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BAKER BOOK HOUSE Grand Rapids, Michigan

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@ 1971 by J. H. Kok Co. Reprinted 1975 by Baker Book with the permission of the copyright owner

Library of Congress Catalog Card Numbcr: 75-157077

ISBN: 0-8010-2845-0

Firs/ prinlitw, May 1975 Secotld pritlling, Jarwary 1979

Formerly published under the title, Tht disptrsion o_(the people o_{God.

Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotarions are from rhe Revised Srandard Vt"rsion of the Bible, copyright 194.6 and 1952 by the Division of Christian Education, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and used by permission. It should be noted that in this version the name Yahweh is alwa)S capitalized as "LORD" wherever it occurs in the original, in distinction from the Mme Elohim, which is written "Lord."

Printt:cl iu th e Uutctl Stutcll of i\uu:ricu

To Adrianna: my wife, my partner in life, miniJJry, and goal!.

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Index

Preliminary Survey

Chapw /: THE OLD TEST AMENT BACKGROUND

A. Genesis 1-ll B. The Universal Covenant: Genesis 12 C. The Election or Israel . . . .

14 14
22 30

D. The .Exodus: Birth of a N ation E. Israel in the Promised Land: A People Among the Nations F. Vision: The Age o f t he Prophets
1. The City of God .

36

2. The Message of the Prophets . 3. The Diaspora: A People in the Midst of the Nations 4. The Significance of the Diaspora

5. The Synagogue
6. The Scriptures

Chapur J/: jEWISH PROSELYTISM

A. The Synagogue Commu.o ity . . .

88
88

B. The Rabbioi.: Attitudes Toward Proselytes C. The Reception of Proselytes D. The Propaganda E. Matthew 23: 15 and the Jewish Apostol ate

96
102
110

120
128

Chapter 1/1: THE APOSTLE, JESUS CHRIST

A. Jesus' Baptism

129
VII

1. The Baptism of john

. . . . .

,.

129
133

Preliminary survey

2. Jesus' Reception of John's Baptism

3. Baptism by Jesus' Disciples

134

B. The Kingdom of God .

1.

136 136
1?>9

The Chronological reference

2. The Uni.versal Covenant

3. . .. And Mission .

142

C. Jesus' Relationship to the Gentiles

1. Only to the House of Israd? .

14 5 146 155
161

2. The Cleansing of the Temple

D. God's Universal Covenant Ratified .

1.

Jesus' Circumcision and Baptism

162 166 169

170 180

2. Acquit:JI by Resurrection

E. Christ's Enthronement .
1.

The Promulgation of the Universal Covenant . . . . . . . . .

2. Commissioning of the Disciple fellowship (Matthew 28: 1820)

3. The Baptism by Christ .

196

Chapw IV: THE COMMISSIONED CHURCH .

A. The New People of God .
1.

. . .

20 1
202

. . . . .

Israel and the Church . . . . . .

202

2. The Church and the Reconciled World

209
212

3. A Note on the Reformation Definitions of the Church .

B. The New Diaspora C. The New Crisis .

214 220

Abbreviations .

225

"One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." These words from earth's satellite, the moon, commemorate together with an indelible imprint of a man's cleated boot on the spongy lunar soil the drama of man's first small beginning toward freedom from his planet. A. plaque records the names of the men who successfully completed this mission and the place where man first set foot on the moon. It was a small beginning; its full consequence will never re-ally be measured. Centuries ago an unrecorded step was taken by some unknown "Follower of the W ay" across the national boundaries of Israel into the vast Gentile world. N o one recorded the step. No one knows what border was crossed. But there came a moment, a place in redemptive history in which God's universal covenant with mankind started its immeasurable march through the nations of the world. An unknown disciple on a distant and remote frontier made a beginning by challenging a fellow man to join him as a member of the disciple fellowship of Christ. Only God knows where this happened, by whom that step was taken, with what f ruit the witness was crowned. lts full consequence will not be measured until "the sovereignty of the world has passed ro our Lord and his Christ," when men purchased "for God of every tribe and language, people and nation" are made "a royal house, to serve our God as priests" and shall ,.reign upon the e-arth," when the ''vast strong, which no one could count, from every nation, of all tribes, peoples, and languages" will shout together, "Victory to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! . .. Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor, power and might, be to our God for ever and ever! Amen!" ( Rev. 11 :15; 5:10; 7:9-12 NEB) . Jhat day will live in eternity as a day among countless others in which through the power of the blood of Christ a man was set free from his bondage to death and made a new creature in Christ. Who brought the message of liberation ?"Who was liberated? W e do not know. We know only the Liberator. The campaign for world-wide proclamation of liberation was commanded by the Liberator, who himself is and remains the great missionary.1 He continues
1 Cf. Rom. 8:21 (N.E.B.) : "The unive.rse itself is to be freed from the shackles of morta lity and enter upon the glorious liberty of the children of God." Jesus spoke of his work as that of a Liberator- comp. !sa. 61:1 with Luke 4:18. See Johannes Verkuyl, De Booduhap der Bevrijdiug i11 Tijd (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1970), for a current application of the concept "liberation" to our day and time.

Bibliography
Index uf Scrip turc Rtfc r.:nccs General Refcn:nccs

226
24()

:?46

VIII

to work, as one ending of Mark's Gospel stares, "while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it" (Mark 16:19), and yet another ending of the same "After this Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from East to West, the sacred and imperishable He had said, "Lo, I am proclamation of eternal salvation" (Ma.r k 16:8 with you always, to the close of the age'' (Matt. 28:20). No student of missions can long escape the M'Cc:.sity of examjning the Old T estament antecedents to tl1e Christian mjssion. Christianity was born in Palestine from Jewish antecedents. The emerging Christian church, schooled in tl1e Old Testan1ent and mutured by the Gospel of the Kingdom of God declared by Jesus Christ, very soon (by the end of the first century) bccan1c a Gentile o1ovement. What occasioned this unparalleled success? How is it that Judaism, whose proselyting efforts in the centuries preceding and immediately following the time of Christ were by no me".tns feeble, failed , whereas t11e Christian mission continues wJabatecl? Is the success of the Christian mjssion explainable only in terms of comnussion ' Did it owc notlling to Jutlaism i What was the of reference for the disciples when Jt:-sus spoke this word of commrsswn - only tlle worJs of Jesus or also the Je-wish practiccs and propaganda with which they were familiar? in a vacuum. It received the lc:gacy of The: Christian mission did not the Jewish proselyting movement, an enterprise of considerable: extent. These Jewish antecedents conditioned the Christi:tn clmrch's prosecution of its task, content to _its Lord's commission and detecmjned some of the questions whrch troubled 1t. The first Jisdples were men of their day and cannot be separated from the: times and c:vents in which they li ved. That this is so is confirmed by Jesus' words in Matt. 23:1 3 -15 (NEB) "Alas for you, lawyers and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You shut the doors of tl1c Kingdom of Heaven in men 's faces; you do not enter yourselves, and when are entering you stop them. Alas for you, lawyers and Phari sees, hypocntes! You travel over se-a and land to make one comert and when you have won him you make him twice as fir for hell as you are ;ourselves." words show that there was a movement in the Judaism of Jesus' clay to gam converts, in spite of tensions which existed in the community regarding the questions of adnussion, rites to be the legal p osition of the proselyte, etc..3 The 'falmud . and rabbinic literature as a whole may be shown
2 The supponing evidence for the various endings of the Gospel of Mu.rk can be examined in the critical apparatus of Ernest Nestle, The Grt!ek New 25th ed. (Stiiltgart: Wurtcmbergische Bibelanstalr, 1963), sub lo fo. Whatever position one adopts regarding variant readings, together they constitute proof of the miod of the early church regard1ng the presence of Christ in the mission task, if not the inspired statement of the editor of the Gospel record. 3 The Talmud contains extensive references to the masters (Hillel aod Shammai) of two schools with Jesus and their in the and of proselytes. Wo ll ram George Draudc, RAbbinic AJJiJudeJ Tow11rd1 Prouly1izaJio11

to contain all shades of opinion from the statement that the dispersion of Israel was for the purpose of making converts to the saying of R. Chalbo that proselytes are to Israel as an eruption on the bocly. 6 These tensions continued in Judaism until long after the birth of tl1e Church; today a vigorous apologetic is still carried on in Jewish circles defending the position of roday's Jews not to carry on mission work. 6 This modem attitude is in stark contrast to the prosdyting movements in Judaism which gained rather than lost impetus after the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D. 7 Later sometJ1ing very curious took place in Judaism. "It gradually be.::a.mc: a kjnd of special glory even, and one of the ways it (Judaism) differed from Christianity, that it made and sought to make no converts. What was once a compelling necessity imposed by force from witllout now becan1e an excellence derived from within." 8 E. G. Homrighausen described the present dilemma of
(Providence, R. 1.: Drown University, 1934). henceforth to be cited as Aui1ude1, an dissertation, that opposition co prosdytization centered in the reachers oi the Haggadah. The teadlers of the Halakah put the proselytes on a level almost equal to thar of the native Jsraeliws and in effect opened the doors to the influx of proselytes. Providentially the apostle Paul was schooled by Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), who was a pupil and successor of Hi llel, who took a more lenient and embracing view of the proselyte. For a full treatmcJlt of and quotations from the traditions of the Rabbis regarding Hillel's views, see David Max Eichhorn, 10 Judairm: A HiJior) and Aualyris (New York: Ktav Publ. Co., 1966), p. 44ff., henceforth to bt cited a.s Cuuveniou 10 judJiun. I B.T., Pes. 87b. (All references from the Talmud are to the Epstein edition and the abbreviations foll ow the standard of that edition. The Jerusalem Talmud are from the Ehrman ed ition. Unless otherwi se noiec.l, the references are always to rhe Babylonian Talmud). See also William Gordon Braude, jewirh Prou/yriug in rbe FiTJJ l'iw C.:ururies ofrhe Common Era (Providence: Brown University, 1940), p. 137. henceforth to be cited as Jewish Proselyliug, for complete statements of the rabbis. 5 B.T .; Ycb. 47b, L09b; Kid. 70b. Dr. Israel Isidore Mauuck's article, "Why the Jews 6 The Iiter.oru re is Have No Missionaries," Papers for Jewish People, XXXI, (Jewish Religious Union) , 4453, is representative of this viewpoont. Commenting on Dr. Mattuck's article in the same issue of this journal , Frank S. B. Gavin, "Jewish Views on Jewish Missions," pp. 543, responds with a question from the Melichta on .Exodus 18:27, ed Horowitz, p. 200, "Of what benefit is a light except in a place of darkness?" He also deals wil.b the differences between the orthodox and libera l Jews in our day. These differences remind one of the differences between the schools of Hillel and Shammai and in part of the quesrions relating to the reception of Gentiles into the Christian Church as reflected in rhe book of Acts. See also Jakob Jocz, Chrirliam and Jews: Enrounrer and Miuion (London: S.P.C.K., 1966) , pp. 45-46, henceforth to be cited as Chrislians and Jews. 7 The nature of the propaganda shows 11 marked change after the initial success of the Chrisrian mission. Reffering to I Thessalonians 2:16 where Paul remarks that the "from spe-J king to the Gentiles,'' William G. Braude, &bbinic Jews hindered Auirutiu, p. 32. r"marks that this does not mean that the Jews sought to prevent all means to the Gentiles. In fact rhe first century Jews wanted proselytes (Matt. 23:15) . What the Jews wanted wns that the heathen should be dire<ted in their own and not in the heretical way of the Christians. 8 Frank Sranton Burns Gav.in, "Jewish Views on Jewish Missions" in p.,pers for Jewish People (Jewish Religious Union), XXXI, U.

the Jewish people in this way: '"they sense the universality of tJ1e Old Testament revelation, and yet tht:y cannot be missionary because it involves winning proselytes to tJ1eir racial and national heritage. Judaism cannot express its Messianic nature because it is not fulfilJed. T he religion of the Jews is universal, but tJll':y do not know how to implement that universality except in their own Judaism: It is Jesus Christ who breaks through into the intended universality of the Old Testament. 9 With reference to the days of the Second Commonwealth and the early Christian centuries, the literature testifies to the cyde of proselyters and converts and leaves no doubt where the rabbis stood. They approved of proselyting, invited it, idealized the converts of the past as well as those of their own days. All the evidence available today gives no proof, however, that they sent "missionaries" to par1er infidelium. As the rabbis labored over the Biblical text they injected wherever possible a ze-.J for convc:rsion. 0 This the interesting question of the intc:rrebtiomhips of the preChristian proselyting movements and the Christian mission. Von H:wuck judged tJ1at "the missionary character of early Christianity was only a repetition of the missionary spirit of the Judaism of the time which was a preparation for the Christian mission. " 11 This viewpoint is of the older studies of the subject. But Christianity is not repetition; I t is f u.lfillmenr. Pre-Christian proselyting is significant in its own right and its importance ge<:s far beyond preparation for the Christian fulfillment. The pre-01risti:1n movements were concerned with no lt"Ss a matter than the salvation or judgment of those who received the witnt-ss, Jew or non-Jew. A position the: opposite of von Harnack is expressed by Johannes Ulauw, who affirms t11at it has been est:tblished th:1l the missionary consciousness of the early Christian church is partly due to the intenestamentary centuries. He cautions ag:Unst looking upon the New Testament mbsion as a continu:ltion and strengtJ1ening of the Judaic mis.sion consciousness: "A study of the data of the New Testament will show that the missonary consciousnc:ss of the Christian church did not fall from the air but that, on the other hand, one should be very careful about continuing the line from Judaic missionary propJ.I,':lllda to the Christian
9 Horruighausen, E. G., "Eva.ngdism and the Jewish People," JRJ,f. XXXIX, no. 15} (July, 1950) , )18-329. 10 Th<: sourceS arc: to be found in the Talmud and Mishnah. An extended survey can be found in Bernard Jacob Bamberger, Proul)lism in Talmudic Period (New York: Ktav, 1968), p. Also George Moore. )11daism in FirJI Ctnturiu of the CIJris1ia11 Era (O.mbridgc: Harvard University Press, 1927), hc:ncdonh to be cited as judaiJm i11 the Firsr Cemurin I 1 Adolf von Harnack, The M iuion and E:<p.JnJion of Chrini.miJy in Fiw Thrl!e cditec.l by James Moffatt (New York: G. Putnam and Sons, 1908) (hencdonh to be cited as TbtJ .Missiou o11d Exporuio11); Jacob G:utenhouse, The Jnflumre of 1h' jewJ Upors Civilizatio11 (Grond Rapic.ls: Zondcrvan, 1943), p. 23. 12 Johannes Blauw, The Missio11ary Naturt of the Chuf(h (New York: McGr:twHill, 1962), p. 6;, hcncefonh to be cited as Tbe Miuionary Nalure.

At the same time it is not correct to think of Judaism and Christianity in terms of a k.ind of historical, str:Ught-line of succession. Fulfillment does not mean succession in place of something dse. In the case of the Christian church and the Jew baptized Gentiles are not the legal successors of God's d1osen people, Israel. Only together with Israel are they worshippers of one Father, citizens of God's Kingdom. members of God's household (Eph. 2:18-19). There is only one Christian Church: the church from Israel and from Gentiles.13 The words of Jesus, "When you go, make disciples of all nations ... bapnor unique in the sense that this had not been tizing .. . tead1ing .. : done in some way before, but mrher the ratlical, revolutionary, unique thing is that the man from N:uareth acted as though he were God Himself and issued commands, promulgated a covenant and made promises which were prerogatives of GoJ alone. The offense which he constituted to Judaism lay in the unique authority which he da.imeJ. His enemies correctly concluded that by his deeds and words he made himself equal with God. The claim that he was Lord became everywhere and to aU pcopk-s a rock of offense and a stumbling bJock.14 T he Christian mis.ion was tremendously success{ ul. T he reasons for this success are often sought in the general religious situation of the pagan world. Reference is commonly made to the "fuJncss of the times" (Gal. 4:4) and emphas is placed on such matters as the expectation of the Jewish and pagan worlds, the breakdown of national religions, the pax Romana, the development and spreaJ of the mystery religions, the spread of the ide-as of monotheism und universalism.16 Describing the condition of the Mediterranean world as facilitating the spreaJ of rdigious cults of every sort, Derwacter believes this also applied to Christianity: 13 .Mukus Banh, lua,./ and 1he Churrh (Richmond: John Knox 1969), p. 83. Rom. 911, it should be remembered, speaks of the Gentiles as having been "grafted in". 11 CL Rom. 8:33 and compare I Cor. 1:23 with Acts 5:31-H and Luke 5:21. A careful study of the trials of Christ demonstrates that the central issue of trials. the: one is.sue that would nor down. was that of the Lordship of Jesus. He made hi1115eU "c:qual with .. (John 5:18; .Mark 14:63, 64). He was charged before Pilate as making himself a King (Luke 2}:1), and his cross bore the superscription, "King of the Jews." I) John Peterson. MiSJionary MerhodJ of Etlrly judaism in rh.- Early Roman Empire (ChiCago: ChiC:tgo Divinity School. 1946), pp. 146155, hencefonh to be cited as 1 \liJsionary /lf ..Jhods, writes in detail of the attrnctive features of Juda.ism, summarizing the literature: on this subject under 5 heads: t) ethical monotheism, 2) righteousness and molrJbry. 3) humane laws. 4) an anrawvc cosmology. 5) eschatological hopes. See Kenneth Scott l.atourerre, A NiiJorJ of rht Expansion of ChrinianiiJ (7 voJs.; New York and London: Harper & Bros .. 1937). vol. 1: "The first Five Centuries," pp. 1-44, who discusses the background out of which Christianit)' came and the environment into which it was born. A. von Harnack, lliiuion a11d ExpaTJSion, p. 19ff., also gives his list of external conditions that favored the world-wide expansion of Christianity.

The age of the mystery religions is one of the astonish.ing periods in reljgious history, a period characterized by religious migration and experiment in the search for religious sa tis action such as has found no parallel to this day. appeared in this world, launcheJ, we might say, on the crest of wave and swept to a speedy recovery.1o

we are carried abroad by the Gospel rather than that we carry it. The Gospel@ ma kes us to be something we were not before. lt makes us move, go, dare, stand imperturbably.2t A special problem concerns the influence of HelJenism upon both the Jewish proselyting movements and the Christian missionary movement. Even if it be granted that Hellenism was not without its influence o n Palestinian Judaism (a concession which Louis Ginzberg is not ready to make), it may not be forgotten that the Jewish people had a genius for assimilating foreign matter by impressing upon it its own individuality. H ence it is the Judaism that might have had some share in the mental make-up of the Palestinian Judaism and not Hellenism, pure and simple. The Hellenism of the Diaspora Jew may have been of great importance for the development of Christiaruty in the second century, but it can be disregarded in the study of the rise of Christianity.2'.1 The motivation of mission must be found elsewhere and this will require us to look to the Old Testament and especially to the prophets. How succesfull were the prophets of in motivating the rank and file in ancient Israel to share their faith? It was no easier then than it is now to squeeze a grand ideal into a small soul. Eichhorn questions: Did the ordinary citizen of Tekoah or Jerusalem, the manon-thestreet in Anathoth or Bethel, the average dweller at Ramah, Gilead or Galilee swallow whole the propaganda, intended or incidental, of the books of Ruth and Jonah? Did they really believe that Moabites and Ninevites were deservedly as cherished by God as were Israelites? Did they entirely agree with Amos that the Hebrews were in God's sight merely the equal of the Ethiopian, the Phoenician, and the Syrian? With Isaiah that Egypt was also His people and Assyria the work of His hands? With the Psalmist that anyone with dean hands and a pure heart may ascend the hill of the Lord? How popular among the returning Jewish exjJes was Ezekiel's scheme of counting proselytes as natives and assigning them land of their own in Judea? Or the priestly injunction that the ger must be to you as the native, and you are to love him as yoUiseH? How enthusiasticaUy did they take up their divinely appointed task of being "a light to the Gentiles"? Or observe the orrunance that there be o ne and the same law for the native and the convert? That there was, on the part of the common man, some resistance even to the simplest of these requirements we may suspect from the curious fact that the elementary rule, "You must not injure or maltreat a ger" occurs no less than six times in the Law and frequently in the Prophets. The commandment, "There shall be one and the same Jaw foe homeborn and ger," also 21 Markus Barth, The Broken Wall (Chicago: The Judson Press, 1963), p. 176. His s1atemcnt is based on a suggestion that pezhaps the daring meiJlphor used in 6:15 to describe the Christian soldier (' 'shod with the Gospel of peace") means that Lhe Gospel carnes tht: evangelist. 22 Louis Ginzberg, "The Religion of the Jews at the Time of Jesus" in HUCA, I (1924), 307321, esp. p. 308ff.

lt is legitimate and necessary to describe and evaluate the nature p ( the world in which Ch6stianity arose. It is q uite anod1c:r thing to conclude that these conditions account for its success. The simple fac is that Christianity did not receive its impetus and spirit from either the pagan woriJ or Jewish expectation. Its compelling motive was the fulfillment of God's universal covenant and election in Jesus Christ which was "good news" for all men. The Christian mission is a work of G od. This does not mean, however, that man is free from responsibility in the task. Paul S. Minear illustrates the relationship of God and man in the work of mission in a reference to a custom in the diocese of Dornakal, where at baptism each person places his hand on his head and repeats the words, "Woe is me if 1 preach not the GospeJ."l? Jewish history and contemporary movements did indeed furnish Christianity with a record of success :lnd failure in a comparable movement. The Chiistian mission inherited great riches from its Jewish past. It cannot be denied that in its first few decades, which Filson calls "three c rucial decades," 1 8 Christianity escaped the pitfalls in which Judaism floundered. Christianity's success is to be ascribed to the work and presence of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the redeemed community.' 9 T he Christian churd1 did not supplant true Judaism; it was God's means for the fulfillment of H is goaJs for mankind. Georg Vicedom expressed this as follows:
There would be a rrussion even if we did not have a missionary command. for God always grants to his disciples through the working of the Holy Spirit a faith which is not passive, dumb, simply contc:roplative or selfish, but a faith which produces in the Chdstian a restless concern for the salvation of others, a "living and active thing", a faith which lifts the believer out of his own self-edification and makes him a builrung stone and a builder. Thus the apostles "could not bur speak" (Acts 4:20) Markus Barth puts the emphasis right where it belongs when he says that

16 Frederick Milton Derwacter, Preparing 1he liYay for Paul (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1930), pp. 15-16. 17 Norman Gooda ll, ed., Miuions Under lht! Crou (New York: Friendship Press, 1953), p. 65, quoting D. T. Niles. See also 1 Corinthians 9:t6. 18 Floyd Vivian Filson, Three Cruciul Decades (Richmond: John Knox Press, 1963). 19 Harry R. Boer, Penleron ami Miuionary Wi111e11 of Jhl' Church (Franeker: T. Wever, l955), develops the place of the Holy Spirit in the church in detail. 20 Georg F. Vicedom, The Mission of God, by Gilbert A. Theile (St. Lows: Concordia, 1965) , p. 83.

occurs six times. If these rules were generally observed in the: performance: rather than in the: breach, what need for all this emphatic reiteration? Tell tale also is the fact that. when the Torah commends the: ger to the people's compassion, he: is often placed in the sad company of those traditional objects of pity and exemplifications of defenselessness, the: poor, the widow. and the orphan. What the plight of an ordinary, poor proselyte's widow or orphan must have been is not pleasant to conjure: with.23 There were men of small souls then just as there are today. Then and now they find it hard to share their legacy with others. They simply did not under stand how much there was to share. The Jews did not understand that giving away one's faith is the only way to keep it. Yet something can be learned from these ancient Jews. Despite their deficiencies there were some, in fact, "a host of prophets, priests and psalmists who provided an abundance of spiritual telescopes through which men might look out upon wider vistas, higher virtues, holier
It is surprising that a religion which raised so stout a wall berwc:en itself and all other religions, and which in practice and prospects alike was bound up so closely with its nation, should have possessed a missionary impuJsc: of such vigor and attained so large a measure of succc:ss .... Judaism as a religion was blossoming out by some inward transformation and becoming a cross berween a national religion and a world religion.2s

me?t the special vocation of God's elect and covenant people in the midst of theJC It is the not the human, that stands in the foreground n the Old T estament . .And "the evangelization of the world is of words or of activity but of presence: of God in the midst of not a the presence of God among his people. "28 John Piet, agreeing with this statement, adds, "This is true, but the hidden activity must be revealed and the explained. the church does by declaring the Gospel, or by preach1ng. The mc:an10g of that Presence must be defined in relation to the human activity in order to avoid the extremes to which either a.ltemative leads. The purpose of Israel's election looms large once again in such a study. The " I am with you" of God's presence is one of the great keynotes of the Old and New Testaments. H . Berkhof stated his conviction in this way:
We called to join God's work. not so much by saying that there were or are msghty acts of God in this world, but first by being a sign of them so that our message is "not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the and power" (I Corinthians 2:4), in expectation of new acts in the:. years and of the: time of the mightiest completing acts of all, whsch the Father has fixed in his own authority.so conditions under which the chosen (elect) community of Israel for an understanding of the background of the nature of mw1o beginnings of Christianity demonstrate how socially con_ths begmnmg was, a fact not a.lways appreciated.lll The early Christian nuss10n b_t: regarded as a "spontaneous, ecstatic religion," as Shidey Case _mamtaJ.llS. Christian missionaries were forced to compete for a m occupsed temtory, but did so as fuJfillment and not as substitute.32 The problems with which the early Christian Church had to cope and which t was called to solve as well as the conditions under which it had to exist were ready -mad e_ by the communities in which it spread. It bas been estJmated that at the bme of Christ the Jews constituted one-tenth of the total . The l1ved

J?er.

From its Jewish antecedellts Christianity gained the shape and power of a community that is capable of a mission to the worl d. What is the purpose of God for the Gentiles? The Old Testament is basic to this. 20 There has been a shift in emphasis and understanding in recent years concerning God's purpose for the Gentiles. In the past the search for the motive and meaning of mission employed the Old Testament only by way of intro duction or else confined the answer to a listing of non -lsraelites who were incorporated into Israel or shared its faith. Others searched the Law and the prophets and discovered confirmation for their ideas of mission, not realizing to what extent they had allowed eisegesis to determine their answers. What was forgotten in all the emphasis on the dependence of the Old Testament on its environ23 24
2)

D . M. Eichhorn, Convusion so j11daiJm, p. 30.

Ibid., p. 32.

A. von Harnack, Mission and Expanrion , p. 9. Harnack, in commenting on the relationship of Old and New Teslamcms, wrote: "Th" Old TI.'Stament of itself alone could not h:1vc: convinced the Gt2eco-Roman world. But the converse question might perh:1ps be raised as to what rc:sults the: Gospel would have: had in that world without its union with the Old TestameJ\1. The Gnostic Schools and the llfarcionites are to some extent the answer. But they would never have arisen without the presupposition of a Christian cornmuni1y which recognized the Old Testament." Cf. Adolf von Harnack, The flirlory of Dogma, (7 vols., London: Williams and Norgate, 1894), I, p. 43. n. 1.
26

deals with thls subject in vol. I, pp. 4-6, 69ff. ' ' 28 J. Blauw, ltfiJJionary Na111rt, p. 42. Recall also the: promise of Matthew 2820 "I am with you ' 29_ Jobn H. Piet: Road Ahtad (Grand Rapids: &rdmans, 1970) , p. 47. Roben MaitJnAchard, A Ligh1 to lht Na110nr (Naperville: Allenson, 1962), p. 79. 30 Hc:ndncus Berkhof and Philip Potter, Key Wordr of the Gorpd (London: SCM Press, Ltd., 1964), pp. 47-55. 3 1 !hough the _of the author arc: conditioned by his evolutionary of of ChrssllanJty, the work of Shirley Jackson Case, The Social <?ngmr of (Chicago: Univc:rsity of Chicago Press, 1923), will be: of help 10 further c:xplorng this phenomenon. 32 Shirley Jackson Case, The E11ol111ion of Early ChriJiianity (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1960), p. 178ff.

27 ] . Blauw, The Miuionary Nallmt, p. 15. Gerhard von Rad , Old Tntamm/ Theology, translated by D . M. G. Stalker, (Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd Ltd. 1962)

p opulation of the Roman Empire, only two and one-half million of whom Lived wi thin the political boundaries of P alcstine.33 The rest of the Jews lived in the Diaspora, a term used to designate :lll Israelites who lived outside of Palestine. There is an element of national feeling in the term. 3 " Only in recent years has the vast extent of U1js diaspora in pre-Ouistian times been rt:ilized. No one in ancient times recorded either the extent and causes of the diaspora or the numbers involved. In more recent times, no one has gathered all the available materials on this important subject. The fact remruns, however, that when Christianity spread in the world of that day, its mjssionaries had to compete in what was essentially occupied territory. 311 It is important to ask what influence this diaspora had on Judaism and as preparation for the Christian mission. Bartenhouse concluded that " the Jews of the Diaspora formed the bridg e across which Christianity entered the Rom:uJ world. The open synagogue, already established there, offered the Christian apostles an inviting Joor of access to every Jewish community. There too Ule first Gentile converts declared their f:lith in Jt'Sus."36 The D iaspora, as we shall show, was of mucll wider extent than Ule Roman world, began very early in the national history of the people of Israel, had causes, and is of great significance for displaying the character of the J ewish people in their
33 D. M. Eichhorn, Conv<'nion Jo Judoum, pp. 3536. Solomon Gray2e l, A His1ory ofJbc Jewr (2nd ed., Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 5728-1968),
p. 138, estimates the distribution of the Jews around the Eastern Medi.ernnean in the first century A . D . a; follows: Cyrenaic.1 100,000 N. Egypt = 1,000,000 Judea and Palestine = 2,l00,000 Mt>sopotami.l = 1,000,000 A;ia Manor = 1,000,000 ItAly= 100,000 (Rome = lO,OOO) 40% o( the population o( Alexandria Por other summaries see: Samud Sandmd, Th Pirsl Century in JMdoiJm and ChriJnianily (New York: Oxford Univ.:rsity Press, 1969), p. 14, henceforth to be cited as Fin1 Ctmury; Erwin I.]. Rosenthall, Amtri((w Jewish Yearbook, 1949, p. 319H.; V. Avigdor Tcherikovcr, He/JeniJJic Civili:alion and Jdrvs, tr3nSlated by S. Appelbaun1 (Philadelphia: Jcwi>h Publication Socil!ty of America, 1959), pp. 202205, 504-505, n. 86, hcncefonh to be cited as 1/td/eniJJic Civilization; Enno Janssen, Judo in d<!r Exilszeil (Gottingen : Vaodenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1956), pp. 2539; Frederick Abbott Norwood, S1rangen o11d Exiles (2 vols .. New York : Abingdon Press, 1969) . I, p. t41U. 34 Judith 5:L9; JJ Mace. 1:27; john 7:35; James 1:1; I Peter 1:1. Giuseppe: Riccioui, The Hinory of lu...-1, tnnslated by Clement Della Ponta and Richard T. A . Murphy (2 vols., Milwaukee: Bruce Pub!. Co., 19l8), 2nd c:d., I, p. 169. }) S. J. Case, The Evolu1io11 of EJrly Cbriuianil), p. 33. Sec also F. W . Dcrwactcr, Pup..rin& 1h,. W.zy for PoJJI. pp. 1-1-19; Jan uunis Koole, De Jodm in de Verurooiing (I'ranekc:r: T. Wever, n.d .) also summarizes the causes and extent o( the dispersion. Almost all authors limit their summaroes to the Roman Empire and/or Babylonia. 36 Henry Marlin Banenhousc, Tbe Dible Unlocked (New Yo rk : London: The Century Company, 1928), p. 406. jose ph John Williams, HebrewiJms of W<!J/ Ajrif.t (New York: Biblo and Tanne, t%7) , p. 355.

relationship to non-Jews. Koole bclic.-ves that tl1e real strength of the Jewish people in the days of the Roman Empire did not lie in Ule lands of Judea and Galilee but in the synagogues, the Jewish diaspora.3 T Additionally, the Old T estament that when God chose and elected a dispersion, a gi ving up o( home and land. Abraham, man or a people, this e.g., lived in Ule promised land "as in a foreign land" (Heb. 11:810). The people of !scad were never pcrmjrted to ignore the fact that tlle Promised Land was given by God's redemptive act of deliverance from Egypt's bondage (Ex. 20:2). This diaspora of the people of God is an important consideration for the N ew Testament Churcll. T he churcll lives not only in assembly but also in dispersion . It has two forms of existence, as David Paton shows: "that of the c:cclesia, the assembly, and that of the dispersion, the diaspora." ss What this ml-ans for the true role of the laity will be demonstrated when the meaning of Jesus' words, "Wben you go, make disciples ... " (Matt. 28: 18-20) are considered. The mission of the Church of Jesus Christ must be considered in relation 10 the Kingdom whicll it proclaims. An illegitimate dualism is created when the church is conceived of as a local assembly and the Kingdom of God as diaspora. These considerations gave rise to the title of this study: 'The Dispersion of the Pt:ople of God." Blauw observes, " T here is no other church than lhe Church that I ) sent in to the world. And there is no other mission than that of the Church." aa On what basis is salvation proclatmed to the world? Does the Sinai covenant suffice for the proclamation that "every one who calls upon tlle name of the Lord will be saved" (Rom. 10:13), or that "whoever believes in him will have eternal life" (John 3:15,16)? What promise clid Peter have in mind when he saiJ in the Pentecost sermon, "The promise is unto you and to your children .uld to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him" (Acts 2:36)? Otto Micllel and Joachim Jeremias have done great service with their exegesis of Matt. 28:18-20 by pointing out the parallels o( this proclamation to en!!Jronization hymns in other parts of Scripture. 40 Unforrunately, they have not recognized the covenant structure contained in these verses. Having emphasized the proclamation, they did not give suHicient attention to the u11iJ1e.rsal, covenant perspectives of the purpose of God, as will be

in dt Vuslrooiing, p. 5. Charles C. West and David M. P3tOn, The lofisrionarJ Ch11rch in f.aJJ and Wn1 (London: SCM Press, ltd., 1959) , p. 109, henceforth to be cited as Tht Miwon11rJ Cburch. 39 J . Bbuw, The A!isrionarJ NaJur<!, p. 136. Sec also f erdinand Hahn, Misrion in T<'sl:tnJ<'III (Naperville: Alrc R. Allenson, 196)) , p. 169ff. 40 Ono Michel, Der Brief "'' di<! llebriier (Gouingrn: Vandcnbocck und Ruprecht, 1\166 ) - see undfr Heb. 1:5-1-l, p. 116ff. Joachim Jeremias, Jl!sus' Promiu to 1h11 N..sions: Studies in Bsblical Theolor,) , N o. 24 (London: SCM Press, Ltd ., 1967), pp. 38-39, hrnce(orth to be cited as Jer"s' Promiu; Ouo Michel, "Der Abschluss des Mauhiiusevangdiums", Evangelischt! MiJJionsz:tiJJrhrifJ, X ( 1950-51), pp. 1626, on Matt. 28: t920.
'>7
}8

]. L. Koole, De

10

lL

r ,

shown. When was a universal covenant with all flesh promulgated and made effective? This question must be carefully considered. Its answer will provide one of the links that forms the unity of O ld and New Testaments, Old and New Covenants, and the basis for the offer of free salvation for all. One final matter requires at this time and concerns the words an d exan1ple of Christ. Jesus during his life time forbade his disciples to p reach to non-Jews. Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 10:5 ff. ) is one of his puzzling instructions to the disciple group. If he came to make salvation possible for all, why did he plact: this restriction on their mission? On another occasion he said, ""I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" ( Matt. 15:24) ; that remark was made when a Canaanite woman appealed to him for help! The solutions that have been proposed to tills problem will be reviewed, especially since after rus resurrection Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:18-20). The answer will require a detailed look into the nature of the apostleship of Jesus and his disciples_4l But what of today? In wh at sense is it the duly of the disciples of Christ who recognize that God has come in the Person of his Son, Jesus of Nazareth, and that God has made his Son Lord of all things, who is always present as the Lord of life and action, to bring everything under rus control ? All education. all work, all aspects of life - political, social and economic and all aspe,ts of such life - intellectual, cultural, recreational and emotional - belong already to him. To make good his claim and to bring it home to all men everywhere and to every interest of each man is the task of mission . . . . . It rea lly is a dangerous Gospel:C! Just to study history can be an interesting pursuit. But it is not enough. History is a teacher in God"s school of wisdom. It is well worth our while to study history closely. Unless we do, the past ... will resolve itself in our memory into a meaningless mass, and we shall fail to learn the lesson which God means to teach us in this chapter of the history of his church a How must the present be assessed, and how ought the church to conceive of
41 A careful reading of ihe logia of Jesus in the Gospels nowhere gives us reason to believe that Jesus believed and taught a kind of exclusivism of salvation. To read into Jesus sayings that salvation was for Jews only is to practise eisegesis. Jesus words and deeds point to salvation for all men, sometimes even dramatica lly as in John 12:2026. See Johannes Blauw, Godm en !r1enun (Groningen: J. Niemeijer, 1950) , p. I09ff., for a treatment of various views on this subject. 42 Frank Stanton Bums Gavin, The Church and Foreign J.JiuionJ (Milwaukee: Morehouse Publishing Company, 1933), pp. 14, 19. 43 This quotation is taken from my lecture notes of ihe late Dr. Samuel Volbcda 1 formerly professor at CAlvin Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

itself today? The chief concern of the believing corrununity must be to "'make d isciples or what is the same thing, to preach the IGngdom of God." It has to develop a Uu:ology concerning itself that is commensurate with the purpose of its existence. This procedure will force God's people to look to God and to the world which he has created and tl1en to themselves as a people of God in the world, people who a.r e agents of his reconciling work. And if the challenge to mission brings the church closer to the writers of the New Testament than to the Reformers, or forces it to enlarge the vision of its thinJcjng, let it be so, because the challenge of mission was the context in which the New Testament church did its work .... The sons of God with the heritage of the Reformation are called to build in todays generation on the foundation laid for them in Christ J esus.

44

J. H.

Piet, The Road Ahead, p. 12.

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Chapter I

T he Old Testameut background

J. H. pavinck once observed that " at first sight tlle Old Testament appears to offer little basis for the idea of missions," adding that " that entire pagan world is portrayed more as a constant threat and tt:mptation to lsc.1el tha.n as an area in which God will reveal his salvation." 1 However, when the Old Testament is more thoroughly studied, it soon appears that the re is much concern for the future of the nations and that God's plan of salvation has the whole world in view. Any accoW1t of missions in the Old and New Testaments must take account of the fundamental principles foW1d in the revelation of God. The perspective of Holy Scripture is from the beginning universal, ccumc:nical missionary. 2 The first concern of the Bible is not with H ebrews but with humanity. The Bible d0c:s not begin with the birth of Abrahan1, father of this of the wo rlJ people, or with Moses, prophet of God, but with the
an d the advent of man. 3

A . Genesis 1-11

"The key to the understanding of the whole of Scripture is found in Geness 1-11," says Johannes Blauw. "It is a theology of history. Philosophical terminology and modes of thinking must be dispensed with in order not to lose sight of the true intentions of the narrative." 4 Beginning with the creation of the world and of man in the image and likeness of God, the Bible continually demonstrates the supreme importance of man to G od both before anJ after man fell into sin. The Biblical viewpoint, contrasted with the viewpoints of other rel igions, emphasizes that God created the world and mankind distinct from himself and yet dependent on him. The world and its tribes ace not an emanation of deity and therefore a part of God himself as taught in many of
1 Johann H. Bavinc:k, An lnlrodunion 10 th' Stienre of Miuions; translated by David H. Freeman ( Philmddphia: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing CompaJly, 1960). p. 11, henceforth to be ci1cd as Stimre of Miuions; cf. also the book by the sa.me au1hor: The Imparl of Cbrislianity on sbe NonChriuian World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1949), p. 125f., henceforth to be cited as Jmpao of Chriuianily. 2 C. C. West and D . M. Paton, The Missionary p. 96. 3 D. M. Eichhorn, Co11version10 judaism, p. 12. 4 Johannes Blauw, 1'he 1tlissio11ary Nasure, p. 18.

the ancient myths. 6 Most Gentile nations have their own ideas of the origin of the world, man, suffering, sin, death. Often they regard themselves as descended from divine aocc:stors. 6 Other peoples are excluded because they do not share the heritage of divine origin. N or does the Bible teach that the world has com: into existence alongside of God or in antagonism to him, existing as a dualrsm or force opposed to God. The B iblical position alone majntajns that the world is God's "very good" creation,1 created for his glory, and that man image and of God.ll Paul the apostle summed up thi.s teaching of Scnprure on the un1ty of the human race in this way: "He created every race of meo from one stock, to inhabit the whole earth's sUiface. He fixed the epochs of their history and the limits of their territory," and adds that God's purpose in all of this was that " they were to st.'t:k God" ( Acts 17:26,27 -NEB) . distinct from all else in God's creation and yet was a Because man was p.ut of 1r, man stood 111 the relationship of fellowship with God and under his Lordship. This privileged relationship, which determines man's duty, has not d1angc:d because man fell into sin.o This knowledge has come to man through revelation. The revelation man received established for him the "genuine correlation between the really otherworldly God and really this-worldly world." History in a sense different f rom that which most nations conceive it to be is now possible. There arises a history of which n? inkli.ng is_ found in classical myths : the: rc:vdation and history of covenant. 1 here 1s a .tuturc:: this is the distinctive d1aracteristic of Biblical history. The natural mytl1s of the classical worlds could only speak of perpetual recurrcnce.10 The revelation of Scripture is not to be thought of as being static. The Old Testament is a unity in growtll and devc:lopment. Each stage of the has its own uniqueness and must be considered in the light of tlle whole. Social history in the Old Testament is interpreted religiously, i.e., in temls of the activity of God;'l 1
J. H. of Missions, p. 12. J. Blauw, Miuionar., Nasure, p. 19. As :1n llustcauon we can choose the Japanese people whose indigenous religion their origin to the Sun Goddess. 7 Gen. 1:31; Ps. 104:24. 8 G. f . Vicedom, The Miuion of God, pp. develops this idea ful!t and expresses man's relationship to God as a "vis-a-vis" relationship. He finds in this rdationship the dis1inc1ive element in the nature of man which makes possible the divine communiC3lion :tnd universal covenant of salvation. 9 The probationary command (Gen. 2:16, 17) illustrates the sovereign lordship of God over man, as. does act of setting man in the Garden to "1ill and keep it" (Gen. 2:15) . God 10 a very 1mmedia1e and real way is continuing to exercise his sovereignry in spite of man's rebellion. 10 This section wa.s adapled from Ethelbert Stauffer, Chriu anJ she Canars, translaled by K. R. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1955). p. 25. Modern llustratons of re!.gons that teach cyclic lecurrcnce can be found in Buddhism and Hinduism. 11 This thought is developed more ful ly in Harold Henry Rowley, Tht Faith of A.speos of Old Tessameul Though/ (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1956), 6

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The concept of eatioa as taught in the Scripture is the basis for the proof Qod's s_!?vereig,g!y,...pver the whole world, including its peoples. David could si'iig, ""The eanh is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein; for he bas founded it upon the seas, and estab lished it upon the rivers" (Ps. 24:1,2). This is a constantly rCCUiring theme in the Psalms of Israel. People sing only of things that are closest to their thoughts and hearts. This formed the basis for the constant challenge Israel in its songs threw out to the nations of the world to recognize and honor Yahweh. "By the waters of Babylon ... our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" A nd of what did these home sick captives sing? Of Yahweh's sovereignty and of creation! God made the world and he made it good! T he tribes of earth are held accountable to God who at no time relinquishes his authority over them, who presides as their judge, and who uses them to his purposes. The apostle asks, "Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles also? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since God is one" (Rom. 3:29). One of the surprises in store for the pagan when he reads the book of Genesis is the discovery that all mankind traces its genealogy to one common ancestor, "Adam, the son of GoJ" (Luke 3:38). All peoples belong to one family. Genesis strips away the peculiar pride of ht-athenism - its self-deification - and reveals man as he is: wretched, fallen, guilty, but by grace and mercy redeemable. It is no wonder that Bavinck calls the Bible "a Book for the Mission Field" and stresses the importance of the Genesis accounts.:U Not only do all nations come from Yahweh; they arc used by him as his instrwnent and must bow to his judgment.13 While other religions in the ancient world taught that the gods had chosen their tribe and people exclusively, Israel continued to declare that while Yahweh whom it served bad chosen Israel for his people and set his name upon tl1em, this did not mean that Yahweh was a local dei ty, bound to a single place or nation or land. Pharoah of Egypt may not agree with Moses and Aaron that "the LORD, the God of Israel" bad the right to command him to let his people go that they might serve him and have a feast to him in the wilderness ("Who is the LORD, that I should heed his voice and let Israel go? 1 do know the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go" - Ex. 5:1,2), but ti1JS does not clunge the purpose of God which was far greater than merely a controversy with Pharoah about tile question of sovereignty over the people of Israel. The Lord said, "For this purpose 1 have let you live to show you my power, so that my name may be declared throughout the- earth" (Ex. 9:16).
p. 14; also in Paul Sevier Minear, And GreaJ Shall Be Your Reward (New Haven: Yale University Press, 194t), p. Iff. 12 ]. H. Bavinck, Th11 Imparl of ChristianiiJ, p. 123. 13 See Albrecht Alt, " Die Deutung der Wehgcschichte im Alten Testament," ( 1959), pp. 129137. The decalogue in forbidding idolatry stresses this same daun. On this see Walther Eichrodt, "Gottes Yolk und die Volker," EMM, 86 (1942), PP

That this was the result of the great wonders done for tile deliverance of Israel is testified to by Rahab who tells the spies, "We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sc:a ... for the LORD your God is he who is GoJ in heaven above and on earth beneath" (Josh. 2:1011) Their LORD could be served wherever men turned to him in trutll.l 4 Nor did the revelation of Yahweh at any time indicate thar he had chosen Israel and Jerusalem to the exclusion of all other cities, lands and nations. 16 Solomon was conscious of this, for in his dedicatory prayer he acknowledged that "heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee; how much less this house that 1 have built" (II Chron. 9:18) . H is prayer also included a significa nt paragraph for t_ he foreigner. who seeks God tllat he may be heard and accepted (11 Chron. 7:32-33). Jonah's words, "I am a Hebrew; and 1 fear the l.ORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land," struck terror in the hearts of superstitious and endangered sailors when he confessed that be was disobediently running away from Yahweh (Jonah 1:9,10) ; the sailors and later Nineveh turn to the Lord. Assurance is given Cyrus and the the people of in Js.Uah 45 in terms of Yahweh's creative work and continuing providential government of all things; no gods of the heathen can be compared to him ( l sa. 46) . Ezra, having separated the returned captives from all foreigners and led them in confession of sin, began his prayer with the thought of tile incomparable greatness of Israel's God in this way, "Thou art the Lord, thou ;done; thou hast made the heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, I he earth and ali that is on it, the seas and all that is in thc:m; and tllou preserves! them" (i'k!:h 2 :6). One can not possess such a revelation without happeni.ng in the working out of a man's or a people's destiny. Wtthout a fou.ndat10n sucll as th.is, no mission, Old or New Testament, would have any meaning. Signifiuntly, all.bough a large part of the Old Testament is concerned with

11 ]. L. Koole, De jode11 in de Verstrooii11g, p. 12. See also II Chron. 6:14 and especially Am I 0:34, "Truly I perceive that God shows no p3rtiality, but in every nation Jrtyone whc> fears him and docs what is right is acceptable to him." I) Sec II Chron. 7: 1122. God indeed accepts the u:mple and Jerusa lem as the place where he will meet with and dwell nmong his people, toward which they may pray, where they may sacrifice, but the tnjoymcnt and fulfillment of this promise depends on their faithful obedience in respon;c to his grace. lsrael was also warned that the hnuse, the city, the land and the people could be abandoned in strict accord with his JUStoce and righteousness and as a tC)timony to the nations ( vs. 20). What is important to S<e in this entire passage is tlw David may have planned and Solomon may have: buildcd, but the: designation and acceptance of Jerosalem is re)>l'atedly :L!Cribc:d in the na.rrativc: to Yahweh's sovereign choice. It is this choice by God which provided brad and the nations access to him. Man does not first come to God: God first comes to man (Gen . 3:11 ) . This docs not csc.tpe the attention of t he Queen of Sheba who recogni:ed that Solomon was king because God loved Israel (H Chron. 9:8). See also Jacques Ellul. The Meaning of the Cily, translated by Dennis Pardee (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), pp. 94112.

16

17

the redemptive work of God through Abraham and his seed, Israel, one cannot escape the cooclusion that Yahweh is not Israel's God exclusively. He is concerned with the fate of all mankind. It does not matter how distant they were, as far away as the isles of the sea or neighbors on Israel's borders, God set their bounds and he did so in relation to his people Israel (Deut. 32:8). Although this verse has t11e dear sense of a special care of God for the people of Israel, it is as much concerned to make dear that GoJ who has a heritage and portion in his people also maintains a claim to the inheritance he has for the nations. The rabbis recognized this, for in the T almu d it is said that the Torah was given in the wilderness, in a land, so that Israel could not claim it as its own and withhold it from others. Also, so that the other nations could not have an excuse for not accepting it, God gave it in the: wilderness so that everyone who desires may accept it.10 The significance and importance of this cannot be overstressed. God did indeed eJect from among the nations of the world the nation of Israel to belong to him. He allowed the other nations to remain under the bondage of tileir self-dlosen disobedience and under servitude to the demons to they sacrificed.17 But he also elected Isra<:l, called and set it in the midst of tile very nations who had disobeyed hirn. God's election of !scad may not be thought of eitiler as an arbi trary act in which God left al l the other nations to themselves in order to show preference to Israel or as an abandonment of these n ations without concern for them. Israel's election is God 's service to tht: nations, his love to the world. Through election other nations were included in the promise (Gen. 12:1 ff.). 0 . Weber observes, "The Bible does not begin with tile God who elects but with the God who is the Cre-ator and ore the God who can elect. " 18 G od called Israel.,into his service for the service of the nations. The book of Genesis is the biblical account of tile opening acts of the world drama in which Israel and the nations were involved in their days and we in ours. 10 Referring to the creation of man, D. T. Niles says : Man is the only creature God has made whose being is not io bUllseH and who by himself is nought. T he "dogness" of the dog is in the dog. but the

"manness" of man is not in the man. It is in his relation to God. MaJJ is motn because he reflects God, and only when he does so.20 Not only is Yahweh the God of all men; Jesus Christ is also the Savior for all men. The question of the missionary nature of tile churd1 whim Christ bas appointed to proclaim tile universal covenant of salvation wili not be solved as Johannes Blauw states, "until we have investigated the relation Israel and the nations of the earth. Genesis 1-11 is fundamental tothis under standing.' ':!1 . This question the foreground in the very first recorded communtcatJOn of God wtth Abram: " .. . In you al l the families of tile eartil will be blessed:"2:! T he prophets w:re given increasingly dearer understanding through revelatiOn of tl1e relaoonshtp of Israel and the nations.2s The repeated phrase rn the New T estament, "Jew and Gentile," reminds us that at the time of the beginning of the Christian mission the problem had stili not been solved. A large part of Paul's letter to the Ephesians deals witil the subject.u The of the development of the Christian mission as to.l'd by Luke in the Acts the need clarification of the relationship for the early churdl. !he mdtssoluble untry of aU men, Jew as well as Gentile, in Christ was put mto effect on!y after long and strenuous discussion, occasioning even differof optnJOn and practice between apostles. 25 In the New Testament the subJect of Israel and non.!srael, Jew and G entile, involves the question of the significance both of the Old Testament covenant and of the universal covenant in Christ."6 N o single fact so aroused the ecmity of the Jews as to be told tilat G od sent the apostk-s to bring salvation to the Gentiles.27 It is important for this discussion to remember that of nations makes 1\.9 men tion o r lsnel. Von :Rad says about this, " Israel is hid in the loins of Arpachshad." "'8 Israel is not the focal point of the nations. When Israel looked she could only conclude that she was but one of tile historical back into 20 Daniel Thambynjah Niles, St11dies in GenesiJ (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958), pp. 6061. 21 johann;;s Blauw, "The Mission of the People of God" in c. West and D. M. Paton, Tbe Att!JtOIIar) Cburc!J, p. 91. 22 Genesis 12: ' shall not enter at this time into the question of the reflexive form of the verb m tlus passage. This will receive attention at a later time in this dtssertatton (cf. ": 41, chap. I). R. Martin.Achard, A Ligb110 1he Natiom, p. 33ff. 23 .'s called to Isaiah 2 as representative of a large number of prophetic utterances of stmt!.r character. . 24 F?r an analysis of the question of the unity of the church and Israel as taught tn EpheSians, seeM. Barth, Tbe Broken !Pall, pp. 123-136. Also Arthur Gabriel Hebert Tbe Throne .of David (London: Fabe,r and Faber, 1940) , pp. 234ff. ' 25 Consder lhe controversy of Peter and Paul as told in Galatians 2: 1116. 26 F. Hahn, Mhsion in Jbe N ew TeslamenJ, p. 17. 27 Am 6 & 7; 11 :1-3; 21:1922; 22:2122; 26:19-21; 28:28. 28 G. von Rad , Old TeslamenJ p. 162. See also Gen. 10:22. Johilnoes Ycrkuyl, Bred de M11ren A/! (Baarn: Bosch & Keuning, 1969), pp. 16-22.

II

16 Mekiltab Babodcsh I in the j .T., (62a and 72a). See also Jacob Z. Lauterbach, "The Pharisees and Their Teachings", HUCA, VI, 69139, especially p. 134. 17 Compare Deut. 32:17 and I Cor. 10:20. See also F. Hahn; Aliuion in New T nJamenJ, p. 18, especially n. 2. 18 Otto Weber, Bibelkunde dn Allen TesJamenJs (Ti.ibingen: Furche Verlag, 1$)47), p. 42. This is also referred to in G. F. Vicedom, Tbe Mission of God, p. 48. Vicedorn summarizes the posicion of johannes Blauw with respect to ihc relationship of God's people to the world and Israel's attitude toward U1e heathen; see pp. 47ff. 19 D. M. Eichhorn, Jo J11daism, p. 13. See also Otarles Fnnklin Kraft, GeneJis (New York: Women's Division of Christian Service, Board of Missions, The Methodist Church, 1964), p. 4.

18

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nations. Js,rael was the first people to thi nk of itself as nation. All others (Egypt and Babylon, e.g.) thought of themselvt:S as the

no nation enjoys preference over another, that ancient Israel most widely diverged from the ancient Meso potamian ideas of the universe. The cosmic order in which OlJ lhbylon1.1 stood w:1s that of the state in which the whole universe was bu1lt up of ;nd beneficially governed by the gods. Its state was a as the whole state was itself a universal order, ao ong1nal cvsmJC d.Hum.
It is in this idea of the nations, in which

T his was not he case with Israel. fsrael was one of many, .tnd rhe uuin:rsal sovereignty of God extended to all. The importance of God's creative act for aU men finds startling. m the early Christian Church. A brief survey of the prayers of the d.scplc: group in the first months and years after Pentecost reveals how f rt-quently the church appealed to God as Creator. When Peter and John report whlt h.tppt.:neJ tO them when they were arraigned by the Sanhedrin, the Jwrch prayc:d, "Soverc:gn Lord, who didst make heaven and the earth and the se-.1 and in them ... " (Acts 4:24). W hen the apostles- and others addressed audiences comprised of Jewish people predominantly, they frequentJy started with a referenct: to AbrahJJU or to some other person or event in Jewish history, 31 but wheu they p redominantly non-)<;-wish groups, they beg.10 tht:ir wi th reference to creation and for the unity of the human race.:s-J Fellowships composed of believers from among both Jews and Gentiles wer.: gcnc:rally r<.:minJcd of the fact t11at there was no longer a distinction an1ong thos<: who were in Christ.33 The Bible has no plural form for the na.n1e lsr.1d, bt.-c.1usc: there cannot be two pcoplt:s of GoJ. The whole human race: belongs to GoJ, who mc;.1ning onJy if it has never surrendered his claim to man.a 4 His sa.lvarion is inclusive of mankind. 36 What is so tragic about the world is tlut m.1n .Jways
Gerard us van der Leeuw, Religion in EJJ.II(f i\lwnlf<J/J)I<)II ( umJ ... Allln Unwin, Ltd., 1938), p. 270. 30 G. von Rad, Old TuJ/anmJI Theology, p. 162. 31 Acts 2:16; 2:29 3:13; 5:30; 7:2; 13:17; 22:14; 24:14; 26:6; 28:17.23. 32 Acts 10:34; 14:15; 17:24. See also F. Ha.hn. !>liuion m lid ,,,,. T<JUiflc' ll/, p. n. 1, whO haS a very fine bibliography for thUSe Wh<l W<.JUI<J [Ike It> pur>UC rn1s further. 33 Acts 10:34; 11 :12; 13:26; 13:46; 15 :9; 20:21. who the dJims 34 This must be affirmed, it seems to me, in opposition w of the Evil One too seriously and forget the whole emphasis of Scnptute. rchdlion accomplished nothing effective in terms of limiting God's sovcrc:i,;nty. hen 1n the temptations when Jesus is offered the kingdoms of the wor.ld. h1s reply sh.)"' > ttut he does nor acknowledge s,uan's claim ro them. He makes h1s o"'n coullla<i lm "' the way of obedience to the one true God and his will. 35 It should be remembered that in this dissertation the word> " ior ll tncn." "all maokind " "universal," "inclusive," etc. when used with rcspc:<t tO 1H Cluist do not ,;ean that all men will be saved, but that mankind a.'i a race 1S offered >ollvAll.,n.

