, and God swears to be Israel's special protector and supporter.{{Sfn | Barton | 2001 | p = 9 |ps=: "4. Covenant and Redemption. It is a central point in many OT texts that the creator God YHWH is also in some sense Israel's special god, who at some point in history entered into a relationship with his people that had something of the nature of a contract. Classically this contract or covenant was entered into at Sinai, and Moses was its mediator."}} However, ''The Jewish Study Bible'' denies that the word ''covenant'' ({{transliteration|he|brit}} in Hebrew) means "contract"; in the ancient Near East, a covenant would have been sworn before the gods, who would be its enforcers. As God is part of the agreement, and not merely witnessing it, ''The Jewish Study Bible'' instead interprets the term to refer to a pledge.{{Sfn | Berlin | Brettler | 2014 | p = PT194 |ps=: 6.17β22: Further introduction and a pledge. 18: This v. records the first mention of the covenant ("brit") in the Tanakh. In the ancient Near East, a covenant was an agreement that the parties swore before the gods, and expected the gods to enforce. In this case, God is Himself a party to the covenant, which is more like a pledge than an agreement or contract (this was sometimes the case in the ancient Near East as well). The covenant with Noah will receive longer treatment in 9.1β17.}} Further themes in the Old Testament include [[salvation]], [[Redemption (theology)|redemption]], [[divine judgment]], obedience and disobedience, [[faith]] and faithfulness, among others. Throughout there is a strong emphasis on [[ethics]] and [[ritual purity]], both of which God demands, although some of the prophets and wisdom writers seem to question this, arguing that God demands [[social justice]] above purity, and perhaps does not even care about purity at all. The Old Testament's moral code enjoins fairness, intervention on behalf of the vulnerable, and the duty of those in power to administer justice righteously. It forbids murder, bribery and corruption, deceitful trading, and many [[porneia|sexual misdemeanours]]. All morality is traced back to God, who is the source of all goodness.{{Sfn | Barton | 2001 | p = 10}} The [[problem of evil]] plays a large part in the Old Testament. The problem the Old Testament authors faced was that a good God must have had just reason for bringing disaster (meaning notably, but not only, the [[Babylonian exile]]) upon his people. The theme is played out, with many variations, in books as different as the histories of Kings and Chronicles, the prophets like [[Ezekiel]] and [[Jeremiah]], and in the wisdom books like Job and Ecclesiastes.{{Sfn | Barton | 2001 | p = 10}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page