Month: June 2024

Theological Themes in Joshua

Published / by kathleen

The book of Joshua almost opens and almost closes with theological statements by a marginal Canaanite woman and a powerful Israelite man, in 2:9–13 and 24:2–24. Rahab and Joshua begin by speaking of God’s acts, but go on also to speak of his being, and together their statements suggest a framework for articulating theological themes in the book:

·        Yahweh brought the Israelites from Egypt

·        Yahweh gave Israel the land of Canaan

·        Yahweh is God in heaven and on earth, a holy God and a passionate God

·        Canaanites can come to acknowledge him; Israelites must commit themselves to him

The paper posted under “Prophets” looks at those themes in Joshua

How Far is Proverbs a Bumper-sticker Theology? See the paper posted under Writings

Published / by kathleen

It’s sometimes said that Proverbs has a bumper-sticker theology, which may be an insult or a compliment. It may suggest brief, pithy insights, or brief, pithy oversimplifications. Either way, bumper-sticker statements can be clever, confrontational, and humorous, though also serious. They are based on human insight or human experience, and they are thus contextual, culturally-rooted, and possibly puzzling to someone from another culture. Clever, confrontational, humorous, and those other descriptions do also apply to Proverbs. How do its aphorisms compare with bumper stickers? In this paper, I focus on the great central section of the book, Proverbs 10:1–22:16, where aphorisms are most consistently concentrated. I first consider a number of characteristics common to some bumper stickers and some aphorisms in Proverbs. Second, I consider how the aphorisms differ rhetorically from the bumper stickers. And third, I note two key distinctive theological features of the aphorisms.