29

&

seeks a unity of his own (e.g., at l3abel), a unity tn disobedience. G.o.d.. promises man unity in the universal covenant through Abraham (Genesis l 2). At no point is humanity more broken than at the point of its separation from God's pcople. 36 A true understanding of the world as created by God gives us a world-wide perspective. A Christian can never view the world except in the context of God as the God of all men, the w hole world as subject to him and history as the sphere of his redemptive activity. While it is true that the nonbeliever is not without some kind of world perspective, it impossible to discover the proper his torical relationship of world events apart f rom faith in and reference to the GoJ to whom heaven and earth belong. In the Bible God tells men of himself, not a God in abstraction from his creation but one who l oves the world, who wills, plans and works in his world, who will be known by men when they believe in him, will be experienced when they love and serve him and are taken by g ran: into his universal covenant. Man's new deeds of violence and disobedience ar<: a.lw;lys met in history with more g race, more goodness. Even at God (whom Blauw in this context describes as the "shattering and scatt.:ring GO<i'') disrupts in order to restrain man's sin ( Gen. 11:68).31 .Babel becomes the place of non-communication, the place where man is prevented from effective communication with other men, where his rejection of God's will results in his dispersion and confusion, and an end to his building. Babel becomes a symbol of man's inability to finish anything, to make anything last so long he doe-s not take into account his relationship to his creator. Men had to lea rn th:tt it is only when God says " Come" and gathers lhem in His gracious will for th eir saJvation that mankind can really be gathered again from its c.lispNsion and wandering into a lasting city th at has foundations, eternal, in th"' heavens. And this experience of God's grace c.loes not depend on wh(.-ther ht: is 3 Jew or a non-Jew. 38 Nor does this allow men to think or talk of God and the world without becomjng personaJly involved as though he may legitimately by the use o[ abstract and general terms discuss man's relationship to God. Markus Barth demonstrated from the book of Ephesians that what knowledge God has given us of men makes us recognize God's mercy for men, and our solidarity with even the most renegade and obstinate sinners forbids us from presuming to be God's appointed state's attorney
36 J. j oa, ChriiiianJ and Jew;: EntOIIII/f!f D. M. Paton, Tbe JrliuionarJ Cburth, p. 92.

/l (

..__

and Million,

pp. 44-45; C. C. West and

37 Johannes Blauw, "Th" Mission of the People of God" in C. C. West and D. M. Paton, TIJt! JlliJJi<>nary Church, p. 92. 38 For a full treatment of the character of man's rebellion and failures at Babel see Jacques Ellul, TJJe o/1he CiiJ', chapter I: "The Builders," pp. 1-43. ]. Verkuyl, Br<'ek de! /llurm A/!, p. 22, speaks appropriately of mankind's "solidariteit in schuld" ("solidarity in guilt").

20

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against them .... \VIe will be faithful to God and act accord ing to ou r 3 salvation when we plead before God as if we were tbeir attorneys. " Conclusion: T he teachi ng of Genesis that God is the crt'ator of the world an d of man in his image is foundationa l to missions. Because GoJ has made from one every nation of men to live on all the: face of the earth" (Acts 1 . no individual or race may consider itself above others. Rather, the c.:lect1 0n by the C reator is for spt'Cial service to all mankind. Man has been by God , IS dependent on him, is answerable to him, in rebellion ag:unst h1m . but at the same time is the object of God's redemptive, seeki ng lo ve. H 1story tn tbe B1ble is the record of God 's redemptive activity for the sake of hu manity.

B. The Universal Covmant: Genesis 12

A new period o( salvation history begins with t\braha.m 1"? .ff. l . d ose Lhosen relationship Is establishc:J betwc:-en the nalions and the: .!or:t:\thcr ol People (Gen. 12:3).o A t the very outset ltes o n the of G od's redemptive purpose for all mankmd 10 the Abram. In you al l the famiJies of the <:arth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:"3) . This declaration is repeated in somewhat different forms in other Paul in Gal. 3:8 calls this promise the G ospel: "And the Scri pture ioresceing that God would justify the Gentiles by fai th , preached tht: Gospd bdorchand to Abraham, saying, In you shall all the narions be blc:ssed." He . follows the translation of the LXX here which renders the H ebrew as a passtve not as a reflexive. No matter which translation is accepted for Gen. 12:3, it is undeniable that A bral1am has an important role in God 's redempti\e plan for all mankind. If the reflexive form is accepted, (as found in the text of the RSV), then the meaning is that Abraham's world-wide reputation resu.lrs from Yahweh's blessing of Abraham and bis descendants. AbrahWl and Ius seed only respon(J

in obedience to the divine initiative. If one takes the passive form (as found in the footnote of the RSV), the divine initiative is still in the foreground since God's activity in Abraham's election is for the good of all the nations of the earth. "Abraham is d10sen, not just for his own glory, the good fortune of his descendants, or the misery of his enemies; rather, with h.im Yahweh begins a new chapter in the history of man. Abraham is the instrument for the redemption of the T he curse upo n mankind at Babel becomes the blessing th rough Abraham. T he God who dispersed mankind by the conf usion of language now commits himself to gather them again into an elect community tJuough the Gospel of the promise. This gathering of and the salvation of the Gentiles is represented in the New Testament not as the covenant to the fathers but the case of the Creator (Acts 14:15-17; 17:22-31).43 It was necessary to remind the Jews that Abraham was God's means to an end : the salvation for all mankind. Gentiles had to see in Christ the claim of the Creator. Gelin finds in the promise of Gen. 12 a d ivine purpose: "The promise 'in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed' lies behind the whole Bible and makes it the book of hope.""" When in the later unfol ding through the prophets of God's great vision for mankind this blessing for all nations was revealed in the form of a G olden Age, it was tacitly recognized (see especially Deutero-lsaiah) that there could be no Golden A ge fol'"1srael unless the world, shared .in it...O From Abraham onward history would unfold under the sign of the blessing offered all men through Abraham. W hat is said about Abraham is later transferred to his seed (Gen. 22:18) . This was the oath to the Fathers for which Yahweh set his love on Israel (Deut. 7:7, 8). 40 But why Abraham ? Jewis h writers also asked this question. The question arose m ost naturally in later years, especially in the proselyting Judaism of the Dispersion. Would -be proselytes enquired why God selected Abraham to be the

39 M. Barth, Brok<'ll Wall, p. 261ff. Although Barth discusses this in relationship to the question of un iversalism of salvation, his argumcm serves a challenge to the church today with cc:spe('[ to the spirit in which we carry forward OUJ wu ncss and the manner in which we pray for the world. 40 R. MarrinAchard, A Light to the N.ttions, p. 35, that .Gen. I: = Iff. ot the "marks a turning point - a beginning as wd l as an end: wuh 11 the primordial period (Urscscbichtc) - Gen. 111 - comes to a clusc, and wath II the age of the promise (Gen. 12H.) begins." . 41 See the following: Gen. 18:17. 18: 22: 18; 26:4; 28: 14. In 1hrce ot .these the Hebrew uses the rli[l bill (Gen. 12, 18, 28) while in two placcs the hnhp.ul s used (Gen. 22 and 26) . VariJtiuns in these texts are also of interest, al1hough none changeS the basic meaning of the first revelation. Gt'n. 18 speaks of "all.. the nJti,lm." ... states that the nations shall bless themselves "br your H docs Gen . 6. By you and )' OUr descendants" and "all the fami lies oi the eanh" are the phrJ>cS used in Gen. 28.

R._MulinAchud, A Ligh1 t o th1 Nations, p. 35. 43 F. Hahn, Miuio11 in New 1"ellament, p. 135. 44 Albert Celio, The Key Collcefi/I of the Old Testame11t, translated by George Lamb from the French Les Idees Maitreues d!! /'Anrient Testaml!nt (New York: Sheed and Ward, 1955), p. 36. H. H. Rowley, The Faith ofluacl, p. 180. 46 It .is important to observe in this text (Deut. 7:78) that Israel, a holy (i.e., separated) nation, was freed from bondage in order to provide the means whereby God might fulfill the oath to the fathers. Blessing and curse are likewise emphasized in the context, but in this case it becomes dear that the enemies do not merely hate Israel but the Lord who chose Israel ( vs. tO). Gerhard von Rad, Das erste 811rh Mose, (4th ed., GOttingen, 1956), p. 133ff., holds that the promise in Gen. 12:3 is more than just a promise to Abmham and his descendants. He stresses the relation of this text to !he previous chapters (Genesis l 11) and concludes that Gen. 12 represent.s a program of anion in which Yahweh reveals his plan for mankind. Gen. 12 is the: connecting link between the primordial perioJ and the history of Israel. See also R. MartinAchard, A lighr to the Narions, p. 36, who says that "Genesis 12 has universalistic implications.''
42

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father of the chosen people while the born Jew simply took this for granted.7 Joshua had suggested the answer a long time before (Josh. 24:2, 3 ), en.lpha sicingtlie sovereignty of the divine initiative and recalling the idolatry of the fathers beyond the Euphrates before God called Abraham. The rabbis did not fail in later centuries to call Abrahanl the first_proselyte.48 Eichhorn states that today twice a year in the synagogue the Jews recite D eut. 26:5 to recall that Abraham was not born an Israelite, adding that "from the inception of this folk and faith, the religion of Israel was born with and born by converts." 49 Julius Lewy has supplied some erudite evidence showing that etymologically the word "hebrew .. is not a proper noun designating a spc:cific people, but that it was a widely used general Semitic term signifying a residc:nt alic:n, Jn immigrant, refugees, uproo ted peoples, displaced persons.60 The choice of this term in Gen. 14:13 as a designation Abraham emphasizes th e sovereign election by God of whomsoever he wiUs. It is also a remarkable demonstration of bow one who was dispersed by the command of God ('"Go from your country and your kindred and your fathers house to the land that I wiJJ show you - Gen. 1 2:1) becan1e the gracious instrument by which those who had been dispersed by judgment ("So the LORD scattered tht.-m abroad from there over all the face of the earth"' - Gen. 11 :8) will again be brough t ba.ck to the only source of life, -and into unity with each other. And this un lty wiJJ be expressed in a common life. God performs this act of grace by means of covenant. "Every divinehun1an covenant in Scripture," says "involves a sanctionsealc:u commi tment to C{laintain a parti!;lJ.lar relationship oc follow a stipulated course of action. ln general, then, a covenant may be defined as a relationship undc:c sanctions." 51 Philip Potter defines covenant with reference to the purpose, "Covenants in the Near East were a means by which relationships were entered into by unrelated persons or peoples on a basis of community of interests :1nd purpose in order to maintain these interests and fufuJJ the purpose." 62 He points out, however, that the covenants in Scripture differ in significant ways from the eastern covenants even though they follow the panern of the semitic covenants: ( 1) Covenants were never made between gods and people 47 Wilfred l.:twrence Knox, "Abraham and the Quest for God,.. in

among nonlsraelite nations; (2) in the Old Testament God is always the subject of the covenant and he lays down the conditions; 53 (3) God's actions are based on his sovereign will; and ( 4) Gods benefits are for aJLand not a select few. These: considerations make it possible to see how the covenant of God in its various administrations works to the salvation of God's people. The suzerains of U1e semitic covt:nants were: not able to guarantee the fulfillment of the promises, the implementation of the covenant conditions, or to preserve the loyalty of their subjects. But Yallwc:h is the God who is the sovereign Lord of creation and therefore: of election and grace, who is indeed not only able but desirous of guaranteeing the erern:tl blessing of t11e covenant to his people. Therefore, Kline writes, cod's covenant with man may be defined as an administration of Gods lordship _} consecrating a people to himself under th e sanctions of divine law, and adds, "The overall unity of the covenants will be provided by the concept of the kingdom of God of which they ace so many manifestations." 64 Exan1ining the meaning of the words "bless and "curse, .. Philip Potter brings aJJ these ideas together in this translation of Gen. 12:1-2 I will make you a powerful and extensive comm unity. l wiJJ be with you and support and strengthen you. so that you can support and strengthen others. l wiJJ strengthen those who acknow ledge and accept strength, and be who refuses to have feJJowship with you, who turns away from you, who treats you with contempt, J wiJJ abandon him and let him perish. Through you aJJ the families of the earth wiU find their true being and strength. In a word through you will I fulfiJJ the purpose of man's creatioo.66
53 Quoting Eichrodt, M. G. Kline, By Oath Contigned, p. 14: .. The idea that in anc ient lsrad the brith was always and only thought of as Yahwehs pledging of himself. tu which human effort was required (is) proved erroneous: }I M.G. Kline. By Oath Co11Iig11ed, pp. 36-37. Kline feels that the terms ..Covenant of Works .. and ..Covenant of Gran:.. are both deficient and prefers as a unifying term .. rhc Covenant of the Kingdom,.. the two major divisions of which would be ..Covenant of Creation' and ..Covenant of Redemption, .. both of which unfold the concept of Gods lordship. This absolute: sovereignty of God prevents the covenants from degenerating into a quid pro quo conlroct (referring to W. Eichrodt, 1heology of the Old Tmanw/1, J, p. 44 ). 55 H. Dc:rkhof and P. Potter, Key Jrlords of tbe Gospel, pp. 2528. On the natUie of semitic covenants see Meredith Kline, Treaty of the Great King (Grand Rapids: Eerd mans, 1963) . pp. 2746; M. G. Kline, By Oath Con1igned. pp. 1318; Walter Bruegge mann, Tr:tditJOII for Crisis (Richmond: John Press, 1968), pp. 196. Each of these volumes

Theological Review, XXVIII (January 1935), pp. 5560. 48 Cf. BT, AZ, 4445; Suk. 232; Hag. 8. 49 D. M. Eichhorn, Conversion to judaism, p . 14. BT, AZ, 44.45.

50 Julius Lewy, ..Origin and Significance of the Biblical tc:rru Hebrew in HUCA. XXIV (1957), pp. 1-13. 51 Meredith G. Kline, By Oath Cotuigned: A Reintdrprnation of tbe Signs of Circumrision and BaptiJm (Grlnd Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans. t96il). p. l(), henceforth to be cited as By 0,1tb Consigned. 52 H. Berkhof and P. Potier, Key Words of the Gosp<'J, p. 25. Sc:e aho M. G. Kline:. By Oath Consigned, p. 14. Walther Eichrodt, Tb.-ology of the Old Testament phia, I96t), I. Eichrodt assigns the central and unifying place to the covenant in the religious development of the Old Testament.

is amply documented by references to the latest scholarship in German and English with respect to covenant structures, Martin Buber, Kingship of God, translated by Richard Scheimann from the German. Dus KouigtunJJ Go/lei, (New York and Evanston: Harper and Row, 1967), p. 125, points out that srith is not limited to an agreement which c:s-tablishc:s n ..community of in terest"" bctwc:c:n two panics until then strangers to each other. lt may also alter an existing relationship, compress, clarify, occasionally just sanction it, grant it sacred pr<>tection. one thnt has been broken, or consecrate anew one that has been called into question.
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The ultimate destiny and blessing of the nations takes place in the that happen to Abraham and his seed.. his. family mnJ at the crossroads of hjstory. 66 Grayzel states thts eftccttvely tn thts w.1y: The hjstory of tbe jews is not an isolated adventure. n(Jr a life liveJ br away from the crowded highways of civilization. On rhc contrary. lurJiy an impoctam evenc happened in the history of the world bu.t that Jews played some part in ir. Somc:timc:s the event affected them after tt sometimes they themselves helped tO bring the event about; bur at all tHnes they were there, anxious and eager participants in humanity's struggles and progress. 5 7 G od's rt:dem ptive program for mankind is moving forw.1rd and allhoug h from necessity this will n:quirc that the narrative wi ll app..-.u to !>orne m o re and more exclusive (Abraham-l saacJacob-Judah-David-Chrisr, e.g.) thi> not mean that the purpose of God has therefore be.:n al!ereJ. G oJ nctt.hc r surrenders his claim upon the nations, nor docs he ab.1ndon his purpo>cs for the nations. T he divine ble-ssing is mt:diated to du: world through a nd the chosen people. . Jn this early covenant for the nations the essential ft-.Hurc> .w the m t>siona ry task are to be found. Alth oug h, as many have obscrvcJ, there ts here no command to evangelize as is com monly thought of in the Ntw senst:,Gij that chapter of redemptive history that beg ins with Abr.tham posruvely affirms the Lordship of Y:d1weh over rul the nations, (for he and clin.. '<:ts their histOry) , that God has a purpose for .dl n.Htons whteh he ts w orking out tllrough Abrah.1m, that eh:ction is for service, not merely personal advantage. . A word must be said concern111g the treatment of Abraham .1nd God s purpose through him as he is represented in various - th_ c: apocrypha, pseudipegrapha, Josephus, Graeco-Roman wnters, Philo, 1almud, etc.Go The rabbis taught that Abraham was the first and that he )6 Theophilc James Meek, "The Interpenetration oi CultuicS as lllusttated by the ChMactcr of tht> Old Literature," )n, VII, no. 3 (May, 2'14.26_2. on p. 244, " If history has taught us anything it has taught us this: nattons nc\'cr lived water-tight compartments in splendid isolation fr0m other; and least of Jll. dtd the: Hebrew nation, si tuated as they were on the great htghroad between nd West. . . . Instead of developing their unique chJrab eristics because of isolation from the world, it was actually becaus<.- of it." 57 S. Grayzel, Hiuory oj1he p. 1. . )II F. Hahn, Miuion in 1he Ntw 1',./lamml, p. 20. says. " \'<'.: m.1y say that tn Old Te>tamcnt there ;, nu mission in the: re.ol sense There is Jn absence ut dl\trte for the pw pose of any wmctous outgoing to the Gentiles to won them ior belief in Jahweh." . . ! )9 The best, most extensive and inclusive collection of thc>e I have found in Samuel Sandmel, Philo'1 Pitlfe in )udaiJm: A S1udy of Ccflft:PII0/11 of Abr.lham. m tted JewiJ!J Literature (Cincinnnti: Hebrew Union College Prt!SS, t9)6). henceforth to be C

made converts and brought them under the wings of the Shelcinah.81 The persons whom Abraham and Sarah had gotten 12:5) were said to be people whom they had c;onverted from In their exegesis of Gen. 12:8 the rabbis .extolled him as a great missionary who "caused all creatures to prod;Lim the name of God. " 03 In one place Abraham, Isaac and J acob are described Timnah (Gen. 36:40) who became the concubine of Esau's son Eliphaz and the mother of Amalek. The affliction of Israel by Amalek was ascribed by tile rabbis to this repulse given Timnah when she wanted to be a proselyte; It is interesti ng to note that in this story Timnah sought the patriarchs and not vice versa. 64 In the rabbinic literature in general the rabbis read back into the caree r of Abraham their own interests and concerns. They picture Abrahan1 in such a way that whoever imitates Abraham would by tllat token be conforming to the highest of rabbinic standards and be an executor of rabbinic laws. 65 Abraham is therefore not so much an example of a man whose faith compelled him to witness as he is an example subs{a.ntiating tile rabbin ic ideals of work righteousness. The rabbis did remind the people that tile fact "til at Israel had a covenant does not make Israel more precious than proselytes, for the 'homeborn' of Abraham also had a covenant."" That Abrahan1 occupieS .1 significan t a nd cen tral role in the history of redemption cannot be disputed. The Nc.-w Testan1ent refercnc<."S to him in this role are numerous. That place, however, is not first of all understood and revealed as being for himself but for the true I srael that wou ld be born by faith as he was. 67
as Philo's Plare. Unionunately the main title is a bit resuictive and misleading since rhe author's material is fu broader than a study of Philo. See also Louis Ginzberg,

by Szold, (7 vols., Philadelphia: The jewish Publiatioo of America, 19091928) . I have omitted references to the Church Fathers as being OUI>tdc rhc scope of this paper. The Talmud is included, however, since as Jacob Bernard Bamberger observes in jBL, 68 ( t949), tt}-123, "The ascription of a statement to a paniculnr rabbi gives us only a ttrminus ad quem, since the rabbi may be quoting much more ancient material." The full text for all these sources can be found in Theodore Rt-inach, Text er d'auuurs gre(f e1 tOmainJ relali/J au Judaisme (Paris: E. Leroux, 189}), to be cited as T ex1es. 60 Hag. 8. This judgment concerning Abraham is based on an interpretation of Ps. 47:10. See alzo AZ Suk. 232. 61 Cf. Genesis 17:13. Makilta, Mashpatim 18. 62 AZ 44-4} . 63 W . G. Braude, Jewish Proul)ting, p. 26. 64 San. 674. 6) See S. Sandmd, Philo's Piau, p. 9}. 66 Ibid., p. 8}. 67 j . H. Pier, T be RoJtl Ahead, p. 79, writes: "Abraham stands for two things (in Galatians 4): he is at one time both an individual and the embodiment of all Israel. is the latter in the sense that when he, in obedience 10 God's command, left his Jncestors, he was the first Israelite and the incorporation of all Israel both as a natioo ond as a religious group. Like Adam and Christ, he is an individual, who incorporates the many. Paul himsdf describes Ahrnhnm as 'our father according to the flesh' (4:1)
oftht Jt:wJ ,

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Albrecht Alt has provided a very helpful interprct.ttion of the Scriptural phrase, " I am - the God of Abrah.un, Isaac, .lfld Jacob ." A It has compareJ thi s epithet with similar divine epi thcu in Transjordani:w inscriptions of the Nabataean age. He concludes that the phrase "the god of so-31\d-so" m<:ans the same thing in Scripture as it does in thl-se inscriptions: this i) the first m.u1 (in that social group; in Scripture, Abra hJm .1nd his to wor)hip this Jeity; this gcxl formerly unknown h.1s n:ve-.1lc,l himself to this m.1n; thc:rlfor.-, tlus god is Jesignated among his lbccndants as his god. H.: ).I)'S, There sprouts inro grow th the first bud uf a tot:tlly different plocnumcnon from that which we find in the: loc:ll and nature deities: no attlchment ol the divine being to a large or small parcel of c3rth, but its alliance to hlln\.lll I.Ce, at first to an individual and bter thro ugh th1s to a whole The m<:aning of lhe coven:lllt sign of circumcision is import:tni for r<!:tching an understanding of the purpose of Is rael in the reJcmptive pl:m of Go.!. This is nc:cessary bc-.:ause the: queStion of the nt.'Cessity of cir<"umcision w.1s oftc:n .tt the: very of the question of the m:mm:r in which nonlsr.tditicS wc:rc: to be admitted to the fellowship of the of God. In the: c.trl) chu rch no little controversy was stirred up over the question whether Gentilts neeJt.-d to be: circumcised in order to be saved (Acts l $; Gtdatians). The ch:ugc:s ag.tinst PJul by the Jews of the Dia.spora conccrnc:d reports that he taugh t "all the Jews the Genti les to forsake Moses, tel ling them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs" (Acts 2 1:21). The covenant sign of cirmmcision was given to Abraham :1nd his 111 the ritual of covenanr ratification found in Gen. 17. Circumcision w.ts not unknown among the Western Semites. Egyptians, Syrians :tnd PhocniciJnS lll practiced the: rite. 69 Among AbrJham's family 3Ild docenJ.1nts th is w.1s to serve as a covenantal sign (Gen. 17: :l-27). ad ministered to those born in the: house. slaves of the household, and slaves JcquireJ by purh.l)e. Mercr rizts this as follows:

If all the: Jc:slendants of Abr:dtam are distinguished from those around them by ci rcumcision, Israel IS itself distinguished from kindred tribes by the fact that through circumcision its people are set in covenant with God in the true sense, so that the prom1ses apply to them alone, vs. 4-7.111 Jacob's sons in Genesis 34 insisted that the men of Shechem be circumcised lx-fore iutc:rmacriagt: would be permitted. The Shechemites this as an .llll.tlgamation of two peoplc:s into one (vs. 23 ). Later, in the Mosaic legislation GoJ ret.juired that any (a stranger, resident alien) among the people, resito keep the Passover with the p<.">Dple of Israel, d ent in Palestine, who had to be circumcised together with all the males of his house (Ex. 12:48). lsrac:l's reci rcumcision in the time of Joshua (Josh. 5) included all the descenJa.nts of all rhe mak--s who had come out of Egypt. This included obviously those from the mixed multitude. A careful reading of the Old Testament lcgisl.ttion concerning circumcision leads to the conclusion that this rite was 111tenJcd to mean the incorpor.ttion of the m to :1. s pt."Cial relationship to

Jt may not be an iJc-:1 entirely foreign ro circumcision in its symbolic sense that it wa s performed on the n1.1Je o rgan of g t:neration to symbolize the cutting off of .1 m.1n's life in his d<.--scenJants, as McCarthy suggests. 11 Children are thcrciore g iven by g rare to a nun so cut off and his real heritage and that of his see,[ is found in God 's covcnanc. Circumcision obviously meant more than from the worlJ. It incluJcJ the positive: de!!lt:nt of seJ?aration_ to God and his service as wdl. lts administration was tribal at first (among Abraham and his household), and later beC3I\1e national (at Sinai and in the Promised Land). In l:tter centuries the question whether non Israelites who bl-c:liTle attached to tl1e S)'nagOl:,'l.les and communities of the Diaspora required to be ci rcumcised was raiseJ and its administration extended. Our conclusion is th.tt circumcision abo had reference to the of the who the: CO\'eoant 0.1th T he children Jt one Jnd the time helong to the circumcist..J but Jiso to the God of the covenant. In the case of Abmham this was prominent in .his ci rcumcisi on. He had no heir. His circumcision symbolized the cutting off of his descendants so as to leave him without hc:ir or n3I\1C in the kingdom. But Yahweh provides. Abrah!ll11 was twice g iven his son as it were from death: first in .Isaac's birth from one "as good as ( H eb. 11:12), and sc:conJ in the ram which was provided as a substitute for Isaac when it is said "fig uratively speaking, he did receive him back (from the dead)" (Heb. 11:1920).
70 Tli71\T. VI, 77. 7t Dennis). Mcunhy, Tr.-"1) and Co11enam (Rome, 196>), p. t96; see also M. G. Kline, JJy 0Jth ConJ:gnrd, p. 87. It is interesting to note that to the: Romans circumcision was wmparabte to castrJtwn. Even 1he Talmud forbids an lsrJclite to b.: circumciud by lu:a1hcn bcC3use he migh1 be .tcddemJlly castrated by him (AZ. t32) . The rabbis spoke of cirwmct>ion as "being born aga111": see Strack-Billerbcck, Kommenrar, II, p. 423; also 0 . Cu llmann, Baptism in Netu Tuuumcnt, p. 57.

and 'the father of many nation> (<1:17). A. G. Hebert, The u f D.zvi.J, p. 73. says. justification of mankind by fai1h in Jesus was to God's frt)m 1he Five: 1imes this appc.oars in relation to Abuham: Gen. 12:3: 18: t8; 22: 18: 26:}; 28: t4. 68 Albrecht Alt. The God of the PattiurrhJ. p. 4t . quoted by Mmn Duber. TIN PropiJnir F.1i1h, translated from the Hebrew by Ca.rl}re Wiuon Da<ies York: The 1\fJ(millan Co., 1949) , p. 41. 69 Rudolf Meyer. nEpttE!-1\IQ in Gerhard Kiuel, T h.:ologit.JI DlfttOtiJr) uf th 'f.-Jt.zmmt, 1unslated b)' Gt-offrcy \VI Bromilcy (Grand Rap1J > : EerJmans. t')65ff.) . VI. 7281, henceforth to be cited us 'J'II''NT . One fine fcJturc of lht En.:li>h tumlJtion i> thJt with but occasional slight VMt.tt ion. 1ln: volum<" JnJ pJ!;<'> 1ullow IlK Gcrnlln original. facililating rdtrcnct 10 ci1hcr cdtttt>n. A brici sunHnJI)' nf L,!:)'ptt.ln pu<ttCn in re lation to lsrad can be fuunJ in Clarence J. Yls, tr.-um.l/1 ttl 0 /J 'J'rJI.ulltlll (Delft: Judels & Brinkmun, t\16!l). pp. 28

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T he descendants, therefore, were consecrated along with the roopacnt of ci rcumcision to the Lord of the covenanr. Thus, God commanded tlw the: descendants, already consecrated in their father(s), should be circumcised the eighth day, thereby being consecrated again and individually by the direct application of the sign of consecration to Circumcision played a far more important role than merely as a sign differ entiating Jew from non -Jew. It was at heart an integral part of coven:uat r.Hi fication, a sign of admission into God's redemptive covenant. lt involved tJae acknowledgement of Yahweh's lordship as a matter of faith and liie. In plan tJaere had to come a time when an Abraham would appear, when God through one man would certify anew his purpose for all men. ln his obedience (which was a matter of faith) 13 he did not act as an individ..tal but as the house holder of the special community God was creating out of fallen humanity for the purpose of redemption. Although he speaks to a different context Louis Finkelstein summarizes the Jewish fa.i th with respc:ct w the covenant in this way: "there is no need for any ceremony to admit a Jewish chiiJ into the faith of Jud aism. Born in a Jewish household, he becomes at once a 'child of the covenant.'" 1 ' The covenant does not consist of the rite of ci rcumcision. The covenant means that the Jew is to serve God anJ be holy as God holy. Circumcision is the external sign of t11is covenant. 75

itself with in our modern sense; it is concerned with " the people of God'' whach can apply to any group that is characterized by alliance to God, overagainst any group th:lt does not know God and serves other gods (cf. Jer. 10:25; I Tbess. 4:5) . 7d John Picot states his understanding of Israel's election and its importance in this way: The origin of what the: church thinks of itself and its election has its coors, naturally, in the OIJ Testament .... The issue between the Testaments is not whether God elects, but whom He chooses. The New Testament insists that the purpose God once entrusted to Israel has passed now to the church. . . . This question hJs two parts: the: one looks backward and asks, " What compels God .. . to choose Israd?" The others looks forward and asks "To what c:nd?" The f1rst deals woth the necessity for election, and the with what God hopes to accomplish by means of those whom He chooses. Israel answers the first part in Genesis I through II :1nd gropes for an :1nswec co the second throughout her long and d1eckered histocy.n The questions that arise in this connection are forced on one by the fact that God made a universal covenant for all men "Yi!]l Abr!,!,ham. Very soon this covenant took the form of a particular administration whose seal was circumcision. H ow are these covenants related? Also, why was it even necessary at all to bring into existence a nc:w people, Israel? What was the purpose of its existence, the signifiC3.nce of its ek-ction, its relationship to the nations, and what was its mission? Has this mission tem1inated with the establishment of the New Testan1cnt Church? When later the public minis try of Jesus will be considered, the question will be posc:d in a different format : why was Jesus sent to the lost sheep of Israel? What is meant by tl1e statement that the Gospel is for the Jew first? All these forms of the question reduce to two main considerations: what is the necessity for election, and what did God intend to accomplish through it? The first form of the question has alrt'ady been answered from the study of Genesis l-1 1. T hese chapters are on the one hand a series of pictures of rebellion and judgment. They contain on the other hand a brilliant display of g race and mercy .i n the way of election. Un fortunately, ek-ction is often thought of in tc:rms of its past reference only, in terms of privilege and honor, and of the elect as chosen to be saved and given an eternity of bliss, neglecting the real glory which is a divine purpose in redemptive plan fQ! the future as well as the present. is always for a purpose. 78 The uniqueness of God's
]. Blauw, Coden eu Me11u11, pp. 518, especially p. II. 77 ]. H. Piet. The Road Abead, p. 38. ). Blauw, Miuio11ary Nature, p. 129, says, "Whoever is offended by the election of br.ael will be oHended by the chu.rch of Jesus Christ." ]. Vcrkuyl, Breek d< Mure11 A/!, p. 32, SpC3ks of Israel's eleCtion as having been accomplised by God "with his eye on humanity." 78 ). H. Pier, Tbe Road Abead, pp. 3840. Harold Henry Rowley, Tlu Bibliral Domi11e of Eleaio11 (London: Luttt:rworth, 1948) the subject of Israel's election 76

C. The ElecJion of Israel

Any discussion of missions compels one to consider the election of Israel. Johannes Blauw has pointed out that the elect.i.on-of ls.rael stanJs in the ore ground in the Old Testament and detc:rmines 1srad's relation to GoJ, to the land and to other peoples (see Deut. 6:10If.). Commenting on Deut. 7:68 Blauw sun1marizes the meaning of Israel's election under these points: (I ) Israel is chosen by God for his possession; (2 ) this distinguishes Israel from all other nations ( peoples) ; ( 3) Israel is a people thar honors the Lord : ( 4 ) G1>J has no other point of contact in Israel besides this election ; ( 5) there is M otlH :r reason to choose J.OY other than Israel ; ( 6) God elects only out of love; (7) God maintains (in election) the covenant with rhe forefathers; and ( 8) the ekction accomplished the del iverance from Eg}'pt. The Bible cannot be said to concern

72 M. G. Kline, By OaJh Consigned, pp. 8688, who demonstrates this also in connection with the circumcision of Moses and his son, 1nd that of Israel 3t Gilgal (Joshua '). 7?> See Romans 4:11 3nd its context. 74 Louis Finkelstein, Tbe Jews: Tbeir History, Culluu and Religion, (2 vols .. New York: H3rper and Bros., 1955), 11, p. 1;28. Finkelstein bases this conclusion on the fact that the covenant at Simai was promulgated with all those present and bound their descendants a.s well. n D. M. Eichhom, Conversion 1o Judaism, p. 15.

{
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choice of Israel was the uniqu eness of the work which God planned to accom plish through Israel. It was his purpose to reve-al himself and his wi ll through his people; for this he also uniquely qualified and prepared them. Israel. was to be Yahweh's repesentative among the peoples. As far as can be asccrtaaned, there comparable concept among the nations of that day. 79 God had a purpose in d10osing Israel and he would fulfill that purpose. Precisely how Israel was to be used to be a blessing to the nations was only gradually dcvel oped and made dear. From the beginning, however, this one duty was dea rly stated: obedimce to God (Gen. 17:1,9). The New Testament in I Per. 2:910 reaffirn;s the Is;;;l as the agent in universal redemption by this to thc body of Christ which is the partaker of the New Covenant in Christ's blood,IJO but points out this diffcrence: the new Israel must " dedare the wonderful deeds of him who called ... out of darkness into his mar vellous light" whereas the Old Testament Israel displayed this to the world. Therefore, God created a new people from the very bosom of the peoples of the world . There were others who feared and believed in God in that day ( t!.g., Melchizedek) . But God chose Abraham, "a wandering Aram<::!n" (Deut. 26:5) out of an idolatrous family (Jos. 24 :2), i.e., he was a true represcnt:1t.ivc of the race. When God's election was fulfilled in the history of Israel, the people of God continued to be a siJ:,'Tl of the human estrangement from God whid1 is overcome by his gracious election. In actuctl working out this meant that Israel was confined to the gracious dealings of God in its hi.story and election; the heathen were to be concerned with their relationship towards Israel and its God. Johannes Blauw states that it is cle;tr from Gen. 12:3 that the whole history of Israel is nothing but the continuation of God's dt:alings with the nations, and that therefore the history of Israel is only to be understood from the unsolvt:d problem of the relation of God to the u.uions.H' This is demonstrated by the fact that redemption in its eschatolo!:ical reference always meant more than the redemption of Israel; it also concerned the renewal of the world.

means furrhcr that to rhis nation the option is not open to want tc a nation like other nations, since: it did not become a nation the way or--natioos did. It means finally that this nation lives - should it wish to become a narion like orhc:rs - under the threat that God will cease to call it "my people" and will call it "not my people." If God should recognize this nation as His no Iunger, then it becomes a nonpeople, for only as the people of God did they become a people, or remain so.s2 Jocz, who says that "it is only in the perspective of a covenantal relationship that we can rediscover the Biblical connection between Israel and the world and church and mission," also warns against an all too common dichotomy in the history of revelation. When the function of Israel is regarded as having terminated with the:: coming of Christ, that Israel ends where the Church begins, Israel becomes an isolated entity entirely separated from the world rather than the particular people where God acts on behalf of the world.88 Election, therefore, is not co.ex tensive with redempti ve covenant, a poin t that is important for the t.:nderstanding of Israel's election and the promise of redemption of the Gentiles. The difference between election and covenant has been shown by H. H. Rowley to be as follows : election has as its corollary Both election and covenant are theo service; covenant demands centric, however, as E. Jacob has said: "Election ca.r ries service as its necessary corollary; to be the )am of Yahweh involves being His )ebed: the two terms are always put in parallel." "5 For this reason the nonIsraelite can be said to meet his Creator first of all in terms of covenant which demands the obedience of fa.ith . Having done this, he is ready to share in the election of the people of God to service of the nations. This will be more fully demonstrated when the commission to carry the Gospel of the Kingdom to the world (Matt. 28:18-20) is considered. The redemptive covenant with the nations was no! annulled by the covenants mediated through Moses. Rather, the promise was renewed in them. And there was added this additional feature: God promised and covenanted redem ption to a particular pc::ople whom he had created witbitJ the context of his universal covenant with all men. 86 The task of the chosen people 82 K. Emmerich, "Die Juden," Theolugiuhe S111dien un.d Krisikm, VU (1939), 20; ). Blauw, Miuionary Nat/Ire, p. l4l, n. 24.
83 ).
)OC'L,

\ ..

;r

The children of brael are a people only insofar as thty are a people of God.
This means that neither a natural bond nor human will and realization has linked thtse people together, but ooly the establishment of :t fellowship. It in futl; also in his 111isr ionary l\lem rg<' of tlu Old (London: Carer Press, 1945}, p. 57, and especially chapters 24, henceforth to be cited as Misrion:JTy Meuage. Although Rowlcis works arc oriented cowan! an evolutiona ry dc,el> pmenc of Israel's faith and of the Hebrew rdigiun, they :treat times britliant analyses of the: quc>tions r.1ised. 79 George: Erucst Wright, T/Je Old Te!lalllt'IJI Against irs 11riron11wrr (Naperville: Alec R. Atlcnsl>n, t955), p. 62. 80 Cf. Samud Saodmel, Old Tert:mreur luPes (New York, E,answn and London: Harper and Row, 1968). p. 33. 81 J. Blauw, Miuiouary Na111re, p. 19; H. H. Rowley, /lliJJionary lllosage, pp. 2426; H. H. Rowley, Th, Biblir1rl Dortri!l<! of Elusion, pp. 65-67; C. C. West, The Miuionary C/Jurrh, pp. 9193.

Chri11ians and jews, p. Iff.

84 H. H. Row ley, Tbe Bib/ita/ Dot-lrine of EleCiion, p. 6994; especially chapter 3, "The Limitation and Extension of Israel's Election"; R. Ma.rtinAchard, A Lighs so 1he Nations, pp. 4041. For the materials that are concerned with the concepts of election and covenant one can consult a number of specialized works by authors such as W. Eichrodt, E. Jacob, M. Kline, 0. Procksch, G. von Rad, T. C. Vriezen. 85 E. Jacob, Theology of the Old Teslamenr, translated by A. W. HeatlJCOte and P. J. Allcock (London: 1958), p. 204; R. MartinAchard, A Ligh1 to the Naliom, p. 40,
n. 3.

86 M.G. Kline, By O.rrb Consig11ed, pp. 3135, makes some very pertinent observations with respect 10 this matter. He says, "Covenant theology has exhibited a strong bene 10wanls a reduction of covenant to elecrion. To do so is to substitute a logical ab-

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choice of Israel was the uniqueness of the work which God planned. to accom lish through Israel. It was his purpose to reveal himself and his wil l through ts people; for this he also uniquely qual ified and prepared them. Israel. was to be ) 'ahweh's repesentative among the peoples. As far as can be ascertatnd, there no comparable concept among the nations of that day. TO God had a purpose in choosing Israel and he would fulfiU that pu rpose. Prectscly how Israel was to be used to be a blessing to the natiOnS was only gradually developed and made dear. From the beginning, however, th is one was dearly stated: obedience to God (Ge n. 17:19), The New Testament tn I Per. 2.9:10 th e -;;f Isra"e! the in universal redemption by this to the body of Christ which is the partaker of the New Co\'ttunt 111 Christ's blood,!IO but points out this difference: the new Israel the wonderful deeds of him who called . .. out of darkness mto lm marvellous light" whereas the Old Testament Israel displayed this to the world. Therefore, God cre-J.ted a new people from the very bosom the peoples of the world. There were others who feared and believed in GoJ 111 that day ( e.g., Mdchizedek). llut God chose Abraham, "a wandering Aram c-.1n " (Deut. _26:5) o ut of an idolatrous family (Jos. 24:2), i.e., he was a true reprt'Sent"3uve of the race. \Xfhen God 's election was fulfilled in the history of !srad, the pe<;i p le of God continued 't o be a sign of the: h uman t r?rn G od w hich is overcome by h is gracious election. In actual workmg o ut tlus meant that Israel was confined to the gracious dealings of God in its history and election; the heathen were to be concerned with their relationship towards Israel and its God. Johannes Blauw states that it is clear from Gen. 12:' .t hat the whole history of Israel is nothing but the of God's dealings with the nations, and that therefo re the history of Is rael is o nly to be understood from the unsolved problem of the relation of God to the This is demonstrated by the fact that redemption in its esdJatolog tc:ll rei erenn always m eant more than the redemption of Is rael; it also concerned the renewal of the world. The child ren of Isr:l.CI are a people only insofar as they are :1 people oJ God. This means that neither a n:1tural bond nor human will and realization has linked these people: togdher, but only the est:1blishmem ot' l fellowship . It in full also in his MiJJionary of tb< 01:1 (London: Carey Press, 194>) , 'p. 57, and especially chapters 2-4, henccfonh to cited as Miuion.Jry Although Row ley's works are oriented an .evoluuunary .ot s faith and of the Hebrew religion, they are at ttmcs bnlltant ana lyses ot the 79 George Ernest Wright, 'l'be Old Tt>Jtamt!n/ /lg<Jillll itJ Envirnnmmt (Napcrvtlle: Alec R. Allenson. 195 5), p. 62. 80 Cf. Samud Sandmcl, Old TtJ/amenl l u ueJ (New York. ,anston and London: Harper and Row, 1968), p. 33. . . 81 J. Blauw, Miuimwry Na111re, p. 19; H. H. MtJJtOII:Jry M<H.Jgc, PP 24-26; H. H. Ruwl er. Tbc Doarine of Elemort, pp. 6567; C. C. Wc>t, The Miuionary Cbnrrb, pp. 9193.

means further that to this nation the option is not open to want to become a nation like other nations, since it did not become a nation the way other nations did. It means fina lly that this nation lives - should it wish to become a nation like others - under the threat that God will cease to call it "my people" and will call it ''not my people." If God should recognize this nation as H is no longer, then it becomes a nonpeople, for only as the people of God did they become a people, or remain so.s2 Jocz, who says that "it is on ly in the perspective of a covenantal relationship that we can red iscover the Biblical connectioll between Israel and the world and d1urch and mission," also warns against an all too common dichotomy in the history of revelation. When the functio n of Israel is regarded as having terminated wich the coming of Ch rist, that Is rael ends where the Ch urch begins, Israd becomes an isolated entity entirely separated from the )Odd rather than the particular people where God acts on behalf of the world.s3 Election, therefore, is not co-extensive with redemptive covenant, a point that is important for the understanding of Israel's election and the promise of redemption of the Gentiles. The difference between election and covenant has been shown by H. H. Rowley to be as follows: election has as its corollary service; covenant demands obedience. Both election and covenant are theacentric, howe-ver, as E. Jacob has said: "Election carries service as its necessary corollary; to be the of Yahweh involves being His 'ebed: the two terms are always put in parallel." S6 For this reason the non-Israelite can be said to m eet h is Creator fi rst of all in terms of covenant w hich demands the obedience of faith. Having done this, he is ready to share in the election of the people of God to service of the nations. This will be more fully demonstrated when the commission to carry the Gospel of the Kingdom to the world (Matt. 28:18-20) is considered. The redemptive covenant with the nations was EQ! annulled by the covenants mediated through Moses. Rather, the promise was renewed in them. And there was added this additional feature: God promised and covenanted redemption to a particular people whom he had created within the context of his universal covenan t with all men. 86 The task of the chosen people
82 K. Emmerich, "Die Juden," Tbeologiuhe SJudien und Kriliken, VU ( 1939). 20; ]. Blauw, The Missionary Nature, p. 141, n. 24.

H. H. Rowley, The Biblical Doarine of Elerlion, p. 69-94; especially chapter 3. "The Limitation and Extension of Israel's Election"; R. Martin-Achard, A Ligh1 10 1he Na1ioru, pp. 4041. For the materials that are concerned with the concepts of election and covenant one can consult a number of spec.ialized works by authors such as W . Eichrodt, E. Jacob, M. Kline, 0. Pcocksch, G. von Rad, T. C. Yriezen. 85 E. Jacob, Theology of 1be Old TeJiameTII, translated by A. W. and P. ]. Allcock (l ondon: 1958), p. 204; R. Martin-Achard, A Ligh1 10 Jhe Na1ion1, p . 40, n. 3. 86 M.G. Kline, By Oatb Coruign<!d, pp. 31-35, makes some very pertinent observations with respect to this matter. He says, "Covenant theology has exhibited a strong bent towards a reduction of coven;lnt to election. To do so is to substitute a logical ab-

83 84

].

JOC"l,

Chriui< WJ and jewJ, p. 1ff.

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becomes, as Cullmann has suggested, to tell the world of an actual fact of which it is totally unaware : that the: God whom israel strves is actually Lord of alJ.b7 Th.it task can now be specifically defined as ( 1) communic.lting to the world the divine oracle received from God; (:2) speaking in the name of Yahweh; and (3) testifying under tltis Lordship in obedience of faith. Israel's eschatological mission becomes nothing other than acccpting for its task the officr:s oi prophet, priest, and king. 8 8 The world will encounter its God in the people of Israel, the youngcst of the peoples of the East. And this will depend on the divine initiati\e only. Through Israel as a sort of mediator Yahweh wiJJ bring the into conununion with himself. Therefore, Israel's task bc:fon: the world is to live within the universal covenant as a chosen people, a ropl l people for God's own possession. Because there is only one true God t11ere can be only one religion; therefore, Israel's faith must one:: day be the n:ligion of all mankiud. Israel is to be a light to the so that God's salvation mal' be as wide as the world. The German phrase Golf, ein Volk, <'in Kult sun1s this up quite satisfactorily. The demand for Kttltuseinht:il is comp letely in keeping with the demand that Israel as ein V olk should worship !!ill Just how God would save the fallen world only gradually became clea rer with the unfolding of hi; revelation. Israel was not free to withdraw from this covr:nant. It had br:en sovert ig nly ordained and instituted. l t would also be sovcreignly administereJ. Js!.lcl's covenant is unconJition:ll and not one from which she may feel morally free to withdraw any time she plc::ases. When chose to brc-.ik the covenant, this did not mean that God had by that same token repudiated her election. God's purpose included the extension of his long-s uffering patience and mercy toward a stiff-necked and hardhearted people (Heb. 3:7-1 I). Those who lay beyond the bounds of the covenant people might also possess the heritage by accepting the covenant. 00 Any reading of the Old Testament, therefore, whid1 neglects God 's purpose \ for the nations an d insists that God was interested only in Israd is a of the divinr: revelation. In the time of Abral1am the worship of God was limited to h.is fami ly alone. Taking into consideration the period from Abral1am
stranion for the historical reality :111d to shunt systematic from irs peculiar end of synthetic summation." C(. also G. F. Vicedom, Minion of God, p. 48; Karl Barth, Chunh Dogma/irs, translated by G. T. Thomson, et alia (Edinburgh: T. and T. Oark, l936ff.). II 2, p. 217. 87 ?scar Cullmann. Chrirt and Time, translated by f loyd V. Filson (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1961). p. 186ff.; Ralph P. Marten, Cmmen Chriui (Cambridge: University Press, 1967), p. 243, n. l. 88 R. Martin-Achard, A Light to the NationJ, p. 75. . 89 Se_e Isaiah 49:1ff. This is more fully discussed in G. F. Moore, '"""ism rn the Flfll Cmtllflet, p. 228ff. Also see Ernest Wilson Nicholson, De111ercmom) and Traditio" (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967) , p. 55ff. 90 H. H. Rowley, Tht Bib/ira/ Domine of Elmio11, pp. 49, 68. 14'0.

to Mos<:s, mention must be made of Abral1am's relatives in Padan-aram, Melchizedek oi Salem, Job with his three friends and Elihu, Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, priest of Midian. Scripture doc:s not say how long the knowledge and worship of the true God continueJ among other peoples, ior Scripture is only concerned with revt..>aling to us how God worked out his plan through an elect, covenant people. Today it is still trur:, as Kaufmann Koh ler (a Jewish theologian) reminds us, that the election of Israel is "the: central point of Jewish theology and the key to the understanding of Judaism." The idea of a people of God, called to live under his rule, looking forward in the hope of the coming of the Kingdom of God is one of the unifying themes of Scripture. .Election is also the link that inseparably binds Old and New Testament together: God has his people. 9 ' What toJay's Jew will not acknowledge is that Is rael's election is subservient to that of GoJ's universal covenant. The modern Jew would reverse this: only by becoming part of Israel can one pa rticipate in the promises. The Jewish pe-ople have completely misunderstood their election and its purpose! This is not just a modern development. ln the second Christian centu.ry Justin, conversing with some Jews, reports that "they were astounded to hear me say that we too ( t11e Gentiles) were children oi God." 02 The word of lgna:.z Maybaum in our own day is quite representative of present Jewish attitudes, "As Jews we nre separated. Ele-ction is selection, segregation from others." Jc:wish apologists continue co limit the Jewish mission to survival as a separate people: m.ission of the Jew is to be a Jew.'' oa This devel opment in Jewish thought only serves to underscore the necessity of clear, Scripturally-conJitioned thinking on the matter of cQ.Y_ro;IJlt and election if the Christian mission is not to go wrong. Paul makes it very clear regarding Abraham (cf. Rom. 4:9ff.) that he was saved befon: he was circumcised. Paul also states that the purpose of this was "to make him the father of al l who believe without bemg circumcised and who thus have righteousness rt:ekontd unto them." In verses 14-15 of the same d1aptc:r he states that it is not just the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs ("inherit the wodd"). The Christian Church is under a great debt of gratitude to the people of Israel. But neither Israel nor the Gentile believer should ever forget that they are saved by the one: universal, redemptive covenant. "There is only one Mediator between God and man ... who gave himself as a ransom for all" (I Tim. 2:5,6). It is lsrad's glory that of her "according to the flesh, is the Christ, who

91 Kaufmann Kohler, Jewtlh (New York: 1928), p. 239; Joseph Bonsirven, P.;/eJiini>JII Judaism in tbe Time of Chri!l, translated by William Wolf (New York, Chicago, San Fransisco: Hoh, Rinehart and Winston, 1964), p. 42. Frensch title = Le JudaiJme P.;/otinien au TempJ de ]sus Christ (Paris, 1934), henceforth to be cited as P.;/eJrini.w Judaism . 92 Ju>tin, Witb Trypbo, CXXI11.9, quoted in ]. Bonsirven, Palertinian /PdaiJm, p. 77. 93 ]. j oc2. ChriJiium and fewJ, p. 46.

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is God over all, blessed forever" (Rom. 9:5 - RSV foo tnote). The Christian church constantly faces the same temptation to whid1 Judaism succumbc:d when it Jejected its fulfillment: the purpose of God 's covenan t is g reater th an our personal salvation; it is a taking of us up into the service of God in his plan for mankind.

D. The Exod11s: Birth of a Nation

lf God the Creator is one of the p oles about whidl Jewish thought turns, th en Israel is the other and provides orientation for a number of Biblical concepts
necessary for the understanding of Old and New Testaments.u Thn:e peoples of antiquity have dated the beginnings of their history. Rome's history begans with the building and fortifi.:3tion of a city. And this is wlut Rome: wished to remain, the fortn:ss :inJ tl1c: Capit.d of a powt:r, of an ordered. penetrating system out of which a world is ruled and toward which a world is expected to turn its gaze. The land of Greece counts its years from the first of the communal games for which the cities of its regions came together ( Rome was 'the city'; Greece had its cities). They assembled to see how their men might measure the strength of body and mind, and in o rder to become conscious of the individuality given to each of the citic:s and to all of them together. This was the of Greece; this was Hellenic existence. They saw with a curiousiry of gc:naus. Out of their conceptions humanity received an everlasting profu sion of riches. Sud1 was the gift of this people, to be spectators and authors in a 'theater for gods and mao.' The people of Israel co unted its time from the exodus from Egypt, from the redemption that set them free to walk the way of histo;y. Isr:1el was not a structure:, like: Rome, in which u power its foundation, and nor a contest which a pcoplt: vic:ws its talents. lsrael conceived of something completely different: the great freedom. It was admonished to conceive of a drama with itself as the active and suffering hero .... And in its own drama it to learn of the drama in which all humanity finds its history. Israel's history was thus set upon its foundations when the reckoning of ics time, though achieved after much W:lvering, extended itself to the farthest reaches of humanity. Finally, it counted the yc:ars from rhe creation of the world. This, too, arose out of the grc:at decision and the grt:at negJrion which the exodus from Egypt demanded. o&

The reminder found in Num. 14:19 shows dearly that the Exodus marked the birth of a nation, for in this passage we have the dating of Israel's history, ''From Egypt until now." The importance of this will be seen if it is remembered that God's people always live in a provisional sta te of the Kingdom. Their life, witness, and ministry must always be performed under tbe sign of the coming Kingdom and in hope.oo The Exodus is a manifestation of Yahweh's unconditional..soYereignty. It is not a point of departure for an automatic history of salvation which runs comfortably and inevitably from it, a kind of history that holds Yahweh the captive of Israel's own existence, a feature of the history which the people make for themselves. Instead, the Exodus is the act of the worldGod who thereby in no way qualifies or limits his sovereign freedom. Israel has no special status among the nations other than what God has given to her. Other nations have also had their "exodus" (Amos 9:7). The focus of attention becomes not just whnt God has done but why he acted in this way for his people Israel. lt is significant how often the deliverance of Israel from Egypt is referred to by God when his covenant with the p eople is in view. Gerhard von Rad has demonstrated how the earliest and dearest expressions of Israel's historical memory were preserved in the cultic confessions of the people.07 Dcut. 26:59 brings togtther these memories: ( 1) the wanderings ( diaspora) of the fathers; (2) the deliverance from Egypt; and (3) entrance into the promised land : And you shall make response before the LORD your God, "A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went dowo into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number: and there he became a' narioo, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. The we cried to the LORD the God of our fathers, and the LORD

96 G. von Rad, 0/J Teslalll!'fll T!Jeology, p. 6, observes that strictly speaking the name "lsmel" can only be applied to the Twelve Tribes after the Settlement in Palestine. It should be noted that the relati vely short period of Israel's monarchy (only about 400 years)

94 ]. Donsirvcn, p,,feslinian judairm, p. 42. 9.5 Leo Baeck, T!Jir People l rrael: Tilt! Me.mi11g of ).-wish ExiJtenu (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964), p. 42. This is part of a l:uger section "Rome, Greece and Israel: A Comparison."

may not be regarded as normative for its history and mission. What is striking about the Old Testament history of lsmel is the many forms under which Israel lived from the time of Abraham to Christ: patriarchal (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob); bondage in Egypt; tribJI (period of the Judges); national unity and disunity (the kings); Captivity and Diaspora alongside of national form part time in the period of the Second Temple. lt appears that at no time was any single form intended to remain permanent but that each was used by God to advance his purposes for all men. For the nation, therefore, the Exodus served not only as a reminder of redemption but also as a focal point of God's work in and through tl1em. The temporary character of each period is demonstrated by the fact that the law of the king was already defined at Sinai. (Deut. 17); the Davidic kingship (though often understood litera lly) was really a nonworldly kingship (Ps. 110:1; II Sam. 7:1316; John 18:36; Acts 2:3435); Jerusa lem as the religious center for the worship of God would also be superceded by a new order (John 4:21). 97 Gerhard von Rad, The Problem of 1he Hexaleuch and 0Jhttr Ewrr (London: Oliver and Boyd, 1966). pp. 178; W. Brueggemann, Tradition for CriJiJ, p. 15ff.; ]3.1I1es Luther Mays, Amor (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1969), p. 148.

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our voice, and snw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression; and the LORD us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and outStretched arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders; and he brought us inw this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey."

It is to note concerning these events that they are experiences of the comrounlly, events that occurred in history, and th.tt all concern th ings God had done for Israel.
When Israel has confessed this faith, she has made her bJsic affiimJtion about the: nature of reality and about the character of her own life. Jsuel undc:rs.tands as the object, recipient anJ beneficiary of the gucious sovere1gn actions o( God. She is not one who makes history but one for whom God does history. Her memory reminds her that her destiny in life is to respond fully and faithfully to these actions.OII When later Jsrael reflected on this (see especi.J.Ily Ps. 136:4-9), then the conclusion is inevitable: the God who saves men is none other th.m the GoJ who made the world! W hat this means for Israel's mission in the world is not made dear at this point. God must confirm to them the of the Iif e he would have them live. This took place at Sinai. The Sinai Is rael and Yahweh into a kind of relationship another that IS .entsrely new. It had to cocn.-spond to the essentially nt:w Sltu.atiOn that n?w CXJStcd: there has appeared a people, Israel, in process of natiOnal formatiOn. Yet lsr:1el was a different kind of people. Other nations :'ere the offspri ng of tl1eir gods. Israel was taken into partnership by its God 10 a sacral-legal, covenant.. T his can only happen when a people CJn work a un.'t, s.e., when 11 is nationally-politically constituted. The Sma1 covenant 1s a kmgly covenant (taking tlse word in its original folk-political meaning). " Yahweh is not just the exclusive Protcctor-GoJ of the . grou.p: he i) its. exclusive, political hcad."ll0 The point at issue is once aga.m : d1V1t1e lordsh1p. In the exodus event God showed that be had chosen that would stand in a u nique relatiomhip to him. Israel to. be. a special In the Sma1 event God made provision fo r the continuation and consoliJat1on of this special relationship. God's election, as in the ca.se af Abr.th.1m, had its continuation in covenant. The election was an act of his sovereign will. But are God. gave map a will and provided him the sphere in which ths will must operate 1f man is to be free and no longer slave. This covenant was with a people. It is unfortunate that in our atomistic individual approach to both election and covenant we have lost sil)ht of Old Testament concept of "people and the New Testament counterpart in the

term "body" of Christ. 100 God commands the rommunily at Sinai. What he says in effe-ct is, "If you wish to live in covenant fellowship with me, this is what you must do." But from the side of the this is not a do ul des relationship.101 Nor is this "law" in the sense in which law is often understood in the Western sense. It is Tortth, i.e., the direction the covenant Lord gives to his people. T he Sinai legislation is not rules or laws for the ordering of the cult or society in general. They arc the will of God for the people, the conditions for a continuing rebtion which have their origin in the wiU of the covenant LorJ. T hough they cover a variety of subjects, they as their single intention to bring all of life unJer the inunedi.lte, JiR"Ct, and raJiol lordship of this GoJ. They function to define what it means to be the people of God. No area nf Iif c is free from his purpose and his wil1.' 02 At the same time the life of the people of God is spared every caprice and whim of men and institutions, for collectively and individually everyone stands under the will of God. Whenever Jsrael declares that she Jives in a covenant relationship, she acknowledges that she may not become a nation like the other nations. Her charter is found in Ex. 19:3-6. And Moses went up to God, anJ the LORD called to him out of the mountain, sayinr. "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of lsrael: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you tO myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth IS mine, and you shall be to me a Icing dom of priests and a holy nation." Obedience to her covenant relationship, the divine act of God, Israel's uniqueness among the peoples and the: purpose of her existence find a clear expression in this passage. Other nations came into existence differently than Israel. Israel alone owt:S its existence and calling among the nations to her God. When the people wanted to be like the other nations by having a king to rule over them, tl1is was judged as disobedience and a rejection of God's lordship (II Sam. 8:4-9). To have a king was not wrong in itself. We have observed already that the !ftuteronomic code provided foe this eventuality. This in itself was not displeasing to God so long as the king was the man of God's choosing, a king after God's heart (Deut. 17). But to do so in order "to be
100 This is nol intended to deny the teaching of individual election, but rather to point out that the emphasis in Scripture falls on corporate eleCJion. Both Old and New Testaments also teach individual eleCJion. Cf. J. H. Pie1, The Road Ahead, p. 45, who says, "Individual election is not an isolated thing. It takes place within the context of God's people, and its purpose is to implement the intention of God for his people." 101 II.. Gelin, The Key ConreJ!II of 1he Old Tu1ame111, p. 102 W. Brueggemann, TradiJion for CritiJ, p. 20 states that no conception of .law similar 10 this can be found in the ancient Ncar East and that "this legal material is theological in a decisive way."

t?

98 W. Brueggemann, Tradi1io11 for CritiJ, p. 16. I am indebted to this author (or clarifying this and other similar relatil)nships. 99 M. Buber. l'be KiflgJblp of God, pp. 12'1216.

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like aJ J the nations" was a rejection of God as king over them. T he fi rst ki ng set over them proved to be pre-en1incntly " the king aftc:r man's heart," fitting 1heir specifications, not God's, of what lsrael's ki ng should be like. The uniqueness of Israel is set in conjunction with the H ebrew word bahar (to d1oosc: or elect), first used in the book of Deuteronomy. Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? Or has any god ever attemped to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation. by trills. by signs, by wonders, and by war. by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? To you it was shown, that you might k.now that the LORD is God, there is no othc:r besides him - Deut. 4:3335. Israel's existence determined her conduct. This theme can be seen running through the entire prophetic revelation. The Sinai experiences of t.i1e people of Israel have significance for Israel's task in the world and for the Christian mission in one other respect. Moses was the recipient of a considerable mass of divine revelation. It is at Sinai that t.lu? collection of this material into a book or books began, setting the stage for the wide dissemination of the Scriptures so characteristic in later years of the Jewish Diaspora and in the advance of the Christian mission. It is impossible to overrate the significance of this devdopment. At Sinai the nation ls rad became a people wi th a Book. At t.l1e \'Cry time that the knowledge and service of God was apparently at t.l1e point of dying out among other peoples, the preservation of God's revelation through written records was advancing among his chosen poople. There was guaranteed to the woriJ, therefore, the identicaJ revelation whim Israel was first privileged to see, enjoy, preserve, according to which she must live, and which it was to share. God remembers his universal covenant. It is surprising, in a cert:Un sense, that there is so little knowledge of the contents and nature of revelation in the pre-Mosaic period. The largest portion that we do have is concerned with the covenants and the patriarchs with one possible exception - t11e book of J ob.1 03 This book is obviously a non Abrahamic tradition significantly different from the rest of Scripture. It displays a degree and kind of knowledge of God and his works not found in the rest of the ancient Scriptures. Though written in poetic form, it is not too mum to say concerning its content (the bulk of which consists of speeches by Job and his friends on the basis of their knowleJge of God, creation and history) that its references to creation and to the antediluvian and postdiluvian periods almost equals the amount found in Genesis 1-11. It is of a different order from that of Genesis and displays a remarkable grasp of man's
103 It is outside the scope of this study to go into the questions concerning the authorship of the book of Job. che period in which Job lived, etc. The reader should consu.lt the liiemcure on this subject.

moral duracter and responsibility, as well as of divine righteousness and justice. It is perhaps the only authentic remnant of a non-Abra.l1amic tradition that has bet:n preserved. In the book of Job God appears as the God of all men. One of its singular contributions is to present t.l1is truth in the context of man's accountability to God. Peter's words, spoken so very much later, could be applied to the book: "Truly 1 perceive that God shows no partiaJity, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34,35). The book of Job makes no mention of a speciaJly chosen people of God, such as is found in Israel's birth as a nation. In terms of this present study it must be condudc:d that it is based on God's universaJ covenant.

E. /Jrael in the Promised Land: A People Among Jhe NaJiom

The conquest of Canaan and the development of the tribaJ and national forms under whim Israd would live from that time onward meant that Israel faced an entirely new situation and an accompanying new set of questions. Previously Israel had lived as a ger (a stranger, resident alien) in the land of Egypt (Ex. 22:21; 23:9; l.ev. 19:34). Even her existence in Canaan was described as that of a ger, for God forbade them to hold the land "in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me" (Lev. 25:23). Israel would occupy Palestine, but other peoples and tribes would continue to live in or occupy the land also (permanently and temporarily). What status would Israel give the gerim (the plural form of ger) in her midst? What part did the ger have (if any) in the inheritance of Israel and under what conditions? What responsibilities did Israel have to the non-Israelites? This was the first time that the separated people entered upon the world stage as a nation. These new conditions brought with them new problems and d:wgers. O n the one ha nd, syncretism with pagan faiths of the surrounding areas was a constant th reat which Israel did not always successfully avoid. On the other hand, insularity easily became as complete a repudiation of her election as was the turning to other gods. The history of the tribes shows that both of these extremes became reality at different periods. Israel was set in a postion that was not that of an observer but that of a participant in world affairs. Israel did not just live in the midst of the nations; t11e peoples of the world were also right in her midst. When the bondage of Egypt was broken for her, a mixed multitude went out with the Israelites (Ex. 12:38). The conquest of the occupying tribes and possession of their lands took a very long time. PaJestine was never really completely subjugated and its peoples replaced by Israelites. The deception of the Gibeonites meant the reception of a foreign people as permanent residents within the land (Josh. 9'). The Kenites (Moses' relatives) were another tribal group whid1 attached itself permanently to the land and fortunes of Judah (Judges 1:16); in this case we have an illustration of a specific invitation to a tribe to join its fortunes to that

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of Israel (Num. 10:29-32). Even Jerusalem, so very close to Israel's point of entry into Cana.1n, did not come into Israel's possession until the days of David and remained its possession for only 400 years after D avid conquered it and Solomon rebuilt it Evidence for the continued existence of other non-lsraelites, some in of responsibility, is founJ in the books of Samuel. Mention is made there of Doeg the Edomite (I Sam. 2:17), Uriah the H ittite ( II Sam. 11:3), Araunah the Jebusite (11 Sam. 24:2}), Zc:lek an Am monite (II Sam. 23:37), Elnaam and Ithmah, Moabites ( I Chron. 11 :46). The list of the mighty men of David's army contains a number of men of various tribes ( I Chron. 11:26-47). Raisin points out that David's entourage included Cretans, Philistines, ltureJns, Ara.mc.-ans, and Hittites When Solomon took a census of all the aliens resident in the land of Israel, they Wl.'re found to number 153,600 (II Chron. 2:17). Their appears to be that of servitude, however. The Mishnah, Naso viii. 4, says tl1ar Solomon such large numbers of strangers (proselytes) "to inform us that the Holy One, Bll'ssed be H e, brings nigh those that are distant and rej oices over the distant just as the nigh." These foreign peoples must always have been a considerable number. In Josh. 8:3} they are specifically referred ro and called "all Israel, sojourner as well as homcborn," a reference hardly ot:Cessary if they were only fc:w in nwnber o r excluded from U1e covenant privi ll'ges and obligations. As will appear from the legislation regarding this class of people, G od always envisioned that strangers would be among his people in their land. Jn Lev. 19:34 the keynote of Israel 's attitude is sounded : ''The strangc:r who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself." Much later in the time of Ezekiel and the Babylonian Clp tivity Israel is rebuked for its ill-treatment of the because "the sojourner suffers extOrtion in )'Our midst ... without redress" ( Ezek. 22:7,29). L.1ter when instruction is given for the resettlement of the country after the end of the captivity the people are told, Yo u shall allot a JS an inhc:ntance for yourselves and for the aliens who rcsade among you and have begotten children among you. They shall be to you as native-born of Israel; with you they shall be allotted an inhc:ritJnca: nmong the tnbc:s of Jsrael. In whareva:r tribe the :.alien resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, says the Lord God (Ezc:k. 47:2223). The conquest of the land was to be C.lfrieJ out under the strict orders w hich G oJ had given. Before Israel W.lS permitted to use its sword again)t any distant city it was about to besiege, it wa.s fi rst to offer terms of peace to the city lnd its people allowed to live, but as servants to IsraeL lf these terms were rejl-cted, 101 Munin Nl.lth, uuts of thl! (Philadelphia: fortress l'rcss, 1967), p. 261. 10) jacob Salmon Raisin, Gdlllll<' Rc.rrions 10 p. 119, hencdorth to be cited as Library, transiJted by D. R. and P. Thoma>
JdeuiJ (New York: Philosophical

the city was cut off by the sl:1ughter of its males. This regulation did not apply, however, to certain specified tribes to whom israel was to be God's instrument of justice because of their sins (Deut. 20: 10-18; also 9:4,5)Y" N ot only was Israel affected internally by the presence of oilier peoples whom it absorbed or alongside of whom it lived, the development of the kingdom meant foreign alliances as welL T hat of David and Hiram of Tyee is well known (II Sam. 5:11,12}. These alliances constituted no little problem for Solomon whose myriad marriages led the wisest of men to build temples for his heathen wives and to worship in them himself ( I Kings 11 : 1-8). Godbey has shown from Scripture ( 11 Kings 23: l3) and oilier sources that these pagan cults persisted on the Mount of Olives even in Josiah 's time. He also documents from Ass)rian and other sources the persistence of pagan cultic forms and of continu(-d Iranian migrations into Palestine throughout tl1e days of the monarchy.107 The true religion was never the sole religion of Palestine, nor was it ever confined to The large number of figurines and small plaques of the Canaanite fertility and mother goJdessess found in Israel shows the widespread syncreticism practised there. 10v The books of Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles detail many foreign interferences in the life of the chosen people. Israel lived ar the crossroads of history, and this forced her to look at herself in relation to the nations and thei r faiths. The similarities or points of contact between the Old Testament religion and the neighboring religions are such that the Jews and the native religions of tht land must have deeply influenced each orher.u u Later the contacts of Israel with the world in the dispersions of her people will be detailt:d. It will suffice at this point to sny that no place on earth was

106 Julius Morgc<IStern, "Jerusalem 48} B. C.," IWCA , XXXI (19)4), l-30, refers to the passage in Deuteronomy 20: I014a as "as a body of war legislation" and relation to the ruttions and God's details its signilicance with respect to for the peoples. 107 Allen Howard Godbey, Tht Loll A ltf)lh (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1930), pp. t06110, ht-nca:fonh to be cited u Losr Tribn. This work by Godbey is ,ery well done. Unfortunately the title "lost Tribes" is misleading. Tbe book has a far broader scope chan the <IUcStiun of the ten lost tribes. which the tide suggests. 108 This is deuilt'd b) James Will<am Parkes, Th., Conflio of she Ch11rrh and rhe S;nJgogue (Cleveland and New York: The World Publishing Co., 1961 , p. }(f. 109 James B. Pritchard, l'iguriues in Rrlarion 10 Ctrlaill Goddesus Known Thro11gh Liser.zlure (New Haven: Univc:rsity Press, 1943); G. E. Wright, The Old TI!JIJIII<tnl Ag"i11J1 iJJ E111 tro1smenr. p. 24. t tO Consult Stanley Arthur Cook, The Old Tcllii/IW/1 (New York: Macmillan, 1936). pp. 62-100. ior a detaileo.l prc:sernation of the points of contact between Old Testament ghboring religions. The author's bi:IS will be immediately apparent, religion and the ne1 but his source: material is invaluable for this que>tion. See also II Kings 17: II, 26H. Cf. also William Oscar Emil Ocstc:rlcy, ed.. judaism ond C/;riSii,mily (3 vols .. London: The Sheldon Press, 1937), I, p. article by S. H. Hooke. Of very great significance for tody is the fact tha t the problem of Palestine and lsrncl and the nations continues to confront the Church and tile world. Sec fuotnote 7, Chapter IV, of this dissertation.

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comparable to Palc:Stine so far as being advantageous for contact with the rest of the wocld. God favored his people when he set the bounds of the nations with reference ro Israel (Deut. 32:8). Excavations in Yemen (S. Arabia) show that as early as 4,000 B.C. an extentive trade was begun and continued to be carried on through the millenia '\'ith the lands we now know as India and Greece. This region was an important base for the spre-.lJ of Jewish trade and colonies down into the Christian era. Not a iew Jewish colonies throughout the seas and the continents of Africa and Asia traced their origins to the Yemenite Je-ws.lu lt is the combination of all these circumstances th:lt confron ted the Jews with the question, " What about the gerim ?'' At Sinai the basic legislation was laid down. I t concerned the place- of the gerim among the people and within the boundaries of the Everything concerning this legislation need not be detruled.n2 A summary will suffice to sbow the rebtionship to the fulfillment of mission to the world. What was the legal position of the gerim? Regardless of where he originated or what was his ancestnl faith, elemental morality was expected of every resident in ancient Israel. For the utter alien whose disassociation from Israd's fruth and fr,>edom of life was total Scripture employs precise designations, such as the Hebrew words ben nt!(har, narhri, zar and achar, the meaning being that of travdlt:rs or aliens (Deut. 14:21; D :3; 23:21; 29:21; Ex. 12 :43; 11 Sam. Ezek. 44:9) . H e is without rights, although passages sut:h as Ex. 20:20ff. and 23:9 show a miiJer altitude than was generally shown among other pcoples.113 But the ger was always to some degree at least incorporated into the community of Israel. This implied religious fc.:llow ship. The varying degrees of affiliation were not clearly defined or cat<:gorizc:d in Biblical antiquity. However, when the gu assumed all the group obligations - ethnic, social and relig ious - he became a full-fledged member of the cong regation of Israel and his descendants were legally inJistingu ishable from other Israclites.ru In Josh. ll:33 he is dc:scribed as being p.1rt of "all Israel .'' It is important to understand this in the light of an d against the backg round of the semitic religions of the day. Religion did not exist among the.: Semites
1t1
t t2

A. H. Godbey, Loii Tribes, p. 174ff. A number of authors have given considcnble auention to these da1..1. Some of the principal works that may be co nsulted arc: Alfred Bertholet, Dit Sse/lung Jer lwuliun unJ die judcu zu Jm Frcmd<'n (Leipzis: J . C. B. Mohr, 1896), henceforth Jo b.: cited as Die Sse/lung; D . M. Eichho rn, Corm:rsion so judailm; F. Ouwacter, Prt<pariug sb<' Wa) for Paul; \YI. 0 . E. Ocsterley, Judailm and Cbrissiallil) ; }. Pctcr.son, Miuionary i\1eshods; E. Shiirer, Geuhirhu; Joachim Jeremias, jerusalem If/ 1he Tmus of jmu, tr.mslated by F. H. & C. H. C:tve (London: SCM Press ,1969); German title = zur Zeis jesuJ (Gottingen: 19?>7). 1H Georg Kuhn , npom'}A.llto<;. TWNT, VI, p. 728; D. M. Eichhorn. Conversiou so judaism, p. 9; A. Bcrtholec, Die Sse/lung, is frequently used br Kuhn as one of his sources. 114 A full treatment of this subject can be found in D. M . Eichhorn. so judaism, p. ;H.

for the saving of souls but for the preservation of society, as WiJliam Smith )hows.''G Every man had to take his part in whatever was necessary to that end. The altem:uivc was to break witl1 the domestic and political communi ty to which he belonged. It was therefore impossible for a man to change his religion without dunging hs nationality. The nationalism of the Semite was religious.116 W hen a man changed hi) religion, he had to foreswear his own kindred and b.: received into a n.:w eire!..: of civil as well as religious life. Consistent witl1 this the rabbis spoke of the prosdyte "as a dlild newly born." Another rabbinic statement concerning the legal status of the ger says "the heathen has no father. " 117 The parable of the stal:j admid the sheep arid goats is quoted by Abrahams with this rabbinic application, "so we must treat with tc:nder consideration a ger who has forsaken his family and his fatl1er's house, who Ius left behind his people and all the peoples of the wocld and has chosen to come to us." T he parable stated that the stag would not sleep in the wilderness with others of its kind, but associated with the flocks instead. The owner held it especially dear, just as God loves the proselyte because he has left his f.lmily, home, people and the Gentile nations and has come over to the Jsr.lelites. Jn yet another place the Mishnah and Talmud lay down this principle: "one must nor say to descendants of proselytes: recollect the deeds of your forefathers for it is said in Ex. 22:21 thou shalt not vex, neither shalt thou oppress them." The Talmud adds, "If a proselyte desires to learn the Hible, say not to him, Shall the mouth that ate carrion recite the words spoken from the mouth of Power?" nd A t this stage of Israel's history we have no record of any ritual requirements marking the formal admission to citjzenship other than the requirement that he and his house must be circumcised if he is to partake of the Passover. What were the mutual of gerim and Israelites? To answer this question it is necessary to observe that originally the word ger had a geographical connotation. Ever. Jews living outside of Palestine were called gerim. 11u Althoul:jh the LX.5( generally translates tl1is term by 1tpoafj}..u-roc;, the religious sense did not gain prominence until the Babylonian exile when the Jews, tl1emsdves gerim in the sense of strangers in Babylon, became convinced that it was their duty to make gerim, in the sense of proselytes, of their fellow countrymen. This later development was accompanied by the understanding that

115 William Robc:rtsoo Smith, The Religion of she SemiltJ (New York: Meridian Books, 1956), pp. 2937. 116 G. V'.J.O de.r ueuw, Religion in Esunre "nd /llanifessasion, p. 270. 117 BT, Yeb. 1H; J. Jeremias, jerusalem in she Times of jesus, p. 323, who quOte$ the Mek. on Exodus I 2:49, 7c. J eremias in this volume has 3n exhaustive study of c.he legal ri!)hts, descent, rights of inheritance, ecc. of the proselyte. 118 The Mishnah, Naso viii.2; Israel Abrahams, S1udin in Pharisuism and she Gospels (2 vols., New York: KTAV, 1967). pp. 7, 116; Karl Georg Kuhn, npooi)A.U'toc;, TWNT, VI, p. 738. ll9 F. Derwacter, Preparing 1he Way/or Paul, p. 21; cf. abo p. 21, n. 20.

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faith or non-faith alone made one a member of the communicy of Israel or an alien.'20 The translation "stranger" for the Hebrew ger is unfortunate. The ger was a guest, a resident alien, under the of the law of the land. When later tlle religious sense came to domanate, 1tpooi]Xu-co<; was . an tr:l.llslation, meaning literally one who came over." The an llm sc:nsc adequately fits tlle rc:al attitude and activity of Israel whose efforts it is preferable to speak of tlle reception of the Gentak-s ralller than of "Gentile mission." l .2'1 Because iliere was no sharp distinction between ilie religious and secular in tl1e life of Israel, it is difficult to separate the purely legal status of the grtr from his spiritual privileges and duties. T here was to be one law for the and for the native: this was God's command (Lev. 19:34; 24:22; Ex. 12:49, Num. 9:14; 15:15,29). There was no favoritism for eiilier the alien or ilie native born: both enjoyed religious and social equality. The ger not only enjoyed but was entitled to fuJI freedom wiili justice (Lev. _ 19:10; 23:22; Deut. 24:19ff.; Lev. 25:6; Deur. 14:28ff; 26:12ff.; Num. 35:141f; Josh. 20:9) . The same moral and ceremonial commands and prohibitions applied_ to the ger as 10 Jsrael. Forbidden to him were und1astity and aJol.my (Lev. 20:2; Ezek. 14:7ff. ; Num. 15:30) . The same nrual requtrc:ments were made of him. He was obligated to observe the same taboos (Nunl. 19: 10), might not eat blood (Lev. 17: 10) or any animal thac dit:d of ?r was torn by beasts (Lev. 17 :15) ; the same procedurt-s were requared of ham 111 sacrifices (Lev. 17:8 ; 22:18; Num. 15:14,26). The sacred days had to be observed by him: Sabbath (Ex. 20:10; 23:12; Deur. 5:14), Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29), Feast of Tabernacles (Deut. 16: 14), and Pentecost (Deut. 16:11 ). The Passover prohibition of leaven applil-<1 to him also (Ex. 12: llle full-fledged male wisht'\1 to partake of the passov_ e r, _he and to be circumcised (Ex. 12:48) . This completed hrs ancorporauon anto ilic: religious union with God's people. He h.td to_ enter forrnaHy into the covenant in order to share ilie responsibility of the election. This, in brief, is ilie legislation of the Scriptures regarding the ger. When he accepted fully the responsibility of lsrael:s he was every respect an Israelite with ilie same privileges and obligations as the natave-born sons. He, (4dl cd., 120 . Schiirer, GeubidJte di!s Jiidisrbtn Vol.kes in ZeiuJsu jmo ) vols., Leipzig: 1909), Vol. 11. Oiv. Jl, (E.T.), p. n. ; _ n, _ auenuon to 11 Ouon. 1) 9 and Jl Chron. ;o where he believes we have the fam Bablacal usc of the word in the rdigious sense; henceforth to be cited as G.:uh"bu; K. G. Kuhn, TWNT,
VJ, 728-nO.
121

in short, could become a son of God and a joint heir of the promise. There is no data from any source to substantiate whether or not the Jews in the days of the judges and kings actively sought to convert the gerim living in their midst to ilie worship of Yahweh. However, when it is remembered that every ancient cult was exdusive, that none but members of the family participated in ilie worship of the tutelary gods, that no foreigner was able to sacrifice to the deities o( the cities, the legislation under which Israel's covenant life was lived is seen as being unique in that ancient world. The pagan world knew noiliing comparable to the Torah of Israel which gave fuJI recognition to the resident :1lien and made specific regulation for his full incorporation into the life of the people. Finkelstein retells the experience of Orestes, who, masked as a stranger, returns to his ancestral home and asks permission to take part in the religious ceremonies, qualifying his request in this way, "If strangers may Slcrifice with citizens." He further adds iliat in the fifili century B.C. the Athcni.1ns considered it a "cal.unity" for a person to have an alien father.U3 SrJmmary: God's universal, redemptive covenant continued to be worked out. The non-Israelite, too, could share in ilie salvation through the obedience of f:tith in the God who hlS chosen to live on the world stage as a participant in Yahweh's drama of redemption. The bond that held Israel together as a prople was more than racial : Israel was bound to Yahweh by a covenant bond. For U lis reason it was always possible for individuals of oilier nations to be admitted as membtors of ilic particularistic covenant with lsrael and join with Israel in the service required by her clection. 1 :.t-a The non-Israelite met in Israel ilie demand of obcdienct' to ilic God who in redt'mptive grace was working out by means of Israel's election his universal covenant with maokinJ. John Piet describes this function of lsrael (and the Churdl) in a reference to I Peter 2:9.1n iliis passage (based on Dt"'..teronomy 10:15 and Exodus 19:5) the apostle speaks of "a dlosen r:u:e, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people that you may wonderful deeds of God." Piet remarks : The word "declare" is crystal clear in this epistle. It describes the duty of a messenger who brings news from within. In classical Greek the individual who performs this function on a Greek stage tells the spectators what goes on io the bouse or behind the scenes, which means he directs his de4tati.on outward to an audience which is not part of the acting group.126 There is a.lways a double concern, however, in tllis calling. For one thing, it is always important to a society that all its members should be in harmony with God's wiU since an individual could involve a community in dishonor or
123 L. Finkelstein, TJu Jews: Tb.,ir flissory, C11/111re, and Religion, I, p. 76. I 24 lt.. G. Hebert, Tb ThrtJI/e of Ouvid, p. 96. 125 J. H . Pier, The Ro"J Ahead, p. ;;. See also G. Kittel, TWNT, I, 69, where Julius Schniewind defines as "'a messenger who proclaims abroad ... what is concealed from the gaze of the spectators."'

Ernst Lohmeyer, "Mar ist gegcbcn aile Gewalt," In Ernsl Lo me?er {Stilttg.w: vangelisches Verlagswcrk, 19)1) , p. 43; also J. Jcremaas, ]eJJIS' Pronuu,
. . . . . . .

passage (Exodus 12: 19) is antc:resung sance at part o t.le instructions for the first observance: of the Passover and menuons the germs as being a part of Israel, sharing eqWilly in the promise of ddiverancc as well as equally under the curse for disobedience.

p. 2;, n. 2. 122 This

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suffering (e.g., Exodus 20:5,6; Achan at the time of Israel's defeat at Ai Joshua 7:1). Rowley states, No man could be indifferent whether his neighbor w.1Lked in God's way or not and there could be no delusion that a man's re ligion was merely his own .... Nor can any individual be wisely indiHerent to the sin of those around him. That was why the prophets were tireless in calling men to walk in the way of God. It was because this was their truest service to themselves, to their fellows and to God. And since the: nation was but a part of the wider society of the world, Israel could not be indiHecent to foreign peoples .... It is important that we ... should recogmzc: that thts developed (note the concern of Isaiah, Jonah, Amos for the peoples of the world) from the fundamental thought of the Old Testament on the. nature of mao as created in God's image ... as a member o( a corporate soctety ... ultimately concerned the life of t!Je natjoos other than their own.'!)O It is necessary at this point to give consideration to the: message of the prophets. Israel is settled in her land. She is set on thc st.a?e. A of God has been brought into being. The Gentiles must be w1tll .tlus people if they are to be saved. In the prophets God ;till be challenging. warning. and comforting his people, and 1nterpretmg h1s will for them and for the world.

that made them remind Israel again and again: you are all gecim before God .... He loveS tile: alien .... Therefore, you too must love the gee .. . . Let him be to you as the homcbocn and love him as you love yourselves . . . for many nations will join themselves to tbe Eternal and become his people .. .. He who gathers Israel's extles in says, " 1 will yet gather to them those who were gathcn:d against them." t2d This age of the prophets and the: purpose of the prophetic revelation has

been studied and debated extensively. Some find in the prophets a dear apologc:tic calJing Israel to mission; others feel just as strongly that the missionary
motivation and purpose: is qujte limited. l 29 Whid1ever position one adopts, the prophetic message of pre-exilic and post-exilic periods contains significant challenges and promises to Jew and Gentile. One will not find a caH to missions in the sense in which mission is often understood in the present day, that is, a centrally governed missionary initiative. Rath<;r than being a movement in wh ich the whole community conceives of a corporate task to fulfill on behalf of hwnnnity, Jewish proselyting movements were individually undertaken and concernd l.trgdy with inJividuals.130 Aalen says, T here is no real missionary conception in these writings if we understand by mission a message or missionary initiative going out from the center, striving t o reach the Gen tiles where they are, and meeting thern just as they are for their own sake. The doxa is inseparably bound up with lsrael and Jerusalem. N o one can share 10 it wtthout "coming to it," becoming a proselyte, i.e., without becoming a jew.l3L Such juJgments as the above statement may not be taken to mean that Jews did not make: farr(::lching, significant and effective attempts to win others to their faith. Their is too dear to say that. Even though it is true that no one has found in tl1e Old Testament a direct, unmistakably clear Jivioe commission

F. Vision: The A ge ojlhe PropheiJ

The world will be perfected under the kingdom of the Almighty, and all the children of flesh will clll upon thy name, when thou wilt turn unto thyself all the wicked of the earth. Let all the inhabita nts of the earth perceive and know that unto thee every knee must bow and every tongue swear. Before thee, 0 Lord our God, Jet them bow and fall; and unto thy glorious name let them give honor; let them all lCCept the yoke of thy kingdom, and do thou reign over them speedily, and forever lnd ever .... Concerning this prayer from the Mussaf, W. G. Braude observ<:: " .... of this kind were not suspended in mid-air. Actions consonant w1th the.tr spwt must have preceded and followed them." U7 . The prayer underscores what the teachers of Israel h.ad 1n an endless variety of ways and in all conceivable contexts: there 1 .s salvation for .the Israel according to the flesh; there is an equal hope of salvation for the gemu. Prophet, priest and psalmist possessed a patient, tireless pedagogic course
126 H. H. Rowley, The Faith of luael, p. 99ff. 127 W. G. Buude, jt:wiJb Proulyting, p. 17, {rom which the prayer preceding is also quolcd.

M. Eichhorn, Conrtersio11 10 judaism, pp. 3 132. Representatives of both views are numerous. !'or a sample of those who find >trung mis>ionary apJX'111 in the Old Tc>tamcnt 1he works of the following authors may be consulccd: A Benholer . .H. H. Rowlej, E. Sellin. For of the position that th<" mi>Sitlnary purpose of the Old Testament is limited, consult the bibliography for rhe works of S. Aalcn, R. Martin-Achard. 130 Thus, c.()., Sverre Aalen, Die Bt gri//t! " Lir!Jt" Jtnd "Finsurnil' im Alun Tell.llll<'lll, im Sp.itjudtnlum, Jntd im Rabbinismus (Oslo: I Kommisjon Hos Jacob Dybwab, 195 I) says, p. 218, "Eine Scndung an die Vblkcr liegt nicht in der Prophelen. srellung Also sec A. Causse, "Ll sagessc et b juive a l'epoque pcrse et hcllcni>riquc," in IYierderJ u11d IYiesen Alldll Testame11fl, ZAW, No. 66, (Bulin: 19}6), p. 148ff., cited by R. ManinAchard, Light to the Nations, p. 5, n. 18, ro the effect rhat "proselytism is more frequently rooted in 'Wisdom' than in 'Prophecy,' and advocates a monotheistic humanism." "lfihl' und "Finuunir," p. 205; Johannes Muncie, Paul 13t S. A21en, Die and tbe Salvation of Murtltirtd (Richmond: John Knox Pre,, 19}9), p. 270fl. I 28

D.

129

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calling to a mission of consciously going to the Gentiles to win them for God, this does not mean that the Old T estament is indifferent to such acti viry. In f act, the whole fabric of the revelation is woven through with the golJd1 threads of divine covenant prorruse for all peoplt!S. There is the cle-arl y discernible outlook on mission in the Old Testament which is unambiguous in its revelations as to what God expects f.rom his

1. The CiJy of God

A distinctive feature of the period now under review was tlle designation of the city of Jerusalem, not only as the capital of the united tribes and later of ilie Kingdom of Judah but as the holy, central city of the first commonwealth, the cultic center for Israel and of the worship of Yahweh.133 The designation of Jerusalem was made by Yahweh himself (I Chronicles 21:18-22:1; 1I Chronicles 6:6) in fuJfillment of his promise (Exodus 20:24). Zion became the center of unity. It is the center to which Israel must gather; it is the center to which the Gentiles are seen as cooling in the message of t11e propht:t:s. King Jeroboam I found it nec<.'"SSary to designate the shrines at Bethel and Dan as sub)titutes for Jerusalem, for he feared the reunification of the tribes if Jerusalem con tinued to be used by his subjects as t11e cultic center (I Kings 12:26-30). That Jeroboam's fears were not unfounded is shown in the incident recorded in II Chronicles 30. Hezekiah of Judah invited "all Israel" to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. Many of his messengers were mocked by some of the tribes, but many of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulon came to keep the Passover unto the Lord in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the spiritual capital. The pilgrims came from ail over the diaspora. H ere God promised to gather the outcasts of Israel (Ps. 147:2) . Yahweh said through the prophets, "This is Jerusalem; I have set her in t11e center of tl1e nations, with countries round about her" (Ezekiel }:} ) .134 "Nations shall come to you.J light, and kings to the brightness of your rising'' (Isaiah 60:3). "The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9). "Behold, you shall call
132 Walter Eichrodt, "Gottes Yolk und die Volker," in EJ.U\f, 86 (1942), 129 145, in his synthesis of Old Testament revelation shows that God says both "yes" .and "no" to his people as well as to the nations. Their rejection or acceptance is ultimately resolved in Christ. 133 Cf. Samuel Kalman Mirsky, JeruitJh-111 11.1 a Rt'ligiouJ (New York: Mizrachi Organization of America, 1950), p. 8; E. W. Nicholson, andTr:ulition, p. 97; A. G. Hebert, The Throne of David, pp. 92-93. Nicholson ignores the divine activity in the selection of Jerusalem, declaring that "the cencraJization of the cu lt (in Jerusalem) was probably accepted (by the people) simply in the: intereStS of cullic purity and as a mea.ns of countering the syncrclism which had pervaded the cultic shrines." Sec: also J. Kook De f oJ en in Je Verttrooiing, p. 49. 134 Ernst Lohmeyer, Lord of the Temple, translated by Stewart Todd (Richmond: John Knox Press, 1962), p. 22. See also Ps. 37: 1,2, 5, 6.

nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the LORD your God and of the H oly One of for he has glorified you" (Isaiah 55 :4-5) . Jn the New Testament this is altered by the fulfillment. The center of unity for the people of God is no longer a city, Jerusalem, but a Person, Jesus the Christ, and his Kingdom. He becomes the gathering point as promised, "The root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek" ( Isaiah 11 :10) . From the tim!! that he was "lifted up from the eaJ:th," he drew all men unto himself (John 12:32). In the gathering in of the elect they will come to the Son of Man and find him (Mark 13:27). Jesus explicitly stated to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well that the time was coming when both Jerusalem and Gerizim wouJd be superceded by Jesus himself as the gathering point of tl1e worshippers of God (John 4:21-24). Events would move to that great climactic day of crucifixion with its noonday darkness symbolizing the gross darkness of the peoples upon whom a great light shines in the victory of Christ over sin, death, and man's rebellion. Nations which were once summoned to Zion are now summoned to be gathered to Christ.u6 T oday geographkal Jerusalem is no longer the center of the unity of the people of God. Jts symbolic, typical character has been completed. It is now the heavenly Jerusalem, the City of God that we approach (Hebrews 12:22-24). This culminates in ilie vision of Revelation 14: 1 where ilie Lamb is surrounded by the 144,000 who follow him "wherever he goes, who have been redeemed from mankind." Where the Lamb is, there is Zion. 138 In iliese revelations is found the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies which speak of the Gentiles coming to Zion. The significance of the new form of unity for the people of God must not escape us. Jn Christ, the Head, with his Body, the Church, a form of unity has appeared that is capable of gailiering into itself alJ the diversities among men and peoples without leveling them to a featureless uniformity. Theologically there is no problem: alJ are one in t11e Christ to whom all men must be gathered. T he practical problem is the area of our difficulty. When his people are one (John 17:20,21), then in that very unity the world will have an undeniable demonstration that ilie Gospel of God's grace is for all men, for the unity includes not only those who are his disciples from among t11e Jews but also aH t110se who will believe on him through their word. T he form of ilie Christian message is such that it must of its very nature be universal. Jerusalem served yet another function. Not only wouJd "all tlle nations flow inro it, and many peoples come ... to the house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths" (Isaiah 2:2-4), an activity that is due to God's working through Israel among tlle nations, but
t35 A. G. Hebert, The Throne of David, p. 231. James C. De Young, ]1rsuaJ1m in the New Testament (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1960), pp. 117-164. 136 A. G. Hebert, Tbe Throne of David, p. 225ff.

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the ul timate destiny of all men (Jew and non-Jew) was determined by the events that took place in the Cicy of God. T he Servant of the Lord tuc.l to set his face toward Jerusalem, for it was an impossibility that a prophet should perish anywhere else. So too in preparation for the great J:1y of salvation and judgment the face of the nations would be turned towMJ Je:ru.salcm in orde:r that they might bathe in the light that would shine on them and sh.ue the blessings of the Jaw and the word that would go out from there and the: salvation worked there. Jerusalem served as the great cenkr for instruction. Here the gre-at Hilld carne to study. At Jerusalem Saul of Tarsus sat Jt the feet of Gamaliel. From Jerusalem many scribes went out to teach in the Diuspor:t, as the numerous inscriptions testify. In more ways than one, thc:reforc, the Word of the Lord went out from Jeru.salero. 137 It is still a question, as Martin-Ad1ard suggests, whtther Jerusalem has a role to play in the future. ''This role shoultl be defined with precision and the question as to how the gathering of mankind together round about Christ firs in with the eschatological function of the City of David ought to be in\'es tigated." 13ij The Church does not only inherit the mission of the Old people of GoJ, this author It is through the Church thJ.t the mission of the people of God finJs its fulfillment. This substitution by Jesus Christ of himself and his Kingdom as the Ct'n ter in p lace of the ci ty G od had chosen is extremdy important. T he im p lic.ltiot1S of this are just as great as the substitution of the Supper in remembrance of him for the Passover in 1emembrance of Israel 's deliverance out of Egrpt, or of baptism in his name as the mark of discipleship for circumcision in obedience to God's command. K. Schilder has correctly observed that the one phrase that epitomizes and precisely designates the activity of the God of revelation as it operates in Israel's trekking through the world, the one formula rh.tt is the compendium of all liturgical ordinances and accomplishment is this: "the Bible constantly stresses the thought of crt:ating a memorial in remembrance of the of the Lord .... The whole purpose of the busy, colorful worship among them is just this: God causes His Name to dwell there." oau \XIhcn Jesus claiming to be the Se:rvant of the Lord, he caused his name to be: remembered. Two alternatives arc open: either this is idolatry (and hence worthy of the curse), or else it is obedience (and demands faith). 1t is shet'r blasphemy, satanic rebellion for a mere man to set aside any of God's ordinances and to direct men 's attention to himself instead. As Schilder says, "The
Oudue ChriJit'fldom e11 dd Allli,k.: Cultuur ( Haarlem: p. 549; Schifra Stcizower, E:o:otir Jewish CommunitieJ (New York and London: Thomas Yuseloff, 1962}, p. 125. 138 R. M3rtin-Achard, tf Light to 1/Je NutionJ, p. 78, n. 7. See also Chaprcr JV, n. 7, of this JisscrtJtion. 139 Cf. Khas Schilder, Cbris1 in His Suffering, translated by Henry Zylstra (Grand RapiJs: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1938), p. 23tH., on whose presentation this parasraph and discussion are based.

issue is one of cternal right or wrong, a question of all or nothing, of being a servant or of being a rebel." But when Christ t'Stablished a memorial at Passover to himself in the Supper, he was establishing a memorial for the name of God. When he commanded men to become his disciples, he was himself the obedient Shepherd (Jeremiah 17:16). When men were baptized in his name, they became part of the Kingdom which he will at the end of the age give into the hands of the father so thar God may be all in all. He is in his own Person the Temple of the Livint:; God but also the Priest of that Temple. He supplied God's altar with the one redeeming sacrifice that was effic-.1cious. Wlhcre he is, there is God's Temple and the true Jerusalem.-uo To this the prophets of the Old Testament bore consistent witness and foretold as the Scriptures record: "The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the formt:'r, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity" (Haggai 2:9). Perhaps somed1ing of the re -ason why the Jews are today repelled by Jesus can be fo11nd In this : " H e destroyed Isra.d," said one of their great philosophers; "he was received by the G entiles and became the center of a new Israel in the earth.""'' Unwittingly, one of their own high priests, speaking prophetically, had said to the Council of the Jews, "You know nothing at all; you do not understand that it is expedient for you that one m:tn should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." He did not say this of his own accord, but being high pritst that year he prophesied that jesus should die for the nation, and nor for that nation only, but to gather into one the cbildren of God who :ue (John 11:4952).

2. The Jllnsage of th Prophets

One can expect when giving attention to the message of d1e prophets that the prophets would speak in this revelation concerning the place and purpost:' of l srad :u110ng the nations. And this is so. There arc a number of differing opinions as to the purpose of this revelation, as has been indicated. The question is usually posed in some fashion such as this: Did God through the prophets intend to challenge Israel to a world-wide witness or mission? Or was his purpose merely to affirm that Gentiles might be saved but that his people need feel no responsibility to exercise themselves in any way to make this a reality

13 7 ]. H. Waszink, el a/. , H. ) . Tjeenk Willink,

JtfO No single book in the Scriptures makes these iJcntifications su clearly as the b<tok of Hebrews. Sec especially chapters 810; on the pbce of jerusalem sec Hebrews
12:22. lll Quoted by E. G. Homrighausen, "E,angtlism and the Jewish People," IRM, XXXIX , nu. D5 (July t950), 318329, p. 318.

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for the nations? When we search the Old Testament for a comm;tnd to evangelize the nations, we find none. To approach the prophets with this limited viewpoint is not legitimate. The prophetic message addressed itself to the life of the people in its wholeness. It may not and cannot be frat,'lllented into so many pans as one pleases. At times the prophetic message was corrective; at others eschatological. Sometimes it is f?r comfort and hope; at other times it is a message of judgment. ln all Circumstances the whole life of the people is addressed in terms of the day in which they lived. The prophets addressed a people who knew from the record of God's gre-.1t works that they owed their life and existence to the graciousness o: Yahweh. In contrast to her neighbors, Israel's religious idiom hac.l to be different because man cannot manipulate God who sovereignly holds all things togcth.er. knew that men are not spectators to the capricious, \tnpredicbtblc behav10r of tmmoral de1t1es but that men are caught up in a divine Jrama which forces from them a decision. This their prophets taught them. The prophets attempted to work out in various historical situations the implications of the covenant Jiturt,>y for the life and destiny of Israel. They affirmed the grace of God and the claim of God are inseparable and can be known m the covenant. The prophets of the pre-exilic period called attention principaUy to that lay . within the nation. Syncretism with other reJigions, mtermarnage w1th heathen peoples, foreign alliances instead of trust 10 Yahweh - these are in large measure the background against which the prophets spoke. Brueggemann summarizes this nicely when he says, "The central concern of the prophets was to communicate to Israel what it meant to be Israel," and adds: To say it in contemporary language, they were concerned with the n:lture and mission o the church. The covenant liturgy had made it dear that Israel's primary loyally was to this gracious God who had confronted her in her moments of despair and need. Concerning her purp(m: in life, T srael had vowed to give hcrsdf ro Yahweh through the keeping of the covenant commandments. But in working out her loyalty and her purpose. Israel had turned away from the focus of covenant, which meant she had denied the very foundation of her existence. It is to this dishonoring of covenant that the prophets address themselves. 1t is an urgent concern for related to it is the question of Israel's historical survival.J<C! H ow must we conceive of the role of the prophet> H e is mediator, one who stands between two covenant parl'ies so that they may relate to eJch other. He may not speak just any word but he may speak only the word which God bids. him (Numbers 22:35). The words of the prophet are therefore in the serv1ce of the and depend on the situation of the covenant in his day. At the same time covenant w1th Yahweh is grounded in a distinctive world142 W. Brumeman, Tradi1ion for CriliJ, p.

view which holds that life is whole and joyous where there is perfect obedience to Yahweh's purpose. It is in this consideration that we can find the importance of the covenant message of the prophets for our purpose. I t may perhaps best be seen against the recurrent of Israel to the covenant when she turned to the service of idols and the peculiar phenomenon known only in Israel of the "false prophet.'' T he first of these Brueggemann defines af "false cult." H e says, .False cult is found when Israel goes through the motions of covenant but does not intend covenant. Such false worship is characterized by: the assumption that the worshipper leaves the sanctuary just as he came, without being changed in any way; liturgy which avoids all decision-making and responsibility: a pre-occupation with the worshippers wellbeing: a disregard for the purposes oi the covenant Lord; the assumption that this is our worship and we are answerable to no one; and, therefore, worship which permits and sustains "business as usual." Worship which has no integral relation to the covenant by which it is measured is false worship. It is worship which has forsaken the political-secular-historical-social idiom and h:ts reverted co the religious idiom of Israel's With respect to the false prophets, who may or may not be linked to the cult (this is not essential), they are prophets who do not speak within the context of covenant. They affirm that Yahweh is in the midst of his people, but they te-ach that the people are safe from any harm. Von Rad points out how they speak of well-being when Yahweh is bringing judgment.14 The issue is the control of history. The true prophet compels men to confront Yahweh who is in charge of ali history. The false prophet allows and encourages Israel to think that Yahweh can be appl>ased, manipulated, influenced, bought off to work Israel's will, that Israel's own purposes count most. The result is that Israel becomes a self-enthroned lord, master of the covenant relationship. These matters bring us to the heart of the prophetic tradition and its significance for the c.levelopmen t and working out of the universal covenant. Read in this light, the passages in the and Psalms which have been taken to speak of the wider vision that embraces Jew and non-Jew into one mean simply that the most powerf ul witness God has is an obedient, covenantkeeping people living under his sovereignty.H 5

143 ibid., p. 10 l. 144 G. von Rad , "Die fa lschen Propheten," ZAW (1933). l09ff., and Eva Osswald, Fuluhe im Allen Tulaf/JenJ .1S cited by W. Brueggemann, Tradilion.for CriJis, p. 157, n. 27; see also pp. 102-103 of Brueggemann. 145 E.g. lsa. 2:24: .Mic. 4:1-4; Hab. 2: 14; Zeph. 3:9ff.; ]er. 12:1)ff., 13:17; 16:9ff. Passages implying universal acceptance of Israel's God listed by H. H. Rowley, MiJJiotulfJ MeSJage, are these: I Kings 8:4 1ff.; !sa. 55:6; Jer. 3:17; Ps. 86:9ff.; 102:15ff..; 22:27ff.; 67; 68:31ff.; 47:8; 72:8ff.; Zech. 9:9ff.; 8:20ff.; Ps. 18:49ff.; 55:6; 117; 96:1, 7ff.; !sa 66: 18ff. In most of the 11.bove passages Israel is the passive agent in God's hands

A. coroll ary of the above is that Yahweh who addresses Israel through his true prophets addresses the world through l srael. H e is G od of the nations. Perhaps no prophet makes it so dear that Yahweh is God of the nations as the prophet Amos. Yahweh had acted in the history of the Philistines and the A.rameans (9:7). He sends his fire of judgment on the:: nations that oppose his authority (1 :3- 2:3) . He summons one nation as the: insirument of his wrath against another (6: 14). Even world disasters serve his purposes ( 7: 1,4 ; 4:6-I l). His authority extends even to Sheol (9:2-4). In 9:7 the Exodus is cited as an instance of his control of history and set in the context of international history. ''In the high points of Hebrew prophecy, the sovereign rule of God is not separated from his sovereig n, spiritual presence." 146 Moltmann recogni:t.L'S this as a central d ement in the history of Israel. He shows that the lordship of Yahweh is not displayed in the history of Israel as a wordly kingship over the: natural world around man, but leadership towards the land of promise, Jnd thus a historic lordship which shows itself in unique, unrepeatable, startlingly new, purposeful events. The world and all nations become his universe, his kingdom and his praise. " The universal expectation has its ground in rcmcmbering the particular historic reality of his sovereign action in Israel." uT T hrough Israel the wo rld would learn and discover the greatness of lsrac!'s God. Confronted by the unmistakable transformation of Israel into a People of God, elect and precious, the nations would g ive God the g l.ory that is his due. The redemption of Isracl bccornes the :l[c:na in which lsrac:l confronts anJ subdues the nations. The battle will not be fought with swords and spears nor with the use of swift horses and chariots. The word of G od will be the s word (Isaiah 49:2) and the dusty feet of the swift messenger will be beautiful upon the mountains as they curry the news of God 's triumph :1nd publis h pl-ace ( Isaiah 52:7) . In this sense the role of the M esseng er of the Covena nt (Mal. 3: 1) must be understood. H is mission is prophetically tied to Jerusalem and Temple. His task is to bear the judgment of God and before Israel and the world to work the redemption which will become good news for aU the peoples (Isaiah 53). 14ij

Blauw observes that "all the emphasis falls on the fact that the world of nations is a gift to the Messianic Servant; there is no reference to the world of nations as the 'missionary territory' of the Servant." H O The ultimare destiny of the world depends on the existence of lsracl in the midst of the nations: in living by Yahweh the Chosen People lives for mankind. Such is the missionary outlook that emerges from the oracles of Dcutcro-Jsaiah. The concrete form that the: mission of Israel to the world has to assume it that Israel should be the People of God.1 0t5 W hen the nations come to Yahweh, they will not lose their national identities. T hey shall no t becom e Is raelites ; they w ill remain m embers of their own peoples. But they will be recognized as serva nts of God (Zechariah 2:11 ).161 What Karl Barth writes about the church applies equally well to Israel:
As the communiry goes to the nations, c:1lling them to discipleship, it docs not remove front1ers and differences between them. Nor does it sanction them. It rather constitutes right :1cross them a new people Ill which the members of all peoples do not merely meet but are united. Gathered to it, men are first members of this new people:, i.e. Christians, and only then, without disloyalty to their derivation but above all without compromising their unity, are they members of the different nations.1 62

It is not clt.-ar whether the Jt:ws consciously addressed themselves to the conversion of the Gentiles in the light of the messages of the prophets. Many have combed the literatun:, sorted out the doctrines taught in the Old Testament and found in the literature of the Jews, as!Ung us to believe that the author of some individual book or statement represents both himself and his audience, that his attitude refk.octs either a broadly hdd antecedent position or else that it permeated virtually the entire community. The fact is that Scripture represents God's will for his peoplt' and the world, and in ancient days as truly as today that will is only imperfectly carried out. SauJmel opines that "virtually aU the evidence available co ncerni ng outsiders joining themselves to Judaism deals with passive reception . . .. What remains elusive is the question of a Jewish missionary movement. " 163 The belief that the: true religion must in the end be ChnstiJn Jewish polemic. The pre-Chris1ian cxeges1s included Jew and Gentile alike in the promises. 149 J. Bluw, i\liJSiotuuy NJtllr<', p. 49 . A Similar opinion is expressed by R. Ma.rtin Achard, A Light to the Nutions, p. } I. I R. Manin-Achard, A Light to the N.ttioni , pp. }1 , 32. IH Louis Finkels1ein, Pharisen, (3rd ed.; 2 vols.; Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1962), II, p. 506. 1}2 K . Barth, Church Dogmatift, IV :3, p. 899. 153 S. Sandmd. Tlu Fim Chrinian Century, p. 21: Juster, Lu juifs dam /'Empire nomai11: '"'" fonJnion juridiiJIII!, eronomi'lue et Joriale (2 vols.; New York: J:l. FrJnklin, 1965), I, p. 3Rilif., henceforth 10 be ci1cd us Lcs ]11i/1.

for the fulfillmem of his purptlSt:. 01her passages which speak of the na1 ions sharing the: faith of ls1'11d and enr.-ring into her rdigious heritage arc: lsa. 2: 2--i ; .Mic. -i: lff.; lsa. tl :?ff.; 2: 1-1; ln. tl : lff.; Z.-ph. 3:9ff.; Jcr. 31 :31 .33(.; l>hl. l : tOff.

t46 ] . Anhur Baird, The juuiu of God in 1/u Tt!Jt hmg of jnus (Philnddphia: Wes1minster Press, t963), p. ht:nccforth to be cited as Tht! justice of God. t-17 Juq;t:n Moltrnann, Theol ol!,y of Hop<', mnslated by Jamt>s W. Leiuch (New York and Evanston: Harper and Row, pp. 216211!. 148 Joachim Jeremias, Euchurimc W'orJs of ]cwJ (Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 148, tel ls us that we must distinguish bc1wcen and pos1-Christian Judaism's intcrpretMion of Isaiah 52 and 53. Post-Chris1ian Jewish exegesis reje"ed the interprcmlion of prc-Chris1ian Jewish scholars thn1 1hesc passages rcfcred 10 the Gentiles. The: puS)ugcs, which were so impunant to 1hc church, surfcrcd gr.-ally from lht: anli

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universal was enough to make Israel a missionary people and Judaism a mis sionary religion.164 . I n order to avoid being repetitious, the developments 111 the pre-exJI1c penod that are regarded by some as laying the foundations for the development of the synagogue, which became a significant institution for Jewish _and Christian propaganda, will be passed over for the prescnt.1 r.:. Israel must be seen as it spread among the nations in the early diaspora. The revelatiOn of God's purpose for Israel and the nations became increasingly dearer and the foundations f:ljJ which eventually led to the proselyting movements that prepared the way for the spread of t.l1e Christian message. While in the home-land the divine revelation was being reduced to writing and incorporated into the sacred Scriptures, out in the Diaspora the People of God were le-arning ro live among the nations.

3.

DiaJpora: A Pcoplt! in 1/u Midst of the Nutiom

The survey of the Old Testament anteceden ts anJ background of the Chri_ stian mission has thus far witnessed the appearance of lsrac:l on center stage 1n Gods redemptive drama, observed by the nations, bathed in the lig ht of g race that shone on it through el<.:ction and covenant. A no less important development of the pre-exilic period involved the movement of significanc numbers of the people of into the midst of the nations. from times was not the exclusive and only home of the J ews although 1t was the matn culllc center. T he early dispersions of the Jews were largely volwltary, undertaken for varied reasons, and of great significance for the later dispersions and pros elytism. The complete story bas never been told; only the broad outlines can be drawn.l66 ln tracing the movements of the Jewish people into the world it is sometimes difficult, as Sandmel observes, to weigh the distinction between an ethnic group with religion as its basis and a community that is primarily a religious comrnunity.l61 The Jews never lost their ethnic sense, no matter how far they wandered from the ancestral lands. Because they were scattered through
G . F. Moore, JudaiSm in she Fiflt Cet/IUYIU, p. 229. . 155 For a full treauncnt of the pre-exilic antc:eedents of the synagogue see Lou1s .ProreedingJ of t h.: .tfmuiran for Finkelstein, orig1ns of the Jewuli Reuarrh, l, 4959; II.. M enes, Tempel und Synagoge,' Z.t!W, L, 26876; Salo W ittmeyer Baron, A Suriul and R.:ligiouJ HiJ/ory o! th.: JewJ (3 vol.s .; . New . York: Columbi\1 Universily Press, 1937), I, p. 109ff. For the turther treatment of thiS subject see
1)4

the world account had to be taken of th e rest of humanity, which in some way . necessanly the ethnic sense. According to the Talmud the wrestled With _the question of th e p roselyte and his relationship to !scad, bur 1t was the ethn1c problem that appears most difficult for them to solve : when and under what conditions did the proselyte receive full, legal status as a Jew? The ancienr world was characterized by continued movements of peoples. The of Judaeans and Israelites in foreign lands is not a unique nor an phenomenon of that age. There arc ancient parallels among many. ot the peoples, e.g., the Phoenicians and the Greeks. The Assyrians established commercial colonies in Cappadocia as early as 1850 B. c.us With respeet to t.l1e Jews the earliest Scriptural references to trade and commerce with nations in the context of the preparations for and building of the F1rst Temple. H1ram, the king of Tyee and close friend of both David and Solomon, sent his servants to Solomon to teach them the sea-routes of the Mediterranean and the routes from Ezion-Gr:bcr and Eloth to Ophir (f Kings 9:26,27; II Ch_ ron. 8:27). lt appears that prior to the building of this great fleet the Israelites were not gn-at .. sea-farers. But the alliance thus formed led eventually to the absorption of the Phoenicians by the Jews. The Gretks of and referred to rhc Phoenicians and Jews as being one people and applied one n:une to them.t60 From _ the Jist of materials used in the construction of Solomon's Temple one JUSt a of the of this commerce.teo The Jews reached lndJa or at k-ast_ on_ cxtc:nsvc c.:ontacts with that land in this period, for all prod ucts l1sted 111 I Kings 10:22 are of Indian origin. The H ebrew word for peacock" (tukkiyyim) is a word of Dravidic origin.181 Raisin maintains that the Jews had a g reat influence on the development of the South Indian One may not draw the conclusion from the above that the Jewish D1aspora was largely o riented to commerce.t 03 Josephus tells us that not a few
158 Robert Henry Pfeifer, HistOr) of Ne111 Testamtnl Ti11us (New York: Hupc:r and Bros., 1919). p. 166. Pfeiffer also gives a fully docwnen1ed summary of the Jews in the lands of their dispersion. t 59 S. W. Baron, A Sorial a11d Religious llislor) of the Jews, I, p. 138; M ichael Ddafosse, The Negron of.t!frita (Port Washington, N . Y.: Kennib1 Press, 1968) shows the Jews followed t he Phoenicians in all Nahum Slouschz TraJJels ;; Norsh 11/ma (P hiladelphia:. Publicatiun Society of /l.merica, 1927), 'p. 212, says The G reeks could not between the Hebr.:ws and Phoentcians: 160 See I Kings 9:26 28; 10: It, 15, 22, 27. l.c:vi Herzfeld, HantleiJgeuhirhte tier Jutlm dn Al1.r1unu (Braunschweig: John Heinrich Meyer, 1878), hencdorth to be cited as the extent of this commerce and the origin of the varied commod111es, p. 90ff. 161_ Thus the JewiJh EnrJrlupedia, VI, 58 1)82; S. Su-izowcr, b otir JewiJh Com P A. H . pp. 3 t 7, 329330, uaces the linguistic .I SSOCIUIIv ns wah South Ind 1a tn detail . H ._ Godbey, Lou !rib..J, p. J. S. Raisin, Gentile R,.aaioru, p. 23. 162 A. _ 163 TillS IS the concluson th3t L. Herzfeld drew (Handelsgeuhithlt, p. 202ff.),

pp. 7677 of this dissertation. . . 156 ScvcrJI scholars have docurnen1ed what is known of che vanous )ew1sh movements and these will be cited. On the problem of a complete picture see S. W . Baron, .tf Soria/ and neligiouJ History o/rlie Je1 vs, p. 128; Thomas CIJimh Fi rsl .tfnrient (London: Thynne and Co., Ltd., 1937), p. t 6; J . H. W amnk, es al., He1 OudJJe Cluistendom eo de Ansioke Cu/1uur, p. 537560. t 57 S. Sand mel , T he PinI Cbriuian Century, p. 8 t.

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Jews served as mercenaries under Alexander the Great. In fact they were much sought after foe this purpose. Generals, soldiers, policemen, government offici3ls, t:tx-farmers, ownen :tgricultur:tl IJborers, slaves, cnftsmen, merchants, money-lenders, physici;ns _ all these types of were to be: found in the Diasp?ra, if we h:td more numerous sources at our disposal we should cert.unly dt> cover a still greater varic:ty.164 One is astonishc:d at the <.-:<tent oi the trade:. has carried on by the Babyloni:ln, Syrian, E&'YP''an, ..lll, Arabi:m, Asia Minor, ;tnJ European-As1.1 Jewsh colontes. !hl l1>t of mJtt:nJb roduced and tradeJ is like the goods found in :wy grc:ar l\ld llle East_ern p or1ve oil, dates vanous f today : ccn..11 0 rams, nee, wood , wmes, o 1 1vn, . d " h wax ammals and vegetables, balsam, salvc:s and me ICILlCS, sp1ces. oney, . .. various cattle, animal products, fish, luxury raw mat(:n.als of, kinds, cloth, clothl'S, jcwdry, weapons, tools, 1mplcmcnts, wntlng _ m:ucnab, salt and other itc:ms for daily use.'" All of this demonstrJtes how 1n . a .sand and one ways the Jt:wish people were thrown into thc:lf environs, and along with his goods the Jew frequently m rm:d h 1 s Deginning with the: Fnr East and China. the: lands and areas to Jews rnigr:1red will be: briefly surveyed . ChmJ. w as known to 15 days of Isaiah, being mentioned in J.sa. 49:12 by l"ht: na.ml Sin Sdk 1 E k 1 " I 0 1 That the J c:ws had e-J.rly contact w11h sdk mc:nttonec m u. ' ' . 1 Q 1ina is evidenCl'(l by the- fact that the: tombs to a Jtwt s 1 merchant colony in Southern Russia near where the had its cen ter in Roman times, of sdk stuff h:IVe traced to the third century B.C.'67 The existence of Jewi)h colontes sn dates from very c:trly times. Place names associatc:d with the Jews _of Chma arallel the ancient overland silk routes that extt-ndr:J from Palest me _acro)s to the Pacific Coast and Northwest The Jews reached Chm:l by ba>in , 111, claim largely on 3 Ji>t of importJnl wmmerciat cente.rs which Jews H nweH:r. , V. A. Tcheriko,er lltll<mJtU CndltJ/1011. p. . }}311 .. from gvery er1y . . . this thesis in 3 well-d;>cumented study sJying. ""The lis1 01 CtllcS on which Jew> Sc:tlled can be countered by an eqully long list of "'.lbges.. .. , 1 22 v A Tcherikover C/1111ruuro11, p. 343. 164 josep h us. C011/fJ roy.. b . h or 165 L. Hc:nfdJ, llumhlsgeubhhu, p. 90ff . all of which ts documen1ed y thts from Scripture TulmuJ, and other sources. . . . . . .. 1 5ontm, l 16 6 Th re arc: some who do not accept this idt"ntificauon of Clun.1 ' " 1 to a Pace t s, . ci1y in Southern Eg)"pt mwarJs . >rcfcrrin imtcad 10 rdatc tus. )en, ," .. ,.,,h 0 1 l Ethiopia, nnw called Aswan. St lk came on1)' f rum Chtna See on ""Sinim," 1 ''" 1 . b r Enqclopedi,,, article "China," IV, PP :133ll. .. 6 K f . Kc>lol r ""The Jews 4nJ Commerce. Tlu ,u, nor.th. Ill , ( 0 CIU c l 7 Ju munn , b h t881) 131 !887) , 2 1 1-217: 1.. Slcph.oni. Comptes /U)IIr IIJ78 (St. I clcrS urg , . P. . l61! A. H . Godbey, LOJt Trib<'J, see 0131> on p. 366. Also se: map> b) Charles \'Vhiw, Tbe Cbm<'JB j.-us: rl Compilation of i\lauas Relatmg t /J the I

other routes also and in different periods. Some colonies of Chinese Jews came by way of India and c,-ylon, from there finding tl1eic way to China and forging a final link with those who had come by the overland routes. These Jews have left their traces all along rhc Southern coas ts of Asia, in Ceylon, and in the Eastern Archipelago.t'"' Some form of con t:tct was maintained with Indian Jews, for the Black Jews of the Malabar Coast had a list of sixty-five Jewish colonies resident in India, and China, all of whom were represented as composed of ""Jsradites."" 170 Others entered China by way of Bactria and Parthia in the when rhose ancient kingdoms were under the sway of Antiochus the Grt""JtY 1 Later, when fanltiCism in the third anJ fourth centuries A.D. drove large numbers of Jews out of they turned to th-: existent colonies of JoJ iJ Jnd China settle,! perm.utc:ntly the chief centers of the silk culture:, .uuanc:J by the trJde of Jewish pred('Cl"S)Ors. They settled in the great wics, including HonJn whi..:h for awhile was the capital of China.' 72 Oral traditi on the only datable early migration co China as taking place Juring the Han dynasry (206 U.C.- 22 1 A.D.). In favor of the early Jate for some of thr.:se scttlt:rs is the f.tcr th.u when contacted by Christian mission:tries in !Jrer centu ries they knew about )l"SU) Sirach but had never heard of Jesus Christ. A lso, the building known as the Synagogue of K"ai-feng Fu rc:sembled more the patlern of Solomon's Temple than the patrern of the synagogue strucrun.:s, although the Jews there did commemorate the destruction o[ the Temple in 70 A.D. 173 few setl'lcmcnts in Asia surpass them in antiquity, though so far as wt know rhc:y nt:ver rl"JchcJ the size: of other colonies. Torrance who has studied the ChiJng people of Westc:rn China in Western Szechuan (between China proper Jnd Tibet) concludes that these people are definitely not of Chinese stock and that the rno.ny similarities betwc:eo the Old Testament .1J1d the customs of these ptople points to a D.C. origin from a Semitic group. The people: themselves claim to be desccnd.1nts of Abrahan1. Taking the reference of ll EsJras 13:40--15 as referring to the euly dispersion of Jews easrward into Afgh:tn, tl1is is 3 possibiliry. m

10

K '.lifeng Fu pnd l-d .; Toronto: Univer.ity of Toronto Press, 1966), pp. AD, honcefonh b.: c11cJ .as Th<' Chirteu Also, A. K . Glover, "The jews of the Empire:,"" P:ut V, Tiu Mr11or.Jb, V (July 111!18) , lt l5. The most complete and recent bibliognphy

W:tll!a:

mJflcr.. rdJting to fltt Jews of China can be: found in Rudolph LOwcnthall. ""The in China: Chines... Sorl3/,mJ Polttrral Srimu Re1ieu, XXIV, no. 2 (Peking, 1940). 169 A . Kingsley Glover, ""The jews of the Chinese Empire," The Henorah, IV (Apnl 1888), 359365. 170 A. K . Gluver. Th.IV (March t81ill) . 2392-19. 171 Sidney l\lc:ndelssohn, The feu s of Asia (London: Kegan, Paul. Trench and Trubne<r, 1920), p. tH (ch:1pter 9); J. Peterson, Miuwllrlfy ltlt!thods. p. 137. 172 K. Kohler, ""The Jews and Commerce," p. 213. 173 /t!wish Euryrlopediu. IV, p. 33: A. K. Glclver, '"The jews of the Chinese Empire," parts 3 and 4, The .t\leuor.dJ, IV (May 188!l june 1888). 439-410, 174 T. Torrance. Cbiluls First MiJJio11arin: Anritllt lsraelitn, p. 17ff. This conclusion drawn by Tormnce is by no means cc:r1nin.
n(

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It is of interest that in China alone of all countries the Jews are characterized by a name, Tiao Kiu Kiou ("the sect which extracts the sinews"). The name calls attention to an ancient practise basc:d on 32:33, a custom of grc:ar 116 antiquity. Nowhere else is this practice used to give a local name to a race. Adjoining the northern wall of the synagogue of K 'ai-feng Fu there was a recess in which the sinews were extracted from the animals slain for food, a remarkable fact since nowhere else is it known that the synago&"lle was chosen for this praccicc. 11o All the facts tend to show a long and peculiar development as well as social life of the Jewish community in China. The synagogue at K'ai.feng Fu is of special interest, it is in that the contact of Christian missions with remaining colomes of Jews 10 Chtna took in more recent centuries. The building itself was rather being 300400 feet by l:iO feet, having four courts, facing {1 Ki ngs Dan. 6:11 ) . The devated chair in this synagogue was callt:d "the ch:11r of Moses." 111 The colony cdebratc:d the New Moon (which also indicates a preTalmudic origin). ln the H all of Ancestors a golden censor was assigned to each patriarch and great man whose memory was there. Ezra was included among this group. The history of the group s best known from the inscriptions fouoc.l there. One says, "Adam the first mao was from in the West .... Our religion come-s originally from T'hL-en-chuh ( = lndta or Ceylon) .... During the Han dynasty this religion entered China." Perhaps .thc:rc was more than one migration to this place for the tablets arc not conststent with respect to this date. In the <.':lrliest inscription it is said a party of seventy families reached China in the Sung dynasty and were tnvJtc:d by the emperor to settle at Pic:m (modern K'ai-feng). The second says the Jews r<.:'.tchcd China in the Hln dynasty, while a third d:1tes this in the Chou Kingdom or 1711 before the yea1 250 B.C. (1027256 B.C.). Western knowledge of the colony came about in this way. In a member of the colony, Ai Ticn, came to the Jesuit Father Mauco m Pc:-king to inquire about the religion of whicl1 he had heard. W. C. Whtte tdls the story in this way:
175

On this occasion !'ather Ricci asked Ai if he had any knowledge of the Christians and hc could say nothing about them under that name. But when he signs to him, he said that there were certain foreigners in the same oty of K'ai-feng, and also at Lin-ching and in Shan-hsi, who bad come to China with their ancestors and worshipped the cross, and that part of the doctrine which they recited was from their (Jewish] books which they too recited- this would be the Psalter.no

Down to modern times a synagogue still furnished a contact point for the Christian mission! The K'ai-feng Fu synagogue inscriprions display a loyalty to China in these words, showing how completely the Jews had accepted China as their homeland.
Although our religio n enjoins worship thus earnestly, we do not reader it merely with a view to securing happiness to ourselves, but, seeing that we have received the favors of the Prince and thus enjoy the emoluments conferred by him, we carry to the uttermost our sincerity in worship with a view to manifesting fidelity to our Prince and gratituJe to our country.180

176

S. Mendelssohn, Tht ofllsia, p. 141. . Thi! jewish Etu)rloptdia, IV, p. 36. The author also comments that tlus shows

a very early origin for the colony since "Rabbinic Judaism would have suggested more distinctive peculiarities of the Jc:ws to the Chinese." 177 Muslim tra\'dlus the jrws in chronicles dated 851. Marco Polo ( 1286) also spokr of their powerful and political influence and of their synagogues at K'ai-feng Fu and HJngchow . See ) . ;\lissionar) Meshods , p. H? direction of prayer tOwMd Jerusalrm sec Fran-z Landsberger, "The Sacred DtrCCillln til Synagogue and Church," 1/UCII, XXlV (1957), pp ... J8t -201. who .very ancient this of toward jerusalem was. The cha tr of Moses stll a common fixture in todays synagogue and is mentioned by Jesus in Matt. 23:2. 178 For full details sec TlJe j ewish En{ydopedia, IV , article "China," PP 3338; the series of nrticles in The /lienorah by A. K. Glover; W. C. White, 'l'h Chinne Jews; S. Mendelssohn, l'ht of IIJia.

Here in China, as elsewhere in the Diaspora, Jentsalem remained their holy city, but they were for generations citizens of the lands of their birth, as Philo said.181 The emigr11tion of d1c J ews to India is even more difficult to assess. The colonies claim various origins, some as l>arly as the captivities; others as late as the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D.l.82 Godbey demonstrates commercial contacts as early as 900-1000 B.C. This docs not mean sctded, permanent colonies, howevcr.t113 A very early migration is indicated by the Black Jews of the Malabar Coast who possesSed few manuscripts and prac ticed traditions different from those of neighboring Jews of later origin. Their traditions as to their origin date their ancestors to the time of the Babylonian Captivity. Many of the Jews who did not return after the Exile continued to move farther and farther eastward and fanned pennanent settlements in Central Asia and India. Alexander the Gre-at's conquests were another means of spreading the Jews more widely in the East than ever before. The Jews always seemed to follow on the heels of conquering armies. The Jews of India down to modern times evidence distinct differences among themselves, in part the result of the various times in which they came to lodia

179 W. C. White, Chineu jew, p. 32ff. 180 A . K. Glover, "The Jews of the Chinese Empire, Part )," The Mtnorah, V (July 1888). ID-19. The full text of all inscriptions is given here by Glover. Also by the same author ''Manuscripts of the Jews of China and India, Part VI," The /l!morah, V (September 1888), 144- t51. 181 Philo, Flaaum, 1. t82 S. The jews of Asia, p. 98 (chapter 9: "India"). 183 A. H . Godbey, Loss Tribes, p. H2ff.; sec also map on p. 366 showing the trade and locations of principal centers.

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with different traditions, in part due to the ci rcumstances of U1eir settlement, and in part because of the t:mergencc of distinct characteristic resulting from intermarriage and proselylization (including manumission of slaves). J\n inter esting name for the group which called itself the nene-lsrael" and which and which settled in the Bombay area, tracing their de-scent to the ten tribes, was Sbamuar Teli (literally: "Saturday oilmen or a caste: of oil pressers who do not work on Saturday'). A very large rrugration, said to number 100,000 and reported in an ancient Hebn.:w manuscript, went to l11dia after the dc:struCLion of the Second Temple by Titus. t ij< Godbey tells of the association of certain Jews who became: rc:sidcnr in I ndia with the arriva l of Thomas, the first rt.-cordeJ Christian missio nary who in the fi rst century readH:d India with the Gospel. He abo mcntions that the Cragnnore Jews showed thc ea rly Dutch traders a letter which they claimed was a copy of those reported in Esther 8:9 to their ancestors in N orth izing them to protect themselves.1br. From Persia some Jews (seventy I under Joseph Rabb:tn went tO the Malab.1r Coast. 13y treaty Lht:y wcrc given pcrmission to erect synagogues anJ to convert Hindus to Judlism ; in gener.1l, to practice and propagate their religion. M.1ny slaves wcrc and to Judaism, receiving their freedom. What is so singubr this instance is that a treaty would be sought not merely to lllow the Jc:ws to continue unob 186 structed in their faitl1, but pc:rmitting them to propagate faith us well. The association of the Jews with Arabia goes back a very long time, to th e times of Solomon and tlle QuL-cn of Sht:ba. The West Co:l.St of the Peninsula was early associated with Jewish trade and shipping. Many Jewish colonies in other lands trace their origins to the Yemen. The region was of grcat imponance for the spread of Jewish trade and colonies both before and after Christ. In 1 B.C., one hundred and twenty luge vosds are wcordc:d as 181 le-.1ving the port of Adc:n to trndc: in India and the hcadl.tnds of Ethiopia. The Jews of Yemen had come to love th e region so much thJt when Ezr.1 the scribe them a mc:ssage inviting them to come up to Jerus.llem bCClll)e the the Lord had taken pity on his peopk through Cyrus, king of Persia, who had liberated them from the Babylonian Captivity, these Ycmc:nitc colonic:s refused. They argued that the Second Temple wou ld a lso be J.-srroyeJ anJ Israel would be dispersed again. Ezra, the traditions say, became very angry :1nd cursed them, proph.-sying that they would experience: great misery and never know happinc:ss. This did happen, wrc:ccheJness anJ proverty was oftc:n the1r lot. t8l A. K. Glovt:r, The Jews of India; Pan. I of 1he series The Jews of the Extreme Eastero Dia.s porJ: The /\lenorah, IV (March ti;Sil). 239249; S. Strizower, Exosic jewish CoiiJIIlUIIisi.:s, pp. 48124. 185 A. H . Godbey, LoJI Tribes. p. 332. t86 S. Mcndds.ohu , Th4 j <'IIIJ of AiiJ, p. t02; J. Pe1erson. /lliuiOIIM) M.-sbodr, p. 137. The Craganorc Jews report . !'or man)' cent uries our ancestors a virtuall.y independent principality in Craganore and they wc:re ruled over by n prmce of theLr community.' Cf. S. Strizowcr, xo1ir fewisb Cor!lll/unilier, p. 90. 187 A. 1-l. Godbey, Loss 'l'ribn, p. 174.

The tradition helps to e-xplain the hostile attitude of the region's Jews to Ezra.lBB Stone tablets ct.-covered in the Yc:mc:n give evidence of the process by which the: royal housc:hold was gradually judaized, reaching its height in the sixth century A.D. when a Jew, Yuseph Ohu Nuwas, became king. The Christian Churdl was also very power( ul in this region, very likely experiencing its great advances as the result of the Jewish presence which preceded it. The early Yemen Jews lived in Ule very heart of their communities, as their occupations show. They were builders, carpenters, diggers of cisterns, potters, tailors, weavers, leather workers (shoes and water skins), manufacturers of ornaments and utensils of gold and silver, makers and repairers of farm implements, manufacturiers of armaments. The list of their crafts includes fifty different trades. As early as the commencement of the African trade with Pllestine, the Jewish religion had spre-ad itself far into Arabia and made considerable progress far into Africa.1 so In addition to colonies voluntarily settled in Assyria, Babylonia and Persia, thc forced deportatiOns of large numbers of Jews into these regions by the kings of these lands are well known from the Scriptures. According to the Jewish the Assyrians "mixeu up the world" by their systematic policy of deporting whole nations for se-curity reasons.' 110 This had its benefits, as Godbey notes, for religious in(luence of Israelite colonies in the 'Cities of the Medes' would c:xtend as far as the political and commercial activity of the Medo-Persian and Parthian protectors. Jranized Yahwism would not be TaJmudic." 191 The Jews in Persia were from a very early date connected with the silk trade with China.
188 S. Mendelssohn. of Asia, chaps. 10 & 11, pp. 164180; S. Suirower, yusic j.-wirh Commuuisus, p. 12; luhak Ben-Zvi, The Exiled and Redumetl (London: 1958). pp. 232.5. 189 S. Mendelssohn, The j#tuJ of Asia, p. 164ff., deals with Judaism in the Yemen. 190 Ben Zion Dinur, Israel tmd she Diaspora (Philadelphia: The J ewish Publication Society of AmericJ. 1969) , p. 3. This Assyrian policy was especially important in the Judgment of the Rabbis who concluded that because the world was so mixed up it was no long<:r possible to identify the nations which by Biblica l proscrip1ion were not ptrmi ttcd to come under the wings of 1he Shekinah (e.g., Ammon, Egypt). They taught that all men should be accepted. In the BT, Ber. 168, Judah, an Ammonite proselyte asked 10 be to the Besb fla./lfidrash. The question was raised regarding the prohibitions of Deuteronomy 26:4. It was decided that the Ammonites and Moabites no longer live in 1heir anccmal homes, and sennecharib, king of Assyria, long ago went up and mixed up all the nations ... and whatever strays from a group belongs 10 the larger section of the group." W. G. Braude, Proulysing, p. )), says, "The rabbis of the preChristian centuries and the first Christian century did all they could to lessen the bu.rdcn of discrimination imposed on the Ammonite proselytes by scriptural authority.' The dispersions by lhe Persians are documented by ]. Petenon, Miuionary 111<'/bods, pp. 134139. A . H. Godbey, Los/ Tribes, p. 366, has a good map locating the migutions and deportations. E. Janssen, juda in der Exilsui1, pp. 2539, also details these depoitations and the numbers of jews involved. Cf. also R. H. Pfeiffer, Hissory of Teuame/11 Times. p. t66ff.; V. A. Tcherikovcr, Civilizasion, pp. 202205, 504-555. 191 A . H. Godbey, Loss Tribu. note on map, p. 366.

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Historians have disputed whether or not during the many centuries in which tl1e large Jewish population maintained itsdf in the various provinces per taining to Persian power Judaism influenced Iran's rdigious devdopment. F rom a very c:arly date there was interchange bc.:twc:en the rdigions, howevc:r. The deportations of $argon (72 1 B.C.) to Media spread the Jews still further over large areas. In the nineteenth century A .D. all Jews domicilc:d in Persia decb rc:d mat they were descendants of the first from rhe Kingdom of Israel. Jews had been settled in Khurdistan by Tiglath Pileser (7.38 B.C.) The prophet Nahum seems to have had first hand acquaintance with Ninr::veh :llH.l may have lived there. Here Ezra the scribe dic:d on his journey from Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes. There is no doubt that the Jewish religion of the Persian Empire was an official religion, ''The Established Church" for all Jews.' 02 The commercial activities of the Jews in Babylon arc wdl documented. The records of one commr::rcial firm ("Murashu & Sons Bank' ') show this firm as having dealings with Persians, Medes, and Arameans :wd numbc:rs of others in tl1c international Large numbers of thc: Jews in Babylon wc:rc: farmers, serving for Jews as wdl as non -Jews. Many were poor. Others were the artisans, while others excelled in brewing becr. '" 4 During :llld after the: Exile Babylon emerged as a center of Jewish religion and karning. Jr is there iliat we find the development of th e synaJ;Ot,'lle, sanhedrin, Jewish apostolate, and from there great Jewish scholars GU\1<:. One of the grearest trc:asurers of Judaism is the Babylonian Ta.lmud. 1 " 5 Some that at leasr one of the: Jewish colonies in Babylon erected a copy of the Temple of Jerusa.lem.1 uo At the time of Christ Babylon is estimated to have had a Jewish population of 1,000,000 or more, as did Syria, Eb'YPt, and Asia Minor. 107 Babylon ;J.SSumed

192 Anick "China" in iht' je wiJ!J Em)rlopi!dt>J, IV, p . Hff.; K. Kohlc.r, 'The Jews and Commerce In 1'1J,. i\lt'norub, IV , 211; S. Mendelssohn , 7"/u of AJirJ , pp. 7397 (the Jews in Persia), p. 181ff. on Khurdis1un. Hermann Vugdstcin, " The Dcvdoprnt:nt of tht' Apmtolate in Jud;lism and its Transfo rmation in Christianity," HUCA, II (1925), 991 24, especially p. 100 where the author refers to che Elephantine papyri 1nd the Pesach epistle of Darius II. 193 G . Ricciotti, Nis10ry of Israel, II, p. 6}. t94 Ely Emanuel Pilchik, judaism Ou11idt1 she Holy LwJ: The Early Period (New York: Block Publishing Co., 1964), p. 106, lwnccfonh to be cited as judaism. Many .mercenaries from among the Jews received estates and lands on che borders of rhe cowllries in which or for which they served. It was common practice to seek their compatriots in Palestine, who were willing to emigrate, to work these lands for them, thus strengthening and enlarging the Jewish community. 195 E. M. Pilchik, Judaism, p. J03ff. Eua came from Babylon, as did the Great Hillel, u.:acher of Gamaliel the teacher of Paul; so too Rabbi Chiyya, co-editor of the Mishnah. 196 James Wi ll iam Parkes, Tht! Founda1ions of fudaiJm .wd Cbriuia11i1y (Chi.cago: Quadrangle Books, 1960) , p. 6ff., refers to Ezekiel 20 which some authors rake as a reply to the community of Kasiphia. 197 S. W . Baron, A Soci<J/ aTJd Religious Hinor) of llu j eun, 1, p. 132; S. Grayzcl, A Hiuory of the jews, p. 138; F. A. Norwood, StraTJgers and Exiles, p, 141.

great importance. for Judaism of the Diaspora a.n d constituted one of the principal strands of a network which included Jerusa.lem and Alexandria an.d almost completdy enveloped the ancient world in its web. Later, Antioch would constitute a fourth center. 108 When Judaism waned elsewhere in the third century A.D., it continued to flourish in Babylon.m It was in Babylon that the word g<'r, which formerly had a geographic connotation, first assumed a reli gious significance. lr was there that Judaism first divested itself of rhe last shred of blood and soil and proclaimed that faith a.lone renders one an a.lien or a mc:mber of the community of Israel. l t was the old but still loya.l Babylonian families who gave tone to the Jewish community and who could speak and write on Judaism in Aramaic and thus familiarizt: others with the doctrines of their religion, a str::p in the direction of proselytism. These Jews accepted full citizenship in the lands in which they and their forefathers had lived for centuries while :It the san1e time remaining for the most part loya.l to their faith. Philo says, " Wr:: hold sacred d1c: holy city, but we regard as our fatherland the land of our It was in that the people of Israc:l grew to nationhood and there the Jewish nation W;J.S born at the lime of the Exodus. Commercial relations with Egypt were carried on .long before that time, however. Abrahan1 lived there (Gc::n. 12:10); Sarah had an Et,')'ptian maid as her personal servant (Gen.l6:1); Josc:ph was sold as a slave to Egypt by way of an lshmaelite caravan (Gen. 3 7:25); Jacob emigrated to E!,'}'pt at God's revelation (Gen. 46:3). We have already noted that a mixed multitude went out of E!,'YPt in the Exodus and lhat they had identified themselves with Israel religiously as well as natiooa.lly. Jt is not necessary to chronicle the contacts between Ismel and Egypt as shown in the Scriptures. fsaiah does mention ambassadors from Nubia, a land "buzzing with insects" (Isa. 18:1), and lsa. 19 tells of five cities of the Egyptians that would "speak the of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of ( 19: 18). In I sa. 27:12 Jews are mentioned as living the re. Alexander the Gre-at forced many Jews to settle there. Some scholars have found remarkable parallels between the proverbs of Amenope who lived in Solomon's time and Prov. The trade routes followed by the Jews down the Nile have bc::en documented, and at a very early date served as staging areas for the Westward march of the Jew and Jewish influence across the heartland of Afri ca to Coast where thr::y wr::re joined with similar commercia.l act.ivities which crossed the Sahara and followed the Northern and Western Coasts by way of the It is simply impossible to define the
198 G . Riccioui, Holory of Israel, II , p. 63. 199 E. M. Pil chik , Judaism, p. 103. 200 J. L. Koole, De jode11 i11 de VerJirooiiTJg, p. 9. 20t A. H. Godbey, Lou Tribes, p. 189193; 205; T . J. Meek, JR, V II, no. 3 (1927), pp. 247-248. 202 Maps detailing this can be found in A. H . Godbey, Lo11 Tribes, p. 256; M . Oclafosse, The Negron of Africa;). ). Williams, fJebrewistTIJ, p. H3ff.

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beginnings of H ebrew influence in Africa, but it was very early and of con siderable extent. P tolemy 1 granted tJ1e Jews a separate se-ction of the city of Alexandria "so that tJ1ey might not be hindered in the observance of their Jaws by continual contact with the pagan population." EventuaUy the: J ews came to constitu te 40% of the population of that great city and of that of the country. Under this g reat king chc Jews lx-can1c so nun1erous that "at length no other country besides Palestine contained so many individuals of the nation." Many of the Jc:ws who settled in Egypt were mercenaries, a.lt.hough this term does not alw.1ys mean soldiers and can include traders who went along with the: troops. N ot a.ll of the Jews remained true to the faith of the fathers for the tomb inscriptions show that some took the names of the erotic deities, Aphrodite and Isis, At Elephantine a temple was built, but the papyri show deviations from the pure worship. Onias of Leontopolis received permission to build a temple which continued from 160 B.C. to 73 A.D. (Isa. 19:19?) . It must be noted that Jerus:Uem continued to be the center of Judaism, even for tJ1e Jews of Egypt. The Temple of Onias was neither a full temple in the sense of the Jerus:Uem structure, nor was it merely a pbce of It was Jess than a temple bu t more than a synagogue. lt was a bu/11<1, a high place where sacrifices could be broug ht and made. The: high places were: ncvr.:r intended to be pc:rmanent or central places of worship. The history of the J ews indicates quite clearly that after the buildings of $1)1omon's T emple the presence of other places of worship divided the people. Ki a:gs Me charged with less than full obedience to the Lord because the: high places wc:re not removed from the land (1 Ki ngs 15: 11, II Kings 15:4, e.g.). Jt is possible that the rc:fcrence may be to tl1c continueJ existence of pagan shrines, although thc:rc: likely were also such high plact-s to Yahweh. Certainly Oc:ut. 12:2 1 permitted tJ1e slaughtering of animals outside the centa.l place of worship whenever the latter was nor of easy acc(:ss. 205 Ezekiel laments the fact that in the Exile period some of the Jews lx "Clll1e pagan missionaries who "hunted the soub as bicJs" in the hope th.lt they would

20} Sidney Mendelssohn, TIN j<'WS of (london: Keg4n P3ul, Trench, Trubner, t920), p. }); S. A 1/morJ of 1/Je p. 138. The very bc:st bibliography detailing tht' prestnet,. history, 2nd influence of tlte Jews in Africa is found in Menddssohn's book, pp. t91196. D. M . Eichhorn, Corwersiofl so Judaism, pp. }} }6. 204 }. L. Koole, fodm , de Jl erstrooimg, p. 31. 20) E. M . Pitchik, jud.isrn, p. 2tff.: Willi:un Foxwell Albright, From slu StoM 10 Chrllli.JIIIIJ (New York: Ooublcd2y, 1957), p. 349ff. has a complete survey of the founh the latest material on the prc:s.,ncc: of the jews in Egypt, especiallr century, B. C.; S. W . Baron, A Soriulmrd Rt!ligrous HistorJ ft!ws, I, p. tOHf. On the Leontopolis temple sec ). H. Waszink, < 'I ,,/., Oudsu Christmdom, p. 5-16. For disCtmion nf rh c Elephantine pJpyri, consult U.urence EdwJrd Browne, E.Jrly Judaism (Cambridge:: University Press, 1!120). Our chid source of informa tion on the temple of Onias is Josephus (8<'//. js11J. 1.1.1, 7.t0.23; A111. 13.5.1, 13.9.7, 20.10.3). Sec also S. 1\ . Hirsch, "The Temple of Onins," LcndOfl College Jubilee Volume (London: Lu2ac and Co., t906), pp. 3680.

thus save their own souls. These, espcci:Lily th(! women, cowed the hearts of ilie righteous by their divinations :tnd st rengthenc:d the hands of the wicked by distributing among them h:tnd f uls of ba rley and crumbs of bread in return for their willingness to admit that they had seen the light of paganism ( Ezek. 13:18ff.).200 -Egypiian Judaism nude important contributions to the Jewish and Christian missions. H ere the: apologete Philo liv(d and wrote, whose: g reat contributions to the Jewish apologetic are well known. The third century B.C. literature is ch.uacterized by thr.: production of numerous histories of the Jews, displaying a kind of national pride and Although Philo respresents to a Judaism that is the result of as complete a hellenization as was possible for a group which retained its loyalty to the Torah and the separateness of the group, "he represents wilh his associates a marginal, aberrative version of Judaism, of which ultimately only Rabbinism and Christianity have survived to our d.tr." It is to the: Hebrew scholars from Egypt that the people of God owe the production of what was probably the gre-.uest single factor in spreading the faith and preparing the way for the fulfi llment in Christ: the Septuagint version of the Old T estament. Jewish presence in Africa was not limited to Egypt and environs. On the coasts th.:y engaged in overseas commerce, a traffic begun in the days of Solomon and Hiram. When they moved inland their principal occupations were prcp:1ration of tiles, roofing, earU1cn vessels and pottery of all descriptions. In Abysinn ia and Ethiopi:t the legends consistently refer to a J ewish kingdom of greate r ex tent than that of Solomon. The Abysin nians who in large nun1bers were converted to Judaism possessed the entire Old Testament c:xcept th e Book of Esther although they did not observe th e Feast of Purim. Nor did they know the Talmud or Mishn:th, all of which points to a B.C. origin of thei r The histories of the times tell us that on the eve of the Roman invasion, there existed between Elephantis and Ethiopi.1 autonomous J ewish colonies which were mil it:try, agricultural :1nd industrial in d1aracter, with a republican form of government and which exercised a civilizing religious influence on the natives of the "Somewhere in the dim past, a wave, or more probably a series of waves, of Hc:braic influence swr.:pt over N egro Africa," says W illiams, " leaving unmistakable traces among the various tribes, where they have end ured to this day." J. S. Raisin, Rrartiom, p. 131. For a survt)' and bibliography of thc:sc: hrstories sc:e G. Ricciotti, History of j .. us, II, p. 199ff.; R. H . Pfeiffer, Hiuory of New Tetlantt/11 T imts, pp. 197230 surveys the histories of the Maccabean period. 208 S. Sandmel, Philo's Piau, p. 22 1. 209 S. Mendelssohn, l'be Jews of Afrira, pp. 130; ). PetNSOn, Missionary Methods, p. 13!1. 2t0 N. Slouschz. Travels in North Afrira, p. 2t 3. See note 207 above. 21t }. ]. Williams, oj iiYess t lfrira. p. 319. This is a very valuable book.
206 207

68

69

At the beginning of the Christian era lhc:re was a prospero us Jewish diaspora spread over the whole of Northern Africa as far as the shores of the Atlantic. Proselyting had won over many Berber Tribes, not only of the coast but also of the hinterland. And it would be difficult at this distant point to distinguish these Judaized Berbers from the colonized Hebrews with the infusion of Berber blood that was entailc:d by their c:arly associations and subsequent intermarriages. For all practical purposes in matters they acted as a unit, especially in opposition to G reci:ln and Roman paganism, and the prosperity of what we might call Jewish Colonial Africa was at its heighr. 2a The migrations across the Sahara of large bodies of Hebrews and of more or less Hebraized tribes was met from the South and East by similar migrations from the headwaters of the Nile. Williams swnma.rizes the result of thesc: contacts as follows: The Supreme Being not only of the Ash:lnti and allied tribc:s, but most probably of the whole of Nc:gro land as well, is not the God of the Christians which, at a compara tively recent da re, was superimposed on the various tribal beliefs by ministers of the Gospel: but the Yahweh of rhc Hebrews, and that too of the Hebrews of pre-exilic times, that either supplanted the previous concept of divinity in the African mind, or else clarified and defined the original rnonothc:isric idea which may have lain dormant for many centuries, or even perhaps been buried for a time in an inexplicable: confusion of polytheism and superstition. It was the triumph over che darkness of error of the o riginal monotheiscic idea, that had existcd previous to the lapse from grace o f the parents of the Human Race, and the reawakening of this primitive concept was the fruit of the Diaspora of the Chosen People of God that was to pave the way for Christianity."ll 3 Mendelssohn makes this observation: Although many were unobservant of many Jewish customs, ... in short, they were not orthodox Jews, . _. there can be little doubt that many of the Berber tribes embraced Judaism, and that the troglodyte villages still existing in Tripoli are inhabited by the descendants of sons of these Jewish converts who retain some of the traces of Judaism. Many of these people have the tradition that their forebea rs C30JC from Palestine or from the countries in

the: vicinity of the Holy Land. Little is known, however, regarding the history and customs of these: primitive jews, among whom, it has been contended, Rabbinical j udaism was not known.:ru

In the regions of Tripoli there are ruins of synagogues, troglodyte villages and Jewish catacombs or subterranean mortuaries from the early B.C. period of the Jewish diaspora. With respect to Tunisia the records of Jewish colonies in Carthage go back to very early times, some to the building of the first temple, some after the destruction of the First Temple (587 B.C.). The Jewish presence in Algeria is certain after 587 B .C. In Morocco, some of the Jews in the area of th<: Atlas Mountains say that their ancestors did not go into the Babylonjan Captivity and that they possess many ancient writings. Many of the tribes are r<:ported as possessing legends and traditions connecting them with such early Jewish A similar stOry can be told for Europe. Godbey p laces colonies of Jews on the Middle Danube as early as -100 B.C., north of the Black Sea in the Persian Period, and says that Yahwism was found in the Lydia-Caria area (seven churches of As ia Minor) from Jehoiada's time (836 B.C.).m Jehoiada, it is known, used Cariln temple guards (II Kings 11 :4). The colonies in Southern Russia associated with the silk trade have been mentioned previously. Synago&>ues were located in Yugos lavia, Decia, and Dura.-Europos. 217 The colonization of Asia Minor, Greece, Italy and the Iberian peninsula are well known.218 Much of this was voluntary, but not all. Among tJ1e sins of the peoples of Gaza, Tyre, Edom m entioned by Amos is that of selling large numbers of the people of God into slavery (largely to the Greeks) in the catastrophe of 485 B.C.219 The extent of the Diaspora is shown b y the many lands listed as receiving f rom the Romans a copy of their treaty with Simon Maccabeus, protecting tJ1e Jews in their right to worship God. In 161 B.C. the Jews had received the status of peregrini in the Roman Empire, ennabling them to be judged by their own laws and follow their own customs in marriage and inheritance. In llO B.C. this s tatus was secured for Jews everywhere in all states and kingdoms controlled by or allied with Rome. Previously under Medo-Persian power Ezra
S. Mendelssohn, The JetvJ of Africa, p. 64. Ibid., pp. 64, 80, 105, 142. A list of sources is given by the author on p. 191-196. A. H. Godbey, Lou Tribes, map on p. 316.

An extensive bibliography is found on pp. 357-409. On p. 320 the author summarizes the in(iucnces he discovert:d and expresses his belief rhat "diffusion is the on ly plausible explanation for these trait-complexes (p. 321) . A nondiffusionist might interpret the data differently but some explanation will ha,e to be given to account for the mass of evidence. See also A. H. Godbey, um Tribes, map on page 256 and notes. 212 J. J. Williams, Hi!brcwiJtiii, p. 323; N. Slouschz, Trtn els in N . .-ijrica, P . 274. 213 J. J. Williams, Hebrewiwu, p. 35Sff.

S. W. Baron, A Social and Religiout HiJtory oi the fetvJ, III, p. 52, n. 15. Max Radin, The Among the GreekJ a11d Roma111 (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1915), is a well-documented survey. See also josephus, Am., XIV.10, a11d Phi lo, Lt:gatio, 36. Harry J. Leon, 1'he je wi of A11cient Rome (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 19605721), details what is known of the jewish community in Rome. On p. 259 he says, we have more information about the Jews of Rome than about any other community of the .Diaspora in ancient times." Leon's book includes an extensive bibliography and is an important source for our knowledge of this community. 219 Cf. Amos 1;]. Morgenstern, "Jerusalem in 485 I.I.C.," HUCA, XXXI, p. 16.

2 14 2 15 2 16 217 218

70

71

was given authority to govern aU J ews beyond the Euphrates (7:24), including the right to punish.2"JO .As a result the diaspora communities were largely selfgoverning, possessed considerable judicial, fiscal, and administrative autonomy, and controlled all matters of entry into the community :tnd the personal rights and status of their members. The apostle Paul testifit:S to this power and autonomy of the communities when he tells us that he had five times received thirty-nine stripes from the Jews ( II Cor. 11 :24). lt was Julius Caes:u who had said that "Jews might live according to their Torah," implying two things: (1) recognition of the Torah as part of the public law of the Empire, and (2) acceptance of a.ny Jewish community anywhere within the Empire as part of a single Jewish people. This was a unique concession.2Zt Ricciotti summarizes as follows: When Sulla was waging his campaign against Mirhradaires in 84 B.C. the Jewish nation had " already made its appearance in every c1ty and it would not be easy to fand a place on the inhabited earth which has not given to this people and wh ich has not been occupied by it." Agrippa's letter in 40 A.D. to the emperor Caligula: "Jerusalem is the metropolis nor only of the region of Judea but of very many others because of the colonies she has sent our on different occasions to neighboring lands: to Egypt, Phoenicia, to Syria, and the so-called Coelesyria, to the remote territories, Pamphyli:t, Cilicia, to many parts of Asia up to Bithynia and to the remote corners of Pontus; likewise to Europe, Tcssaly, Boetia, Macedonia Aetelia, Attica, Argus, Corinth, to the more populous and better parts of the Peloponnesus. Not only ;..rc the continents full of Jewish colonies but also the more imporunt islands, Euboea, Cyprus. and Crete. I do not speak, however, of all the bnds on the other side of the Euphrates; expect for a small area, all the satrapies, Babylonia and the others which have a surrounding fertile country, contain Jewish inhabitants."= All of which agret:S with what Philo said about the Jews: " They frequent the most prosperous and fertil e coun tries of Europe and As ia." An d Strabo 1s quoted by Josephus a.s saying, ''lt is hard to find a place in the habi table earth that has not admitted this tribe of men, and is not possessed by it." 223

The civic status of the one thing, although

Jew

in the G reek world was not always uniform. For

theoretically the Jewish community was open to every Jew who had come in the: place: where that community existed, the from another count ry to continull emigration from Palestine, which caused the flourishing of the communities in various countries, also caused a division in the community itself. The civic status of the Jews in the Greek world was not the same for all members of the community; those that had come first enjoyed certain rights, while the new immisrants were looked on as foreigners. Wjrhin the community existed aristocratiC groups which constituted the upper stratum of society, and side by side with them the broad sections of the population, including chiefly those immigr:anu who arrived later. Sometimes several communities existed in one city, the reason for their separateness from ooe another cannot now be The Greek world also granted a special status to the Jew, although (1) this was not uniform anJ the extent of the Jew's rights depended on when, how and ior what purpose they came to a given community outside Palestine, (2) The Jewish community as a whole stood juridically outside the Greek city and the Jews who Jived in it had no civic rights there, (3) Isolated Jews coulJ acqui re civic rights individually. The focus of Jewish life in the Diaspora must be found in the privileges of the Jewish communities, not in citizen rights in the Greek towns. The Jews lived as a true ger outside the Promised Land.:a. The case of the proselyte was different and often difficult. The Romans did not always treat proselytes to Judaism in the same way in all periods. A Jew who was excommunicated (com the synagogue lost all his legal privileges as a Jt:w, anJ his situation could be extremely burdensome. Even when the Jews regarded the proselyte as a fuJI Jew, this did not mean that the authorities were prepared to accord him sud1 status.:lfM In this respect Christianity's freedom from Jewish privilege was an adv:ll'ltage to the Christian church. As late as 80-90 A.D. Jewish Christians still frequented the synagogues until the Jewish antiChristian propaganda sought deliberately to exclude Christians from participation in the synagogue worship. The break was finalized after the Bar Cochba revolt when a Christian bishop was installed in the city of Jerusalem. 221 Ill, the privileges to ljve according Greek cities and the ways in which the Jews ro their ancestr:tl laws; d. Part. II, chapter 2 with its full documentation from the sources. 225 V. A. Tcherikover, HeJJeniJiu CiviJizaJion, pp. 331-H2. 226 The Bibliral, Theological a11d ErdeJi.aJiiraJ Eruydopedia, Vlll, p. 659, details the sufferings and problems of converts to Judaism and the disfavor in which they were ofren held. 227 J. W. Parkes. The Conflio of tbe Ch11rrh and S)llagogue, pp. 61-79. Jerome, Justin and Eusebius make reference to a letter from the Jewish Patriarch io Palestine to all the Diaspora srnagogues warning them not to have dealings with Christians. At224 V. A. Tcherikover, He/Jeniuir Citnlizalion, p. 297; E. Schiirer, Gurhichu, 8 tH. on Rome. Tcherikover deals with the Jewish community in its relationship to

Press, t969), p. n. 22t ]. Juster, UJ J11ijJ, I, pp. iii; 252, n. I; 440.: J. W . Parkes, Foundations, p. t04; . Schuur, Geuhirh1e, 11:2 (E.T.), pp. 291-295, lim the privileges given the Jews by the Romans. 222 Josephus, Ani., XIV.7.2; Bell. j11d., 11.16.4, Vll.3.3; Philo, Flarrum 7; G. Ricciotti, The lliuory of luat l , ll, p. LH. 223 Philo, Flarrum 7, cited by F. M. Derwacter, Preparing the Wa) for Paul, p. 76, n. 3. Josephus, Ant., XJV.7.2.
72

Ani., XIIL9.2, XIV. I0.22; I Mace. 8:22; J. W . Parkes, Synagogue, p. 8. G. Luck, Commemary on Ezra

220 ]. S. Raisin,

p. 1}8, gives the list in full. See also Josephus,

Conflia oflhe Churrh anJ Nelumiah (Chicago: Moody

73

J udaism rem:Lined something incompn:hensible to the RvmJ.n world. observes, "It would have been astonishing that did not appreciate it had they not been quite unaccustomed to the combination of cthiQ which they could approve, with ritual and theological presuppositions which they associated only with superstition ""l'.lll Philo does judge, however, that "cia: daily uninterrupted respt:tt shown them by those to whom they have been given" crc-J.u:d wiJ<-sp rC'J.U on the part of the Gentiles for IJ.ws:lu lt is sufficiently dc:ar from the anti-semitic litcrJ.ture of the pre-Ch risti.1n crJ that Jewish religious customs such as circun1Cision, Sabbath , festi v.1ls, anJ dietary laws were the first things to attr.tct the attention of the Gentile) and served as signs which made the Jews immediatdy It was l:ugdy this literature which prompted the production of the Jewish apologetic works , as Aptowitzer has pointed out.231 The Jewish apologists answer<.-d the attacks and accusations of the pagans by pointing out the ridiculousness and absurdiry of the fables regardjng the origin of the Je-wi sh people, dc.-clared that the exclusiveness of the Jewish people was a necessary p recaution and protection a&rainst the immoraliry of the pag.1ns and against their idol wors hip, anti showed that the Jews, dc)pite their exclusiveness and rejection o f emperor worship, wen: yer loyal citizens of the state and were loyally devoted to their rulers. They refuted the cha rge they were god less by pointing out the loftiness ant! reasonableness of the Jewish worship of God, and the baseness and unnasonab leness of heathenism. Concerning this ques tion, they did not limit themselves ro dc:fending the Jewish re ligion but they actuall y carried the attack over to their opponents, and initiated a violent attack though we do not hlvc the letter, it is possible to define ccnain derail> that w.:rc: includ eJ 1n it. The letter inclu.JcJ instrucrions for ( 1) the daily cursing of Christ in the synagogues; (2) excommunication of ChristiJns; (3) avoidance of .Jiscuss1on with Chri>IIJm; ( 4) den1JI of ChristiJn tcadung abou t rhe Person nd de.1th of Jesus. abo Hrrn Mulder, "Ontsraan en dod van het vi.:rdc: .:vangclic:," Gu4ormu rJ Th,ologuth TtjdJrhrijl, 69 (1969), pp. 251-2)2. Philo, V11.1 lolosn, 2 5. V. A. Tchcrikovc:r, ti<"llenistir Civilt:ution, p. 345ff., has a complete: summary and critique: of rhis anti-cmitic litcrarur.:. The attacks on the Jews did not concern the1r religion only; the economic, religious, and political affai rs of the Jews were also foci of :utcl... 23 1 V. Aptuwittc:r, "Asc:nath: the Wife of Joseph- A Haggad ic Literary- historica l Survey" in HUCA, I ( t924), 239-306. This book is a stud> of the Hagsadic material " ' Asc:nath who merirs great .Ji>tinction in the Hagsadic rr-dition. The: aurhor concludes that the book comes from the period characterized by a strong inclination rowards JudJ i>m nn the pan of the heathen world, the period of "J.:wi.h propaganda. of the confl ict between JudJism and paganism, the period of mass con"c:rsions to the faith o( Israel, wh en the hc:urht n population Hocked to Judaism in great numbers. h was the period in which Philo cou ld say regarding rhc Jewish laws, 'rlwy auracr everybody and win them over easi ly - barbarians, Hellenists, inhabitants of rhc: mainland, inh.tbitams of the islands, the popularion of the Orient anJ of the Occidenr, Europe:, Asia, rhc entire inhabited world, from one c:nd to the other.'
229 230

against idol worship, a conflict replete with bitter and acrid polemics. Even if the apologetical and p olemical purposes which these writers served are not considered, from a positive point of view they were carrying on a propaganda in behalf of the faith of IsraeL Ricciotti de:scribes the de-velopment in this way : In the beginning, when the Diaspora was still an inconsequential thing, the strange Jewish race musr have aroused only a neutral curiousity. When this strange race spread throughout the world without fusing with its environment, when Jewish colon ic:s (communities) everywhere formed impenetrable: spiritual Citadels, Jnd especially superior to the surrounding w orshippers of Jupiter and Artem is, and shunned all moral contact with their neighbors - although they were themselves often rude and unculture<l - then the reaction set in.=

-1.

Tbt! Significanre of the Ditupora

Jer. 29:1-7 contains a copy of the letter Jeremiah sent to the elders, priests, pro phets and people in the Babylonian exile. This letter constitutes a kind of charter for the continuation of Israd's religion o utside the H oly Land . Verses 1-7 read: Thus says the LORD of hosts, tht: God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exrle from jerusa lem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives (or yo ur sons, and give your daughters in marriage:, th at th ey m:1y bear sons a nd daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. Bur seek the welfare: of the ctty where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. The same prophet teJls the nations in 31 : 10 that the scattering of the people was the work of Yahweh, God of Israel, but that he did no t fo rg et his covenant and would aJso gather them again. The scattering of the people among the nations bad been prophesied as an inevitable consequence resulting f rom their rejection of Yahweh and disobedience to his covenant ( Lev. 26:33; Deut. 1:17; 28:64; 30:3; Jer. 9 :12-16) . Althoug h the scattering o f Is rael was often looked at as punishment for sin, Rabbi El eazer said, "T he H oly O ne, Blessed G. Ricciotti, T he Htstor) of II, p. 19 1. The Jews also held rhe pagans ( ci. Josephus, Ap., 11.6.6)). Pliny ca lled the Jews "an impious race" (contuflt.,/i.J 1111111111is inugnll) in his Natural Nwor) , XIII, 4:46. Appolonius Molo c.tllc.J rhem "arheists" (Josephu s, Contra Ap., 11.14.148). Alexandria was a center of m.tn)' anti-Jewi>h c.dumnics, a fu ll and analysis cn be found in Ricciotti, p. 1931. J. L. Koolc:, o,. Jodm in du Verstrooiing , I' 28, says that Tacitus described the Jews as "c:en vo lk" ("a disgusting, loathsome people"). Roman attitudes .uc also discussed by II.. H. Godbey, Lost 1'rib11s, p. 4}9.
232

ns rbtJ.. p. n

1n

74

75

be he, dispersed Israel among the nations in order that should bt: added to tht-m." 233 Scattered and dispersed among the tbc Jews could maintain their existence and national fe-atures only as long as tht: organization of their intenlJI life was of sufficient to sa:ve as a b:urier against the influences of the alic:n environment. The establishment oi colonies marks the beginning of the c:xtension of Jud.U)m to the environing popuiJtion . In this w:1y cc::ntcrs of the Jewish diaspora ( milit:lry stations, commercial establishments, centers, agricultural settlements, etc.) became a nudeus for the proselrting of surrounding areas. The religion of the Jews exercised a powerfu1 influc:nce on the peoples with whom they were thrust into daily contact. Even in places whc:re the Jews mingled evenrually with the: pc:oples of their adopted l:!nds, relics of the1r proselytism arc to be found tod.1y among many Asiatic and African people) from China to the Gold Coast.'m The real strength of Juda,jsm lay in the Jays of the Roman Empire:: in the Oiaspora, not in and Galilt"t:, for many of the rerumed exiles showed their determination to continue the associ.uion of the Jewish people with the history, the religion, and the land of lsr.ud. lt WJ.) a Jiccct re)ul t of the Exjle that the fa,jth of Israel was transferred from the O ld Tt:Stament temple-centered cult to the individual-ccnten:d faith of univcrs.1 l vaudity. In general it may be sajd that Israel threw off the vestment of her statehood together with her ki ngdom with remarkable ease and without apparent in ternal crisis. She could still think of herself and her dispersed childrt:n as Yahweh's D ispersion alone does not the perperuatioo and enlargc:ment of ,1 community or the continuation and development of its faith. The Samaritans are a pt.oople in many respt.'Cts simil:lr to the Jews. They too were tu leave the Holy Land and formec.l communities abroad in the great centers of the l:mpire - Tripoli, Egy pt, Rome, etc. But their extn:me ''Xclusiveness an<l closed communities m;1de it impossible for thc:rn to continue their Diaspor.1 communities for very long except in Damascus, which place also they quit. The most tenacious vitalit)' of the communiry could not save it on foreign soil because it had " experienced neither the exile nor the prophetic emancip.Hion of rciJgion from its territorial roots." ll38 This is what made it possible for Judajsm outside Palestine to keep the community together in days of adversity.237 This does not deny the fact tlw

Jerusalem the spiritual capital where pilgrims from all over the Jiaspora would gather. T he Synago!, >uC, whose signi ficance will be considered, the place where Israel could withstand the influences of its hostile environment. It was there in the weekly gathering for fellowship and teaching, more than :l.llything else, that the Jew was and where he met the Gc:ntile on the most fundamental issues of life: their murual responsjbility to the one true: God. The event that in 587 B.C. took place in Jerusalem - the defeat and captivity of its the destruction of the city and ultimately of the temple too- from the: st.lndpoint of world history was little more than the so orwoary fate of nuny other small centers of government as they were subsumed under the Juthority of grt."ater powers. But in actual fact it was something quite different, lor through Israel the King of kings was preparing the way by which his people wouiJ be more than conquerors and the wocld come to share io this victory.

5. Tht Syn<Jgogm:

H4 J. W. P:trke>, The Conflirt of the Churrh and rhe S)nagogue, p. 7H.; A. H . Godbey, Lost Tribu, pp. 105110. 2}) J. L. Koolc, Dt! joden in de Vtrsrrooiing, p. 5; J. W. Parkes, FoundulitJIIJ of judaism and Cbristia11iry, p. 3; G. von Rad, Old TeJ/anwl/ Tluowgy, I, p. 90.
236 5. Strizowcr, ExtJIIt' jt!wish Communiries, pp. 156157; 5. W . Baron, .-1 SoriJI """ Religious History jetiJS, II, p. 30. 237 F. A. N orwood , Srrangers and E.Yiles, p. 45; E. Janssen, juda in der Exilsuit, p. 57ff.

2H

81', jes. 87b.

Tht: retu rn from tl1e Babylonian Exile in 536 B.C. marked a turrung point 1n Jewish histOry. The H c:brt:ws entered capti vity as a nation ; th ey emerged from it a religious communi ty. " The Exile may be thought of as the bridge JCross whid1 Israel journeyed in its historical pilgrimage from the soil to the soul." The Exile and Rctucn mark the point in Israel's mission when prosely ozation began to be actively pursued by segments of the people. Isaiah 56:3 speaks of "those who joined tl1emselves to the Lord" in the Exile, inwcating tll3t there were many in tl1at time who had b<."Cn attracted to Juda,jsm. As Israel was dispersed among lhe n:1tions anc.l as the nations joined themselves to br.td, new i orms by which the c.:ultic ufe of tlJe people could be ma,jnra,joed had to de-velop. It is this place in the spiritual life of the people that the S)'n.lgOJ,'Ue entered anJ filled. T he Synagogue for Israel an entirely unprecedentc:d form of religious aaivity: the popular worship of God, without Sl.:rifice, and the instruction of the community in the implications of Scriprure as applied to living according to Yahweh's will. The wonderful jewel Israel possessed m ight not be wrapped up in a napkin, hidden and buried, but needed to be displayed, offered to all to see and share. The Synagogue provided the means to that end. In certain respects the Synagogue marked a religious revolution. T he creation of a liturgy which was not concerned with sacrifice was no small runge in Jewish life. It was a revolution that was inevitable and the spread of the

).

238 H . M. Battenhousc, The Bible UnlorlwJ, p. 221; H . H. Rowley, Paith of Israel, pp. 1)9140; D. M. Eichhorn, Conversion 10 judaism, p. n.

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Synagogue made for even greater cohesion of the Jews throughout the By the time that the Temple was destroyt.'<l the Synasoguc had become wd l established that conditions adj usted themselves The emergence of U1e Synagogue came about at exactly Utat period when the nation was forced to make several Jt was c.kvcloped for the needs of the believing community but was undoubtedly often consciously adapted to the needs of the fo reigner.:w 'The Synagogue was a unique institution," Isaac Levy observes, adding: It occupies a preeminent place in Jewish respect und affection unJ has become indispensable to the life of the indivit.lu.tl and community ... As the natural successor to the Temple in JeruSllem it inspires an exceptional form measure of public devotion; it has stimulated the creation of a of worship from all mystery and cultic practice, and 1 liturgy of unparalleled in quality and wealth of content. As heir to the influence: of pric:st and prophet, it has assumed the: role of a forum for the pr0p.1ga rion of the faith, offering scope to teachers and preachers to presenr the truths of Judaism in contemporary idiom.::-<:J T he origin of the is acknowledgc:d to be lost in obscurity. It is conceded by most schola rs that the origin must be fow1d in the need for St 'Cub.r and spirirual assemblies even in pre-exilic times among God's Certainly the meeting together at times for some form of instruction w.lS not an entirely new tiling when the Jews entered the Exile. In II Kings 4:23 the Shunammite woman asks her husband, '"Why will you go to him (i.e. Elisha) today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath," implying some form of assembly with the prophet of God on stated days and festivals. In II Chron. 17:9 it is recorded that priests and Lcvites went on circuits throughout the Kingdom of Judah, '" having the book of the Law of the LORD with thc:m; they went about throughout all the cities of Judah and taughr among U1e people." This assignment by Jehosaphat shows that there was a wdl-organiled religious activity conducted among the people outside of the cultic center of Jerus.llem. There are otlter and later refercnces to similar practices. ln Jer. 39:8 mention is made of the Beth Am (house of the people) which the Cha.ldeans burnt'd down with the Icing's house at the time they razed the walls of Jerusalem. This title Beth Am was a name for the Synagogue. l n Jer. the pl:lce called "the 239 J. Bonsirven, P.J.:stiman Judairm, p. 126. 240 Herbert Manin James LO<we, jtJdaism and Chmti.Jflil) (LonJon: The Sheldon Press, 1937). II, p. 44; j . Peterson, MiiJionary /.l ethods, pp. 175177. 241 J. Derwnctcr, Prepariflg the Way for Paul, p. 96; J. Peterson, MiJJionury Jl.lr1bodr, p. 174. 242 ls:uc Levy, S)flagogtJe: fu HIJ/ory and FunrtiOfl. p. 1; see also the work of Hum Mulder, De S)nagoge in de Ttjd (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1969). 243 For the prcexil ic antecedents of the synagogue s,.., L. Finkelstein, "Origin of the Synagogue:; Prorudings of the Anuriran Ar.uitmJ for /""ish Ruurrh, I, 4959.

of the: Lord" to which e:igthy persons came in mourning from Shechem, with cereal offtrings could not be the Temple because by thts t1mc the 1 emplc had bcen dt'Stroyed. An intc:resting reference: in Ps. 74 :8 speaks of "all the meeting places of God in the land" as having been burned by the The Jewish community finds a reference to the establishment of the Synagogue in Ezek. 11:6 where the name mikdash ma'at (small sanctu.try) is used.:<..11 Whatever the antecedents of the Synagogue it is dear that some forms of and places met:ting th roughout the land even in the days o f Solomons T emplc. 1 ht.-se were nor nv als of the center in jerusalem and the of GoJ like .t he gr?ves and high placcs for the worship of the heathen often menttooed tn the Old Testament. Even in subsequent centu ries detltt.") Temple side by side in J erusalem itsel.2 011 Recall, e.g., the: mentwn 111 Acts 6:9 of the "synagob'l.le of the fret:droen and of the Cyrcni;tns and of the Alc:xandrians, and of those from Glicia and Asia: ::1 rcpoC: places 480 synagogues in Jerusalem prior to its final destruction by Ttrus, whtlc another account mentions 394, "a number probably grossly ex.t&;crated. """' W hen the Diaspora communities began aggressively to extend Judaism to the envi roning population, tl1e SynagO!,'lie was the: plat e where Jew and Gentile met .1part f rom the one thousand and one con t:u:ts of everyday life. of the striking features of the synagogues of this period is Ule designanon many of them bore, a true ondication of the influences responsoble for rlo c:or e$tJblo>hment. We thus read of the "Synagogue of the Alexan droans" in Jerusalem, the synagogue of the Roman Jews'" in Mehuza of Babylon, the "Synagogue of the Babylonians" in Tiberi as, and the "Synagogue of the Grc:ekspeakJOg Jews where most of the servtce was conducted in that One also reads of the: artisans who had their own places of worshop such as the synagogue of the Copperworkers in Jerusalem " where artisan separate seating arrangements were made for members of each of guilds.2 u

214 I. Levy. Snagogue, pp. 1213. 2-IS E. E. Polchik, Judanm, p. 10. 246 . Jacob Z. Lauterbach, "The Pharisees and theor Teadting: HUCA, VI, 119126 has a tn:atmcm of the relationship of Pharisaism to the development of the synagogue, and doscusses why synagogues were found even in the Temple. See also 1. Levy, Th4 S)"-'J;Ogur, p. 141}, on the presence of synagogues in the Second Temple:. 247 Fur a d.iscussoon of the meaning of Acu 6:9 5ee the commentaries, and J. W . Parke>, Foundauonr, p. L07; J. Peterson, Mmionary i\1 ethodr, p. 172ff.; J. l. Koole, D, fodm in V emrooiing, p. 44. 2-IH I. Levy, Tlu p. 23. JT., Meg. 3.1, Ket. 3.1. For the number of in and other places see pp. 21-22. Also see josephus, Bell. j 11J., 11.18.7 on Alexandroa; H. Mulder, De in de Tijd, p. 6. 249 I. Levy, The p. 23U.; JT, Meg. 3.1; Soph. lla, ToseJta Meg. 11.13; BT, Me!;. 264 and 26b; Suk. }lb.

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The same was true in Rome where the names of the approximately twenty synagogues tell of the trades, nationality, and even patrons of the Jewish community. There were, e.g., the synagogues of Augustus, Agrippa, Volumnius, Herod, the Subarenses, the Campenses, the Calvarcnses, the Vemaculi ( urbani city born), H ebrews, Tripolitania (Africa), Lebanon, etc.260 The significance and value of the Synagogue by in its varied functions. As the meeting place of Jew and Gentile it did not have the prohibitions of the Temple which threatened death to any Gentile who trespassed its sacred couns. Yet more than anything else the weekly pre-aching of thc \XIord in thc Synagogue w as an important means for acqun.inting the world with the true This cannot be underestimated. To nascent Christianity, the synagogues of the Diaspora meant more than that they were fomeJ perumtionum as Tertullian complains.:u.2 The Synagogue also formed the most important means for the rist: and growth of Christian communities throughout the Empire. The Synago&rue attracted widespread interest and a variety of degr(-es of adherents among the Gentile neighbors, and the Diaspora Jew was ready and eager to welcome such interest and adherence. The centurion in Capernaum and the Roman Cornelius, benefactor of the synagogue at Cacsarea, are examples of this (Luke 7:4,5; Acts 10:2). Paul never had to defend the right of the Gentiles to hear the Gospel - they were already listening to the \XI ord when-vee Jews gathered; his compatriots d.i sputed what he said about the status of th e Gentiles who heard his message. 263 The Synago&rue was the house of prayer and public instruction on the Sabbath, Monday, Thursday, and the New Moons and Festivals.2M These observations should not be taken to mean that the Synagogue was uncritically accepted in the Jewish world. Its subsequent development was so much a Diaspora phenomenon that it sometimes provoked the opposition of the Palestinans.:l$5 That the Synagogue's purpose Wa!> broader t11an just a meeting place for worship is docun1ented and described by Pfeiffer:

synagogue the obligation that the freedman would honor the synagogue and attend tt regularly, as pagans freed slaves by fictitiously selling them to a The Synagogue very t:arly also served as a hostel for the stranger who needed while travelling. The rabbinic exJ1ortations to hospitality are surular to that of Scripture which exhorts, '"Do not neglect to show hosptaltty to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares'' (Hcb. 13:2).m Both Philo and say that the purpose of the Synagogue was to promote t11e moral and relig ious education of the community.2os Programs of were a p rominent feature of the Synagogue, and sd1ools for instruction wen.: from early times artachc.:d to it. Philo said there were '"thousands of houses of instruction in all the towns'" in which people assembled in order and respect while the_learned explained the Scriptures to them.:u.v Such instruction obviously nn tercd m Tor:1h, as J:tmc:S )Jid, ""for from early generations Moses bas had in eHry city those who prc-ach lum, for he is read every sabbath in t11e syoagoi:,rues In ordinary speech the school and Synagogue were so closely that th.: two were not distinbruished. In time the name hazzan foe the Synagogue official came to denote also a primacy school official.ll61 Dr:tzin Jetai ls the curriculum, discipline, attendants, etc. of the synagogue schools and shows how tht:sc schools attracted the Gentiles as well as the Jews. For adults t.he schools were vcry important: From the time th:1t the p1.1rtcr at the door of the coUc:ge at Jabneh was dismissed, adults were: permitted to enter the academy and seat themselves on the ground in the: rcJr among the very youthful .Students in order to ltsten to the: proceedings. Frequent attendance of this lc.ind helped many people co gain an advanced education.u2 The Beth Ha-Midra.rh or House of Study served the educational reqwrements
2}(j E. Schiirer, Geulncbte, 111, pp. 91-96; R. H. Pfeiffer, 1/istfJry of New Tetlamenl 1"im.-s, p. 18) . 257 I. Levy, The Synagog11e, p. 23({. 258 ]. Pctt"rson, Miuionary 1\i cJhods, p. 171; Philo, De Vita Mous, ii.167; Josephus, Co111ra .tip., ii.JS. 2)9 Philo, Septen,lfio 6; F. Derwacter, Preparing the Way for Pa11/, p. 77. H. Waszink, e/ al. Oudsle Cbristemiom, p. Waszink also gives a dc .:npllon of tht" c:.uly synJgogue service; d . pp. 526528. a . 21sO J. Peterson, MiuionDry p. I69ff. Drnin. llis1ory of jewirb Ed11ca/ion from .SJJ BCE to 220 CE (Baltimore: 26t John Hopkoos Prc).S, 19-tO), p. 61, henceforth to be cited as Jewish Education. Drazin

It became customary among Diaspora jews to confer the currcm Gentile honors - such as c:rown and chief scats at the synagogues (instead of the chief seats at the games) - and record them on inscribed stelae placed in the synagogue and occasionally even in the amphitheater; to dedicate synagogues to the king; to confer on women titles and honorary positions such as 'chief of the synagogue', 'mother of the synagogue, etc.; to free: slaves in the 250 I. Levy, The S>nagogll<', pp. 202 t; G. Riccioui, Th<' HiJtor) of lsra<'l, p. 186fL; H. J. Leon, The Jews of lfndc'flt Rome, pp. 1})-1)8. treats in detail what is known from the tomb inscriptions concC"rning dC"vcn synagogue's ut Rome. 2)1 J. L. Koolc:, De j odc11 in de Jlerstrooiing. p. 81. 2}2 A . von Hrnack, Miuion and cxp.msion, f, p. Iff.; Tercullian, Srorpi..tre, 10.10. 2H J. W . Parkes, Po11nda1icms, p. 108. 2>4 I. Levy, Tbe Synagogue, pp. 1819. 2}) S. W. Baron, A SotiaJ ar1d Religiou1 History of tlu Jews, p. 109, who quotes A. Memes, "'Tempel und Synagoge; ZTIJ1, )0, 268276.

.J

thoroughly reviews and documents the: Jewish educational system and curriculum of the perinJ. The rdatiunships of nonjews to the system is not covered extensively, however. A. 1-1. Godbey, L<JJI Tribes, pp. 6H664, treats in detail the Dabylonian academies. 262 N. Drozin, JewiJb /!.duration, p. 77.

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of all sections of the community and created a large measure of good-will. ''Seminaries" were also established in the la.rge centers, not only to spread learning in Jsrael but also to propagate the principles of Judaism among the Gentiles. 263 T he Synagogue also became the cen ter for Jewish cha ri ty to Jew and Gentile. The Pha.risees collected funds and encouraged contributions for the support of widows and orphans from the Jews and of proselytes. Josephus tells us that the practice of charity was one of the things sympathizers with Judaism imitated.2e4 The apostle Peter, writing to diaspora Christians, included repeated injunctions to charity in his letters (I Pet. 1:22; 2:17; 3:812; 4:7b-9) . Where Jews and non-jews lived together in the same city, it was decreed by the Pharisean authorities that for the sake of peace and in order to further the relations of good-will, the non-Jewish poor should be supported together with those of the Jews, and the dead non-Jews be honored like those of the Jews, and likewise comfort be offered to the sorrowing of either Jews or non-Jews: also that the collectors of alms on both sides should cooperate.24G

itself known to, interpreted God's will for, and exemplified its faith foe the world . l r flourishd at precisely that stage of J ewish history when Judaism was on th e world stage through the D iaspora and Exile. The Synagogue obvJOusly made the tra nsition to the true f aith easier for the proselyte because it o{f<:red varied degrees of affi liation. T he Synagogue was wonderfully adapted to compete with other faiths, providing as it did a public forum for an apol ogetic overagainst the anti-Jewish propaganda and slanderous accusations of the heathen. Its schools were proof that the Jews were not enemies of culture and its wo rks of charity demons trations of concern and ca.re for all men regardless of race. It was motivated by a noble purpose: to make known Yahweh's sovereignty over aJI the world and over the whole life of all men.1

6. T he Scripture!
It is conceivable that an institution such as thl! Synagogue could be designed for the purpose of serving the Jewish community only. So long as a cult is being spread only among fellow countrymen, even though this take place far from home, the god of that people is for that people only. But when real mission work is carried on, the universal claim of a people's god is declared an<l lt was inevitable that the God of all men should speak to men 111 the1r own languages. The groundwork for this divine activity was laid in the Diaspora. The place where men would meet in encounter with God and he;lr him speak was found in the Synagogue. But not all men speak the same language. A brief consideration of the significance of the translation of Scripture for the mission of God to the nations is therefore necessary. With in Pales tine foreign forces affect(:d conditions of life more than is generally appreciated. The varied influences to which the land was subjected throughout history have already been observed. After the exile, the same conditions continued. At the time of Christ the existence of such parties as the Sadducees, Pharisees, Herodians, and Zealots evidenced differing political out looks and allegiances. Tax collectors and the exaction of tribute for Caesa.r foreign soldiers policing Jeru.s alem and stationed at the very edge of the courts, Roman control of the high priesthood, synagogues in the Holy Gty whose services were in the Greek language - all of these a.re only a few indications that life even in Judea was a continual adjustment to other influences. For the Jews in the Diaspora this would be even grC'ater.ll

.A special name was given to the d1acity workers in the Jewish communities. They were called and their work is described as follows:
How well org.anized their charity was may be learned from the Tos. Peah. 1,8-14, and that is goes back to very old times is shown by the Mishnah Kid. 4,5, according to which those in charge of the charities belonged to the old partrician families with whom alone the priests would intermarry .... The Jewry kept up the rule of the Tos. Peah. 4,9, that there should be no community without an alms box and a soup kitchen. The collectors of charity were called Shluhe Mizwah, " those sent forth for the duty (of benevolence)," corresponding to the apostles of the New Testament who were collectors of charity, as were the so-called Jewish also in later times, and who were always sent forth in pairs lest they be sus pccted of d.ishonesty.:l68 The Synagogue bc"Clllle in these ways the bridge by which J udaism maJc 26} I. Levy, p. 19; J. Peterson, Miuionary Mnhofil, p. 178; F. Derw:lcter, Prepanng she WaJ for Paul, p. 96: W . G. Braude, Jttwish ProUI)Iing, p. 18. 264 ). $. Raisin, Gtntile Retutions, p. 1.59, quoting Gen. R. 28:5; BT, Aboth 1:12. Sec: also Josephus, Contra Ap., 11.39.283; David Daube, The Testament and Judaism: Tht jorda11 Lutures in Comparallue Rdigio11s (London: Athlone Press, 19l6), p. 129. 265 Kaufmann Kohler, 1'he Origins of the Synagogue and she (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1929), p. 152, henceforth to be cited as Origins of 1he S)nagogut!. H. Loewe, JudaiJifl ar1d ChristitJIIiiJ, 11, p. 45ff. has a complete resume of the relationship of the Pharisaic brotherhoods and the promotion of social service in the Diasporl communities. JT, Gittim 47c; Demai 24a; Tos. Gittim 5, 4. 266 BT, Sanh. 17b; Tos Peah. 4, 15; B. B. Bb. K. Kohler, Origins of she SJnagogue, p. 40ff.

267 J. Pc:terson, MiuionarJ Me1hods, pp. 17S I77, treats the importance of the synagogue as a part of 1hc Jewish propaganda. 268 This idea is developed more fully by W . Foerster, Herr ill juus (Giitersloh: C. Bcrtdsmann Verlag, 1924), p. 78, llnd by G. P. Vicedom, Tht Miuion of God, p. 11, who rl:ft:rs to Foerster.
269 S. ). Case, The EPolulion of EariJ ChristianiiJ, p. }0.

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Under these circumstances, this people, almost without desiring ro do so, sent a messenger to the peoplc:s. Men of its congrt:gations in Egypt, which had become a Greek land, had craosl:ttcd th e Jjoly Scripture in to the new, world language of G reek. W ith th at rhis boo k became rhe greakst of apostles. lt traveled road aftc:r ro:td , and in to whatever d ista nces it reached, there rh is peop le had ;trrivcd, eve n without being pn:sem. lf) te world of this people could open irs purtJ b 10 m.tny lands. This pe 1>ple h:td often spo ken, in exhortation. in hope, o f :::11 peoples," thosc who were near and those who were :1r. Now it beg an to speak d irectly to all o( them, and many a nswe rs c.tme back. The Greek Bible tr:tnslation bcc:tmc the g reat apostle, the mission.1ry of the Hebrew Bible.:!10

One may read in Coptic, in Hebraic, in E lamean, in Median, and in The: translator repeated each verse (in Talmudic period) after it had been read b)' the reader, one verse at a and was not permitted to raise his voice :tbovc that of the A mourner was not allowed to read or translate. 217 A lv1egillah Mishnah, referring to Esther, says that the public reading is not properly done if done in :1 lang uage the r'-ad.er does not understand. ''It is la wful , however, to read to those who know no Hebrew in a foreign language which they underst:tnd; ii they have heard it in Assyrian characters, they have Jon e tbeir duty." Such Mcgilla may not be cheap, carelessly made copies on poo r materials, "but must be written in Assyrian characters, in a book, on good parchment, and with ink." It was said by the rabbis that Moses enun ci:tted the Torah in seventy l:tnguages. An illustration of this method of reading and address is found in Neh. 8:8 which is rendered "translating as they went" by the The existence and use of the Aramaic Targwns is well-known. In our moJcrn tim es the word has been so regularly restricted in meaning to cert:tin postChristian, western , Artmaic paraphrases of the Old Testament that the .tveragc reader is su rprised to learn that the word originally meant ru1y tr.ms lat ion wh:ttever, :1nd that such transl:ttions existed from early exilic times.280 \Vh.lt is forgotten is that the scholars of rabbinic Judaism used to refer to any tr:tnsl:ttion as "'interpretation," a not unreasoned o r inapplicable concept. 281 Tlw life of Jewish people in their adopted countries, their peculiar rcli t:iuus observances, anJ their p laces o f worship frequently aroused the of their neighbors and led to enquiry about the religion of these peculiar pcoplt:. Among heathen people, e.g., to whom a weekly day of rest was unhe-ard of, the sight o f men, women, chi ldren suddenly ceasing their la.bors, retiring to their hom es, and gathering in synagogues with order p eculiar people, not rn( requently led to attendance at the synagogue services. There they would ht:Jr the Scriptures read in a strange language and in tl1eir own as well. Moses

,.

l t'l is doubtfu l whether the Jewish proselyting movements could achi cvt:d any me:1sure of success without the translation o f the Scripturt:s into t.he er nacuJar hH!, >uage. The best known of these is the Scptuagint. ln :tll the: colonies of the Diaspora it is remarkable how tenaciously the Jews hdd to thc:ir Hebrc:w and script. Tablets, grave inscriptions, monumc:nts :1bound whcrevcr the J tws sdtled, and the use of the Hebrew in ma.ny are:lS w:ts constJntly reinforced by new arrivals from P:tlestine. However, the Genti les, many prose lytes, and even the sons :tnd daughters of the Jews could n:1tur:1lly be expt-ctcd to find communication in their native tongucs of greater value in the understanding of the Word of God. Translation of God's will into life invo lves first of all communication by means which men understand. Before the actu:tl translati on of Scripture took place, other me:ms were undoubtedly used. Prayers, e.g., could be said in any langm.ge in the syna The Babylonian Tal mull makes frt'quenr reference to the practice in public worship of using " translators" when the Scriptures were read. 1t is s;tid that expounds the words of the Torah in a nunner which is no t pleasing to the listener - it is lxttcr that he shou ld not utter them." A few references will clarify their pos itions:
(The Torah) may be read to those who do nor speak Hebrew in a langu:1ge other than Hebrew.2 7 a
270 L. Daeck, This Peo ple Israel: Meaning of ExislelJCe, p. 230. A. H. Godbey, The Lou Trib.:s, p. 62tH. It is not neceSS3C)' to rcp<-al the stories and legends surroonding the origin of the Greek (LXX). are many A brief and adequate summary cao be found 111 J. Peterson, J\IJJJJOJJJr)' /lle1bods, p. 167ff. J. L. Koole, De joden in de VuSJrooiin g, p. 60ff., calls the l.XX "the foremost agent for rhe Jewish mission." We should not forget, however. that volumes such as rhe LXX and other possible rronsl all ons arc proclucc.'d only when a community has first been convinced of the necessity t>f prod ainung irs fa ith in the vernJcular, both ior its own sake and that of the cnmmu nity. H. J . Leon, 1'be of Anrir nt /{om<. pp. 75, 126. 271 G. F. Moore, jud1Jism in tbe First Ce111uries, p. i-iii. 272 I. Levy, The S)nagog11e, p. 107, referring to Cant. R. ou unt. JV.n . 27.3 Meg. 110.

274 Meg. t 10. Coptic = an Egyprian vernacular; Hebraic br tl,e Bene Eber on the East side of the Euphrates. 275 Meg. 1'10ff.; I4 3ff.; Sot. 194.
!76 Bcr.

= a kind of .Aramaic SJl<1ken

MK 133. 27tl 110, J t4, 140, 143, U3 , 193; A. H. Godbey, Lou Tribu, p. 630. 279 Ber. 49, cited by A. H . Godbey, Leu Tribes, p. 629. .t\. H. Godbey, Tbt Lest Tribes, p. 628. Von Harnack asserts in "Bible Reading on t he Earl) Church," p. 45ff., that "it ca nnot be pro\'cd that the Sccipuces of the OIJ were uanslarcd imo any other language except the Greek before the Christian vr.1." God bq, who quotes Harnack in thi s (p. 648), correctly observes that this fails ' '' ukc account of the great vo lume of Talmudic evidence which is always of the nahue ,,i J l<'rminus .1d ''"''"/ and ofttn rdlccrs the settled opinion arrived at after long periods ui Ji,cusst>n :tnd Jevelopment. 2S I J. W. Parkes, Fo111ui11tions, p. Il l .

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would be read and interpreted to those assembled. The roots of this strange and alien faith would now be seen to have found good soil in the vernacular tongues and dialects. They would hear God speak in words they could under stand, and they in turn could speak to God in their own tongue for he would w1derstand because he is Creator and God of all peoples! Raisin says, Perhaps they would find an entire copy of the Scriptures in the vernacular. The Talmud refers nut oul y to the: Aramaic Targum (tr.tnsl:uion), which is attributed to Ezra. not only to the Greek LXX and the rr:msl.ttion of Akilas (Onkelos or Aquil.t), but also to renditions in Coptic, Median, Iberian, Elamian, Assyrian, Ar.1bic, and Persian or P.thbvi. There w.1s also the Peshitta in Syriac, .1ttnbuted by some to a prosc:lyte but ascribed by others to the days of Solomon.u2 Another statement of similar import is this: In the Babylonian Talmud is approval oi the use Holy Books in Assyrian, Greek, Coptic, Old Hebrew, Median, Jbc:rian, Ebmite, Aramaic, Syriac, Armenian, Arabic, and Persian, with the inference that any other language for popular cumprchcnsion was permissible:. The insistence that particular were necessary in particulu regions is repeated, :tnd specific reasons for the prejudice that developed against cercnin are Similarly, TheoJoret, a Syrian bishop of the fifth century, asserted that an old Persia.t1 translation of the Bible existed. 28 What is so very cleM from the above survey is that wherever the Jews went, they carried their Scriptures with them. And as their roots sank deeper into the soil of their new homelands, they felt the need of speaking, prayinJ;, read ing in the languages of the people of these lands. They were not against having God speak to others besides themselves and may even have welcomed and encouraged this. By this means they demonstrated that the God of the syna gogue and of the Temple was one and the same God. The God who spoke to them through their prophets now spoke to the world through his people. It may not be possible to remove every shadow of doubt that surrounds the question of the existence of actual vernacular translations; what is important is that the Jews were not adverse to making known the Word of God by word of mouth in the vernacular tongues but actually felt it their duty to do so.2 86 p. 163. A. H. Godbey, LcJI Tribt!J, p. 627. In chapler 24, pp. 6216)0, Godbey treats lhe subject, "Ancient Jewish Tr:lllslalions of Their Scriplures." 284 L. Finkelslc:in, The Je<N, 11, p. 826. 28} The: existence of the Aramaic seCiion of Dan. 2:47: 1 has long puzzled scholars, since no Hebrew copy of the scclion exists. A possibility is thal lhe AramaiC section was inserted [0 fill the gap created by the loss of the Hebrew seC[ion. It evidences at leasl the exi5tence of n translation in a language other lh:m Hebrew.
282 283

Commenting on the Septuagint and its importance, N. A. D ahl asserts that the t;rl.".ttcst contribution of the Septuagint was the translation of the Hebrew name Y:l.hwch by the Greek kyrio1 ( Kuptoc;). " In this way it became evident that Yahweh was not a folk deity, but that Israel was the elect people of the God of the world." 288 One can hardly conceive of more providentially supplied means for the Christian mission to reach the Gentile community. Wherever the community of Ch rist went, it found at hand the tools needed to reach the nations: a people living under covenant promise and responsible election, and the Scriptures, GoJ's rc:vd.ttion to all men. T he open Synago!,rue was the place where all these th ings converg<:<l. ]n the SynagO!,'llC the Christians were offered an inviting J oor of access to every Jewish community. It was in the Synagogue that the fi rst Gentile converts declared their faith in Jesus. What Old Testament Israel and the nations could not know, until someone would tell them, was the exceedingly good news of the fulfillment of God's covenant in Christ. What use Jid the Jews make of their opportunities? Were they interested in the conversion of the heathen? And if they were, what place was the convert given in the community of God's people?

J. S. Raisin,

286

Ni ls Alstrup Dahl, Das Volk Goms (Oslo: J. Dybwab, 1941 ), p. 95;

J. Blauw,
87

Coden m Menun, p. 103.

86

Chapter II

j ewish proselytism

With the epoch of the proselytes - those who stood on the doorstep and those who entered - a new chapter of Israel's history began : a unique form of colony, the congregation, increasingly detc.rmined the history of the people. A people of congregations! It sounds like a contradiction, but .i t is one of tJwse fertile contradictions out of which spirit and power are What was the natuie of these congregations? What sort of affi liations did the non-Jews maintain to them? By what were people attracted to these assemb lies? Who invited them, and did the Jews welcome them? W'ith what ceremonies were they admitted? These are a few of the questions that need an answer if we nre to understand the context it\ which the Christian mission evolved.

A. The Synagog11e Comrmmity

The origins of Jewish proselytism must be found in the reguhtrions for che trc11tment of the stranger in the Promised Land. We have already seen that the word ger (a resident alien) came to mean proselyte (one who joincJ himself to the Lord from other nations) in the period of th e Babylonian .Exile. The term arose in the Diaspora wJ1ere it naturally lost its gc::ographical significance as a result of the wide dispersion of the people of God. 2 The Diaspora, which was largely responsible for the development of the synagogue, presented a unique opportunity for the nations to attach themselves in varying relationships to d1e Jewish faith and people. There was the obvious g roup of curious persons who would inqu.irc: about this strange people and thei(' singularly different faith. They appear to have been always welcome, but thty displayed a wide range of devotion to Jr:wish and customs. They were sincere but basically they remain ed pngan. 3 The Gentiles associated with the
L Baeck, T!JiJ Peopl<' p . lH . Cf. K2rl Georg Kuun, 1tpom'J),uToc;. TWNT, VI. I'P 727741; by Karl 1\J(enfeld, "Die judische Propag.rnd:r VotiJuferin unJ Wegbereiter in der U rchrist in t.liuiomwismurbu/llirbe S111dm1 : Ftmr!Jfljl Zllt 70 J)rof lichen Dt. (Berlin: Martin Warneck, 1\)Ul) . pp. 1-!lt : L. Finkelstein, Tb<' Pbarisei!J, II, p. 46L; Bernard Jacob Bamberger, Pwu/y/JJ/11 lu 1/Jt/ 'J'.,/mudir P,riod (New York: KTAV, 1968), p , 13, htncdortlt tu be cited as Pruul)llll/l, 3 Komt!l.:lllur, on j uhn J 2:20. The Cltristi.3 n term "p3gan" comes
I

synagogue were nor sharply divided into those who accepted and those who rejected the true faith. D erwa.cter calls them "the partly informed and the partly persuaded among whom w ere the open-minded and the willing hearted." It is this group of persons whom Derwacter judges to be those who offered Christianity fertile soil for the gospel seed.' The book of Acts provides considerable light on another class of adherents called "God-fearers" or "devout" persons (e.g. Acts 10:2 where these words are used: KO:L Cornelius the centurion of Caesarea is called ''a devout man who feared God" (Ads 10:2). Paul seems to imply a mixed audience of Jc:ws and God-fearers in his addiess at the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:16,26,43) as well as a non -Jewish group of "devout women" from the city (vs. 50). Lydia is called "a worshipper of God" (Acts 16:14). At Thessalonicn the term "devout" is specifically applied to Greeks who frequented the (Acts 17:4,17). ln Acts 18:7 the home of Titius Justus, a worshipper of God,'' was next door to rhe synagogue and became: the center of Paul's activities in Corinth after the )}'nagogue was dosed to him lxcnuse of hostility. In ail uses of the terms just cited it is evident that we are dealing with non-Jews who are more or Jess closely associated with the Jewish religious com munity. In one instance (Acts 13:43) the word "devout" is used in the description of proselytes. The Mishnah generally means the proselyte when lt cc:fers to "God-fearers.''" ls such a class of persons indicated elsewhere in Scripture? Some have taken the phrase "yt: that fear the Lord" in the Psalms to indicate Gentiles in contrast tu the:: Jewish people and the priesthood.? The Capernaum synagogue in the d.1ys of jttsus was built by a centurion who "loved the nation," implying that he was not a Jew (Luke 7:4). Cornelius was also such a person (Acts 10:2) . writers mention !l dass of persons who followed Jewish sabbaths, etc. but who were not actually complttdy committed through circum clsion as the sign of complete identity with Israel. Theophilus, for whom Luke
lrom the l.:ltin paganus or "rural," implying that the grcnttsr success of the Chrisuan mission in the urban Centers. llaron, A Sori.l and R..ligio/11 Hislory of )cus. I, p. 236. E. Schiire.r, Gi!uh;dJJe, Ul, pp. 126ff., l5 0ff., says that "formal convt:rsions rn J udis m do not stem to have betn ns frequent as a loqse auachment in the form of J. Jeremias, jerllwlem in 1he Time of jcJIIS1 p. 320ff.

a. s. w.

<\ F. Derwactc;r, Pr.:paring IIJe IV<Jy fur Paul, p. 40. 5 See GeMg Bcnrnm, TIJ!INT, Ill, pp. 123-128; Rudolf Bultmann, TWNT, II, pp. 751754. 6 j .T ., Vayyikra 111.2, Naso VIII.9, e.g. 7 Sec Psalm ll5: 11 .1.1; 111!:4; B5:JO. The Jewish En,)clOptdia, Vl!l, p. 521, tal.:es the phrase co mean the whule gruup of pious persons outside of lsrad . .Aubrey Rodway Juhuson. K.illgJhlp ;,, AIICU/1/ (C3tdiff : University of Wales Preu, 1967), p. 12-11 cnmmc:nts on this phr:ue at length, nllting thll Kirsopp I.kt: In The Beginni11g> oj CIJrisli.wil)\ PtJrl. 1: The Am <1/ 1be n{loJiles, note VIII "Prosl:lytts dnd God.fearers." p. 7-Iff., questions the validity 0f this viewpoint, feeling thQt the l'hrase simpl} rders t O a devout Jsrael.ire. See alsu P J-lahn, Missio11 in the New ieJ/JI// t!J/1, p. t7ff. , and K . Kohler, Oogim oj S)/1/Tgugue, p. 160.

88

89

wrote the Gospel and Acts (Luke l;J -4; Acts l : 1 ). is an intertsting example of one for whom special instruction was provided in the te-Jdtings concerning Jesus Christ and his work.H As an example of :1. Jewish community which included proselytes we can cite: wh;1t is know11 about the Jewish community in Rome. The tomb inscriptions found there (as also in other communities of the Empire) give conclusive found in the Jc:wish community. The of eviclt:nce tb:tr prosc::lytes seven ''indubitable proselytes, two. males and five females'', have come from the Jewish catacombs of Rome. ProseJytes were accepted as full members of the community, were regarded as being Jews in every respect, and were honored with burial in a Jewish cemetery. A class of persons who only practiced a few Jewish rites, such as the worship of One God, celebration of the Sabbath, and abstinence from pork, were not regarded as Jews and did not receive a Jewish burial. A class of persons more than casually committed to the Jewish faith and associated with the synagogues is indiCited by all the evideoce. 9 The posicion of rhese people was not always enviable, and it Cln be assumed that the proselytes and others shared in the calumnies directed against the Jews. Several of the Roman writers were cynical, others frivolous, and not a few hostile: towards the Jewish community.l'1 Jn order to mnke what the duties of the Gentiles were the rabbis spoke of what were called the Noadtian laws. These were injunctions ttadilionally giwn to Noah and therefore obligatory for all men, Jew and Gentile alike. u
8 F. OctwdCicr, 1he trl'u) for Pu11l, pp. 3'l9, ciles many of pagan writers. So also Johannes Adrianus Hcbly, Ht!l ('s Grvcnhage: l:hlckcncenlrum N.Y., 1962), pp. 9 1}. On Thcophilus see Hartn Mulder, 'Theophilus de Godvrt>unJe" , in .rlrr"''" Ee11 Nieuw-Ti!JIIIIIUIIJiuhe Jludit!fl ,J.J/1 l'rof. Dr. GroJh<!JJe /l!r gelegtJihi!id ''"" :ljn 70e Vttrja:Jrd.Jg (Kumpen: J. R . Kok, 19,51), pp. 77-88. 9 T hus H. J. Tbe Jewr of .rtnrit'lll Roml!, pp. !.eon 1akes issut- wilh the posilioh of ]. B. Frey who includes four Roman inscriplillns which shuw !he Item merumJ and who :1pplies the>e 10 the Jewish epi1aphs . Leon says , p. 2H, "none ,,[ 1hese i5 known 10 come from a Jewish catacomb" , Frey's posi1iun is also flllowed by F. Oecwacter, Preparing 1he Wuy for Pa11/, p. 37, refe rring 10 W. O ehler, MonatJrhrift fiir (iHJCbirhle tmd Jr-'iJH'JtHhtJ/1 ddi J11tle11111nu, Vol. 53 (1909), nos. 1]0, 192 197. ?DB. 261. 10 Ovid, .rlu AnutoriJ 1:7):415 (cf. T. Reinach, p. '248), says lhJt "one >hnuld remember to visit the J ewish mee1jng places of he seeks a love affair.'' Derwacter iudges this to mean !hat the synagopue a gathering piJcc for lh curiow :tnd 1he earnest; sec F. Oerwuncr, Pnpuring 1he JVaj for Pa11/, p. 36. Sec H. ] . Leon, The Jews of Ancitll/ Uonu, pp. 12,40-42, 250253, for commems on rhe Roman Jllitudes. tl On the Noachian :U.ws s"e !he following: Solomon Schonfeld, Tl11t UnillemJ Bible: PttJ/dl<"llrb<J/ Te;.;Jr .rlt Firs/ /lddrtJIS<"d rv All N.J!ioriJ (London : Sidgw.ic;k and Jackson, L955), p, IOff.; J , \VI, Purkes. FollndJJfl)nJ, p. L97; K Kohlr:r, Originr oj and tile Cluu cb, p. 161; E. SchUrcr, 111, p. 11). Boll\ Mishnah and T.1lmud make frequem reference to this class of persons; e.g. Jtrhro is a Noact.id arrJ proselyte, /l!iJJJub, Dub.:rim 1.) ; Oemidbar Y.9; Tzav IX .6.

A Gentile who observed these Jaws, acknowledging their divine source, was as a pious man who merited the Kingdom of heaveo."l:l 1t was never taught, however, that simple observance of these ethiC'c1l standards entitled a man to a place among the Chosen PeopleP Although the Talmud states that "there are thirty BibJiCill commandments which the nations took upon themselves," the general tradition taught that there were six: prohibitions: against (.1) iJolatry, (2) bl:!sphcmy, (3) murder, ( 4.) sexual immorality, (5) robbery, .md (6) e-ating a maimeJ animal or portion of a living a 71h inJunctwn required justice. 14 The gre-atest single obstacle to the conversion of the Gentiles was the requirement of circumcision, which became the criterion for determining the full of the Gentile convert. ' 6 Bur experience showed t11at the next generation olten ad vanced to full conversion by undergoing circumcision. Juvenal tells of .t father who observed the sabbath and djetary Jaws, worshipped only douds JnJ sky, but, though he was not circumcised himself, his children after him were. This all happened, he says, bec.1use the father did cot Like to work oo the Sahb.ttlt; "t.rainc:d to clc:spise the laws of Rome, they Jearn to maintain cbe laws of the Jews which Moses transmitted in a mystic volume:u It appears that a greater number of women than men affiliated with the )rnagogue, perhaps because the question of circumcision did not arise with rc:Spect to tJ1em. Jn any case, Josephus tells us that almost the entire female population of Damascus had j'oined the synagogue.17 Nero's consort, Poppaea Sabina, was a "God fearer" according to Josephus.1 H The mention of women in Gentile communities and diaspora sy11agogues visited by Paul reflects this same In its proclamation Judaism relegated ritual prescriptions to the
Sanh. 10)a. W. Parkes . dassifica!iorls

r. w.

L!

.ue given, Some1imes the re were 6, 7, JO, and even 30 ! Cf. K. Kohler, Orle,inJ of 1he S)TJgogue and 1he Church, p. t6ttf. In BT, Meg. 74, wt' arc tutd "whoever repudiates idolatry is a Jew ." E. Scl1iirer, Tbe PetJfJie in the 'J'tmr v/ j.:t11s CbriJI, II , p. 3 tH, says that 1he prescription of 1he seven prt>ccprs of the
duldrcn of Noa.h was "barren theocy .. a casulslial 1hcory that was never Ieduced w J(tual pmct!ce." However, the .Mishnah dues in relrospect apply the title to examples 111 1hc past. See nolt: U above (on Jethro). 15 Greeks anJ n olllllns ofwn would not become full proselytes because of the nw:ssity for circumcision followed, as it was, by open derision by protagonists a1 every gymnas1ic performance by !hem in the stadium. The Mish11ah frcqucnrly spc:.tks wi1h disfavor of Jew nr proscly1e who resorted to surgery 1n hide his circumcision. Cl. S. W . Baron, IJ and Religro11r lliJtotj of/bl! fetvi, l, p. 1)7. 16 Juvenal. Sut. 14:96106; T . Reinach, TexJr:I, p. 292; E. SchUrer, Tbt fewiJh l'eoplt '" J/u Timn of ]e!HI, It, p. 296. 17 Josr:phus, 8<11. }11tl., ll, 560, IS josephus. ,-fnl., X'X. 195; Vtl.J, 16; Georg Bemam, 7'1FNT, Ill , p. 126, n. 16. 1'1 Ex:llnfk Me L)dia (Ac1s J6;t-i), "dcvou1 women of high slandins" s1irred up n Acts tho "leading women" (Acls 17:4) . Cf. also 1he ltt1er menrion of Priscilla >nJ .1\rqu ii J .

H 14

J.

p. 197.

90

91

background and emphasized instead a mor-.U code. It was not easy for a man to accept the Jewish faith together with its ritual lo.ws. Any convert co ]uJ:1ism became a pan of a n:111on as well :..s :tn adherent co a religion. His conversion putouk, in a Ct'rt:ton degree, of the ch:m1ctc:r of naturalization. One ca n undcm uml :1 man "To all intends and rurposes I am in tloorine a Jew, but J dun 'c wunc to become n .Jew in praoit:c, nnd indeed, I Am nor :1skeJ tu becumc one. Their ritual laws religious msti tutinns .are a preserve kept t:ll.dusivdy for the enjoyment (or the trouble) of the Jcwash peopk" It wc>uld be consisn.:nt. if very Jilficul r. fo r orthodox Jews to sa y 111 any of persons, "Orga noze you rst:lvcs .IS believe o11r doctrines about GuJ His reiJ iion tu nun ; observe: our moral IJw; observe a weekly of rl'St on :my J.1y of thl' wetk you please; Jnd. for the rest, arrange, anJ Jcvosc your own liturgy own ceermonies, your own religious Thlt wouiJ be a diffi.:u lc and odJ thing to say to a cullivutc:d people; but loow much more difficult :10J would it be to s.ty so to the hearhen . .. To such people a new religoon must be:: presented JS a whole: doctrine and cult, hith anJ pr3cticc; bdief :111d cen.:moninl, in one combi n.Hi on or 10 harmony. Nor would it be very fc:Jsible to pr<:!.cnt a cult which was not, more: or tht cult of the missionJries themselves.'"0 Because the synagogue service was rcl utivdy free from cultic practices such ns sacrifice (offercJ at the T em p lt' in Jc:rusaJcrn ) th e interesteJ Gentile wouiJ not feel out of place nor wouiJ ht' encoumer mud1 difficulty in unJcrstanJ ing Jnd following the scr\'ice for it WJS mostly communic.luon by word and rc:::1dings. often in his own tongue. Judaism bad no diffinJty in m,1intaining the ethical and ceremonial (rultic) sidt" by side. Those in the Oia)por.l who could Jo so maJe th e pilgrimage to J erusalem, mct:ting in tl1is way tht' l1lltic requirc:mcnb. The ce remonial l11ws of t\'cryJay life c.illeJ attention to .uul reiniorc.c:J knowlcJge of God's special purpose in the cxistc:n cc of the people. These:: chily ceremonial observances fre<.Juently elicited the ridicule of pagnn writers whc:n they noreJ the cha racter of the Jaily life of tht: Within the synagogue community there was also the full convert, the proselytl:', "the one who comes forwud." That not all ptoplt who convc:rt!.'J wer(' sincere is evidt:nccd by the refcrence of J\rrian of NicomeJi:L who represen ts Epictetus as saying, wht:n we see a man playing h.tlf on<! p;ICI .tnd half another, we ar" but he: is pbying tlot' Jew." It is oml y accustomed to saying, "He is nnt a when he has the expc:rience of the.- baptized the chbsen tlut he rc:Jily is and is called a jew F. S. B. Gavin, Ju is!J Ilt<us 011 Ju tsh MtJJtous, I' \1. l'rP""''8 th" lf'u) fur P.;u/, pp. 969). 22 Diueri.Jtious u/ Eptrt<'IIII, 11.9:19 20; cf. T . ReonJch, p. I ).f; F. Ocrwacter, Preparing lbi! lli'.:tJ Jor Pu11/, p. 21j.
20

The: TJimuJ abo rccognius th:J.t some people proselytized out of improper Anyun.c, who bcmme .l proselyte simply for the purpose of an Israeli te "not a proper prosdyte." The rabbis also spoke: of prosc:lytc) who ww: dragged in" anJ juJaized in multitude out of They said that no proselytes will be received in t11e days of Messiah, <' H'O thou1:;h idol come :1ml offer themselves as proselytes, will Jefect in the time of Gog and Although these references nught be to mc:tn thnt the rabbis did not favor proselytism (reflecting .1bo the Judsmcnt in NiJdah 88, "proselytes are 115 hard to endure for Israel .l> .1 sore"), th e very large number uf favorable references in Talmud and to till' true proselytes dt>monstratcs how eager the Jc::ws were 1o rccdve thc:m. The nt>g:ttive references are easily explained and are of the kind as direcled .1gainst .1postate When the r-abbis bbored U\'er the I:Siblic;t( text, i11jecteJ a 2C".LI for con vtrsion wherever possible. this cl:lss of convl:'rts was excceJingly is indicated by the compl.unt of J_ustin, " The not only do not bdieve but blaspheme Christ's twoloiJ mort: thJn )'UU JnJ endeo1vor to put to death a.nd torture us who bdic1t: in him." l11 the beginnin,g of the Christian era it t11:1t the Jewish apologists and th e J erusalem Sanheurin were ma.inJy defensive against It w11s only at the cnJ of the first century that this One C:ln unJersl:lnJ the . attitude of the proselyte, for he hat.! to give up so much when he bectmc a Jew ; dc:cision such as this w:ts not easily made nor would ar be rdinqu ishcJ readi ly if one hat.! acted in siucc:rity. Josep hus tel ls in detail of the of Kiug Az.ttes who the loss of his throne if he would be ci rcumcisedY" The .Jc:wish proselytes in the synagoJ;ues were often the gn:1ltc:st .wtuguni)ts of the: ea rly Christians.3o The existcnct: of a class of genuine proselytes attached to the nation and is well attestc:d in sacred ami S!X1JfJr )Ourccs. Peter's audience on ( Atts 2:9-11) cunsis ted of Jews anJ proselytes from sevt:ral lands of the M t:Jiterr:tncan basin. The frequent mention of the proselytes in connection with the: syn:1gogues visated by Pnul ant.! his co.workers Is evidence that throughout the Diaspora th ere was a bot.ly of persons who were willing to go all the way, break complettly with their throw in their fortunes witl1 the
Y..b. tt7118 AZ H; G . f . Moore, ju.J"ism in l'irll Fio" Ce11111riu, I, p. 33 7. AZll. 26 W. G. .Braude, }<whh Proul)lizlll(;, pp. 19. t;l:lff. Chapter 4 " Uueranccs Jlfisinterprc:teJ as Unfriendly," B. ). Bamberger, Proul)lism, p. 274; William David P.;ul <md Rabbinic j11dui11n (wndon: SPCK, 194ll), pp. contains a
23 2-1

21

Cf. F. M.

complete of first century-BC 3ttitudes to proselytes. 27 justin, Dialogue, CXX II. 28 a. I. Abnhams, in Phariueiun aud 1he p. 63, n. 2, who refers to Harn2ck. 29 Josephus, A111., XX:2.24. 30 Tcr1ullian, Srorp. 10.10; cf, A. von Hurnack, Miuion .md Expansion, 1, p. 1.

92

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people of the Jews, and be circumcised. 31 The word of Jesus in Matt. 23 :tS would make no sense at all if the Jews never sought to win converts. He said,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for yoll traverse land and sc.t to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes :1 proselyte you make him twice as much a son of hell as.

n(>ver undergoing the rites of initiation.a 11 Those who Jid convert were not always accorded the full rights of the prosdytt:, howevt:r . .It is observ<:..J. by Eichhorn that they were thougLr of as co-religionists but not as being of rhe same race.> or natiuo :ts born jews. Tht:y were considered to be p:ut of the jew1sh religious fellowship, the people of Judaism, rather than ns belonging to the jewish ruce or the Jewish nation. Greek terJ'Jl, for such religious affin icy, used by j osephus, is 6(.!6q>uA.ov3l [homopbuloo]. We may not conclude from the ubove Utat Judaism was i1 missionary religion in rile modern sense Ullring the pte Christian era. Although there wll.S a definite desire lltempt to win the heathen over to the faith and practice of this movement aJways remained on the fringe of official drcles. 311 At no time were professional or specially selected persons &.lined or employed as missionaries. W!Jatever aitempts were made depended on the initiative of inJi.vidual believers aod originated not in Jerusalem but in the Diaspora, as Martin-Ad1ard says,

When in the history of lmperi:1l Rome many decrees were issued prohibiting Jewish proselytizing, these decrees only witness to the zeal and success with which tl1e Jews pursued this effort. An anonymous reference in the P.. Rabbati, in to the question whether God's people would aba11Jon him now l11at they are scattered (for previously iu tht> homel:tnJ they haJ served idols), Gods s:tys, " 1 know that my children will nor abandon me; nay more, they wiJJ be my martyrs. They will offer their very livts to bring others under my wings." The rabbis were provoked \vhen they saw a country or province that had produced few proselytes. 3 We conclude, therefore, thnt the synagogue fellowship was not a homogeneous community of committed believers and worshippers of God. Jt consisted of God-fearing Jews, some of whom continueJ to maintain their heritage by faitb ful adherence to the others of whom were little more than hypocrites. There was tl class of genuine converts from among the Gentiles who had fully committed themselves to the God of lsroel and bis service. This group extremely zealous, :llthough ir was recognized that some had converted from ulterior motives. Anorher group with varying degrees of affinity and acceptance of the true faith, who remained on the fringe of the community, was always welcome. This dass o f people constituted a reservoir for proselytizing of the Gentile world, as Horace witnesses in his famous phrase, "veluti te Jmlaei cogem111 i11 bunr comidl'rl! 1r1rbam. Once they fixeJ their eyes on a possible proselyte they surrounded him with :lttc:ntions, invi t:ttions, enticem.:nts of all kinds until he succumbed to the gcmtle pressure behic!cl them.'' The pressure seems no t to have bt"Cn quite tlut gentle at all times !lnJ pl:tces, for Horace once wrote, "lf you won't come wi llingly, we shall act like l11e Jews and force you Although the Rabbis clid not reg!IIJ. these metuentes :1 s Jews, l11ey hnJ. enormous good will toward them anJ expressed this fervently and graciously. No doubt this good will served to win at least some to faith of Israel, while the large.r part remained on the fringe of the Jewish community,

this movemenr . .. . retains the form of propagand11 since conversion to the jewish faith involved adherence to the Jewish nation, th11t is to say, naturilisation. The jewish approach to tlte hcatltco is both individualistic and ntltionalistic. This is what distinguishes 1t from the Christian mission for which provic.lentiulty ir prepares the way. ln a certain sense jewish pros elytsm is n private: undertaken by individuals and concerned with particular persons ....3o
Although "Judaism ... was t.he religion of the people witl1 a mission," 40 its >preaJ was not occasioned by central authority within the community or from tl1e cuJtic center. The imp<:rus to witness came from within each community. The rabbis set bcfote their hearers the example of proselyting by their honored men of old. Abraham, Moses, and others were constantly referred to in order tO inspire the same zeal in the hearers who were chaJJengc:d to go out and do :lS Abraham and Moses. "Orally and by pen the Israelites were educatt:d to do personal work for their God an1ong the Gentiles." 41 When the Christian mission reached out into the world community it met the Gt:ntile world first of all in the Diaspora synagogue. The command, " To Ute Jew first," was not n limitation of the Gospel proclamation to one people and
36 E. Schurer, Geuhirh1c-, Ill, pp. 124-127; W. G'. Jt!wiJh Proulylt1tg, pp. 136 13ll. 37 D. M. Ei.:hhorn, Collt'erlilm so judaiu11, p. 47. .>ll R. Martin-Achanl, A Ligblto tht! NaiiOnJ, p. 4, quoting 1111d rcfcrriog to). Jeremias, l' lll' Promiu, pp. 12, I ). 39 R. A Lit)JI 10 1he Na1i011J, p. 4ff. 40 D. M. Eichhorn, Cotlllt!rJiofl Jo j.uduhm, P 49. 41 ). Pc:cerson, Minionary Me1ho-ds, p. 179.

See Acts 2;5, 10; 6:5; 13:43. W. G. Brnude, ]twiJh Proselyliug, pp. 18 19, gives full references from TalmuJ, Mishnah, and other sou n:c>. 33 Evtn Philo, who said in encouragement t0 the Gentiles that the t(l Judaism was not one of excessivc difficulty, wns not free from the lttkr of chc law, th0ush be allegorized ir. Cf. Philo, De lo11graliuue AbrJii11mi, 16; De p,mih'nli.,, 2. H Hora.:e, S!JJ. I, 4, 142143, quoted by G. Riccioui, The UiJtllry 11/IJrad, Il , p . 200. 3' Hornce, Sat. I, 4, 133143; cf,. J.lllauw, AtiniotMren N1111;rt, p. 60.
32

94

9'

race but .1 gracious providence by which Christi.10ity would be thrust upon the world scene where God and the nations were alre-.1dy accustomed to meet. The Jewish diaspora provided an at-hand avenue inco the Gentile world. Although the members of the Jc:wish community did not go abroad as emissaries of the faith, many of them serveJ .ts errussaries among the people who Jived around them. but it was a judaism that Judaism was carried ro the world by w.ts doubly modified: by all that JascJrded .1nd by that irs Founder brought into it. Chrisrianaty owed to Judaism :1 deep, inestimable: debt, took over from Judaism the conception ol her task, exercised the world of J udaasm to .1 degree that Judaism Ius never aHained, .mJ m.1de the of judaism the: hew.tge of tho: world. t l It was observed c-.1rlier in U1is study thllt the: Jewish Diaspora colonit-s were frequently given considerable .1utbority to govc:rn ;and determine their .tffa.irs anJ administer the Jewish laws. The community .1ppc:ar) h.l be:en the center of this disciplinl!, especially when rt ClliiCc:rncd rdigious m:ltters of Jewish L1w. Paul's Jt:tters of authority to the: )yn.tgogut.>s of D:tnl;ascus given by the high priests indicate that this authority extended to the c.Jiu.,por.l (Am 9:12). Similarly, proconsul of Achaia, to adjudicate dafferencc:s of Jewish law because the Jews had full authority to ,Jo so tht:rosdvc) (Acts 18:1217). Paul w11s bc.-aten five times by the Jews in the cour)e of his bbors (11 Cor. 11:24). Such authority was exercised from in l.ltc:r clays. lr was nor unusu.d, for E:u:t had been given specific authority by Art:l.Xc:rxcs ro administer both tJ1e lUng's law :tnc.l "the Jaw of your God" .tnJ to ''Jc:r judgment be )trictly executeJ ... whc:thlr for c.leath or for b.mishmcnt or for confisettion of his property or for imprisonment" (Ezra The Jc:ws whum Paul )UmmOa\ed to his place of confinement in Rome: tell him, "We have received am lc:tters from Judea about you, ancl none of the brethren coming here has rc:-portc:J or spoken any evil about you" ( Acts 2H:21 ). Any schol.1r a.mong the Jews could remove religious as well as cavic officials for the infraction of legal principles and whose cooJuct of public :Ufairs did not meet the requirements of Jewish law..u The unity of Judaism was promoted by such cOl\ditions, a phenomenon quite unparalleled in history.

of the Rabbanic exegesis concerrung the prosdyte. The Talmud are the main sources foe this material. However, these rtcocded and rrarutions go back a long time and present a tradition that found it) ongins in pre-Chrisrian times. The missionary consciousness of the early Chrisuan commw1ity was in pact at least clue to those centuries not mentioned in d1e Old Testament when the Jewish proselyting movements received their great impetus. A reading of the Talmudic references to the proselytes makes one aware of rhc: caution which the exercised with respect to the legal status of the proselyte. The statc:ment "whoever wrests the judgment of the proselytes is as if he wrests the of the Most High, for it is said, 'And that turn aside the {rom his rrght' : tire consonants may be read : 'and thar turn Me ... ""sets forth the criteria by which the rabbis established the position of the.' proselytt:S within tht: community. If the proselyte was robbed, restitution W;tS to be maJe by the formula: the principal plus an additional one-fifth (Num. 5:7.H) ..c. If anyone robbed him, it was the same as though he had robbed an lsradrte. 10 The same restirutron was to be made to a proselyte woman as to Jn Israelite in the cast: of injury by an ox or by other mcans:n A sin ofiering had to be brought for robbing the proselyte.4ll He had e-very right to the Assembly and to act as judge and witness in court. 48 Anyone Jcid. n.1pping a proselyte was liable to the Jeath penaJty.MI Rtealung that prosdytc-s were present at Sinai because "their guiding stars present" (based on Dc:ut. 29:14ff.), the rabbis sa.id that this meant that " rhc: te-.r.chings of Judaism and irs ennoblement were freely meant for aU mankuHl." 01 "He who brings a Gentile nc.-ar to God is as though he has created him ... Solomon employecl large numbc:rs of strangers ("proselytes") "to an form ( Israel) th!lt the Holy One .. . brings nigh those that are distant and >uppom the distant [rc:joice) over the distant] JUSt as the nigh."63 God is rt:prc:)l!ntt:d as w:Liring ''for the nations of the world in the hope that thc:y will rc:penr amJ be brought under his wings." 54 In a number of instances the prosdytes are usc:J a.s an encouragement to Israel to trust God's faithfulness, for af God is faitlrful to Rechabites J.nd Gibeonita:s, "how much more will he be i.Uthf ul to his pt:Ople ?" 55 Gen. 49:5 is understood jn terms of d1e deceit
4-1
-15

the anJ

Hlg. 19. Hal. 758.

Naso VIII. I.
Dk. 277. Zcb. 224.

46

B.

R.Pbbi11ic Allilmid Towardi ProulyuJ

The nature :and cOJJtcnt of the Jewish propag:111da can best be seen ag.dnst

.J7 -18

-19
11

Nod. )44.
5311 , 566.

H. .1:-1 . Rowley, lsr.ul'r Mission to the W'or/J, p. 99. 43 fT , Peah 8:7, 213; Kid. 76b. Hugo Mllntd, in the 1-/islory of the Sanhedrin (Cambriuge: Harvud UoliYcrsiiy PreSs, 1961), pp. 199202,
42

Shllb. 738. lech Lecha XXX1X.14; Vaycsheb LXXXJV.4. Naso Vll1.4.

}) Srmldbar

9;

3):9.

96

97

practiced on tht: men of Shechem and the guilt of Simeon and Levi who "raised a wall" meaning "the- W:J.ll of prosdyres ... Thc men of Shechero had bt:c:n circumcised and future proselytes would take their example from them. Now that the men of Shechem were murdered, the confidence of the prosdytes was destroyed." 56 Abraham, Sarah, Jeth.ro, Mos<..-s, Rahab (whom Joshua is reported to have married and who b;Lre him daughters but no son)), N.1aman , .1nd Nebuzaradan are cited ns cx11mptes of great pc.:ople who won proselytcs. 67 Tht: legal status of the proselyte (or his children) was of great concern. The point at issue sccms gt:nerally to be whcther or not a.IJ the ritual requirt:mc.: nts had been met at the moment of his convertjng. "A proselyte is c::Xcmpt from priestly dues if he slaughtered a cow before he became a proselyte, but not afterwards. In cases of doubt the burden of proof rests with the claimanc: &d The statements, "One who becomes a prosdyte is like one newly born," and, "the heathen hns no father," imply that a completely new existence is now his.59 The rabbis did not permit a p.roselyte to marry an Ammonite or Moabite proselyte. Ammonite and Moabite proselytes musL marry wiUtin th<:ir own group.uv T,his new legal st:ttus is reflected in t.he l.tws of mheritJnce. /\ pros(lyte woman does not have to wait three months to rc-m:Ltry jf her husband was .t.lso a bdiever, for any chiiJ conct:ivc.:d before remarriage would lesally be an lsraeljte. 6 1 "A proselyte born in holiness [that is, his muther was a proselyte at the time of birth] but not conceived in holiness [his mothcor was uot a prusdyte at the lime] kgally has mntern:!l sanguinity but no paternal sanguinity."<tl " A proselyte has no legal those born after he lx."C'ame a proselyte." u3 A proselyte son not conceived in holiness is entitled ro a gift only, not a legacy.0 Jeremias rc.:ft:rs to the kccping of genealogical records for the Jews as well as for those descended from prosdytes. These genealo!:)ies wcre importaut, for the civil rights of a person were based on thc:m. The hig hest privilege was to be known as a family which (Ou.ld m:ury its daughters to priests, Pure ancestry was necessary for membership in the Tht:

point of view of the Jc:wish community in Jesus day was dominated by the fWldarnental idea of racial purity. 0 8 The property of a proselyte who dicd without heirs mighr be seized by a Jew, bur his slaves were to be f reed.U 7 Offerings designated by t.he deceased must be made, however; if the estate cannot pay for them, they must be made at public e.xpense.il8 In matters such as Sabbath observance, ritual cleanness, offerings, blowing tbt: Shofar, pledges, etc. the proselyte was boWld in exactly f.he same man ncr as U1e natural born Israelite.uu Rcgarding his reception inlO tht: people of Israel, circumcision and immersion If he had been circumcised bcf ore conversion, at least ..a few were Jrops- of blood of the covenant" must be made to flow from him.70 ..One does not bccome a proselyte until he h:lS been circumcised and has performed ablution; and so long as he has not performed ablution he is a gentile." n Jews might not be circumcised by Samaritans even when no one else is availabl.e becausc they circumcise in the name vf Mt. Gerizim. A heathen might accidentally castrate the Jew, but t:ould pc:rform the surgery if there was no one else available ro do so. Circumcised but not immersed proselytes and their children render things unclean.73 Shammai said that being caught in a rainstorm suHiccd in plact: of baptism for Ute proselyte to eat the Passover if be ha.d been circumCised but not immersed. Hillel would not permit this, for "whoever scpuato rumsdf from uncircumcision is ns one who separates rumself from the: grllvt:, .. and dcmanJed that seven days intervene between baptism 311d Passovt:r. 1 The mbbis taught that AbraJl!tm had not ci rcumcisetl h:mself at the age of forty-eight wherl he first recognlzetl his .. in order not to discourage proselytes who might otherwise tltiuk it was too late in life to be circum cised."' 6 Favorable refcrencts to the proselyte nbound. "The righteous among the Gentile-:; are priests of God. The saintS of all nations have a snare in the world to come." 7 " " He who repuuiates idolatry is a Jew"; however, to "turn away (rom idolatry"' is not synonymous with complete conversion for such persons may not yet have tu.rned away from iaunoral practices.71 A non-Jew who busies

)6 Vuyechi XCVUU. H 1!6; Sub.. 2)2; Naso XIV:II: Git, 155.165; Tzav IX.9; 1.;6; Vayechi 11.9; Dcbarim 1.5; Hag. 8. Cf. also S. Sandmel, l'hi/o' Pl11re, p. 23ff. B. f. Bamberger, l'rosdytiJm, pp. 174-2 t 7, say>. " Tilt very bulk of the material precludes the po> sjbility of extended quotation of the sources: lhmberger contains full ndertnces and

GG
p. 270.

For a full

ucatmcnt of this idea see J. Jeremias,

J<rllsalem in 1he Tir111 of ]1!1111,

documemation.
}II Hul. 761; Zeb. 497, )00. 59 Yeb. 131; cf. J. }4ftrnias. ]erusalmJ in 1be Time of ] eJIIJ, p. 323ff. 60 S"n 562; Kid. 38 t, the laller reference in spite of their favoroblc anltude tow:<rds
these natiuns, 01S previously noted.

67 6!1 bY 70 71 72
?;

61 62 63 64 65

Yc:b. 216; Ket. 159. 198; B.B. 644-645. Yeb. 673. BK. 636.
B.B. 644.645. J. Jeremias, J<riiJIIIt!m itL
J}U!

74
pp. 281298.

75 76 77

Git. 16-1. Mtn. 31l. Shab. 326; R. H. l34, 150; Yt:b. 505; Keb. 347; Mu.k. 115; Kcr. 67; Mid. 297. Shab. 679. Her. 288. A.Z. 132. A.Z. 287. Ed. 32; cf. al:.u J. Jeremias, JeruJr.!Dm in Ti11111 uj /e.tiiJ, p. 321. Lech XL V1.2. Sanh . XIJI.2. A.Z. 120; Meg. 74

98

99

!
himself in the Torah is equal to the High Priest.'' 18 "Gentiles outside Palestine 19 are not idolaters, for they are only following practices of their fathers." A change in viewpoint towards the proselyte is indicated by the above. Only the idols of the proselytes were regarded as impure and circumcision alone was 110 sufficient to mark his conversion to Judaism up to the second century B.C. The school of Hillel regarded the proselyte himself as impure. It was said that the impurity of the Gentiles was like the impurity of a menstruous woman. 81 This view dominated Judaism in the time of Jesus and the apostles. It is particularly helpful against the New Testament background to place together the phrases and images used to describe the change of religion that was effected in the case of the male proselytes by circumcision and immersion, and in the case of the woman proselyte by immersion only. Jeremias has brought these together in a significant paragraph:
82

The Gentile who changes JVs religion, who previously was far from God, has now come near to Him (Ephesians 2:1?>: Acts 2::'>9). He was dead Ephesians 2:1), lay, in a manner of speaking, in the grave (I Clem. 38:3). and has been raised from the dead (Colossians ?>: 1). A new creation has taken place (Galatians 6:15; 11 Corinthians 5:17). Thereby his past is blotted out, he has entered a completely new existence, is like a newborn child I Peter 2:2). is a vE6<pU1:oc; (I Timothy 3:6). All this happened through forgiveness of all his sins being granted to the Gentile on his change of religion (Colossians 2:2). Henceforth he is in holiness (I Thessalonians ?>:13). These are not just individual points of contact, but the whole terminology of the Jewish conversion theology connected with proselyte baptism recurs in the theology of primitive Christian baptism. How powerfully the thought that conversion signified the beginning of a completely new life had penetrated the consciousness of the great mass of the people is proved by the numerous instances in inscriptions and literary sources of changes of name of proselytes. This usage goes far back into the centuries before the introduction of proselyte baptism.

is another area of interest in the relation of proselytes and Gentiles body of Gentiles who were not proselytes to Judaism. There was a nor adherents of the superslltro-Judarca .but who participated in the worship of the Temple at Jerusalem and were permitted to A number of persons to offered sacrifices. Josephus tells of Alexander the Great, were Ptolema1s III, Antwchus VII (who during his siege of Jerusalem at the time of the Feast of sent sacrifices into the Temple), Marcus Agrippa who samf1ced 100 oxen as a burnt offering on behalf of Herod), V!tell!us (who came to Jerusalem especially for the purpose). 84 Philo records that Augustus ordered the daily sacrifice of two lambs and a bullock at his expense. It is. this which the Jews pointed as a sign of their loyalty to Rome. This samf1ce contwued to be offered until 66 A.D. The Ptolemies gave presents to the temple. 85 The expenses for the required sacrifiCes at the New Temple were to be paid from the king's treasury according to Ezra The priest's responsibility in these matters was to see to it that the sacrifice was offered properly and in honor of God. They were not concerned at whose expense the offering was brought. The Old Testament assumed this practise 10 27:26 (the word ben nechar, a non-Israelite, is used). Later Judaism speobed the _acceptable offerings, such as for vows and the free-will offerings, or trespass ?fferings. 81 The Mishnah on Lev. 1:2 says that the but not the man 1n that place ''precisely so as to include proselytes."BB word Adam IS used Josephus_ says that 1n A.D. 6 reso!ution was passed prohibiting the acceptance of offenngs from the Gentiles, out the conservatives maintained, ''All our forefathers had been in the habit of receiving sacrifices at the hand of the Gentiles'' and if Jews were the only people among whom a foreigner was to samf1ce, then Jerusalem would incur the reproach of being an not ung.odly Offering a sacrifice at a temple other than that connected with ones own was very often nothing more than an expression by the offerer piety, a mere act of courtesy toward a people, city, or temple, of a and sa1d nothwg about a man's religious creed.eo It may concluded, th_erefore, that the rabbis approved of proselyting, and great men of Israel's past as examples to encouraged 1t: used _the follow, and 1n theu readwg of Scripture discovered many references to the proselyte. In all cases, however, the proselyte was bound to become an Israelite 83 84 85 I, p. 86 87 88 89 90 E. Schiirer, GeJChichle, 1:1, pp. 299-305 (E.T.). Josephus, Ani., XIII.8.2; XVI.2.1; XVIII.5.3; BeJJ. Jud., V.l.s; IV.4.?>. Josephus, Contra Ap., II.5, 6; Bell Jud., 11.10.4; Il.17.2-4; E. Schiirer, GeJChichle, 302-303 (E.T.). G. C. Luck, Ezra and Nehemiah, sub loco. BT, Mak. 133; Men. 364-365, 435. Vayyikra Il.9. Bell. Jud., Il.17.2-4; Ani., XI.U; Conlra Ap., 11.5. E. Schiirer, Geschichle, I, pp. 299-300 (E.T.).
101

78 Bab. K, ?>Sa. 79 Hullin, 13b. 80 Judith 14:10. 81 Matt. 8:7; John 18:28; Acts 10:28; 11:12; I Cor. 7:14; Gal. 2:12. See also Joachim Jeremias, In/ani Bapriw: in rhe FirJI Four CenrurieJ (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), p. 25, henceforth to be cited as In/tJIII B.tpriJm. The NEB translates Matthew 8:7 as a question ("Sir, who am I to have you under my roof?") suggesting the idea of to Jeremias. K. H. Rengstorf, TWNT, III, p. 294, says, "he is not thinking of ntual uncleanness which Jesus as a Jew would incur by entering a non-Jewish house. What he has in view is the majesty and authority of Jesus which left Him above everything human, especially in the non-Jewish sphere." 82 ]. Jeremias, ln/at:l Baplilm, p. 36; pp. 19-37 also.

100

in every respect. He had to observe the whole law (Gal. 5:3), and he had to demonstrate his sincerity by being baptized and circumcised.

C. The Ret:epJion of ProseJyJes

struggle. The large numbers of converts near Antioch mentioned by Josephus, the women of Damascus, the expulsion of the Jews from Rome the Greeks Poppaea, the judaizers and semi-converts of Syria - these all to fact that all classes of the society of the Roman world found spiritual refuge in the true faith. 96 what ceremony were they admitted to the status of Jew? What was requ1red of the convert? It is worth noting that it is only in Esther 8:17 that the Hebrew word (mityahadim) for conversion is used for the first time in the Bibl_e: "which probably indicates that conversion was a practice sufficiently to ha_ve a verb to describe it." 91 The word is from a root meaning to and IS translated in the R.S.V. as "become a Jew". On the basis of the madent recorded in this passage the rabbis sometimes spoke of "Esther An earlier phrase in the book of Ruth "to take refuge under the wmgs of Yahweh, the God of Israel" (2:12) is used in the sense of "to be convef!:ed to Judaism." . Only one. requirement is laid on the gerim who wished to identify ":'1th Ill the eatmg of the Passover and it is limited to the prescription of CircumCISIOn (cf. Gen. 17:12,13; Ex. 12:48). It appears that this requirement was the only made ol the convert until approximately the second century B.C. (cf. Judith 14:1?). At the time that the Gentile began to be regarded as bemg personally 1mpure other obligations became associated with his reception into the of God's people. At what time or in what place (or _ev_en :"'hether umversally) these new obligations became conditions for adm1ss10n 1nto the community, it is impossible for us to tell. W_e_ begin with Talmud which clearly and unequivocally required three for admiSSIOn: (1) circumcision, (2) baptism, and (3) sacrifice.oo Ma1momdes, a Jewish scholar of the twelfth century (1135-1204), gave a clear _and deta.tled acco_unt of_ t_he reception of proselytes. His account is really a mosa1c of the Talmud1c tradition; therefore, it is given in full: 100
By three things did Israel enter into the Covenant, by circumcision, and

th;

From what classes among the Gentiles did those who constituted the proselytes of the synagogue community come? It is well-known that Jewish colonists in the diaspora frequently married heathen women, who were by the fact of their marriage accepted into the Jewish fold. 91 The slave and the stranger were from early times a natural and inevitable means for enlarging the Jewish community. The slave and the stranger actually resident under the roof of a head of a household were foreign in blood but became practically members of that household. The Decalogue makes the stranger the special responsibility of the community (Ex. 20:10). Abraham served as an example in this, since at his circumcision all the males of his household were likewise circumcised at Yahweh's command (Gen. 17:12-13). Later, the slave was offered his freedom at conversion since the Jews were forbidden to own fellow Israelites as slaves.D'l The emancipation of slaves was closelt related to the synagogue. The transaction took place in the synagogue, which was also witness and guarantor. The legal notices found in the Crimea from the first century A.D. indicate that one of the conditions of the emancipation was that the slave's freedom depended upon faithful attendance at the synagogue and adherence to its teachings. Derwacter says "this gives the impression that possibly the freedom was granted as a means to proselytism." 03 The Maccabees were not above using force upon those who did not voluntarily convert to Judaism as is shown in their treatment of the Idumeans and ltureans. The former were forced to be circumcised or leave their country by John Hyrcanus. The latter were forced to be circumcised by Aristobulus under the same threat.94 The Herods required those who married into the family to be circumcised. Alexander Janni conquered parts of Moab and massacred those who refused circumcision. 95 The greatest success lay with the common people among whom the process of conversion went on throughout the diaspora not affected by the Maccabaean
91 Cf. B. J. Bamberger, Proselyliim, p. 18, who refers to the excellent study by A. S. Herschberg, Ha Te Kufah, vol. XII, p. 132. 92 J. H. Peterson, Miuionary Me1hod1, p. 140; M. Radin, The ]ewi Among 1he Greek.I and Romani, p. 389, n. 12. 93 F. Derwacter, Preparing 1he Way for Paul, p. 80, who quotes E. Schiirer, "Die juden irn bosporanischen Reiche" in Silzungiberhhu der Ak.ademitl dtir WiuenHhufJtin, 1897, pp. 200-206, especially p. 203. 94 josephus, Ani., XIII.ix.l and xi.3. J. S. Raisin, Genlile Reaoioni, pp. S4ff. and 171 ff., reviews and discusses the forcible accretions together with the reasons for them. See also J. Jeremias, Jeruialem itl lhe Time of ]eiUI, p. 320; j. Peterson, Miuionary Melhodi, pp. 159-161. 95 Josephus, Ani., XIII.xv.4; XVI.vii.6.

96 Josephus, Bell. ]ud., VII.3.30; II.Q.2; Il.20.2; Ani., XVIII.3.5; XX.8.11 Vila 3 Conlra Ap., Il.ll & 40. ' ' ' 97 Cf. L. Ginzberg, LegendI of I he Jewi, VI, p. 480; B. J. Bamberger, Proie/yliim, p. 13. 98 Bib/hal, T heologhal and E((leJiaJii(a/ En(y(/opedia, VIII, p. 659. 99 E. Schiirer, GeHhhhu, II, p. 319 (E.T.). The Talmudic data can be found in the tractates ebamot_h, Berakoth, Kerithoth, Kethuboth, Shabbath, and Abodah Zarah. we have no mformatJon on these matters outside the rabbinic tradition Cf H H Ro I HU . . . . wey, CA,. XV p. 321; G. F. Moore, Judaiim, I, pp. 331ff., 334; J. Bonsirven, ]udaJim.' I, p. 29ff. All these authors agree that the tradition that sets forth these req uuements 1s trustworthy.

'!

10.0 BaptJs_n;t . m the JmtJatJOn rite.

hure Biah, 13 and 14, quoted by Thomas F. Torrance, "Proselyte I (1954), 150-154. H. H. Rowley, HUCA, XV, pp. 320ff. also details

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baptism and sacrifice. Circumcision was in Egypt, as it was written. "No unci rcumcised person shall eat thereo f" (E xodus Xll:48 ). Baptism was in the wilderness just before giving o f the Law: as it is written, "Sanctify them tod ay and tomo rrow, and let them wash their clothes" (Exodus XIX: lO ). And s acrifice, as it is said, "And he sent young men of the children o f lsC3el which offered burnt orferings" (Exodus And so sn ages when a Gentile is willing to enter into the Covenant, and gather himself under the wings of the Shekinnh of God, and take upon hsm the yoke o f the Law, he: must be circumcised and be baptized and bring 11 sacrifice. As it is sa1d, ".As you are, so shall the stntnger be" (Num. 15) . How are you? So like wise the stranger (or proselyte) thro ugh all generations: by ci rcumcision and baptism, and bringing of a sacrifice .And what is the stranger's sacrifice? A burnt offering o f a. beast, or two turtledoves, or two yo ung pigeons, both o f them for a burnroffering. And at this time: when th ere is no sacrificing, they must be mcumcised and be bJplized; .1nd when the Temple: slllll be bwh, they are tu bring chc sacrifice. A stranger th.1t is circumcised :1nd not baptized, or baptized :1nd nut circumcised, is noc a prosc:lyte till he be both circumcised and baptized : and he must be bapmcd in the presence: of three . ... f.vm as they circun1cise and baptize: stungers, so do they circumcise: and baptize servants char arc rc:l'Cived from the heathen in co rhe oamc:. of servitude .. . . The Gen11lc tbat is made proselyte Jnd the s lave thut IS made free, behold he: is like a child new born. Entrance into the commo nwea lrh ot' lscael was more than naturolizatioll. It was essentially admission to full covenant Thc:refore, since tht: complc:tion of these rites made the proselyte in all respects nn Isr.telitc, it was understood that his admission should involve all that was required of Israel: ci rcumcision, sacrifice, baptism (cf. Gen. 17:12: Ex. 12:48; 19: 10: 24:8; Num. 15:15; Josh. 5:1). These requirements rmdc of Israel "once for all time" were likewise: required from the proselyte. Whe n he comes up from waters of baptism, be has ente red the covenant. 1111 It is certain that all three rites were requi red prior to 70 A.0. 1 o-! The meaning and place of circumcision in the covenant with Abraham and Israel has already been traced. Ci rcumcision was required on ly of mnles, according to Scripture, and was the Iillc! qua 110 11 for thcir conversion. In the case of males who were already circumcised, the rabbis instructed that a few drops of blood must be shc:d, o the rwise the covenant was not complete. In all cases a person already circumcised had to be baptized."'3 F emale converts were only required by the rabbis to offer a sacrifice and to baptize themsd ves.o Some find in this ci rcumst1nce che txpl:tn3tlon for the
81', Ycb. l6b, 47h; Ker. 9a; AZ 57.1; Shah. l;)a ; JT, Kiddll$hin oil.l-1, Hd 102 Sec 1'. M. Taylor. "The Beginnings of Jewish Prusdytc: in NTSI, II, in wh ich Tdylor responds to TorrJncc's aniclc - sec nul< no. 3 (Feb. 100 above. 103 BT, Shab. 671/, liZ 293; Sr.rack Billerbc:ck, Kommml"' I, p. 105. 104 D. Daube, Tbu New T tllatlldJII and Rabbinit Juduum , p. 106.
!Ol

greater number o f f c:malc proselytes in the Jewish communities. In the Christian era there were a number of occasions when the Jews un& r threat of the death penalty were forbidden to circumcise, indicating a continuing prosdyting effort.106 The requirement of a sacrifice continued as long as the Temple stood. The required to offt:r a sacrifice on the part of the p roselyte in the times when the temple remained lt was a condition wruch Like ci rcumcision could be waived in cases of necessity.' 01 The nature of the sacrifice was that of a burnt An offering by itself was not sufficient, since, as has been shown, th e Gen tiles were permitted to provide offerings at the l 'emplt:. The burnt offering was for tht- reception of the proselyte since by the laying ou of ha nds tht- offering was accepted for him before Yahweh (Lev. 1:3). Gre-.Jter ront rovc:rsy has surrounded the question of baptism of proselytes. No little difficulty in resolving the questions raised is occasioned by the fact that thcre is no positive information regarding the o rigin of this rite and its original me-ollling (was it purif icatory o r an initiatory ritual, e.g.). Baptisms were common in Palestine among tribes living in the Jordan areas. The ancient world was full of religious ceremonies whidl were eJCpecteu to effect a spiritual d1ange in those who su bmitted to them, in some instances even to transform chcm fro m men ioto gods. 1110 Earlier scholarship generally held to a late date for the origin of proselyte baptlsm, but this was usually done in the interest uf supporting the thesis of the originality of Christian Oepke remarks that
105 j oseph Crehan, &rly ChriJJian and Crud (London: pp. 24, who holds 10 a late date for the: origin of proselyte baptism. T be Sib]llin1 Or<Uin, iv. J 64, ( pr.,b.bly around 80 A.D.) )tate thai ci rnunci>ion is no1 reqtured, only a ceccmoni11

BT, R.H., 150. t07 F. Derwacter. l'rtptiTmg Way fiN P"ul, pp. 1041081 discuues the vuious chc requirement of circumcision with documentation from the sources. cxccp1ioru Cf. also ]i!Jur' Promiu, p. 1). l OS Men., 435. I 09 For the full trcatmenc of baptismal practices of peoples in the Jordan a.rea, see RIChard Dill Vorgnchitblt der ChriJtlithm 1'aufe (Sciittgart: B. G. Teubner, 1967), p. 18ff., who also has a complete survey of the meaning of bapcism in various Su also che anicle Jlamw by AJbcecht Oeplcc, TWNT, J, pp. )2953), for a dtscusson of the meaning of s3c.ra l washings in variow religions and Hellenism. Oepkc cunc.ludcs that "it is impossible co t.racc 2.11 these customs co a common root'" (p. Hl ). \VI. F. AJbrighl, From Jb, Slot" Age to Cbristianily, p. 377, discusses Rciucnstcin's vi(wpoinl. For the luscrations among lt.:a.li.ans, Greclcs, Syrians, Persians, Indians, Jews, pt"lctices see Ernst Lohmeyer, Das Urrhri11en111m l ; Johtmnn du Taufer (Go uon.sen.: Vandenhocck & Ruprhl, 1!)32); James D. Smarr, The ResJolluio11 ( Philaddphia: Wcsuninscer, 1969), p. 2 t. 11 0 E. Schilrer. Ceuhhbu, IU, p. ISlff .. surveys and critici1es rhe older r.reatmenJ;S. k. Di' Vorgnthichtl der ChriJ/Iithen Tau/e. p. 231 ff., in chc interests of his syncretistic bias cnntcsts the earlie r emergence of proselyte baptism.
IOl

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105

... un inner grounds ir is likely tha.t is was nlccaJy customary in the Nc:w Testament period, since: the purity demanded of every Jew co uld not be relaxed 111 the c:lse of the impure Gentile. Again it is bardJy conceivable: that rhe Jewish ritual should be: adopted at u time when baptism had become: an established rdigtous practice in Christianity. After 70 AD. at least the opposition to OlristiJns was too sharp to allow for the rise of a custom nmong the jews. Proselyte baptism must prccedeJ Chrastt.tn bapttsm. 111 In aJJiuon, the ddwcs bc:twcen the schools of Shammat and Hillel (contem on the subject of b.1ptism inJiCJte that the pr.tc:tlcc: must poraries of have been weU established by that time. The H illditc:s bid incrc:asmg c:mphast) on proselyte baptism as the crucial point of transition with the intention of malcing tJ1e assimi!Jtion of male proselytes comparable to of the The question debated with the Sh.unmaites was concerned w&th the qucstJon was the point of change. The Hillelites brought whether circumcision or a purificatory, leviticaJ sense into baptism, even though they were generally more uni versaJbt in spirit. Hillel emphasized the "coming up'' uspt"Ct of immecBy th e end of the first century A.D. the viewpoint of the Hillel )chool c:an be said to have prevailed and is reflt"Cted in the Talmud. The faa that the aulJJOrilies of the Tu.Jmud d.id not know the origin of the rite also inuic.ates its The main charncteristic of proselyte baptism can be gathered from U\C rabbinic sources. These display bud1 similarity and dissimilarity bctwt.>en it and Christian baptism. Rowley has aptly and accu ratdy defined the difference between pro)dytc baptism unJ Jolm's baptism in this way : proselyte baptism was "rlg.mlcJ ent.rance into a new life; John's bapti!>m wJ.S not just into A. Ocpke, TIVNT. I, p. }3). a. Harold Henry Rowky. 'Jc:wish Proselyte anJ tht Baptism of John" in 1/UC.rl, XV ( 1940), 112 At11lmul>, Pr>. 11:11; EJ . .5.2; Stracl.:-DiUcrbeck, J:.om/lmi/Jr , I, p. 102ff.; George R.tymond Bwpsism m Ntw Tt'li.Jtn<!/11, (London. MacmtliJn Co., 1960), pp. 29 SO, D. O.tube, Tlu Teii.unml .a nd p. 108; lJT, Yeb. 47b; J. Jeremias, lnfat/1 81/Jiism. p. 2) A dtfferent ol the of Htllcl and tS gtvcn by baib Sonne, "The Schools of Halld and S.:cn From Wuhan" in LuutJ Gm:bi!rg ;\teuJuri.JI l'ulume (New York. Amc:rtca n Autlemr for )<'Wish RcS<"Jrch, 194)), pp. 27.5-292. who finds Hilld the: spirit of th< lw \'S . ShJmmai .1nJ the tcu..r of the law, or immcJiJcy (Hillel) ''S. long range vJ.!uc:s (ShJmmaa). Jlso considers the posttion of Geiger due the djffercncc> between the schools was politl\31, and of those who hold thAt thne differences wae socioc.-conu?u.c. Fur " speciftc AlCuunt of the schools of Hillel anJ Sh.1mmai, rdaung to the actuJl tr;wung of a Hrbrcw youth, sec: Jacob Ncusncr, A Li/.t of Rabb:m l'ohanan 8r11 180 C.E. ( Lcttlen: E. J, Brill. t %2), pp. 16-32. , . . .. 113 GcJrge A. Bilrtun, "The Origin of the Thought tauern that an BJpltSm, 111 tl1e f ouruul of lh6 r lmuirtm Orient,,/ )6 ( 1936) , t ))l6). Wdhdrn Du jiidilt"b.: D.tp11JIII<'II (Giessen: /\. Toppdmann. 1?10), pp. )672, hJS 3 s.:w.on containing complete references tO pro;dyte lrJptism in the Tal111ud. The bo.>ok abo.> contams all other onctcr.t sources in full.
11

a new life but into a new agc:."J 14 The main features of baptism which ace of importance ro this study are these: The proselyte was bapti2c:d " in the name of God" and accepted "the yoke 116 H e was instructed in the me-aning of what he was about to do. of the law." While: he was in the water, parts of the Law were read to rum and he was interrogated concerning his fail11 . 116 When he emerged, he was regarded as be-J ring the yoke: of the: Law. He: had now come " under the wings of the and fully initia ted into l11e faith. This was impressed on him by the wltnesst:S. After the immersion the representatives who first exhorted him s.tld, "Whom hast thou joineJ, thou blessed one? Thou hast joined him v.ho created the world by the: utter.Ance of words, blessed be H e, for the world w:ts created solely for lsrael's sake and none are calletl children of God save JsraeL" u

(2) Proselyte baptism was self-administered. The general method seems to have been immersion and could t:lke place almost anywhere except in buhs dedicated to idols. Three rabbis, "fathers of baptism," were witnesse.ss.us In the case of a woman .she was seated in the water to her neck, women assisting her, while two rabbis discreetly secluded behind screens read pertinent sections of the Law to her.U 11 Ordinarily a three.fold immersion was practiced. It was re&r.t rded as important that the entire person come into contact with the water, that in the least degree broke the continuity was held to invalidate and the act : a ring on the finger, a band confining the hair, even a knot in one's
Cl(j

from private ritual ablutions by its d1aracter. It n11ght not take place at night (and hence seccetly), and wJtne:sses were present to give it a judicial \'1) could be baptizt-J along with the parents, although if males, they theJr fatlJe.rs must first be circumcised. Children of slaves as well as orphans mtght be bapt1zed..l..:tll Jt should be: noted lllat the baptism of infant proselytes Il-l H. H. Rowley, "Jcwi>h Proselyte Baptism and the Baptism of John," p. the urganiutioo of the mlttriaJ that follows on the main fe.turef of proselyte bJ pusm I 4111 mdebted to the study of T. P. Torrance, "Proselyte Bptism.'' Sec also W. G. Braude, jeMJb l'rotd)IIZiflg, pp. 77118. It) Gerim vii.S; Aboth ii,Z, 12; tv. I I; Pes. 50b; San. IO)b; Nni 23b. lt6 Yeb. 47a,b; Comp. I Petc:r }:21. 117 Yeb. 46a, otnd 48b, referring 10 Ruth 2:12. Sc!c also LXX on Isaiah 5.oi!H. H. H. HUCI'l, }(V ( 1$110). p 32)ff. 1111 Kctb. II; Er. 1), Ycb. 47a. 119 Yeb. -17b. I Cf. T. F. Tornlllcc, "Prosdyu: Baptism", p. 15 t, n. 3; H. H. Rowley, HUCA, XV (1940), p. 32tf.; Erub. lb. l2l Yeb. 4Ga. 47b; jT, Yeb. viia.t. 122 for lite p resentation and of the cady prnc&ice of b3pllsm of infants see Jo.achim Jeremias, 1'hd Or-igins of 111/afll 8apliJI!I, transluu:J by Dorothea M. Banlln INpcrville: IL R. Alltnson, 1963); German title = DJe l'lnf:irtgtl der Kind6rlallfe. Also S<:c: Ytb. -18a; } T, Yeb. viii. I ; Ketuboth i,2,3,4; iii. t ,-.z.

(J) .Proselyte baptism. was

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II

had a provisional character. The of proselytes baprized by their parents had the right to e.xercise their own as to thd r relationship to the Jewish faith and nation when they attained matu.ril)' ant! were :u liberry to renounce their proselyte status. "lf an offspring of a prosc:lyte baptized in infancy resolved lo turn his back on Judaism, he. W!15 not as a Jew but was looked on as who had lived all his life as a non-lsradire.'' Childn:n born after the conversion of their parents to Judaism were not baptized: ci rcumcision sufficed. Heathen slaves bought by the Jew were also circumcis...J and baptized, H is master was required to hold him firmly while he was in the water to de-arly distinguish the caemony from the baptism of the true proselyte.J<ta (5) A forward and backward is founJ in the baptism. Not onlr is the free from the pollution of his formt:r life, but Jll previous relarion are now changed as (6) Participation in the Passover became the criteriOI\ whether a man w.ts a proselyte or nor, just as in Christianity the right to partake of the Lord's Supper determines whether a person is a confessing member. Accordingly, the Passover season became the usua l time in which the baptisms of proselyh:s took place, and this often in connection with the offering required to be made at Temple. Baptism in the Pool of Siloam was not a cart: occurrence.'% Not all these items were immt:diately associated with this rite of baptism. Many grew only grad ually, :tS most sud1 cultic practices do. The lnstructiM givt:n to candiJntes for baptism is of special interest to us, since in Matthew 28:1820 ins truction is closely related to Christian baptism. David Daube has detailed the content of this instruction,126 paralleling it With New Testament practices. The pattern of instruction included these elemtnt s: ( 1 ) The Jest, whose essence was that a person was asked whether he under stooJ ,til that Wil.S involved in his action requesting instruction for reception JS a convert. This indic:tted knowledge of the fundamentals of the faith. Parallels arc found in Matthew 28, "teacbing . aH that l have commanded you" anJ in Acts 2 where Peter's Pentecost sermon is concerned with the Messiahship of Jesus, the essential element at that moment.".CI 7
123 Strack-llillerbeek, Komnm11ar, I. p. noff.; G. R. Beasley-Murruy, Bap1i1m in the Tl'lltllll<'iil, p,p. 3293347 dp. p. Oscar Cullmann, BJpthm in Ne111 TeJtatlll!/1/ ' i11 Bib/ira/ Tbeulogy No. 1, tr.lnslutcd by J. K. S. Reid (London: SCM Pre. 195t}, p. 25; H. H. Rowley, HUCA, XV (1940), ,H 1; Yeb. 46a. 124 Yeb. 22a; 4!lb; 62a t 97b; 98a.b; Bck. l7a; JT, 4u; Bik. 6k Mb; Mitlm.Jb, y x.i.2. 125 G. F. ;mJ,tiJ/11, I, p ..HO; T. F. Torf'.ince, "Prosdyte .BapltSm." p. ]. Jeremias, Jeruralm In lbi! Time of jes11s, p. 320ff, The Mishnah a.nd Tal mud say that the Gcnlile wishing to become a Jew nffere.J his sacrifice in Jerusalem - stt Mit/)1/.Jb. Ker. 2.1; BT. Ker. 81 a, 126 D. Daube, Tht! Nelli T<'S/d/llt!/11 ;md Rt.bbinlt }11Jaiun, p. t13ff.; J. Jercrnhs. lnfaul Bap1ism, p. 30ff. 127 J. Jeremias, l!l]tttll Bap/iJm, p. demonstrates thnt an enquiry into the

(2) The tW!IfllcJIIlltllt'IIIJ: some of the lighter ant! weightier commandments \Hre ft"dd to the :lpplicaut. A1;1ain tht: words "all that 1 have commanded you" of Mutihcw :2H .lfc. u paralld . Other New Testament passages also show that mstruction constituted part of the early training of the convert: I Cor. 3:2; 1 !let. ::!: 2; Heb. S:l2ff.; (. 1) Charity: the duty of charity was impr('ssed on the candidate. Peter, as shown previously, 1ncluded fre<juent references to this duty in his epistles. (I) Pef/a!Jit.r, including instruction in the differences between his present and

formt:r st.ltc: many New T,-stament warnings also follow the proclamation of the believing comm unity. See Matt. 7:24; Gal. 6:7; Eph. 5:5; Phil. CoL 3:25; J Thess. 4:5; Heb. 6:4; 10:25; 13:4; 1 Pet. 3:12. l5) i?<'w..mls cmJ 1he Life to Come: the en tire instruction was set in an eschato logiol framework as tO man's purpose, task, and hope in this world's passing pll:tsc. The New Testament is replete with references to the eschatological hope containeJ in the.- prt".tching of the Kingdom of God. The Christian mission is indebted, in the view of several scholars, to the Jewish scholars fo r the manuals of instruction by the Jews for tl1e lilStruction of proselytes. The Didmhe and Sibylline Book! arc: regarded as bavint; a Jewish origin and adapted by the early church for its purpose.l.l.'1l We see, then, that the Jewish proselyte was identified with the nation and with Yahweh aud his covenant. The manner of his initiation was in harmony with the unfulfilled character of the Ohl Testamt:nt revelation. Proselyte baptism was defined. nod practiced in accordance with the concepr of mission, ,1 matter closely relateJ to the esrablisJ1mcnt of the Christian rite. Unfortunately thts :!Spc:ct of 0Histi0\n baptism has often been forgotten and baptism is defined in rc::rms of personal salvation and not of the essential nature of the chll!ch and God's universal covenant. Baptism is, as John Piet says, ' 'a mandate for misSIOn." The baptisms of the New Testament relate without exception to missionary baptism, i.e., when Jews- and Gentiles were received into fellowJUl i e) to

mouvution for changing one's religion was praniccJ very early. The technica..l term KWAOE.!V (iorbid , hinder, prevent) is used on a number of occasions in Acts. See 8:36; 10:'17; 11:17; also Matt. 3:14 is more than just a simple statemcnl. 121:! In Cyril of JeruSAlem's instruCtions to candidates fur baptism and newly baptized members. lhc exposition of Uu: Lord's Pt'.tyer was given to the. new members after baptism "' part of the commentary on the Eucharistic I iturb'Y to which they were now admitted. In Mss. 162 & 70ll "thy Kingdom come" reads "thy Holy Spirit come upon us and dt:anse us," a l<.nown to early chuicb fa thcrs Gregory of Nyssa and Mu:imus Confessor. II Is to very early times reflects the usc oi Lhc Pr11ycr in the initiation rites of the Christian cummunity. Sec Thomas Waltei Manson "The. Lord's Prayer," in Tbe B11liulifl of joh11 Rylutidt LJbrury Mam"bt:Jier, 38 (September 19.5.5), 99113. I ;I) Not ull take 1.his viewpoint of the Didache. For various views see: G. R. 8tJpliim itt tbe TI!J/uf/11!111, p. 25ff.; D. Daube, The. New Testament .md R.Jbblu1c judttisl!l, p. 106ff. (chap. .S = "A 8aptism3l Catechism"); D. M. Eichhorn, CCJ{Iversiofl /o }11daisrn, p. 45; F. Dcrwactcr, P-reparing 1he lr'ay for Pa11l, pp. 99100. 130 J. H . Piet, 1'he Road ahead, pp. 6983.

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ship.13l Further attention will be given to this when the place: and Christian baptism are considered.

of

D. Tbe Propagrmdtl
By the time of Jt:Sus, Judaism had achieved ;LO UJlequa.lled integnuion of religion, race, and culture. Some have called this "particularism" and have seen a conflict in both pte- and post-Christian Judaism, a tension between particu larism and universalismP2 The separation of nation and religion was beyond the grasp of the average Jew. Even the Gentile world considered proselytizati011 as in some sense at least a kind of nationalization. This is necessary to bear in m.ind since the unique cha.racteristics of the Jewish communities (social, juridical, and religious) were preserved as a result of the existence of the Jews as a separate people among the nations.133 The: emergence of "insular Judaism,'' as Rowley calls it, tao& was timely. lt seems to have prominence during the Bllbylonian Exile as a defense against .Babylonian religion and absorption into the heathen world. ln Palestine it was motivated by resistance to the laxiry that ln pre-txilic times admitted pagan influc:aces into Israel and lcJ to the apostacy of the tribes. Ezra's call to put away the fortign women after the: Exile is an illustration of this defensiveness (Ezra 9). Eua was moved to take: this action not merely because these women were from the tribes of the land but because the people of Israel had not "separated themselves from the peoples of the land tuitb (Ezra 9:1). Such drastic action was required because of the aggressive influences of the alien cu1tures that dominated the land (Ezra 9:11).1.35

of the greatness of God saw men of other races as their brethren who pecce1ved that the grace of God was far too rich to be exhausted H 1s goodness to Jsrael. whose hearts so overflowed with gladness at the mercy of that all the world to know it, who felt in their hearts so.m erhmg the d1v1oe compassion as they looked on the world that lived Wlth.out and who perceived that lsrad wits called to a m1ss1on of service. k?ew no limits, service that should be achieved in and 10 suffcnng, and that should be rewarded in the establishment o e ngdom of God in the world,l341 . Lsrad of the. response to tlte adoration by the Gentiles the .unumg blessmg conr,uned tn Isaiah 19:25 which places Israel as t1: d arry mo th . . a lJr a ng e nations an the midst of the: world P
10

'

.Blessed be Egypt, my people, anJ Assyna, the work of my hands, and ISrael, my heritage.

In on.ltr to feel the full force of a statement sud1 as thjs, EichJ1orn suggests :
imagine some eminent divine today prodaiming, "Blessed JS .ussla, .cod s people, and Red China, the work uf his hands and Aanc: , h1s hentage" 5 does put some Stram . on the imagination. n a, . Th I Yet Isaiah

Jt arose f r m t f I

. Tbe p!lrticul.uism of tl1e jews was not born of disloyalty to this 'd . J WJ e VJs a on, necessity an served a real purpose in God's plan for the: fulfillen. o us w)th the nations. ft was necessary to preserve the life of

In the post-exilic age, which we associate with an insular Judaism, there

were nor a few writers who had a wider vision, who, in the Jjght of their

131 132

J. JercmiJS,
W. 0. E.

l11[a111 BoJ{IIism, p. 19. fudaiuu ortti ChrlSiiamly, I, p. 112. article by- !-!. Loewe,

"Pharisaism," remarks that it would be wrong to stress unduly the connollltion of exclusiveness. The Mishoa.b, he point$ out, is a Pharisaic compilation and reflects Pha.risaic conditions. In the agricultural treatises we find l'!lllny Instances of Jews in pa.rtnership with Gentiles. Cf. I , p. 113; II, pp. 41 :ond 21}. See also Otto Potrliltuldri.ttJJui uml llnirterraliJ111/JI in tier Religionsgesrbirhte; a summary of this t!isstrtatioo C:ln be found in Theologisrhe lJJeraJurzeiluttg, LXXXIX
(1954), p. 283. H3 T. J. Meek, jR, VU (May 1927). pp. 247-248. 1}4 !-1. H. Rowley-, hlission, p. 37. I pcrson:tlly fed that the tenSions between what is c:tlled particularism a.nd universalism in lsrnel's faith are abstractions. Real ity did not flt into such neath conceived distinctions. We shall use (he terms in a very hJOse

Judrusm. .for God .wtlleJ to bring life to the: world through his people 1 1 On s th1 s was not incuns.istent with a real interest in the pagan or t1 walh a desare th f to lead . men now alienated from God to h. am and to receave Jnto c ellowship of his people. The defense of her peculiar character race, had also irs role ro play in the triumph of the truth. SagnafJcan.tly, Jt was Phar!sees and kindred elements in the Oias ora who were the of Jewtsh soatty, deeply Joyal to the faith thernsefves austerely loyal . in fulfillment of the minutiae of the Law and eve r - .1 to ' 1 we come recruats to share thetr spirit and are accustomed this spirit out of hand, and are rartl wiUin eJther to understand 1t or to consider the conditions which producJ it.
H. !-!. fm,ei'I l't!issio11, pp. 71-n. See also J. Bonsi.rven PaJewniafl I, P _4fC., for references to the Tnlmud and other rabb' '

01 " '

senSe only to define meaning and not practice. 135 In this :lOd similar circumslllnCd down to che present day we must remember that politiol nnd socinl situations often play a far more deaerminative role in the prae1isc and expr ...ssion of the faith tlnm we generally think.

t.:.brrJu.snny, Jl: !he Coli/at/ of

1}7 I :;8

did not exclude mfssionary zeal H M Wilh D. M. E1chhorn, Co11JierJI011 10 judtJiJ11I, p. 11. H . K. Rowlcy,1Jr""l'1 Jvliuio 11, p. n.

anlc sources _ to show Jurhm,., and

no

111

have ourselves entered into a great inheritance for which we Jld nor labor. and we find ir easy to speak wuh contempt of th.,se never knew our inheriu.nce, because they tliJ nor attain the he1ghts un wh1ch we believe we stand. Yet it is doubtful if we should have gone farther than _ they had we begun w1th what w:ts given them and with the conditions of theu Jay; and st is yet more doubtful if we should stand where we stand today had 11 not been for that very spirit we so easily condemn in

This co-called particularism was vastly more

to world than the laxity of olhtr parties among tht: Jews. Phans:usm was not JUS! hyp?'my sdf-righteoustless (as we often falsely think .because we. know best ob abcrr.l tions) bat utter loyalty, sometimes cvt:n fanauc, to the fa.Jth of and ro the will of God as understood by them. The converts who were adml!ted. to the fellowship of the people of God did not come to faith as >l result of the witness of the lax and compromising parries among the Jews but through t.he witne)S of the loyal children of Jsrael. Persons who are ready to comprorrus.e their fajd1 arc not the persons who spread ir. ?nly who ot highly who love it so much that they willing to nsk thcu: ltves for tt, arc: 1411 the prepared and re-ady to commend it to as a very grt:at trt.-:J.S-:ue The srrength of Judaism, like that of ChCJSllantty, cannot be found on the fact that men were faithful in sprea.ding it. The OIJ. Test.tmeot confronted the nations witl1 the truth. The key to the success of Judaism tltld its heir, Christianity, is the fact thar they brought a revelatton of the truth to men.Ju God witnessed to the success of the >pread of the truth, s01ying:
From the rising of the: sun to its setting my name is grellt among the and io every place incense is offer,d to my name, and a oHenng,

fulness ofttn forgotten in our evaluation of the religious tenor of the day. Liltowise, when James affirmed that from early generations Moses was preached anJ rc:1d in the synagogut"S, can only mean that the truth was declared so thar "the rest of men may sc..ot:k the Lord, and all the Gentiles" (Acts 1.):21,17). head would have forgotten her election and forfeited it if she had existed only for herself. People come to faith through contact with Only linllted numbers of Gentiles, l1owevcr many th(!}' might actually have becn, ever attended the :.ynagogue services. A huge part of the population would at best be indifferent Jnd ut worsr hostile, but is was nevertheless the responsibility of the believing community. Was rh.:re no contact with this large section of the Gentile world? What form did this ron tact take ? The Jewish mind provided a fair-sized literature that was easily aiid effec11\'dy usable in missionary This literary propaganda had its place alongside of U1o: propat,'llnda efforts direcu:cl toward certain classes of the of force at certain periods, the open synagogue, the :X:npture vers1ons (the LXX especially), and possible personal solicitation such as thl' :1ggrc:ivc efforts of certain Jews which occasioned the exile of the Jewish communoty !rom Rome on a nwnber of occasions : 139 B.C. and the embll.Ssage of Simon and in 19 .A.D. by Tiberi us because certain Jews clef rauded a ncb woman of Rome of gifts for thc Temple and for the danger the Romlllls fdr to their rt:ligion. 1.w The n.1turc of the propaganda was determined by its purpose. The literature was !Jmitetl by the fidel of its reference. Peterson classifies this literature under three cntcgoric): ( J) thc fostering of missionnry spirit at home, exhorting the tu )hare their fajth. Ho: includes l1ere the books of Ruth and Jonah, some of Phdo's works, and mudl of U1e rabbinic literature (admittedly this is often of chte, however); (2) defensive and propuganda Jiterarure. IncluJc.-d here urc Tobit, the Sibylline Books, Wisdom of Solomon, e.g.; p) literature for tl1e instruction of prospective prosdyres - the Didache, e.g.H6

my n;1me iJ great among the nations {Mal. I: ll). (Some versiOns place th1s
in the future tense.)

The fact that in later generations Judaism rejected its fulfillment in Chnst should not be taken to mean that the Old Testament believers were unfaithful. The existence of a class of righteous saints in Jerusalem looking for the c?nsolation of Israel :uthe time of the birth of Christ (Luke2) demonstrates a f.11th

41 1 movements {whether we think of them as or aggresSive, whtthcr we of reception of proselytes or seeking them in mission), th!s was :a. sogndocant and imponont in itself. It was 3 sharing of the uuth wnh the nauons, oncomplete :md unfulfilled as this may have been from our viewpoinr ':"e say, :IS F. Hahn does (Miuio11 ; 11 th6 New T6Jtamtlll, p. 164), that "Judaosm s relogoous prOpJ!,>an.da and cffom to proselyto:te in the timt of Jesus an external for the early Christian mission, without being a mJssoon on the real sense.
112

139 140

H. 1-1. Rowlcy,Ju,,ei'J i\!tJIIOfl, pp. 39, }960. H. H. Rowley,/JrJ<I'J Miwon, p. 59 . . .. It is necessary to emphasize this. However we evaluate the JewiSh preChrtstJan

Tt"' j.ut of Anrit'llt

H5 ). l'ott-ntin,

G. F. Vicedom, The i\11JJIOII of G11d, p. 115. There ore eetJI well dt>rum,nted survey> cf thi> literature The reader is advised w <='n>ult l Finkelstein, f<wJ, ll , pp. 74571!3, article by Ralph M:ucus, "Hellenistic Jcwt>h LotcrJturc"; F. Derwamr, Preparmg the IW'ay for Paul, pp. 81-RG; ). Peterson, ,ll mmllllf) lltt!llw .IJ, pp. t61-tMI; E. Schiirer, Gnrhicble, Vol. I, Div. I {E.T.). A very ftno dts.uSSIUtl frum the: jcwisl1 I)Oint of view is found in Ucid Rapp3pon., Relir,ious PrvpJg.mJJ .wJ ProUI)IIJIII 111 1h,; IeooJ of tbtl Suond (Jerusalem: I h1 s dunorJl Ul>sert:tti<l11 which wvers u.ll rhe lJiblietl and Hdlcnistic' "" the The.: book is wriut'll in Hebrew, but is availahle with an English .1ummary. cr. abu 11. J. llambcroer, l'roJel;mm, wlu.l evaluau:s the bibliographie.tl sources and the: N ' the anJ habkic no3terills in a lengthy and dc:tailcd introduction. 111 t.l . R3dllt, AmoiJI$ the Grt!c>lu Jlld RomanJ, p. 230ff.: D. M. Eichhorn, C:v111.tllu1J, I' 11; F. D.-rwJl'tCr, Jlr.-parmg thd ll'/ayfor P11ul, pp. )760; H. J. kon, l ll
11\

Jlullle, pp. t7, 2H .

/llt!Jbods,

pp.

113

The frequent attacks made on the Jews by pagan writers demanded an apologetic. Alexandria seemed tO be the center where mud1 of the anti-Jewish literature had its ocigin.106 The J ews were often ridiculed for their sabbath observance, t11eir refusal to eat swine's flesh, and their spiritual conception of God.u Their defense concerned not only the ridiculousness and absurdity of the charges, but a presentation of the truth. The exclusiveness with whidl they were dlarged made it possible to declare the narure and purpose oi lsrad :u the people of God. They would not countenance being called atheists, poinung out the loftiness and reasonableness of their worship of the true God. As is often the case, the matters on whidl opponents dlallenge auother's religion or fajth are the "contact points" betwc:en the two fajths, provide a topic in the forum of discussion, and clarify for the believer what tltose outs1de tlw faith judge to be its essential elements, however poorly thry may have or understood them. The .1pologetic literature demonstrates that the Jews were nor satisftt:J merely to answer the pag-Jn, They carried the war into the enemy's C"J.mp. They attackc."<.. d1e polytheism of the heathen, the viciousness of heathen life, the sexual excesses and perversions whid1 are the reproach of the ht"Jthen. The literature served a double purpose: (l) to defend the Jews from the Jttacks of tht: and (2) lo prove tht: superiority of tht Jews and their religion ovt:r oU1er f aith.s and nations. What can we say about the content of the litc:rary propaganda? What mc:)s:tgc did il bring to the non-Jsraelitc? The predominant theme was: fors:J.kc: idol:ltry For the Jews the essence of pogarusm and slop your polytheistic consisted in idolatry ; nevertheless, the mere forsaking of idols did not complt"tt a man's conversion for such a man might still cling to his immoral prJCtiCt-:.. He needed aJso to turn to God, tlu: true God, the Futher of all men. 160 Thb anti-idolatry note is strong in the Wisdom of Solomon. 161 Philo mlkes a similur plea in his treatises De Alonarrhta and Dt:
146 W. 0 . E. Oesterlcy, ]11J<J1Jm "nJ Chrillianis), 11: Com.m of Wuh 01bu Cu/IIIUI, r>p. pp. 61-111, ""Phuis:Usm and Hcllcmsm by W. L. Knox, pp. 62-CH; G. Riccioui, HiJIOr) of lu"el, p. 192199. also M. Radin, Tht! A111ong 1he Grulu, p. llllff., who mal.ts full reference tO the teS11mony of the dass1Clll wrucrs full use of Rcinach, T l'XIeJ. 117 G. Riccuui, lllllory of Jsr.ul, p. 192. RomlJl wriletS were cspecially hosult-. Tacitus, lliltory, V.J (cf. Rc:iruch, Tl'xlu, No. 175) rda1es thu a number of Jew> deponed h) dtl, and adds, "vile: damnum" = "cbcap loss." The of

A coroUary to seeking God and se aratin , . JCcordinv to the will of Go I Th" f Ptu g ones self. from tdols is to live o . IS ea re too w . . apologetic. Philo said, , ' ..., prominent sn the Jewish Those who cumc over to this worshi modest, gen tle, merciful, humane v/ at once:, pru_ dc:nt, temperate, truth, and superior to :.II co s" d ' . neraf e, JUSt, lovers of n I eratons o money or pleasure.l6a In another place be says,

Not only the Jew but .1U the: other 1 . them (the Jaws of the 1 . h r . peop c: who care for nghteousness adopt tOgether all peoples b re grdonG] ... . The JewiSh law attracts and links .Jnd thos h I" ar an reeks, those who liVe on the mainland e w o 1vc: on the 1slands J\ d Jnd Cyrene having th . . . . n ItS has come to pass that Egypt . e same government and a gr t L . f nauons imitate the Jewish w f I" . ' ea numucr o other Jews in a peculiar m aydo Jvmg, and maintain great bodies of these annc:r, an grow up co a great p . . use of the same laws with that nation.L6 rospenty W ith them, and
. Philo may have overstated his cast: in his enthu . uo Witness to a new and different sort of J"( hs words In this lay a danger not aJ I e w sc conversiOn brought about. ll\'Oided by th Cl . . , ways escaped, for Judaism (and one not always e wst1an church today) Jt J f riJJt fellowsh ip o[ rdigion is fdlowshi . of IS ?plea o aJJ religions. to think nut void this, for in the a) .. P cu ture and Judrusm could fulfillment in Christ the 1400 ytar_s of_sis existence until tlle may ni:Ver h"ssh people dw_ere a _specul l sgn to the nations. The 1 eaven Y 1mcns1on either Th o a1 J co-worker with God He . k male c Witness IS ways see s to e ot11ers be wh3t he has h" If 1mse beeorne.
WI! too h . , ""Oplt we 1 But thereio lies the danger conditioned by 0 t d" . c nsttan1ze' d r P ace them 10 a tradition. Our duty an h relate them with strong ties to the with ours may be determined b (tAem to the Lord so that their lives Y m cts 14 :21; Matt. 28:19).us

>lll."'ety

is

a.

T.4Cilus ant.! Juvenal 11111 confined 10 Judaism but mcludl E<tstem influence:: Jewish, Chri>tian, Syrian, Egyptian. 1<18 R. H. Pfei{fer, Hiuury of Nc' IIJ Twamcml Tilllc!J, p. 197230; V. J\p10wincr, HUCrl , I (1!)2-1), p. 300; M . Radin, Tlu JuJ Among lhtt Gru)u unJ p. 14!lff. 149 1'. Dc:rwacter, Prep<Jriug {1Jr Paul, p. 95ft. 150 This is a ( ro:qucnt note of Llic Sib]llln, (hcnccfonh 10 be
Sib. Or.); see 111.547-)50, 632,763, 773; t. 163. 151 "[he ll!'iJdom of Solomon, chaps. 131}. IH Philo, Di! Monarrhi11, I, 2, and De Dm J ogo, 14- 16.

Philo, Dtt PJJ ..ntlmlfa. 2. For a complete sum . /'nlo s l'l.tre Ill jud.tum; Sand mel Philo mary of sec: S. Sandmel, hdlcnu11on as nnssibte and )" t't t . . lrcprcsenl$ 1 Judaum that is as complete ,..., re IJnllltl 115 oyalr h T wmpl ..te- Index of Philo, see Erwin R Goodcnou y 1o. I e see p. 221. For a t HIJc>hcm: Georg Olms dl , gh, 7 of Philo Jutla..us I H Philo, De ViJ3 Mous, II.}. an ung. 1967), the 10d1ccs. 1 G F. Vic<"dum, The litis, inn 0 GPd ... JRN '9 n I '4 (. I, ' pp. 80 89. J c. Hoek<"Odijk in "The uiJ ' ..npn 1950) 16' t7S w,.' have' 3-'JJ>I(Irlcd view of the nit.Ji I esp. and 167, says the "<" uffer<d >.lhaJIOti as n way IO be I VIew of salvallon. To the drunlc:J,rd .,.,,d>ln. Fur the one the olfrer_ mora rra:mamem; 1 0 the skeptic we oHered o sms meant 1gnnr "I1 pasr; for the other 10g '" t"rJO<>klllt; stupidity" J\ud "TJ II a ... 1e C1l to . 0 ( WI 1" 15 1 0 rc"nrc: "Christtndom lh r P I. . <> ten 1t1le else tlllln a call or us r :t I'd 11 Jirectcd and dominated b h Cl ' s a 50 1 we Jnlegrated cultun.l y I e lurch, AnJ rhe sense of urgency is often

-i

114

ll5

The vicwpoinls referred to abovc can be illustrated from the of the Talmud which relate the nttitw.les of Sbammai :md Hilld towards prospective proselytes.100 A heathen once approached Shammai with the challen!:ie tlmr if he would teach him the whole Tor.1.h while standing on one foot, he would become a proselyte. Shamm:Li, angered, repulsed him with a builder's l"Ubit. When the man came to Hilld with the slnle du.llenge, H1lld s.uJ, "Wh.ll is hateful to you, Jo not to your neighbor. That is the whole Ton h. The rt'St is all commentary to it." On :mother occasion a pros(X>ctive pro)d)tc told Sh;unm:Li he would become prost!lyte on condition that he would be able to be high priest. Shammai, .1.gain, rcpulscJ him with the stick. H illel acceptcJ the m.1n. As he studied the Law he saw how severe the penalties for the born Jew were; how mud1 more for the proselyte? later these men mt:t Hilld on the street and said, "Shammai's imp.\ticoce sought to drive us from thc wocl.l but Hillel's gentleness brought us under the wings of t11e Shekinah." It is significant thnt a proselyte would be adviseJ to act according to his heart, impl)ing that if the he.1rt was right, the man woulJ be righteous. Hillel wa:. close to the New Tt.'Stllment conception oi the righteous man who is the rn.1n that fib God'!> spcclficatiuns, the man who is wbac God w11nts ml.'n to be like:. The ethical and ceremonial continued to exist sid<! by side in .1nd wlwn Judaism rejected the Mediator of the covenant, the ceremonial touk precedence, while U1e t:th ical lost its intendt.J goaL All th.lt could be used w replace it was a doctcine of self-righteousness and works. Dy the: time of Jesus, ritual punty wa.:. increasingly emphasized so that Rabbi Simon hen EINzer observed, "How vastly has tabtJrtl (ceremonial purity) incre.ISed for it was but little aforttimc and h:IS now w:LxeJ abundnnt.'' 161 The Pharistes Jesus with rcspc:ct to the conduct of his disciples on this very point, .tsking, "Why don't your disciples foUow the traditions of the elders?" (Ma tt. 15:1-20; M:1Ck 7:1-23). ln this can be fuunJ part of the basic differences which evenJu.lai)m runlly led to the parting of the wJys for Christianity 3nJ considered loyalty to Torah 35 intcrprt-ted by the dders 10 be the Jill<' qu.J IIIJIJ of allegi.1nce to its faith and community. For Christianity it is a.llcgioln(c tu, recognition of, obedience to Jesus Chri)t, the risen Son of God :md Lord of This undoubtedly helps to txpbin why in the 01risri:lfl er.1 the JeWISh nolhing but n fcelinjj uf with the church tlu: acrivity 11.1 the remnants of time now rrrcvocably l )6 JJT, Sl"'b. 140. Cf. also I. Abrahams, m Pb.mumm ami tht- Gusptls,
p. 28ff. 157 S.unud Solomon C<lhon. ''The Place of Jesus in the Religious Life of His Day",

sou rces have . . but almost invariabl it i . . a . great deal to say . abour Clmsllans, jew1sh that are the objt:et of casti uation. When natio a1 y a.ls became the o n surv1v . . Issue, resistance to the church becn.me a nationa.l duty Th Jn unde.ntablc denationalizing tendency associated with Christianity ere IS The Importance of this religious propa"anda for the Ch . t' . )hOwn in tha . 0 CIS 130 IWSS!On IS . uld b t m many ways the catcchetJc.!l, !Iturgica.l, and apologetic materia.! e employeJ ?Y .the with but little alteration. Von H arnack has 1"tc:d the relatJonshtp m th 1s way:

By recognizing . . Gentile Chr' the Old eelTestament as a book of o tvUle reveIatton the b J . rewv along with ir the religious spced1 which was' used ew.sb OICISti.Jns. were made dependent upon the interpretation which had U<:Cn used from (' . the ben cmnmg, an d even received a great part of the Jewish wbteh rhe Testament .... The Jewish, that is the element, d1vested of 1ts national peculiarity has remained the _ b.tSIS o ChnstenJom.oo
lnlong these con tributions Me the: Didache and the Sibylline Books 101 anJ Chri)tinnity, related to e:td1 orher as promise u I ment, wenr their scpnm te wny. This did not have to be.
bl e wn s that the new movement within Judaism not 1nev1t11 should become a and hostile movement (to Judaism) .. - 1 he Chmtcan movement was the bursting forth of the l"f J d . I d ., rt rJ t:c.1 b ut, smcc . I e u a1sm 1;1 . and . . ou truth is never in bonJage tu the meta hors by. It IS the life which in the church bu rst forth in tr zc.d at the same time still shut within the shell of :he u t at repudiated Christianity.1u2

What . .w

. A. .reference to yt:t one o thc:r form of literary ro a anda in r Chnstlan times . is ne-cessary for the sake of comp1 p p the g apocalyp tic e. etencss: Jtcrature. The liter.llure was varicxl One a tho d 'b h . p 1 th Li u r escn es t e sequence ot 1n rs teratu re as follows:

signs of the Messiah, the birth-pangs of the the comin of E:IJ3h, the trumpet of the Messiah, the ingathering of the exiles the rec g. o the wu with Gog und Magog, the Days of th 'M . t:hpuohn renovation o f th c worIJ t he Day of Judgmt:nt, the ResurreCtion e of essta , t e the dead,
l J.-kob Jocz, jeuitiJ People and fsus ChriJI (London SPCK 1 4 Abnthams, ill PIMmutJt11 o,J lhe Gusp.:ls II 56H . , 9 9). pp.6, 44; l t\0 A. Vlln Hn.rnack. J-liuorJ' o/ Dogma 1 p 52 ' p. . 1 .6 t .. \Y/, 0. E. afld Clu;Jii,,ul. 1 ? Dc tudrschc Propagnndn ab VorlJufcrin und We { .' p.: >ec I n ,\fiuiottJu.oimuuhafillfhe . Jl h . g II) cr Urchrrstloche Mission" ll"..:rmrk. 1<11. eusr rl 1 I r:ur 70 GtbllriJtoJg Prof. Dr.
162

f iJI.., 18 ( 191'>). pam I lt ,ll2tU!I t for the Jcwbh v< cwpoint sec Abraham Cvhcn, Tlu P.Jrlittg .J)J .' juri.Jism llt/J rhe RiiH u/ Cl,riJiillllll) (London: Linwlns - Prager Ltd., 1'),1) , )p. f>P 72-I:IU. W . Oc)tt:rlcy, judaism .mJ Chrii1i11ui1y, t, p. 266, says, "The men of the GrcJt Srna)l<lhue, with l!uJ as tht second Moses. the process of what w< may c.ll the: dei(ic3tion uf
the Torah."

H. H. Rowley, lsra.-l's Miwon , p. 87.

117

116

.ll
I

tl

1 '

the World to Come - all presented in a confused mass of symbols from cows to talking vines.163

It is not necessary to survey this literature in detail. The Jewish

stressed God's judgment on the enemies of God's people_ and the of the earthly city of Jerusalem (Messiah was a Restorer 10 the Jev:sh lyptic).la What is significant about the apocalyptic stance of that an absolutized hope floated in the air, as it were, not Ill ta.tth 10 what had already been fulfilled. When this happens, the real world IS demed. A false hope is always isolated from redemptive history and is attac_hed to. a corresponding false, ascetic ethic. This is precisely happe_ned Judaism. appeara.IlCe of the ascetic groups in the pre-Chnstian penod Witnesses to Even in the New Testament churches this sickly kind of hope was expressed. The Thessalonians Christian redempttve (II Thess. 3: 10) and in connectiOn wtth thts false hope stoppe_d working. Cullmann has demonstrated that it simply it not true (overagamst Martin Werner and Albert Schweitzer) that "primitive Christianity has the same eschatological orientation as does Judaism .... For. the church after the death of Jesus the crowning act of this work IS the mtghty fact of the re.surrection of Christ."l65 Loewe discusses the Jewish eschatology from the vtewof the judgment and concludes tl1at the eschatology of Jesus' day directly into the age to come without the of a such as ts in the New Testament. 166 The Jewish view saw ulttmately only JUdgment for Prethe Gentiles; in the New Testament there is salvation for all Christian Judaism had a sense of "mission" but not as a pre-condttJOn of the Messianic Kingdom. Judaism taught that the Kingdom of God would come only when Israel repented, and that only Israel's failure prevented the appearance of Messiah.161 One's viewpoint of those "outside" will determine one's to and concern for them. The attitude of late Judaism was uncompromiSingly severe. The Gentiles were godless, rejected by God, as worthless in God's eyes chaff and refuse. They were steeped in vice, given over to all forms ot
l63

uncleanness, violence, and wickedness. Jeremias has shown a change in the Jewish expectation regarding the Gentiles, increasing in severity until Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus ( 90 A.D.) said, "No Gentile will have a part in the world to come." Another said, "Hell is the destiny of the Gentiles."168 It was extremely important for the development of the Christian mission that Jesus detached "the nationalistic idea of revenge from the hope of salvation", taught that in the final judgment the distinction between Israel and the Gentiles would disappear, promised the Gentiles a share in salvation, and made dear that the redemptive activity and lordship of Jesus included the Gentiles.169 Conclusion: there was an active literary apologetic, oftentimes of the nature oi propaganda, carried on in the centuries before Christ. This literature repre'ented all aspects of the Jewish life and thought, in the Holy Land as well as in dw Diaspora. A part of it was directed towards the Gentile for the purpose of winning him to the faith. Christianity profited greatly from this heritage, although later the Jewish apologetic began to be directed against it. The literary tifort of the Jews was more than preparation for Christianity: it was significant in its own right and was a spreading of the truth of God's redemptive work for the world. God had not delayed the calling of the Gentiles; his universal (OVl'nant was being proclaimed and men everywhere were welcomed into iellowship with Israel and participation in its assignment and election. In these efforts to share with the nations the treasures of God's mercy the presence of God in the midst of his people ITUJSt be seen, for this is a basic theme of the entire revelation of God. Equally important was the fact that his people lived in God's presence and that the world of nations should reckon with this in their life also. The appearance of God's Son in the flesh coincided with the missionary age par excellence of Jewish history.U0 The proselytizing efforts of the Jews did not immediately subside when the Christian mission began but seemed to intensify and continued until long after the anti-Jewish legislation promulgated in the Theodosian code ( 478 A.D.), in which the death penalty was threatened against both those who allowed themselves to be circumcised and those who performed the operation. 111 Many Jews were converted to the Christian faith, even after the initial success of the Christian mission in the lands of the Diaspora. Numerous conversions continued until the days of the Bar Cochba uprising.U11 The words of Jesus in Matt. 23:15 are now set in their context:

J. w. Parkes,

Foundaliotu, p. 43, who cites Joseph Klausner, The Meuianic

Ida in Israel, p. 385. ) 64 George Adam Smith, Jerusalem (2 vols.; New York: A. C. Armstrong, 1908 1 II, p. 537ff. Cf. also James C. De Young, jerusalem in 1he Teslamenl. W: 0 .. E. Oesterley, aud Chrisliauily, I, pp. !13104, surveys this literature and the htstoncal

background from which it arose. . . . . 6 Oscar Cullmann, Chris/ aud Time, translated by Floyd V. Ftlson (Pluladelph1a. 1 5 Westminster Press, 1964), pp. 211212, 85. 166 H. Loewe, judwism and Chrisliauil), II, p. 37. 6 William David Davies and David Daube, editors, The Backgrou.ud of 1he 1 7 Teslamenl and in Escha10logy: S1udies i11 Ho11or of C. H. Dodd_ Umversuy Press, 1956), chapter by 0. Cullmann, "Eschatology and MISSIOnS, pp. 409421, esp.
p. 414.

16!1 J. Jeremias, jesus' Promise, pp. 4041; Strack-Billerbeck, Kommenlar, Ill, pp. 144154; IV, p. 1066ff. 169 ]. Jeremias, jesus' Promise, pp. 43, 49, 5lff. 170 G. F. Moore, Judaism in 1he Firs/ Three Cenluries, l, pp. 323353. 171 Marcel Simon, Verus Israel, 1ude sur les relalions enlre ChrJ1iens el iuifs dans l'rmpire romtJin (135425 A.D.) (Paris: E. De Boccard, 1948), pp. 315-355. E. Schiirer, Geuhichle, l, p. 674ff.; J. Jeremias, jesul Promise, pp. 1112, p. ll, n. 4. 172 ]. Jocz, The Jewish People a11d Jesus Chrisl, p. 6.

ll8

119

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. hypocmes! tor you traverse land and sea to make a single proselyte. and when he becomc:s a proselyte you make him twice as tu uch a son of hell as yourselves.

E. lalallhew 23:15 and the Jewiih apoiiolate

The words of Jesus in Matt. 23:15 constitute one of the most direct as weU as interesting testimonies to the Pharisaic-Rabbinic interest in proselytism. The p:1Ssage is apparently clear, simple, and hardly subject to misunderstanding, and yet it h:lS been twisted and distorted, doubted and believed by both Jewish and Christian scholars. Bamberger says, "Foe some inexplicable reason the teamed have been unwilling to believe that the passage means what it obviously says. " 173 The fact is that the passage makes no sense at all if no scribe or had never had the smallest desire to make proselytes. Nor would the Roman bws a&'llinst proselytizing been necessary if there were no prc>paganda or conversions. The explusion of the Jews from Rome was in a number of instances occasioned by the proselytizing efforts of the members of the Jewish community there. 1 N The above observaLions do not remove a very real difficulty with respect to this verse. Unless one takes the position that this is not an authentic worJ of Jesus, as some have done, 11 c. he is left with the fact that tJ1is statement about du: Gentile mission of the PllJrisees and their scribes is extremely hncsh and is only uttemnce by Jesus that is left from ao age of prosdytizing
173 B. J. 1\)8<199. 17-1
l'roui)IISfll, p. 267; L

ln Jc:wish history.no All the c:vidc:nce addu"-d thus far in th' d emands the conclusion chat Jesus lived in a time when the Jews sru dy over the whole world b k d . , 1sperse S . Y spo en wor JO synagogue, by written word th eptuagJOt and apolo]jetic literature, and by UH:ir daily rr . . Ul e some form f h . . I e were motivated to . . o Witness to t eu Genltle n(ighbors. Although J . d of what the Pharisees made of their converts esus a.ce lllJSSJon to Gentiles by them.m H e denounces th . h ' doesd not a I r elr ypocnsy an saoctJ.mo . orma ISm. Bamberger represents Jesus as saying: ruous inherently wrong in long prayer, tithing berbs, or appeu:ances; when these are combined with moral are damnable. go to any leogt11s to make a convert; chen such a lcgaltsllc, ntuahstic, unspiritual w "vJ'dual w as

br

Y e yourse1 ves.

The criticism of th

1 e to . and
lt IS
IO

of their converts, not of their p.rosel tizin zeal. harmony Wldl verse 13 where thL-y are warned because the/ g

e . anset.<S Y esu) reduces to a St'vere tebuke of the1r

Ph

.I . . . shut the KingJom of heaven a<aansr mew, for you selve 11 nett 1er enter your s, nor a ow t 1 who would entc:r to go in. messa}je of Jesus concc:meJ the proclamation of the on s pomt 1o Jesus the essence anJ foundation of the Kingd . . tx1stc:nce as 1..he 'nb ea.k' f .. om 1s 1ts f . r . Jn{; o t1 lc Spwt, power and justice of God Th rul essdence of the _total bel . . . U<t as pmt an power. This Kin dum li ltnd, :.urrounJs, and gives to the cosmos a d . . . g es 0 n 1 God of JUStn:e , ts 10 tlS essence the Pees ence of llc: who has ,...,Jled th ld . ... _, h. . .... e wo.r mto U<:Jng and pl d on the judgment of his _sovereignty. His jealousy Wtll allow no to his_ wtU. When Jesus saw Ill Ule Pharis<:es the annulment . >Overegnty and the entllronement of man-maJc ri]jbteousness, he as

o, helps us to understand why he expre-ssed himself so strongly

Finkdswin,

Pliamus, II , pp.

144. .Aho: F. S. B. Gavin, " jcw1>h Views un Jcw>h

Mi;sion>," p. 13. 1n J . .Munck, P.wl .JIId she Saii'.JIIt>/1 of Mllllki!IJ, pp. 26)267 . .A di>cussion of the various views (:In be: founJ in 8. ) . ProuiJiiJnt, pp. 267-27}. He: CHc> the following: (I) J Dcrt'nbourg, who says jesus mSreprCSt'ntS the Pharisatc :11ti1uJe, the r.1bbis were not eager for C<lnveru . and 1hc Jews did not Cn!,'3ge in ex1cruive miS>IVIIlry work; (2) H. Gaetz, who asserts 1hat t11e prosress of 1he Jewish mission w.b made wirh<lut any sre1t tni>Sionary :teal. anJ m:>kes the me,>an "to make one p;snicubr prosd)te," referring to 1hc R:ilibis Gamalid, J oshua. and Akib1 who were prto>ent at Rome for 1he form1l rt'Ceplion of Flavaus Clemen> as A muverL (3) /\ . Jdlinek, ming Ihe rtomHk of R. J-l .. man ("The inhJbitllnts of the cities ui 1he 5c:"'J :ue wonll)' of t'XIcrnunalon. anJ by wlw meril hJvc: Ihey lx<'fl JdivercJ? By the mcnt of a single comcn, or a >logic ftJrer of lleJven whom lhLy eMh )'C:Jr."), SllY> thai lhe l'hui>ccs in order to keep al"e the lnlpc that all 1hc hcathcn woulJ ultun:udy be: ust-J l<l make one convcn a year. ( M. FricJIJlcr S3)'> thai it t<'fcn. hl <Joe only: ll:atcs, arc l!Jrrow f311Jiici><n in seeking tu lt"Jnsform CVt'()' nf ht',l\'t'O 11110 atiAckeJ fnr :1 slave of riluali>m. 0) The Int. Crit. Cumna tlw '' wr:Hhlul the converts of I he L'hJnSces, n<Jt against Wnv..-rl> in l)cmr.al. ( 6) SrrJcl uml Billerbeck do not think tltJt the Pharisees were sll in m'1kint: wn"cm In Bamberger thai "lhc Pharbces and Rabbis were eager f<>r <llllVtns, highly succcs;ful iu wmning them, IUJd fncndly iu their tre:\lment of them," p. 120

4 h .. h 1 3 1 th<' Phnsces because of lht-tr n. t e are not uu_ered agins1 children of hdl." He seeks In demo st ry h' bfur . because lhey make lhcu converts n nue I rom the semwc ( ArJan.uc) senrcncC' s1ruccur....,1,,-, 1 .und er1 ymg 1 hc recons1rucu " 178 ). Bamb.. rger, Proul)ltJm, f>. 27!. I 79 We shJII return again w tle subject f 1 K.J llldcblcd to j . .Anhur BJird, Tht fussirv o t 11! ngdClna of _ God. I :tm deeply the KiogJum. Baird also ' . f pp. ftar llllS understuuding of UCII10U>l(ltt'S lh3t the lC4$00 W) d (' > w the Spirit in lhc lt'Jchin, of . .. 'Y we o not no more frequent rtrms 1Tcm'jp 8E.6c; f3ao AE( jesus <s llw Jesus spc.tks uf th<: Spirit In such Spiril "'"J she n916s6o)Chnrlcs K<ngslcy Burrelt. Th.- Hoi}
' p. 1}9.

176 1 77

) . Jeremias. feud Promiu, p. 19 . ) . Jcrcmo:u, f.;Ju' Prumise p l7

121

!I
dient Servant of God could only speak in truthfuJ assessment as to what they were doing to themselves and their converts among the Gentilcs.u;o This mission of the Pharisees to which Jesus refers shows that the truth of God was being preached and witnessed to others besides the members of the dispersed communitites of the Jews. What is surprising is that these efforts were so severely criticized by Jesus, since it was men among the earnest, devoted representatives of religion and morality who were the motivating force behind these movemenrs. 1 s 1 Jesus' worJs in Matt. 23 :15 also show that tl1c test of a mission is not the zeal with which one pursues others to join him in his fai th, but rather what he makes of them after they have been won. Among the things for which Jesus criticized the Pharisees in Matt. 23, three mattc.!!S stand out: (I) they shut tht: Kingdom of heaven to men ; (2) they themselves failed to enter that Kingdom ; and (3) they made "sons of hell" out of their converts. Jesus' own mission and that which he committed to his disciples would have to bear a kind of corrective revolutionary character.1112 He would have to set the mission of God's people in the context of true discipleship lived under the sovereignty of God and summon men to be hiJ disciples. The words of Jesus in Matt. 23:13,15 are unique to his ministry; they a.re uot unique to the New Testam<.!nt. Assuming that Paul has the.! pro)dyting efforts of his contemporaries in mind, his words in Rom. 2:17-24 cons titute a parallel to what Jesus said: But as for you - you may bear the name of Jew; you rely upon the law and are proud of your God; you know his will; you are aw.ae of moral dis tinctions because you receive: instruction from the law: you .Ire confident that you are the one 10 guide the blind, to enlglllen 1he bcn1ghted, tO train the stupid, and to teJch the: immature, because in the: law you see the very shape of knowledge and truth. You, then, who teach your felluw man, do you fail to teach yourself? You proclaim, 'Do not steal"; bur are you yourself a thief? You say, oo not comm1t adultery'; but arc you an adulterer? You abominate false gods; but do you rob their shrines? While you take pride in the law. you dishonour God by breaking it. For, as Scripture says. '.Bc:cnuse of you the name of God is dishonoured among the Gentiles.' (N.E.B.). What Judaism nccdc.!d was renewal and fulfi ll ment, both of which came in rhe Person and work of Jesus Christ. The Pharisees and their kindred clements in the Diaspora were in many Sc.!nses the cream of Jewish society. Deeply loyal to the faith, austerely Joyal to the minutiae of the Jaw, and ever ready to welcome recruits to share their spirit and devotion, the Pharisees' main work was practical and sought to bring religion and learning into the life of the people. 183 Oesterley says, They never left official Judaism; they captured it .... The Roman Procurator and publican gathered the imperial taxes. They saw to it that the people rendered Caesar his due. But who was responsible for coJJecting the tithes upon which rested organized .religion? Here the Pharisaic brotherhood stepped into the breach. They made tith e-paying a matter of conscience.:ta H ow were the ties to Diuspora communities maintainc:d? The answer is low1d in one.! final Old T estament institution which we must survey because of its importance later in the Christian church. There is no evidence for a central sov<:rning authoriry in Judaism which sent out missiona.ries to the world or which directed the OiJspora witness. What was accomplished io the Jewish proselytizing was the direct result of local andfor individual initiative. Howc.!V<:r, the Diaspora did maintain strong ties with Jerusalem. This is evidenced by the collection of the temple tax,l85 the annual pilgrimages from the Diaspora 10 the feasts in Jerusalem, and the institution of the d:'1l6crroA.o1 (apostles) of Judaism. To understand the promulgation and ca.rrying out of God's universal covenant with men in the Person and work of Jesus Christ ("the apostle and high priest of our confession"- H ebrews 3:1), the so-called "Gentile mission" of Jesus, the apparent limitation of Jesus' labors to the house of Israel, as well JS tl1e purpose and meaning of the institution of the extraordinary office of 1he apostles, requires a review the Old Testament antecedents of this institution. Contact between the Diaspora communities and Jerusalem was maintained by Jrfferent means. In reviewing tl1e Diaspora it was observed, e.g., that the commercial trade with far distant colonies brought the latest news from the homeland. In this wJy, together with acc.retions to tht:se cornn1unities, the Jc:ws of China, e.g., learned of the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., memorializing the day. The same was true of the regions of the Yemen, Persia, Africa, I ndia.1 tkl The letters of Peter and James ()as. 1: 1 and 1 Pet. 1: 1) do not .1ppear unusual either in form or practice in that general letters to Diaspora communities seem to be a common phenomenon. That individuals acting on their own initiative would go to tl1e Diaspora seems to be implied io John 7:35 where the Jews, puzzled at the word of Jesus, "You will seek me and you will

ISO The words of Jesus in Mauhcw 23: 15 cannot be: taken to convens from among 1hc Jewish people to the sect anJ principles, for rhc word is mc:d by jesus, referring to a Gcnrilc: convert. The word never has the connotauon of .a Jewish adherenr. Cf. J. Jeremias, )mil' Promiu, p. 18 n. 1(2), who opposes th1s viewpoint of J. l\fiinck, Paul and ""! of i\fcwkilld, pp. 265267. 181 J.D. Smart, Quii!J Rei'OiuJion, pp. 1s2

lllj

H . H. Rowley, luad's i\ftJIJOn, p. 71.

1111

rlu:
Ill)

W . 0 . .E. Oesterley, jNdatsm a11d ChrisJianiJy, l, pp. 122, 136. The author many of the practical v.tlucs for rhe everyday life and religion of the Jew from

E. Schurer, CesrbitbJe, 11, p. 324 (E.T.);

Kommmtar, lll,

p. .l 16ff.

I bid., p. n t.

I!H\

See footnolc 173, Chap. I. 123

122

not find me; where I am you c:mnot come," ask, "Where c.loc.:s this m.tn intend to go that we shall not find him? Does he intenJ to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?" 13ut :Ill of the above is casual, individu.aJJy motivated. 1t says nothing about the exercise of central authority nor of official contact. From what is known of the Juring the Roman period there were rwo of authorized :tgcnts or representatives in the Jcwish community: (1) apostle) of the central authority to the various communities, anJ (2) apostles of thc com munities to thc central authority. The origin of the apostolate in JuJaism is dificuJt to tcace. 187 Vogdstein connects its devdopment with tJ1e Persiau Statc AJministr.nion, in which an apostobte" functioned so eff(.'(tivdy and sig nificantly that it was taken over by the Jews in the rebuilding of the Jewbh community anJ was especially taken over by the religious authority in Jcru nlcm. 1118 There: .1re signifil"llll rcf crences to such authority under Persian administrators in the Scripturl'S. King Artaxcrxes sent the scribe out with this commis)ion: ( ! ) to m.tke an inv<.-stigation of juJah :mc.l jerus.1k'lll :tccorJing to the: IJw of GoJ; (2) to couwy the king') gifts of goiJ anJ silver for s:u:rific<.'S ll> the G,lJ of Israel in Jerusalem; (3) to Jisbursc.: from the king's trc:.lSury the.: cxpenses necessary for the rebuilJing of the Temple:; (i) to appoint magistratc:s and juc.lgc.:s; (5) to teach those who Jo not know the laws of God; (6) to .1Jministcr GoJ's anJ the king's laws in the case of disobedience, including punishment with the Jc::lll' pcn.dty, cxilt-, confiscation of goods, or (Eu:t 7:11 16,20, His t;tsk .111J authority in this mission were carefully pre scribeJ by anJ limited by the king. tHo The case of Ezr.t is it includes a juridical as well ;LS ecdcsiastical function, both of which are prescribed within tJle l:tws of the PersiJn empire. The Elephantine Papyrus (fl9 B.C.), the Pc:sJch EpistJc of Dariu) JI, show) that rhe Jewish religion was an offici:1l rcligion of the empire:, the established religion for Jews c:vcrywherc_1'kl The admini)tr.rcion specifiec.l tllJt its apostles' authority was dearly limireJ onlr to those mJttc:rs Cc:-.1:>ed at the: deftned in the letter of authority; that the authority of the central seac of the bo.1rd or authority which aurhorizcJ the mission ( obviou)ly, for there: the central authority wJ.S exercised and present and no representatives were.: uecc:)sary) and was for a limited period of time:, which ended when the: ft)und liS instiuuiun in II Chronicle> 7:79 unJer JchvSJphJt Cf. the Slgniii,Jnl >tudy by H. "The De"dopment of rht Apll>tul.u ... 111 Jud.;ism .111d it> Tran>form3tiun in ChristiJnity. HUCA. I I ( 192)), 9912-1. A. H. Gu.Jbey, Lo11 'J'ribn, p. .1) Iff. traces the: meaning of O:n6olOAOc; in BJb)'loniJn am! Akk.11linn ftrrn> anJ us.tge. IllY On tlw wmmiinn of EzrJ I han founJ G. C. Luck. :r.: .wd Nclumi.tb, p. }Hf., of very help Luck designates Ezra as an Jpostle in 1he Pc>rSI.lll >cn>c uf the term. 190 H. Vugdstcin, JJ UCII, ll, 100.
1!l!l

been completed; and that that authority included the right to appoint 1 11 the work, who)e however, could never exceed those of the: apostle: Thc:sc are clearly evident in Ezra's commission will _be shown to be: significant also as parallels to Jesus' aposdeship. ::i1nul_:n orcumsl.lnce) govc:rneJ the appointment and mission of the community to the 1 cn1 rJl authority. tlr..t Among Ule Jews these apostles of ppoui<.'J rhc (twenty or morc in number) collt-ctc:d and broughr to JerusaJcm the ,!;HIS ot the: communities. A reflc:etion of this fwKtion is found in the ln)tructions of Paul to the Corinthians for whom he appointed cenificd messengers to r.ury their gifts to the dist re)sec.l saints in J erusalem. He and also a f unction. 1u3 The.: payment of the temple tax is the: one t:<:r!J1n rclauunslup of Jerusalem to the Diaspora.le< Rc:n.t;:storf our. d1Jl the Jewish institution of tl1e ;hali'ah (apostle) wJs Ill :11! pcnods by their commissioning with various tasks, at grc:atc:r or Ji,rJncts.tnJ tlut authorization is the decisive thing, not the rask or the fact of bcing sent. The rabbis expressed this in this way, "The one >cor b}' J nun is :t) the m.tn The rr.lllSdCiion of whatever nature couiJ not be proplrly conJunc:J wJthout .1 resolute of the wili uf th: to tl.1e one who commissionl-d him. Even though this be kg.d 1n character Jt ts bas1c.llly religiously confirmed and orientcd.'ua T he:: task of tl1e apostles of the Sanhedrin to the Diaspora was varicd. They regul.ued the.: c.denJar for the Di:tspora on the: basis of the official decree of rhe .urho:ity; t11c: new moon was made known to the Syrian diaspora me.tns oJ stgnals: These: men. carried messagL') of jewish learning and piety to the dl\erse JeWISh COffiinUnJties and apprised the heads of the Sa.n. lteJrin of the Jewish situation in the Diaspora. They acted as fund-raisers II. p. lOO. J) wdl s the study of Karl Heinrich Rc:ng.torf, d:n:oo1tAAc..>, .md d:n:6oTOAoc;, TWN1', I, pp. 407-447. concentra1es "" tht: wnw<tiun ul lhc {;reck apo>tlc: wuh Judai;m Jn.J bdlc\'l'S thi, connection is '<"I)' sh,.;ht. Vogels1ein bd1c>e> thJt 1he Jewi>h 2po>tOtJic had us roots in the period "' sunrcignt)', lUll in l ldlcmstic influcmes, Jnd thll i1 did not arise indepc:odcnd). IJ.! Vugc:htetn funher .ob>crvcs that tit<: New Tt;[;)ment worJ corresponds n,dr IU tle Ht-brew nH:.>1 l> a Jc>ig1121ion for the wri1 of full authorily which was .;tJIIlt-.1 by 1hc Pc:r>ian l..inp. Cf. bo Werner Foerster, TIY'NT, 11, pp. }62-57}. cp. P 56!. who says lhJI 1> the riglu grJnled by a higher to a (o,.cr court 10 do mc:thing or w the nght over Jnd invnlvcs bemg backed by real, n01 llu>l). pow<:r. It rc:spon>lblc U>t: of this aurhority as welt. 11 :30; I Cor. t6:3. Rom. 1):26. See abo Keith F. Nickle, The Collwion: .1 m f>Jui'J Str.tf<'S) StuJin 111 BiblirJI No. -/8. A. R. :1.11.-n>un, 1965 ). This .1uthur reCHn>tructs the: history of Paul's cullectiun in chaps, t, 2, o.: ). In chap. 3 (on 1hc tt'tuple tJx) he shtws that P.;ul's wllection was pani.1Jiy afrer rhc tempi.: r.x. but he also notes that there were immense differences lilt: rwo. The offerings of 1hc Curinthi:tns were for llw puor, whereas the Jhali'ah wllectl tlw temple tJX. 191 J. W. Parkes, Found.uu,IIJ, p. tO); j. L<'l )ui/J, J, p. 391ff. t 95 K. H. Rcng;torf, Tlr/N2', I, pp. 41141 ,; Smck-Billcrbeck, Konwumtar, UI, p. 2.
... l b1d ..

Ill ,\I I, PP

11'7

124

125

1\.WO-; L..t.,... a

L jj i.I UU li

for the Sanhedrin's actJVJtles. Ofteo they were men who were respected scholars.1116 There is no evidence that they were ever commissioned to carry out a missionary witness. A lthough these officials are not specifically mentioned in the New Testament, two incjdents at least fir their task and duty. Saul of Tarsus commission to Damascus (Acts 9:1,2) is clearly the kind of commission given the shtlli'a/;. The mention of "no letters from Jerusalem" to tl1e Jewish community in Rome (Acts 28:21) is another example. It was previously shown how the authority of the Jerusalem Sanhedrin extended throughout the Empire in matters relating to Jewish law. A distinctive office of apostle developed in the newly constituted dlUrch of the New Testament which had Christ as its head. There was prominent in this development an apostolic board of authority appointed and designated by 0Hist as his representatives. A four-fold change occured:
(1) The name apostle was largely used as a designation of the new le3das of the Church imtcad o( the name disciple; {2) The apostolatc became a life-long office; (3) The apostles' autho rity was c:xerc;iscd at the se:tt oi authority (previously, autho rity cc::J.scJ there), namely jerusalem, :1s well as all areas of their assignment: (4) The apostles now constitute: a 'collegiate board of auth orities', and with but the sole exception of the inrroductur}' verses of Peter's letters it is always used in a collective, not singu lu sense:. The cross of jesus Chnsr StJnJs between the disciples and the apostles.

and election of Jsrael f ro:n whom the nalions' Deliverer would come. Wherever GoJ's people scattered or were dispersed, they developed inclusive communities w_ here the Gentile world could hear the demands of God and learn tile way ot renewal by turning to him.

By obedience: to its special election from God the people of Israel found their own salvation and with it the breaking down of tile middle wall of partition. Wh:111:vcr ch:Hact_er of the mission Israel carried on, her goal and purpose had to be the glory ot God. The Old Testament furnished the conditions by means which the o: tl1e church flourished. This was not merely preparatory tor tile ChmtJan msson (to read it as such or to limit it to this would be inaccurate) but was a legitimate mission in its own right, an appeal of God through Israel to the nations. The _Presence of be:licving communities throughout the world brought to gether m loyalty to tl1e Truth, the availability of the Scriptures in translation Jnd. interpretation in synagob'lles, the relative simplicity of the synagogue scrv1ce, the. synagogue Jtself, a comprehensive literary heritage for purposes of apologetiC and instruction, centralized ties with Jerusalem which directed Jew and proselyte eyes and he-arts to the City of God, a system of administration through Jbali'ah - these are but a few, though major, benefits from which 01ristianity would profi t when the time was fulfilled that God "sent forth his son, born of woman, born under law, to redeem .... " (Gal. 4:4.)
His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himscl f to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, dc:ath on a cross. But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld Jbould bend 1he knee at the name of Jesus ' and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Fathcr.tos

Because Acts tdls us that the apostle had tO be a witness of the resurrection. the special oHicc ceased with the end of the first generation. Only Paul was specially favored und defends his apostolic office by direct appointment of Ouist. ... The only matter Paul is willing to concede to the rest of the apostles is the priority of their commission.tU7 Our survey of the pre-Christian m:1terials is completc:d. God c:reated m:tn good, but through disobedient<: man lost in sin, ever in rebel lion against his Creator: in Eden, durins the pre-diluviun age, at Babel, down to the present age. But grace was always present and where judgment was poured out grace was active: the waters of the Deluge overwhelmed and destroyed all flesh but bore up the Ark of Noah; tl1e waters of the Red Sea were parted to give access to God's highway on the bottom of t11e sea, but these same waters returned to destroy Pharoah's host. The issues throughout history were always the same: God's way or man's way. Redemptive history displ:lys God 's continuing concern for hi s creation. His universal covenant with Abraham was speeded to fulfillment in the establishmenr
196 H. Vosdstein, HUCA, II , p. tOO; K. H. Rc:ngstorf, O:noo-r/..A.c.>, TWN1', I, pp. 398..106; Strack-Billerbeck, Ill, p. 2; H. Mantel, S11tdia in lh.t HiJitJry oj1he Sanht!drin. pp. 176202, who also has an extcnSi \'e biblit'graphy. 197 H. Vogdstdn, HUCA, II (1925), pp. 117118; cf. also K. H. Rcngstorf, TWNT, I, pp. 424-447.

198 1-'hil. 2:6 11, from the }cruMieiiJ Bib/<', Alexander Jones, gen. cd. (Garden Coty, N . Y.: DuublcJay and Co., 1966).

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Chapter III

The apostle} j esus Christ

creation through Jesus Christus and the dawn of the day when "we shall be like him for we shall see him face to face" (l John 3:1-3).' The mission of Jesus, God's apostle, concerns nothing less than the fulfillment of God's universal covenant of salvation.

A.. Jeui!' Bapliim

The baptism of Jesus marked the turning point between his private and public ministries. After his emergence into public view at about the age of thirty, we hear of Jesus for the first time in nea rly eighteen years (Luke 3:23). The story is tolJ in all four Gospels, an indication of the importance attad1ed to this event in the apostolic preaching. . The baptismal event in itself is singular. No one else ever received baptism 111 such an unusual way. Externally, it likely had nothing to distinguish it from that of thousands of other pc.:rsons who were baptized by John in the Jordan. But no else's baptism was ever marked by rhe appearance of the Holy Spirit, in some visible form, descending as a dove comes down from the heavens and resting upon Jesus. No one else's baptism became the occasion for the voice of rhe Father's expressed appoval, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased."a He who would baptize men with the Spirit and with fire was baptized with the Spirit. He received the seal of God's testimony of approval on Himself and the life of obedience he had lived. H e had "increased in wisdom s_ raturc, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). The age of maJonty had come (Num. 4) fo r service in the house of the Lord.

''Consider Jesus ... the apostle of our confessions" (Heb. 3:1). Center stage in the drama of redemption has been reached. A host of messengc:rs have declared what has been going on behind tlw scenes, the news from within concerning the wonder[ ul works of The full revelation of the mystery hidden for generations and ages is about to be made manifes t (Col. 1 :26). God is about to make known " how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1: 27) . The Lig ht of the Gentiles has come with an illumination that comes not from without but from within, Jesus the l .ight of the wor ld, who enlightens c.:very man (John 8:12; 1:9; lsa. 49:6).2 It took nothing less than .1n angel ic choir come down from heaven to reveal to shepherds "the good news of a great joy to all the peopLe" (Luke 2: 10). The saints who in that day were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem and for the consolation of Israel (Luke 2:38,25) could never have dreamed in their wildest fancies what G od was about to do. Only the Spirit, inspiring aged Simeon , couJJ make even an expectant saint see in the babe Jesus the salvation which God "prepared in the prc:sence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for g lory to ( his) people Israel" (Luke 2:30-32). The eyes of the Gentiles are facc:d towards Jcrusalc:m. For centuric.:s they have been coming near to the Lord jn Zion, the gathering place of Israel and all who believe. God is about to send his apostle to rnen. On the facade.: of the cathedral in Strasbourg there js a well-known sculpture representing Judaism and Ch ristianit)' by mc:ws of two ( c:male figurc:s. They are symbols of the Old and New The Old Covenant is p icturc:J as mourning, without a crown, with bandaged c yc:s. If indenl the O ld Dispensation is represented by this figure, the S)'mbolism should rather be that of a person veiled, dazdc.:d by the: brightness of the light that has dawned in Christ (1 Cor. 3).a No corner of this great creation of which we are a part, no place in tlus world may without God's promise of new

l. The Bapli!ln of John

It is necessary to have a d ear understanding of the baptism of John in order to understand the significance of the baptism of Jesus by John. Various relationships of J ohn's baptism to proselyte baptism and Ievitical lustrations on the one hand and to Christian baptism on the other have been defended and proposed. These opinions range all the way from the opinions of those who believe that John 's baptism bears a close rt'btionship to proselyte baptism and that John required his baptism as an initiatory rite f rom the Jews who sought entrance to the Kingdom of God to the opinions of others who see no relationship between these two at all. 6 Some [ind the relationship of proselyte baptism and Christian

l 1 2:9; also Part 1, note l25 and section to which this note appli.:s. 2 The: verb j.teTal-lopcp6ottat is used for the tramfigur.llion of j esus in Mate. 17:2 a change from within rc:vcaling the real Person hid by the fnrm and Mark 9:2, of the servant. On the basis of John 1 also j<!Sus is the Light chat lightens and shines in the world; he is not revc-lcd by the world or spot-lighted by ic. 3 W . 0. E. Oesterle)', j1Jdai1m amJ Chrillianil), I, p. 253, makes use of thc:se figures.

J. Moltmann, Theology of Hope, p. 328. This is the form of the statement in Mark and Luke. Matthew reports the words of chc FJther as addrtssed to rhc audience, not to Jesus. G of those who iind a close relationship between proselyte and John's baptism are: Bc:asley, Tbe Holy Spiril aud 1be Go1pel Tradi1iou, p. 31; Albrecht Oepke,
4

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baptism to be gr<:ater.1 A still different idea is proposc:d by G. W. H . L:unpe who suggests that John derived the conception of baptism from the Old Testa ment prophecies and not from any existing rite.d Whatever the background, there are certain important and distinctive features of John's baptism emphasized in Gospels which arc more significant for the understanding of its meaning than any alleged antecedents. Some of these features are: ( 1) John's baptism was not sdf-Jdministered :1s was proselyte baptism, but administered by someone like Christian baptism, which was institutt.'t.i later, it else to the baptismal candidate.9 (2) John's baptism was performed as t.he result of a divine mand.1te. witness concerning Jesus includes this significnnt ""He who sc:nr me: 10 baptize: with w:Hcr ... : (John 1:33.) The warrlnt for his blptism is not found in its alleged connection with pro)elytc:, Essc:nc, Qumr:Llll, or M:tndae.tn baptis, nor in some per)onal whim or fancy of John. God sent John to baptize and this fact alone substantiates its authenticit)' (3) John's baptism was not purificatory but ethical in reference. It c:1nnot be compared to Levitical washings th:tt ceremon1al. A basic re<Juisite of John's b:tptism was that something had to happen to the heart of th<: recipitnt. He repent. Those who did not ""be-.1r fruit that befirs repenl.lnce" (Matt. 3:8) were warned about impending judgmcnt (M.tit. 3:812). ( 4) John's baptism bad a directly escll.llologic.ll kingJom of heaven is at hand ... he who is mightier than 1 is coming .. . all flesh the salvation of God ... even now :I.Xc is laid to the root of the trees." His baptism was a prepar.ing of the w'J.y of the Lord, the prelude to the rc:velation of the Christ to lsrael. 10 His baptism was more than a symbol of the:

a life, as the rabbis described the significance of the prosdytc s ( he IS as child newly born'"). John's baptism symbolized entrance mto a new age.U

(?) baptism is closely connected with that of Christ. John compared his mmtstry and that of Jesus explicitly in terms of baptism (Matt. 3: 11 , 12). Whcm both John 'J.od j esus inaugur:!led their prt:'.tclling ministry, the theme of e.tch was the same: '"Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand"" (Matt. 3:2, 17) .
Kline calls John the "Messenger of Ultimatum" and relates his b.tpts.m to the ancient covenant administration, especially the covenant covenant bwsu.it was instituted whenever a vassal faileJ to satisfy obl1gat10ns of_a sworn treaty. The suzerain would then send messengers to the vassal, Jel1verlllg one or more warnings, reaffirming the conditions of the co_vc:n'J.nt _and explanation of the offenses. If the messenger(s) was rt:Jected, _ 1mpmoned, or kjlJed, the legal process then proceeded to decla.ration of 10 accordance with the sanctions of the covenant. The messages of lsmd _s propht:ls must be unders tood in the judicial framework of covenant law)ult. The prophets of Yallweh enforce in their messages the covenant to lsr.1cl through Moses.1 3 This judicial process seems to underlie the teachmg of the Baptist who is messenger of the covenant to declare the Lord's uJum_atum of eschatological judgment. The call to repentance (Matt. 3:2), the of the wrath to come ( Matt. 3:7), the axe at U1e roots of unfruitful wh1ch have not borne God's first fruits Matt 3:10; compare with Lev. 19::?3-25 ) are all consistent with this construction of covenant Jesus ministry. The succession of messengers . The same applies 1n r _ he parable of the: ( Matt. 21:33ff.; Mark 12:lff.; Luke 20:9ff.) in wh1ch the Lord of the v1neyard demands his due portion, the shameful trc:atment of the ;tnd_ finallr the murder of the son lead to the vengeance of covenant sancttons. KlHle po1nts out that this parable is set in the Gospels in rhe of_ Jesus counter-challenge to the Jewish authorities with respect to Johns baptism, and the Matthew passage is followed by the parable of the

f36:n<W, TIVNT. I , p. S37, who says, ""The nearest nnalo!;ies to the baptism of John arc the baptisms of official Jud aism, and especially proselyte: bap1ism; W . F. Albright. From 1he Stone 10 CbriuiamiJ, p. 377, who rel:uc:s this to the Es>enes or some similar group. Representative of those who find minimal rela1ionship: G . R. Beasley-Murray, Dop1ism in 1be T.tsiJIIII!III, pp. 2528. 7 0 . Cullnunn. Boptum in the NI'UI T eJJJIIIent, p. 64, wrucs, ""Christian baptism took over the outward operat ion of the proselyte bath of puriiicauon from the Jewish practice of reception""; J . JcremiJ>, ln/<Jr/1 8<Jp11Jm, p. 24, belic\"es that ""prosc:lyte baptism is akin hJ Chri>ti.tn baptism"'; E. Lohmeyer, D11s UrrbriJI<fiiJJm 1: JobJIIMJ Jer TaJJfu, p. 145; J. Jeremia>, Origi11s of ln/am BaptiJIII, p. 27. ll GeOffrey Willi:un Hugo l..uupe, Tlu S,.JI ofsbt Spiril (2nd cd.; Londc>n: SPCK, 1967), p. 22, and cites Nch. 9 :3-7; Dan. I Sam. 7:6; .Micah 7:17-20; lsa. 1:16-20; Jer. 4:14; Ezek . 36:2527; 40:1H. See abo M. Kline, lly o,ub Consig11ed, pp. 5062, who ocdc:u.l. places J ohn's baptism in 1he context of symbolic 9 M art. 3:6, ll,l 3, t 6; .Mnrk 1:5,9; Luke 3:7, 16; J ohn 1:26. See also G. W . H. 1.-unpe, ojlh6 Spirit, pp. 2425. In the New T estumcnt passages ci ted here the form of the verb is con>istently used; in Jewish bapJism the miJdlc or refleJCive is predominant. See A . Til'/ NT, 1, p. );7. 10 Matthew 3:2; Luke 3:16, 6; M atthew 3: 10; Muk 1:3; J ohn 1: 31.

II

See Chap. II. footnote 59 and the section of this manuscript referred to by this note ""Jewish Pro>tlyle Baptism u.nd the Baptism of j ohn,"" HUCA, IS (1940):

Oat It Co11Jig11t>d, . pp. }0-62. Kline says that hu presentAtion is 12. M. G . Kline, onesded he to call attenuon tO what he believes is a neglected m meanmg of bapmm. He feels that his emphasis requires a change in the total bcarcng and the ccntr.tl thru>t of the tradi11 onal doctrine of baptism. 13 Cf. also W . Druesgemann , TradiltO/l for Crisis, pp. 1310}, who ueats the Co\'en.mt contc:xt of the prophetS of Israel , the prophets and the covenant forms and the prophcl s and the: covenant institution wi1h special reference to Hosea. It would 'be inter lo se, whelher lhe prophelic word addressed to the nations by these messengers u( Y takes the struclure of God's universal covenant of Genesis 12 (or of creation} .u a ba>Js for GoJ"s appt."a l to the nations.
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marriage of the Icing's son.14 This occurred in the Passion Week, the element of crisis being the arrival of the Messianic King in God's City and Temple. The interrogative element in this form of covenant administration is found in the question which Jesus used to elicit from the recalcitrants their own verdict of destruction and disinheritance (Matt. 21:40,41). Additionally, it must be noted that Malachi spoke of coming messengers under various figures: "my messenger to prepare the way before me" (3:1), and "the messengers of the covenant in whom you delight." He speaks of Elijah to come ( 4:5,6) in terms of Sinai's covenant and judgment. Therefore, he concludes, One would expect that the baptism of John as the sign of such a mission of ultimatum would portray by its own symbolic form the threatened ordeal of divine judgment ... The baptismal waters of John have been understood as symbolic of a washing away of the uncleanness of sin. But the possibility must be probed whether this water rite did not dramatize more plainly and pointedly the dominant theme in John's proclamation (particularly in the early stage before the baptism of Jesus), namely, the impending judicial ordeal which would discriminate and separate between chaff and wheat, rendering a verdict of acceptance, but also of rejection. The fact is that for such an interpretation of the rite there is ample biblical-historical justification.15 Kline speaks uf the water-ordeal in relation to the settlement of covenant controversy and i:>elieves that "the principle of ordeal comes to expression in every judicial intervention of God in history." 16 The common elemental forces that functioned as ordeal powers were fire and waterP Because John stands in the prophetic tradition, his baptism visualizes the coming judgment, a "second Red Sea judgment (and so a water-ordeal)." 18 The whole record of John's ministry points to the understanding of this water rite as an ordeal sign rather than as a mere ceremonial bath of purification. The description of John's baptism as "unto remission of sins," which is usually regarded as suggesting the idea of spiritual cleansing, is even more compatible with the forensic conception of a verdict of acquital rendered in a judicial ordeal .... To seal a holy remnant by baptism unto the messianic kingdom was the proper purpose of the bearer of the ultimatum of the Great King.lO Matthew 21:23-32; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8; Matthew 22:2. M.G. Kline, By Oa1h Consigned, p. 54. M.G. Kline, By Dash Consigned, p. 55ff. Recall Noah (I Peter 3:21). the Red Sea (I Corinthians 10:2), crossing of the Jordan with reference to water ordeal, and II Peter 3:57 with reference to fire, Both are combined by John in his comparison of his baptism and Jesus' baptism (Matthew 3:11). 18 This assertion is made on the basis of Isaiah 11:10-16 (cf. 27:1, 12, 13; 51:10); Zechariah 10:10, 11, says Kline, By Oalh Consigned, p. 56, see also note 10 on p. 56. 19 M. G. Kline, By Oasb Consigned, pp. 56-57.
14 15 16 17

The value of this understanding of John's baptism is that it combines his message and baptism into a unified covenant administration. John's baptism was a symbol to be replaced by the baptism of the Coming One who would baptize men with the elements of divine power in an actual ordeal. Just as men can be immersed in the waters of Jordan and survive, so too they can be freed the death of sin, the wrath to come. John's baptism, just like his message, mtroduced (revealed) Jesus to Israel (John 1:31).

2. Jesus' Reception of John's Baptism

I.

What was the meaning of Jesus' baptism by John? On the basis of what Kline has demonstrated concerning John's baptism, it can be more easily understood_ why.Jesus was baptized. The question, "Why did Jesus request to puzzled John and has puzzled the church since. If John's bapt1sm IS covenant administration and ordeal, then in the case of Jesus the question of_ his personal righteousness (and hence no need of repentance) does not m. In a sc:nse one can say that the baptism of Jesus was unique. 1t took place m the context of repenting multitudes and converted s1nners, for Jesus the necessity of his baptism is to be found not in himself but for the very crowds that came to the baptism by John. Their trial by ordeal would mean death to them if the Lamb of God did not assume for them the place of and surety of broken covenant. Jesus was baptized for their sake, not h1s own. To demonstrate how fully he was ready to continue in the perfect obedience in life and death that God demanded in his will for man's salvation, Jesus asked to be baptized. He came to "fulfill all righteousness," to undo the disobedience of the covenant breakers and to render for them the obligations they would not and could not do themselves because of their sinful nature. To be baptized meant that he submitted to the symbol of judgment and take the curse of the covenant. At his baptism Jesus is not proclaimed king, but only Servant. His Lordship appears after his resurrection.20 .. But baptism_ only a symbol. At a later time Jesus spoke of a_ to be bapt1zed w1th (Luke 12:50; Mark 10:38), a baptism accomplished 1n the death of the cross and resurrection to life (Col. 2:10-14). Als Kline says, "When Jesus began his public ministry, God's lawsuit with Israel in the The question of the origin of John's baptism IS m. If John's baptism were akin to proselyte bapt1sm and Ievitical its significance would lie in large part m the realm of ceremon1al cleansmg only, even though in the school of
BapJism in 1he New TeslamenJ, p. See also Gerhard Delling, m..G. TW:NT, VI, pp. 283-311, especially pp. 285, 290,292-294, on tbe mt:anmg of fulf1ll as bemg to fulfill a demand or claim with reference to the will of God, never to a human demand, to bring into force God's order of salvation.
20

0.

21

Ibid., p. 63.

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Hillel (contemporary to John and Jesus) the idea of the proselyte himself being morally unclean was beginning to supercede the idea that baptism was necessary because of ritual pollution by idols.n Oepke states that there is no thought in proselyte baptism of any natural, let alone ethical, death and resurrection, and that it cannot be deduced from the immersions current in Judaism that John conceived of his baptism as a voluntary dying. He prefers to find the origin of this thought of lifegiving inundation in Hellenism. However, it must be observed that on this basis Jesus could not think of a voluntary giving of himself in death, a thought Oepke finds unlikely if the full meaning of proselyte baptism is to govern our interpretation:l3 It must be concluded, therefore, that Jesus in his baptism identified himself with sinners, not in a ritual of ceremonial purification ( which he did not need and wbicht would make his baptism meaningless if not hypocrisy), but in the sense of covenant identification and voluntarily assuming the guilt of covenant breakers. Jesus' baptism needs to be taken seriously. The age of promise is about to become the age of fulfillment. The divine declaration of his Sonship, the approval of his Person and life, the possession of the Spirit all in Cullthis way with the expectation of the Messiah and follow says "the baptism of Jesus was proleptic, signifying and summing up in a single action the entire mission and saving work of the Servant-Messiah, which was to be unfolded gradually in the course of his life, death, resurrection, and ascension." u

No": when the knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was mak10g bapt1zing more disciples than John (although Jesus bimseli did not. baptiZe, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again to Galilee (John 4:1-3). The termination of the baptism seems to have been occasioned by the accompl1shment of the purpose Jesus had in mind : to call the atte n tJOn ' of . t1 1e re11g10us leaders to the of the messages of John and Jesus, to demonst_rate ro these authonues that John's ministry was only preparatory to the commg of Jesus, and tl1at he, Jesus, was the one to be reckoned with. When Jesus k-arns that_ these effects have been accomplished in the minds th_c leaders, the bapusm-cum-teaching ministry in Judea comes to an end. 1 he 1mport of Jesus' baptismal work was esentially the san1e as John's. It was there:ore,_ a of _imminent judgment. By permitting his disciples baptue :W1th_ s bapt1sm he puts the stamp of his approval on the validity Jesus and John moved in the same circle of prophetjc and of Johns

o!

3. BaptiJm by Jesul Discipln

This discussion is not concerned at this point with the relationship of Christian baptism authorized in Matt. 28, but with the baptism attributed to Jesus disciples in the early period of Jesus' ministry, during the short while in which John's and Jesus' ministries overlapped. Two matters are of interest: (I) Why did this baptism cease so abruptly, and (2) What did it mean? The witness of the Gospel of John is as follows: After this Jesus and hi.s disciples went into the land of Judea; there he remained with them and baptized (John 3:22).
22 ].

The indicate that the imprisonment of John was the occasion for the of Jesus' new Galilean ministry. Certainly the leaders of Israel felt nothmg but contempt for John and refused to say (what they knew well enough) that his authority was from God (Matt. 21:23ff.; Mark 11:22ff.; Luke ff.). Peter later made it very clear that the beginning of the ministry in marked end _of the baptism John preached (Acts 10:37), implying the un1ty of John_s and that of Jesus' disciples. To use Jesus' parabolic form of_ the ad011n1stratJon of the covenant ultimatum : John was the last of a senes of the Lord had sent to a rebellious, djsobedieot people; last t><: the o: the Son. Dut these wicked men will reject h1m The t1rne IS fulf11led , this Son will proclaim, "and the kingdom of God IS at band; and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1: 15). The announcement was rn explicit terms in his home town, Nazaret11, in a synlgogue serv1 cc 1n whrch Jesus declared the arrival of the acceptable year of the lord (luke 4:19,21 ). In _ brief, theo, the early baptism authorized by Jesus was a sign of God's ultimatum to Israc.l. When that ultimatum was emphatically rejected. a new of the. administation of the covenant was entered, Jesus' ministry of baptism ceasmg along with the Johanoine message of ultimarum which it had sealed. The between the earlier and later baptisms authorized by Jesus was the diHerence two quite distinct periods in the history of the covenant. The _later baptrsm was of course ordained as a sign of the New Covenant; 1t was not part <>f the old lawsuit against Israel . .. . There would
26 C. K. Barrett, The Holy Spiril ami the Gospel Tradition, p. 34.

Jeremias, /11farJ/ Daplism, p. 2); D. Daube, The N<'w Tellamens anti !Wbbillic

23 A. Oepke, TWNT. I, pp. )37}38. connection of proselyte baptism and John's baptism bas not been established. The differences :ue so va.st that all one can say is that the Jews were not unfamiliar with v:uious forms of baptism. Possibly the greatest obstacle to rdating the two is the fact that proselyte baptism was never administered to those under the sanctioM of Goo's covenant with Israel whereas John's baptism was for the Jews (nothing is said about Gentiles coming to his baptism). 24 G. W. H . Lampe, The Sdal of s/Je Spiril, pp. 3039 discusses this fully. 2) 0 . Cullmann, Baptism i11 tlu New Testalfldlll, p. 4).

Judaism, p. 108.

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I
be a pronounced continuity between Christian baptism and the earlier, Johannine baptism. While, therefore, the baptismal ordinance which Christ appointed to his church would have a significance appropriate to the now universal character of the covenant community and to its new eschatological metaphysic, it would continue to be a sign of consecra tion to the lord of the covenant and, more particularly, a symbolic passage through the judicia. ! ordeal, in w hich those under the rule of the covenant receive a definitive verdict for eternal glory or for perpetual It is now understandable why Jesus himself did not baptize. He stood ove.r at,rainst John's baptism as the one to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness. When he would baptize men, it would be with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The baptism he would administer could not have the character of promise and symbol; it would have to be fulfillment. This docs not mean that the disciples acted outside of his authority. They were indeed Jesus' representativ''S in what they were doing. But their hanJs were no Jifferent than )oh11's hands and all acted under his jurisdiction. When the Spirit was his to bestow, then the time would be here for Jesus to b;lptize. Meanwhile, the baptism of John served to unite those who repented into a fellowship, the fellowship oi the citizens of the Kingdom of God.u Christian b:1ptism woulll be instituted by Jesus wh.:n through his life, death, and resurrection the church is constituted as the locus of the Spirit/9 and he receives a full commission to be Lord of lords and King of kings.

and of Jesus. Matthew summarized the message of both in these d "R f h k' d wor s, epent, or t e mg om of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2,23; Mark 1: 15). W . hen Jesus sent out the Twelve, he "sent them to preach the Ki gd f G d" (Luk n om o o . e 9:2). The parables and messages of Jesus referred more frequently to the .Kmgdom than to any other concept or theme. Jeremias states this in the followmg summary:

All Jesus' parables his hearers to define their attitude towa rds h'IS . . compel , person an d massJOn .. For they are full of "the secret of the Kingdom of God" Mark 4 :1l) - that as to say, the certainty tlut the messianic age is dawning. The houi of Julfallment has come; that is the keynote of them all Th t . . d' d . . . e s rong man . s 1sarme . the powers of eva! ure n rc:trcat, the physician has come to the stck, lepers are cleansed, the heavy burden of guilt is removed, the lost sheep 1s brought home, the door of the Father's house stands open the and the beggars are summoned to the banquet, a master whose kindness IS undeserved pays wages in fu ll, a great joy fills all hearts. For there has the one whose veiled kingliness shines through every word and every parable - the Savior.31

B. The Kingdotll of God

The Bible reveals a God who ro1111111111ds man's attention, a Christ who compels his allegiance, and a concept of sin and salvation rhat presents man kind with aHernativc:s it cmmot ignore. 30 These are all bound together in a unity in the Person of Jesus Chiist. The Old Testament formed the background of Jesus' thought; he quoted freely from it, applied specific passages to himselt without hesitation, and interpreted it infallibly and authoritatively as no prophet or scribe before or after was able to do. One dat.'S not to search for the theme that unifies his teaching ; it is [hrust before the reader throughout the whole of the Gospel : the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God constituted the theme of the preaching of the Baptist

. writes (Acts 1:3) that Jesus used the resurrection appearances to the diSCi ple g roup as to speak to them further about U1e Kingdom of G od. to. the repeatedly reCUis in the book of Acts. Philip's evangelistic tour 111 Samana IS summarized in this way: he "pread1ed good news about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus 01rist" (Acts 8: 12). Paul made frequent reference to the Kingdom in his epistles (e.g. Rom. 14:17; e.g.). His ministry in Ephesus and Rome arc reported I Cor. as bc:ang preachmg about the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Christ" (Acts 28:31; 19:8; 20:25). The whole New Testament message good news, the good news about the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14; Matt. 11) Small then that at the time of the Great Consummation revealed 10 Revelatwn. th1s message is proclaimed: "the kingdoms of U 1is world have become the k.1ngd?m of our Lord and of his Christ" (Rev. 11:15). has developed about this theme in Christian theol0!:,''( There IS no necessity to review this in detail, nor would any purpose be ?OLmc:d by a study. some atten tion must be given to the topic f the: background and meantng of the church's commissioning by Jesus Christ .1re to be understood.

M . G. Kline, B,l' Oath Consigned, pp. josephus, Ant .. uses a word for John's baptism which does not just me;m "come together for the purpose of being baptjzed" but "unite by baplism." Cf. C. K. Barrett, The Holy Spirit and the Goi pt!l p. 32; G. W. H. L:lmpe, Tlu Seal of the Spirit, p . 22, who says John's bap1ism "inaugu.ratcs a collective movement." 29 0 . Cullmann, Baptism in the New TeJ/dt1Wit, p. 10. 30 J . A. Baird, The Justi(lf of God, p . 13. 27
28

)I

Joachim Jeremi.as, Rediscovering the ParableJ (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,

1966 ), p. 181 , an abr1Jgement of The Parabln of }eius, translated by S. H. Hooke (6th

cd.; New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1963). . 32 ..The litCI"Jture ha.s bec?mc so voluminous lhat histories and bibliographies of the dtscu>SIOn have been 1n years. Cf. ) . A. Baird, The juuice of God, p. 265, n. I, for some of 1he pnnnpa.l outlines of opinion.

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1. The Chronologiral reference

The majority of studies of the Kingdom of God are occupied with U1e question of d1ronology, and seek an answer to the question of the time reference of Jesus' Kingdom concept. It is incre-.l.Singly common today to interpret 1111d mtcgrate the New Testament teaching concerning the Kingdom in a threefold way as {l) the presence of God's sovereignty in men's lives today, (2) the final comummation of God's purposes, and (3) God's sovereign purpo)e and prc$ence throughout time anJ eternity. An analysis of all Jesus' logia conct>rning the KingJom according to the audience addressed in terms of U1e above categories is quite revcaling.3 ' Tiling into consideration the numbc:r of t.imt-s Je:.us spoke of the Kingdom we find that Jesus ' teaching gives a fairly balanced emphasis on the Kingdom both and future. If there is any difference, the emphasis is on the present. However, when the audience addressed is taken into consideration, then a r<!1Dllckable difference appears: only once Joes Jesus speak to his oppom:nts .1bout the future, eschatological Kingdom (Luke 14: n), and never about botJ1 prt-sent ami future. To his opponents Jesus aJw.l)'S stressed the present narure of the KingJom. Jesus' tead1ing cono:rncd both love and wrath, but to the opponent group the greatest stress was laid on the wroth. Jesus showed a greater accommodation to lhe Jewish point of view and Jewish concerns when speaking to the opponent audience. Then the emphasis of his teaching was or. repc:nlancc:, inner purity, forgiveness, righteousness, obedience to the Old Testament commandments to show true religion.
he criticized the Twelve for putting themulvu beforc Kingdom, Jesus criticizeJ the opponents for putting thtir rdigion before the Kingdom of God. They put the traditions of the dders before the justice and mercy of God (Mnrk 7:3); they put ritual legalism before their conccrn for men: they put external purity before their own inner righteousness. In this stance they were unable to underoaand the working of God in and through him. 3

them without a parable, but privately to his disciples he explained everything" (vss. 33-34). Whenever he deliberately explained a parable dealing with the of God, he did so only to the Twelve or to the larger disciple group. .It ts necessary_ to go b<:y?nd a mere of the statements concerning the Kingdom according to thetr chronologtcal reference. fn all categories (present, furure, eternal) there Is bolh a horizontal and a vertical dimension added to the chronological reference. While in every case the concep t of the Kingdom is the central element in the crisis, man chooses for or against entrance. His reward for obedience is his position in lhe Kingdom. His judgment for disobedience is exclusion from it. for !.hose who believe two points of referenc:e are important: ( l) the point at which a man enters the Kingdom, and (2) the point at the end of the age when for that life the Kingdom is consummated. Manson correctly observes that there really is no sense in asking whether the Kingdom is present or future because it is something independent of such relationships.115 The Kingdom IS IJl essence a symbol for Jescribing Lhc: very judgment plan and presence .of Got.!, calling men out of the dimension of rbe physical into that of the spmtual, out of the rt"alm of the temporal into that of the eternal, calling men ro live in God's spiritual world anc.J in his spiritual time even as they continut: to Live In his world of men and in the time of

Because Jesus spoke.so Jude to the opponents regarding the furure Kingdom, it would appt.-ar that it is in his words to the disciples that his full t<:lching about the Kingdom must be found. This agrees with what he said to them, "To you ha.s been given the secret of the kingdom but for those outside everything is given in parables'' (Mark 4:11), to which Mark "He did not speak to
33 Tho method John Arthur Baird used and the results obtained found in his book Crilittllll Jlld 1/Je Hiuorit ul jeJJIJ (Philadelpltia: The Westminster Press. t969), henceforth w be coted ou Audmue CriJiriJm. Baird utaltli,'Ued all the of Jesus according to sourC<', subject and audience ro which addressed (froe:n to opponcllt groups) . 'they were lht-n analyzed by computer. The n-sulu are segneftCJnt and
valuable and should advgncc gl"eatly our understanding of the and method of Jesus. .lbord concludes that the lngia are genuine words of the Lurd and that a consistent picture: of Jesus is presented in the traditions thnl ul!h the Guspel

The: time is aJways filled with the tension of God 's imperative: " Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." When a man comes to occupy the place of the repentant, he is prepared for the "secret of t11e Kingdom." This is shown by another char:u:teristic theme in Jesus' teaching regarding the Kingdom: the absolute claims of the Kingdom to tbe total obedienct>, totaL priority, of man. Twenty-five times, Baird says, this emphasis is total found tn all sou rces, aod all of these are directed to disciple There is an apparent logic to this, for it would be only wirh those who made the tn.itial response to Jesus that these total demands would have any meaning.:tr The Kingdom whid1 lies behind, surrounds, and gives mt'aning to the cosmos is in essence the very presence of the God of justice who has called the warld into being and placed upon it the judgment of his sovereignty.

2. The UnivenaJ Covmonl

Reflecting on the teaching of j esus with resptct to the Kingdom brings the universal covenant of God with mankind to the foreground. Neither John nor
T . W . Manson, T!Je 7'1!uthingr of / nul (Cambridge: University Press, 194S), p. 135. 36 J. A. Baird, T!Jt! juuire of God, p. 14l. )7 ) . A. Uaird, Audit nre-Cr/Jirism, p , 119.

;4 J. A. Baird,lfudi"lltl! Crilirilm, p . lH.

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139

Jesus was the first to speak of the Kingdom. The fact that they .not the Kingdom for their hearers indicates that it was a concept famthar. to the1r day and relates this message to the rabbinic teaching.:lll To grasp what IS by the Kingdom of God is to come very close to the of the Btble s Gospel of salvation. Old Testament theology was not dommated by the ex pectation of the Messiah. It was rather dominated, as Kuhn has shown, by the fact that Yahweh is King! Past, present, and future! Throughout the. Old Testament hope for the full blessing of his becomes _wcreasmglr prominent and hope is set on the fact that Yahweh w11l show htmself to be King.aa Kuhn also cites some interesting references to the effect that later Judaism used the phrase "God is King" for "God is present." "To accept yoke of the Kingdom of God" was equivalent to_ ''acknowledge God as ones King and Lord," "to confess the one God as the King and to foreswear all other gods". A part of the same development was that the Kingdom of was read in cultic usage "Kingdom of heaven." 40 The tnumphal of Chnst concerned the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy, "Behold thy kmg cometh unto thee." The issue of Jesus' trials and rejection was precisely his Messianic Kingship and what was judged blasphemy because he appl!ed to himself the divine sovereign prerogatives of God. . before God and hts Thus the call to repentance comes to the man who is rule not as an individual but as a member of a commumty. Man responds to this' call in faith, i.e., obedience. When he does so, he is in touch with the Kingdom of God which comes without his cooperation;, use_ of th_e f.!ETCcvOLa (metanoia) for what is translated "repentance IS pecuharly ftttmg. This word deals with the source of man's motives, not with conduct or even the motives themselves. It involves what Tertullian called similarity of mind between God and his people. The thoughts of God are not the thoughts of 2 men, but they must be before man can enter God's Kingdom. is the reorientation of the personality with reference to God and h1s purpose. It turns men's faces forward, not backward. Repentance may not be conceived of as 38 Karl Ludwig Schmidt, (3aotAEia, in G. Kittel, TWNT, I, p. discusses this and points out the similarities and differences between Jesus' teachtng and that ot contemporary Judaism. Cf. also ]. Bright, The Kingdom of God, p. 17, who traces the origin of the Kingdom concept in Scripture, pp. 18ff. . 39 Karl Georg Kuhn, in G. Kittel, TU>"NT. I, p. 568. Cf. Isatah 24:33; 33:22; Zephaniah 3:15; Obadiah 21; Zechariah 14:16ff. 40 G. Kittel, TWNT, I, pp. 569-571; Strack-Billerbeck, Kommenlar, I, PP 173-177. 41 John A. Broadus has called the translation of flET6:vota by .the worst translation in the New Testament." Cf. A. T. Robertson, Word P1<111res N_eu- Testament (New York and London: Harper and Bros., 1930), I .. p. 24 . . J:. stmtlar is presented by John Calvin, Irwi111tes of the Chriuian Rellg10n, III.m.5,9; A significant historical and exegetical study of the word has b_een made _by Douglas Chamberlain, The Meaning of Repe111ance (Phtladelphta: Westmmster Pres>, 1943). 42 Tertullian, De Pamitentia, IV.
140

regret, sorrow, introspection or man-made satisfaction for sin; it is the transformation of the mind in preparation for fellowship in the Kingdom of God. It looks ahead in hope and anticipation, not backward in shame and regret or forward with fear. Men enter the Kingdom in joy. The challenge to repentance as preached by John, Jesus, and the disciple fellowship is the link that unites the universal covenant of God with men to the preaching of the Kingdom of God. Throughout the New Testament the command to all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30) is nowhere set forth as a duty for Israel or for the Gentiles alone. Paul defines for Agrippa his commission received from Jesus Christ, in words reminiscent of the message of the Baptist, Wherefore, 0 king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then at Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent, and perform deeds worthy of repentance (Acts 26:19,20). His words indicate that one and the same message of repentance was brought to Jew and Gentile alike (see also Acts 20:21). One and the same light has been proclaimed to the people and to the Gentiles (Acts 26:23). Nothing is so comprehensive of mankind's needs and duties as repentance. It includes the revamping of the outlook and outreach of all life, the metamorphosis of the whole man. By means of it a man enters into the purpose and plan of God for his life. In God's universal covenant, the basic elements of which appear in this demand, the creation of all things by God, his uncompromised sovereignty over ail things, man as the image of God, and God's When man transgressed, continued care and love for his people were God's dealings with mankind were weighted with the potentials for blessing or curse, good or evil, salvation or condemnation. Man has no other duty but to respond in obedience: God always meets him in his grace not with permissible alternatives but with the imperative to believe and obey. To do otherwise is rebellion. Now that this universal covenant is about to be fulfilled and fully ratified in the work and Person of Christ, the unifying theme of the Kingdom of God is what makes the message "good news." Man's condition is not unalterable. God commands repentance: no other theme would do, for God provides the obedience. 44 The Kingdom is for all, and every man is set 43 Paul Sevier Minear, The Images of the Ch11rch in the New Testament (London: Lutterworth, 1960), pp. 119-139, esp. p. 119, henceforth to be cited as Images, shows how the Kingdom of God comes as God's creation of a new heaven and a new earth, and discusses the multiple correspondences (parallelisms) between the Kingdom and the GeQesis accounts of creation. What is so remarkable is that so many of the New Te>tament images of the Kingdom of God are chosen from Genesis 111 and not from the particular form of the covenant and election of Israel. See also p. 275, n. 8. 44 It is characteristic of God's work to demand the impossible from man. A brief su:vey of some of Jesus' miracles illustrates this. To the paralytic he said, "Take up your
141

hasis of the divine challenge is on the before God and rus rule. All the erop . J th mplications of the divmc . '1 to mankind to take scnous y c t arrestmg c... dominion.

3. . .. And Mission
. t be reached in all the world for a "This Gospel of the . p f the end time must be seen nor This s g ftcant stgn o al 01 1 witness'' (Matt. 24 : 14) ch' d m-ning of Jesus but so d only against the b....,.grou_n o . J H. Bavinck G observes that al I of the world which recetves the dwttness. . t'-lish some sort of kingdom ot . . other en eavor to es religwns 10 some way or God on earth. . . . as in its w;ly a kingdom of Cod, over The anc1ent Chlflcse empire w L ' . ,y by centuries-old customs, . . ld d into a IVInS UOI h d1vme emperor, we c: b . lws Until recently t c J a11 em r.wns bound together by structure an . . o rned by a divine ruler, who empire of was a hca;nly his divine commands !P_ ve was a descendllnl _ of the g s, an rimitive copies in A)i:t .lnd .Aiuc.L stability to the kingdom. The most P h 'b p 'nto a sort of kingdom of . . I' to mnke t e tn c t . strive in their tnba1 re I10n d theocratic communlllcS whose All arc: in greater or lesser egree. b t they con reptcsent this God f 11 'ts express1ons u intent to govern :all of It e .In a f t rm Tbe of God which they character only Ill a secu13nz.c:d o . . . f I. ld and roots m th!s world. represent IS o t tLS war

Kin docn of God breaks in on the Whc:n now the news of thef tru;s of ::ukness and the false kingdoms world's history, is di.unt:trically to the can be expected because gk. J This understanding of the . d of those mg oms. . principalities an powers . New Testament teaching on the Genesis celestial struggle is also rooted IO the . d f Chrt'st and Satan - have Th two ktng oms - o story of the fall of man. e ch and the faithfulness of the . . . d a rate as the trea ery d separate ongms, arc as tsp ' .. h f'rst Adam and the last A :un. h two humalllues: t e 1 men who represent t ese 'II b o compromise no appeasement. . d ms there Wt e n ' 1 Betweett these two kmg 0 t1 d berwctn them and the P ace The mission of God is often the bat egroun where the battle is joi11ed.
ke )IS). To the man with ' a wantcd most to d 0 (Lu n1 d r 't bed which is exal>tly wmt the Ill n h d something he could 0 Y 0 1 1 the 'withc:rcJ hand he wd, ..Stt<'tch your ann, who laid for }8 years on the porch, . ( R) T., dead . 12 13) To the 1mpou:nt ma w.:rc normal ( M d d of r"gaonong Jo1 '" jesus said, ''Walk," 1111 he long hn 11:43) . Tbe iUustrJiions can be 'd " ' -- u.rus t)us way out. o La7JlCUS, h e , '-" muliipliedH. B . k ""h lmpdrl oj ChdJt.ianity, PP 4) J. . av1nc , 46 P. S. Minear, lmag<J, PP l2l, 276 11 ' 9

W=Uter Frc:ytag observes that missions were from the beginning seen from the viewpoint of the Klogdom of God and that each of the missionary periods or missionary strc-:t.ms that have emerged reveal a characteristic contraction of the Kingdom of God outlook, if not in doctrine th en in the understanding of the meaning and purpose of mission. 41 Specific reference is made to the following: ( l) narrows the Kingdom down to a purely spiritual and individualethical outlook. becomes the salvation of souls; the Kingdom of God becom<..-s the total of those saved our of the world. What Pietism forgets is that Jt:sus is already Lord over all and that the Kingdom of God exists in right peace, and joy (.Rom. 14:17ff.). The new world of God has come and the people of God live in it today. They do not fulfill their calling if they seck to convert men out of the world, for conversion is only complete if the men of this world have turned towards the new world of God. (2) narrowing of the Kingdom concept defines the goal of :I.S the planting of churches th at mw>t be sc:lf-supporting, self-governing, The Kingdom of God is narrowed down to the church. TillS viewpoin t forgets that the churches arc not tht: Kingdom of Got but serve .u the g.Hhcring of thl Kingdom community in prt:paration for the end. ( 3) ldt-:llistic-socio-ethica..l contracrion. This approach blends philanthropy and c:nlightenn1ent ami seeks to make the world a better place in which to live. The Kingdom is in its coming with increasingly improved world conditions. Freytag observt:S that missions is not a matter of improving the woriJ but of being fellow-workers with God (Col. 4:11) in his will for man kind's salvation. This agrt:es with the thesis of Bowman who said that Jesus' concept of the Kingdom of God is as wide as the human race and his social ethic as wide as the human need. Overagainst those who hold to a social gospel (e.g. H:unnck) this author shows t11at believers are bound to the Person of Jesus as Lord, not just to his teaching. The soci=U gospel does not need a Messiah to mediate the salvation God promised or a community limited by .machment to his (I) An apocalyptic narrowing is evidenced when mission is pursued in order \O hasten the coming of the end, the Second Coming of Christ. In this view point there is little sensitiveness to a task to fulfill in this world. It is true that cht: must be preached to all, but the end does not come in this way. God's people can only be obedient servants who work in the world and for the world while waiting for tl1e coming of the Lord. Making the proclamation of salvation to bring about the Lord's return ignores the NOW of Jesus' work and lcingdom. 40
Walter frqt3g, "The MCotning and Purpose of the Christian Mission" in /R/tf, 39 IH-161; cf. also bis "Yom Sinn dec Wdtmission" in EMM (M1y p. nff. 18 john Wick Bowman, Ih Inuntion of ftull (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, p. 195 . 49 F. Hahn, Miuion i11 J}JII New Tntamenl, p. 168. 17

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lti2

Two things must not be lost sight of: the Kingdom of God exists in this world, in rea! rustorical time, under our familiar conditions with their confused mixture of good and evil; 60 also, no one can reaJiy know the hope of this coming unless he answers the urgent, present demand to repent and emer the Kingdom today. Living as it does in the time after the dl-ath and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Kingdom community must be aware that the eschatological hour has arrived, that God's saving grace is offered in mercy to all the world and that it is the duty of the Kingdom community to announce to the nations that they too have a part in the Kingdom of God. Those who arc in the King dom of God are under obligation to be at the disposal of the King for tJ1e furtherance of his good purposes. The beneficiaries must become benefactors (Luke 22:25ff.), not in name only but by spencling themselves and being entirely expendable in the service of mankind for Christ's sake. The point is that no one who has seen the lcingdom from within can rest content while others remain outside. "You received without pay; give without pay" (Matt. 10:8).01 Merely to sing hymns about the coming universal reign of Christ is no more sumcient than the reading of the old prophecies and ps:tlms sufficc:J for Judaism ... there must be in a real sense tbe giving of ourselves . . . to actual mission ... by which (is meant) aggressive work for the Kingdom, whether at home or abroad. 6!1 Man is open for exciting new possibilities for the future. Our world transforming, future-seeking service to all peoples does not search for eternal order in the existing reality of the world, but for possibilities that exist in the world in the direction of the promised future, as Moltmann suggests. If this world were immutable, the call to obedient molding of it would have no meaning. The world is like a vast container, fuJI of future and of boundless opportunitic:s and possibilities for good and evil. 63 Karl Barth expressed thjs in this way : We arc going, then, not to a fantastic P3Cadise, not to an eternal hallelujah singing, but toward a revelation of the distinctive quality of our life as believers, the unique elc:ment of which is indeed now manifest to the: forgiving and healing mercy of God; for to our eyes, and to the eyes of nil men and angels, the manifestation of the structure which must consummate: the enduring foundation of our faith is srill hidden. 5
ChHic:> Harold Dodd, New TesiJIIWII Studin (Manchester: University Press, 1967), p. 56;]. j tJus' Promise, p. 39. } I Thomas Walter Manson, 011ly To The Ho11se jesus ""d slit! Non-jews (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1964), p. 17, henceforth to be cited as On/> To Thi! f/osue
.52 H

And Karl Ral1ner said, Jn the sphere of secular worc..lly livin ' l . C3.llc:d the Chrisrian any cu lt g, never any period that can be o ure w 11 1 IS 1h Ch IS never possible simply to dc:duce fro Ch . . e culture.... It morality, any one pattern 'o' I m pnnaples of belief and . . o ' , r t Je wor as It ougl t t be m some it may be true th..tt f . . o ... although narrow, and limiced choice.65 or the mdivldual there is a very

C. /<'JuJ' R.elaliotuhip 10 1he GenJi/n

The surprising, single utterance of Jesus . h mssion of the Pharisees (Matt 23 1<) . Wll respect to the extensive Gentile . J IS matched only by th uaJl Plexmg tnstructJOn jesus gave his disciples, e eq y perGo oowhc:re among the Gentiles and enter n 1 o !town of the Samaritans, but go ratJJer to the lost sheep of the' Ito use o srae (Matt. 10:.5,6), and by rus definition of his apostleship:
1

was sent only to the: lost sheep of the house of lsueJ (Matt. 15.24) .

deepens a..IJ the more when th , . . . diSCiples is reviewed for Matth l e context of thiS Jostructwn to his d ] . ew says I tat while on the 0 structed them to limit their minist of . " ?e 1 tan esus 1.0is at hand" to tJ f ry prt:achmg dJat dte Kingdom of heaven bear testimony belcf regiOns o Gali_lec:, he also informed them that they would ore governors k 1nrrs 1 h G . Tl . b ' o , mu I e enlt1 eJ (Matt 1018) in the of Christ chuich as Mark so dear/ .. . ISSIOn IS hJS work through his preach;d everywhere whilye rtc:hpeolrtso:d Andkedthey. (the eleven) went forth and r woe With th " "] by OlearJs of them, from east to west, the sacred and i;m;r. esus sent ?ut of eternal salvation" (Mark 16 . 20 ) w h P Is a e proclamation be no Christian mission. Yet do. not.! . ll odut the person of Christ there could I . . tiS wor s seem to contradict th. ) t IS not satisfactory to say that the church h IS. because the missionary meaning of Matt. 28: these words cJ_ ear. Such an approach to the problem does not l . s 1.8 ace perfectJy diJ concerning his disciples' miss o d h. exp am why Jesus spoke as he us in understanding what on the s an IS own assignment. Nor does it assist for answer to an an<mi h d d ur ace appears to bt a ratJJer harsh and uncalJedo-S e esperate mother in the f T "Let the children first be fed for 't . t . h regions o yre and Sidon, throw it to to the dogs" (Mark 72,7)1SHno ng t to take the children's bread and d . ow arc these words of ]e be d scoo ? Did Jesus intend a Gentile . . d'd . to un ermi.SSIOn or I he Introduce such a mission

r"

of

H
144

H. H . Rowley, Miuio11ary Meuage, p. 81. ]. Moltmann, Theology of Hope, pp. 286-289. Kul Barth, God'r for Man (New York: Round Table Press, 1935) , p. 193.

' '

urk :

Karl

and Ward, 1963 ) , p. 7.

Tile Chrirsian Commitmem

' tunslatc:d by Cefily Hastin8S (New

only after he bad died and rose again? Was a universal mission his aim all the time, or did Jesus change his mind and direction when the Jews rejected him? Whereas it appears that Jesus understood his mission to be temporarily at least to the lost sheep of the house of lsra.el, he pronunced this "rule" with an attached exception (Matt. 15:24). Additionally, it appears from th<.: very strange passage of Mark -4:10-12 that an even stricter rule was earlier pro nounced. He did not initially address himself directly and properly to the whole people of lsrad, but only to his disciples."

A solutions are offered in our present day u 'd . ( I) The miSSIOn to the Gentiles l " the world mission was bound of even though Jesus never gave any instructt'o n 1n . pworld mtsston . . Jesus and u Th honzon spirit;" . the convc:nantal context in which Jes . . . . JS Vlewpotnt Ignores . . us mtntstry was perf ed AI h connectton IS sought between J .. orm ch' t . ough a and the ch . . . esus. ITUntstry acuvlly, this is not taken as a matter of dir . s mtsstonacy This explanation fruls to take the ch I .t:ecalt but only madental necessity. . es ato ogt mean 8 f th . of the Kingdom of God into account. In o e prodamattOn

1. 011ly to the House of Israel?

The problem posed by these statements of Jesus was recognized and discusst"J very early in the Christian church. Some of the early d1urch iathers useJ allegory to explain away the diffirulty. They took "tJ1c: way of the Genti les" and the "cities of the Samaritans" to me-.111 heresy, false doctrine, or p.tg.Ul behavior. They understood the words of Jesus in a negative sense as though Jc>US was warning tl1e disciples about these things. These early fathers overlooked the fact that the command of Jesus was quite positive and was literally fulfilled and understood positively by his disciples. Tcrtullian, on the other hand, said that the limitations were not meant for all time but for that single instance only.l>li Eusebius took a similar stance but added that the r;rst task of Messiah was concerned with Israel and that the needs of the Gentiles would be met when the mission to the Jews had been 69 completed. This view is foLlowed also by Calvin. Grotius said that the benefits 60 for the Gentiles from Christ's ministry were only incidental. Bengel says that 61 Jesus the disciples enough to do when he sent them to the Jews.
51

(2) jesus h:td a positive view towardsGen 'l . and Juring his ministry . tJ es, was the fHst Gentile missionary 1 . . . was 1n constant touch with G Phansatc caricature of the Gentil . . Support foentl es. Jesus reststs the . . e mtsston th . . tn the JOurneys of Jesus into Gentile t . . d r JS posltson IS found him. Matt. 28: 1820 is re,arded as a co emt??: the fact that Gentiles sought o nuntsstonmg of a large bod f d ' . . t h e tn nc:r circle of the: Twelve hav 1 ' n bee . . g n gtven d ecti fYo tsaples, . mtSStOn Junng Jesus' lift:time o Tl . .. . tr ons or a Genttle be said on the basis of the r overlooks the fact that it cannot activity among the r 'l t lat ever any deliberate nu es to wtn them to hts cause and viewpotnt. (3) Jt.-sus' .lifetime mini)try was confined to Israel .. the future tnclusion of the GeotJ'j h Because Jesus enviSioned . . . es, e commanded his d 1 :1 Gent tie mtsston after his resurrection a d . o& tSCJP es to undertake poi nt d()(:s not discover a unity 'tn tl n . . Unfortunately, this viewle wor s an mtsston f J 1 an error common to sudl studies o esus. t IS gUt lty of 1 h . dt)putc:J problem of Jesus' att'tudname y, dl at It concentrates one-siJedly on the ' e towar the Ge til d k to the: problem by arguing backward f I es an see s the solution the mind of Jesus. s rom t le attttudes of the early church to ( 4) Jc:)US deliberately confined his and tll di . . . . forbidding his disciples to preach I Je sclples mtsston to Israel, even o non- ews The Lo d 1 f 11 . r s P o Jesus Christ becomcs a maller of proclamation afte 1. who brings in the Gentiles in the res':s:rectJWhon, even then it is God ays. at IS unexplained on this
(;2 F. Hahn, Mission 111 tbe New Te 2 629, discusses these in full 6.1 The view of A von H nack ' miSSJOI/ un A sb . 1 . on mind th:u von Harnack does not re ard the: u rttlung, p. 39ff. It must be borne word of Jesus. g Matthew 28: 1820 passage as an authentic

See Karl Barth, Auslegung flOfl Mauhaus 28:1620. (Basel: Basler Missionsbuch hand lung, 1945) . English mnslation by Thomas Weiser can be found in Gerald H. Anderson, ed., The Tbeolog] of 1he Chriuian Miuion (New York: McGraw-Hill,
PP57 This is the position of Hippolytus, Clement, Origen, Cyprian, and Didascalia. For full textual references to their positions st-eT. W . Manson, Onl] To The HouJt of /srad ?, p. 2 footnotes. 58 Tertulliao, De Fuga itl PuseruliOile, 6, cited by T. W . Manson, Onl) to fl ouu of /mu/J, p. }, n. 6, (rum AllltNiunce Chriuian Ubrar] (Edinbusgh: T . II< T . Clarke,

1868) vol. V, 11, p. 11. 59 john Calvin, Harmo11y of the Eva11gelim (Grand Rapi!ls: W . B. I, p. 440, says, "If anyone imagines that this prohibition is unkind, because Christ does not admit Gentiles to the enjoyment of the Gospel, kt him contend with God, who, to the exclusion of the rest of the world . established with the seed of Abraham alone his covenant, on which the: command of Chri>t is founded." 60 Grotius, Anno/IJ/101/el in Vtus el Novum Teslamtllrum (1641 ed.), I, p. 19}ff.. cited by T. W. Manson, 011ly To The House of Israel ?, p. 4, n. 9. 61 Bengel, Gnomo11 ed.), p. 67, quoted in T . W. Manson, On/ylu tlut House
oflmu/J, p. 4, n. 10.

61 This is the view of Friedrich Spiua /nus . . .n.l quutcd in F. Hahn MiJJt'o . ' N und du pp. 72ff. 190f 11 m 1/Je cw T Isla 11 11 1 2 1 !>pttta DlJkes Matthew 28 !8 refe . . Je P 7. t should be noted that b . r 1 o a prcrcsurrecton per'od 1 th . Y >upJWStng two different forms of c . . . u.s removmg the problem M This view is sh r.,d by Max one another. 3 b<>>Ch; cf. F. Hahn, MISsion in Jhe N T t, Hetnnch Schletr, Thomas Ohm, David . . w p 27 0 3 made most ' I' . 66 Thos IS t he view of 1. 1eremtas . !iiOc\'t'SJndt, /<'SII J und dit' flt'idenmiuioll (Diss rl.1 e.xp ..n. hts Jesus' Prt>miu; Helene I> found in Tl2 74 ( 1949 ) 242 Sto d ed. !ton. oltlngen), a summary of whi ch evesan t tsputes th 1 'd f . . . ro t t1c on rhe ground that J. e come. ea o The a mtsston of Jesus e5 us t'xpuud them to New Tesc.ment G
147

146

l.

.. that wh ile Jesus taught and meant that God would in position ts . . , h d with such a mission anyway. E tther t le nanons,_ the went discipks correctly unJerstood what Jesus conclus10n must e d' . . were io error. If the disciples did not, or else that t1ther Jesus or the tsop1es i God the . d J us was the correct JUdge of the purpose o . ' were tn error an e) , to f nding its basis in a nllSundcr1 1 Gentile mission comes t!anger,ouds y c osled . ' roph""-' a conclusion no ouc.: standing of the purpose of Go rc::vea e 10 p --,, would care to draw. f J . , tt' t de to the Gentiles lies in the o esus a 1 u . I ti on to. the problem T llC sou . . n of esus The real q uestion reducc.:s to th Js: the ffit)S!O WJ . J. . the obedient faithful S.:rvant proper undcrstandtng as e)us ' . on was gtven to Jesus. wI1at commtssJ . f . . -try, To answer this quesnon, A d I t d'd thts mean or 1 us mtnt) . . of Yahweh? n w la t ' .1 r and in a preliminary way conccrmn g recall for a moment what was satu ear tee apostleship. . . h f a task in I . . volved commissionmg wtth aut onty or . . . . A postIe) ltp m . . . 1 . l d d the right to appomt n T as at a spectftc ttll1c. t me u e S 1 speet JC are . . d d th t of the commissioned apostle. uc I he work whose authonty never extee c a . t . l ' thin the limitations of the:: asstgnment. apostleshtp was e.xernset w . . .. .. , tle" (Heb. 3:1) ? Jesus, What was meant by the des1gnauon of Je_sus as . bvious . . .. f . hful to him that appotnted htm (Heb. 3.2 ' an o 1t ts stated, was att . . . Tl e significance of this goes reference to the work of hts mtnJ;try .. what he was sent to do. It includes far beyond a statement that f assi ned him as an apostle of God the idea of obedtent fulf,ll ment o . gf God Jesus' falthtu lness was d or wiU and the o (. h Moses). his faithfulness was accord10g to th e rrun _sue asas that of b. udder of God's house more than that rendered by a G d' h e tS mtsswn w that of a son over o 5 Th h . .. tile pe-ople of God (Heb. 3:16). under God, the master butlder. e 1) . f I b f J Christ are here gtven the seal o approv_a y 0 The Person and work f f J ministry they were obedtently God. Whatever the terms ot re erence o b but of the Father who . d b J Y m . fulft 11e Y esus and were not cho)c::n . . ks and acts The thought s th;tt . h. 1 the Son GoJ who sent 1 um spea . . _,_ . )COt tm. n I . ' th basis of absolute authorization for word ( u:no<Jof absolute aut 10 nty on e ' roA.oc;) and work . . t be understood as standing in the It is also important that Jesus mtnts ry

.)

context of the old dispensation and on the tlueshold of tl1e new. T his required a deliberate policy on Jesus' part of keeping himself with.in the historic context of revelation.Gll Jesus brought the time of salvation near and also brought it into connection with himself. Therefore the c1uestion of Jesus assignment is the.: cntcia1 matter in this discussion, not whether or not he fulfilled a "Gentile mission" by offering salvation to non-Jews. Jesus w;LS conscious of his apostleship.n& The consciousness of having been "sent" was frequently emphasized as the decisive point for men's decisions why they should receive him and his message. "He who receives you receives me, :t.nJ he who receives me receives him who sent me," he said. 10 The phrase "him that sent me is used so frequently in the Gospel of John as to be almost equivalent to a designation of the deity. The fast that his words were spoken and his miracles performed, not on his own authority but on that of the One who sent him, required believing acceptance of Jesus who was sent ("My is not mine but his who sent me"- John 7:16). To his fellow citizens in N:.tzHeth he diu htsit:.tte to apply the prophetic word to himself because he kn ew he had been sent to fulfill the Scripture (lsa. 61:1) which said, "he Ius sent me:: to prc:-ach ,good news ... proclaim relt:ase to the captives ... re covering of sight to the blind ... sc::t at liberty the oppressed . . . proclaim the year oi the Lord" (Luke 4:18-21) . "God sent ... his son into the worlJ," we are told, " ... that the world through him might be saved" (John 3: 17). Behind all his words :t.nd actions stands God who sent him, who guar:lnttcs the right and truth of what he speaks. In him and through him God's work re:tches its go;tl, for his work originates in God's work ("My food is to Jo the wi ll of him who senr me and to accomplish his work" -John 4:34). So many of the words of Jesus find their parallels in the nature of the apostohtte.71 H e was sent for a specific mission. He represents God the Father
ull J. W . Parkes, Fotmd,ttions. p. J. Blauw, Miuio11ar) Nuturt', p. 67f. 69 The qucslion arises on the basis of Hebrews 3: 1, t he only place in which jesus > called an a postle, whether it is correct 10 apply this dcs isna tilln to him senerally. Cwa inly t he frequency with which J esus uses the word 0:-rroCTrEAAlV to describe his rdacio n 10 God sho ws t hat the reality is preseot. Jesus is "se nt," nor as a man "but as the Son in whom chc Father anests his presence and himself oHers salvation or judgment." Cf. G . Kiuel, TIY/NT, f, pp. 4H-445. 70 Matthew 10:40; Mark 9:37; Luke 9:48; 10:10; John 5:24; 12:44; 13:20. 7 1 In the Greek two words are used f<lr "send": 0:-rrOO'tEAAElV and 1tEJ.11l lV. The l.utcr is used most frequently by John. Karl Heinrich Rengstorf in his " <l'!CO<;'tEAAc.>, etc.," 1'JIYN1', I, pp. 398-447, defines the difference between these words " follo ws (p. 404): "when 1!E[-!1lEtV is used in the New Testament the emphasis is on the s<nJ ing as such. whereas when is used its rests on the commission ,,,k<J wilh it. The Synoptiscs never usc nEJ.11tW with reference co God." With reference h i 1hc usage in J ohn's Gospel he remarks: "To dcnmc his fu ll authoricy both to the "'" s .1nJ w the disciples Jesus use> O:noo-rO .At:lV, since: he: thereby shows that behind lm W<>rds .111J person there stands God and not mc:rdr his own pretension .... He: u>c5 :!w >.lm.: term ( in pm)er) 10 doscribe his relationship to God .. . . When Jesus uses nqmctv in speaking of his sending by God he does so in such a Wl)' as to speak of

. . . because it believed the new. age come. church the Gen!llc mtsston , to J rusa\em anJ that t lhc "' . . t the he;ttben as a comtns < . . Jeremias speaks ol the Ch . . . 11 lead the fulness of the heathen 1nto tl, . o f I h e K'ln., Jom Jesus nsl . . 1 . suddc11 commg . w1 1 dll . , l Ohl Teslnmenl Z1on-jerusa . . I ver stands In the ltcra ' . . he forgets that Jesus no on, . pes the fulfillment came 1n Jesus J 1 and Z1on were on1Y 1Y . f , 1 1 . . . hove there is a pnesthood a tcr tne trad 1uo 11 Eanh y crusa en 1 . vcn JeruSJ 1em ts a J 15 1 n '"''r .' 1 Cf. G. F. Viccdom, Tbe /l!iuion of Go , P Christ. The order of .Melcluzedck ;lnd not o Aarol : "D'd J sus want mission to lhc heathen ? . h views on the questiOn I c for vanous ot er ff also discusses H amack's view. J Blauw Goden <'II M<nsm, P 109 G, K. I .,.WNT 1 pp 423-424, 67 . tUe , >

149

148

and is identified with him in work and word. He confi nes himself to the work God assigned him and sent him to do. He appointed assistants to sptcific tasks and missions, but their authority never exceeded that of the One who sent them, no more than in Jesus' own case (John 13:16). Even the in which Lhc d isciple group came into existence is significant for an understanding of Jesm,' assignments to them. They were not a group of volunteers who gatht:red them selves around Jesus after the manner of the pupils of the rabbis. They became to d isciples on the initiative of Jesus. This mea.nt for them that his call was the way of preparation for h.is service. 7 " The special a<.'lrvrty ot the disciples began when Jesus decided to make tht:tn his fellow-workers (Matt. 10:1; Mark 6:7; Luke 9:1). Matthew writes th:l.l Jesus "sent them out" (O:noo-rEAAEtV) while Mark and Luke emphasize the fact that Jesus enJowed them with authority They were delegated, in other words, with fuJI authority. They now spoke and acted in the name of Jesus, not their own authority ( Luke 10:17) . In Matt. 10:2 the Twelve were called "apostles." T he reason is that by Jesus' decision they who were pn:-viously disciples were now given authority (tE,ouola) and were sent out on a specific mission for him. When as Jesus' apostles they later returned and gave their report, their authority ceased; this is an exact parallel to the cessation of apostolic authority at the seat of authori ty. In the presence of Jesus they were always designated disciples. Their authorization is linked to the P er;on of Jesus. ... The person of jesus, and his relationship w his disciples in his Lifetuue, are grossly misunderstood if we assume that '"jesus gathered around Him disciples who should go out to preach the kingdom of God and work mir ades," without even considering the concept of the personal authority of jesus, let alone making this authority, or the concept of God represented by it, the only standard of the conduct of the disciples as such ... . At the very best this could produce only a group of philosophical adherents but not a religious feUowship.TS Therefore, whatever the nature of the assignment Jesus gave the disciples, they were participating in his work . What they did they did as his representatives.

admittedly puzzling and difficult saying has long been a source of perplexity and even embarassment to Christians. The word seems to stand in such stark to the openness anJ responsiveness that otherwise characterized his reacttons tO people's needs. Because we are so accustomed to thinki ng of hi s . . and work as being for all men, it is something of a shock when he grves as hrs reason for ignoring her need an answer that seems based on the fact she does not belong to the house of Israel. If the word were spoken in a gathcnng of the Twelve to whom Jesus privately explained his mission, we. would be so distressed. But the words were uttered publicly, to a Syrophoenroan woman of great who was in desperation because her daugther was a Gentile who stood at the very door of the Kingdom, n.-ady to enter. Futrlt: attempts have been made in seeking to justify the words of . or to soften their apparent harshness."' None of them is real! satrstactory, for no.t the .of the difficulties in this case is that of unable to place ones self wrthrn the context of the revelation and its time since f.ull revelation of Scripture and of God's purpose and plan of 1s enJoyed by the church today. It is really immaterial whether the borders of Tyee and Sidon are regarded as part the territory of Israel or not. It would be very difficult to defend the thesiS .that Jesus' ministry took place exclusively in regions that were purely jew1sh: Jcs.us never one hour in an exclusively Jewish territory. Albrecht Alt rn hrs geographtcal study of all the Galilean places Jesus visited concludes that Jesus never the boundaries of Israel."'& However, every attempt to answer question why Jesus spoke the way he did, or whether ever went outs1de the political boundaries of Galilee reformulates the basrc The question to be faced is: What was Jesus sent to do! How drd he define his own mission in the context of the appeal of a Gentile woman in great need ? Jesus word is, " I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of IsraeL" A brief .of the commenta ries on this passage discloses yet another common error rn for the answer to what Jesus meant. Jesus did not say, as some would to Israel." He said, "I was sent to the loJI Jheep of make han say, "I the of Israel. Hrs word therefore reveals a basic attitude towards the house ol Israel, which is regarded by Jesus from a very particular viewpoint.74
71

i
1

Whlt was the nature of Jesus' assignment? "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," he said in ;1nswer to the repeated plt:as of a distressed non Jewish mother. The meaning of this

review of several current explanations see

J.

Smart, The

Q11iel

Revoluuon, pp. 7173 .

Alt, "Die des Werkens Jesu in Galillia Territorial-geschichtlich 1n Kleme S(lmften zur Geuhifhtd dn Volke1 IJrael (Miinchen: C. H. Beck sche pp. 43.6456. See also T. W. Manson, Only 1o Houu o/lmuJ?, . ; Floyd Vavian Filson, The New TlSiamenl AgainJI 111 E111monmen1: Stud1e1 m 8Jb/J(,./ Theology No. 3 (London: SCM Press 1950) 2-125. For a different viewpoint see Henry Dewsbury Al ves Major, and Charles James Wright, Miuion ""d /'.!usage of jes111 (London: Nocholson and Warson, 1937), pp. 100101. 76 J. Jeremias, f tsul Promise, p. 26, n. 3, takes the genitive otKOU ' I opo:Tt!.. as an

.i
G<tJ as the O:'TtOO'{EAAEIV grounds his authority in rhar of God; affirms the participation of God in work. . . . 72 K. H. 1'WNT. I, pp. 424}, shows the relauonshop between bemg a disciple and apostle for the Twelve whom jesus chose. Discipleship begins in obedience, and only those who belonged to the disciples of JdUS can have any authoritative part in his work. This thought has significance for an understanding of Matthew 28: 1820. 73 K. H. Rcngstorf, TWNJ', I, p. 426, o. 11 }.

The use of the figurative "straying sheep" to denote God's people is common in the Scripture.'l1 The scattered, lost, straying sheep are the object of the redemptive work of the Son of Man and_of Jesus as King (Ezek. 34 is especially descriptive of this eschatological T he people of lsrael are like a very badly treated flock in the days of Jesus. T hey have: no shepherd and arc "harassed and helpless" ( Matt. 9:36; compare with Ezek. 3-1). Jesus must gather them, teach and feed them ( Mark 6:34-37). H e is called "the shepherd of the sheep" (Hebrews 13:20) . A partirularly dea r and descriptive summary of the ministry of the Good Shepherd is found in John's Gospel (10:1ff.). The sheep bdong to the shepherd, no matter what their origin (vs. 16). He does not inspire fear in them. H e speaks to them :md they follow. He even sacrifices his life for them, and they arc ready to Jccept him who rescued them from such great peril (vs. 17-18). Concerning the duty ro gather, feed, protect, lead, and die for the sheep, Jesus says, " this chuge 1 have rceeived from my Father." )!.'Sus is obviously concerned here with the old community comprised of the ancicnc people of Israel in its remoteness from God anJ the new people of God who with the sheep from will become one flock under one shepherd (10:16) . The designation of rhe sheep in Matt. 15:24 as "lost" has U1e strong scme of crisis in it. for one thing, man is an object of value, and both God and his commissioned representative are interested in him. The comparable Jewish expression is "to trifle away one's life." and includes the active clement that the: lostness is ullributable to the will or fault of the one who suffers it.'u The lostness also cousists in the danger of final judgment. came to the house of Zacchacus because "the Son of Man came to seek and to save th;lt which was lost" (Luke 19:10). The very obvious relationship of this work o( Christ to Old Testament prophecy is in the foreground (cf. Ezek. 34), for the God who scattered the sheep in judgment will once again gather them in grace and mercy, delivering them from their enemies.80 Jesus becomes the fulfillment of God's promise; he is at one and the same time both the one who g.uhcrs and the one to whom the sheep are gathered. The prophets of the Old Testament could only say, "Return unto the Lord" (Jer. 3:12); Jesus says, "Come

u?to_ me" ll :28), appropriating ;tnd applying to himself the very invttatJOn a granous God extended to his people (Isa. It _ can now be seen why a kind of priority is given to the house of lsraeJ. The of was never intended to be exclusive but inclusive. Israel's calltng was to ltve under the signs of the promise.

!ts true business is simply to live; its presence in the world is a miracle which the end must draw the Gentiles to Yahweh ... Between the nations and h1mself, _ Yah_ weh has_set Israel. The Old Testament is always referring to the medtatortal j1111tlton of the Chosen
i srael so often wandered, became lost. The glory is that to covenant obligation and calling did not cancel her Clmst came to be God's rallying point and revealed that it is God's wholc.of mankind together round Him through the mediation wdl gather 3 of H 1s People. _The un1versaJ goal would be reacht-d by way of a restoration of nanon. Upon that restoration Jesus concentrated both his own ms.st_on and that of his disciples, but this was only preparatory to the larger a restort'd Js ra<:l would be the light of the world. Whenever f ruwon one loses stght of the universality of Jesus' Gospel and the significance of his and work for all men, it becomes difficult to g rasp the reality of the pr_ JOnty placed his earthly ministry and to understand that what Jesus satd ro the woman m no way contradicts the: intrinsic universal intention of his mtnstry and gospel. s . <?od's .call Abraham to the father of a g reat nation belongs in the settmg ot Gods purpose for hts whole w ..'G tion and all mankind. T he singling of one was for the purpose of the ultimate restoration of all maokmd to true life .. The covenant with lsrael W :IS promulgated not for Israel 5 slke but as _the f1rst fruits of a ljfe under God that must characterize the life of all mankmd. Israel needed to be recalled to her true purpose and destiny as servant people, and then would come through a restored Israel the light to l1ghten the world. now the Lord says, who formed me from womb to be his servanr to bnng Jac_ob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I 'am honored m the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength _ he
81 . The Scripture references are illustrations only; any concordance will assist in )eltCtlllg mln) parallels. Cf. A. G . Hebert, The Throne of Da 11id p 222 1 Bl GoJm "" loft'IJUIJ, p. 110. . . auw, !!1 R. Martin-Ac_hard, A Light t o the Natifnu, p. 77. BJ The of A. L1coque that we: must not allow ourselves to overlook the 1 of the People of God when we: make a distinction between the of Israel and Church in the unfolding of the history of 1 o s to the poont. The Chur.ch can rely in its mission on the Old Teswment promises thrnugh Israel. Cf. MnrtlllAchard, A Light 10 thu NariOIIJ, p. 77, n. 3.

The

is

t?

expbnatory genitive, not partitive. It means therefore: "the whole of Israel as a lost and shc:pherdless flock, induJing even the rc.'ligious people, than whom none were more lost (cf. Luke t5:25H.)." On p. 20, n. 2, he accepts o!Koc; in the sense of tribe, lineage, community as a Scmiti>m, and the :Ws.ncc: of the article in oiKou 'I opcn'JA. as poinung to an umkrlying construct state:. 77 lsai3h 5}:5 = "all we lih sheep have gone amay"; Ezekiel 34:)11.; j ercmi.1h 23:tH.; I Pcwr 2:25 = "you were suaying like sheep". 78 On the: use of rrp6f3cXTOV fur the people of God see Herbert Preiskcr and Sicgf ric:J Schultz, uniclc "Tip6j3cnov," in G. Kittel, TUYNT. VJ. pp. 689692. 79 Cf. the aniclc an6AAUI-'l b) AJbr.,cht Oc:pke in G. Kittel, Tli'' NT, I, pp. 391-396. 80 Compare 14:7 with Manhew 26:31, e.g. Sec also Ezekiel 31, esp. Y>5. 6 and II. 152

153

says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servan.t to . r.1isc: up the: tribes of jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; 1 w11l gvc you :IS light to the nations, that my salvation may re:1ch to the end of the earch (Isa. 48:5,6) . The ministry of took place in a time of transition. The of Israel wd the Church differ by reason of the diffcren.t at God has caused them ro intervene in the history of salvation. lsmel s .busmess was to live w1 der the sign of the promise. T he business .o: the Church 1s to t.cll the good news to the nations, to proclaim that the d1v1ne purpose has fulfilled. Therefore "mission" in the modern sense is .distinctly of the Church and belongs to the final chapter of the h1story of salvat1?n. But the Church may not forget that God saves people and the nations by working in the midst of his own people. Jt is h is interventiOns t11at make Jsrael (and today nukes the Church) the light of the world. . Jesus defined his ministry, therefore, in terms ex:u::tly to rh.e tt: rms of God's Wliversal covenant and electJon . 1 duty of God s a O)tlc was to live his life and perform his savmg wo rk m terms of the God pronounced on him for the sake and in the place the he was seeking and saving. Gentiles have a share and a cla1m to grear redemption and may claim the food on the table for even 1f it be only cru mbs that fa ll to th e grow1d, either d ropped acc.ldentally. or th rown anted by the children. "Woman, great is your fa. 1th! Be 1t done for away ... (Matt 1528) the mission you asunw you des1re Gentiles are accepted while: . p on 1

power of God foe salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and 8 also to the Greek." ti John's Gospel contains the most radical and important sentence on this topic: "Salvation is from the Jews" (4:22) a word spoken to the Samaritan woman. For today this means that salvation, ministry, life are not to be organized and adapted according to whatever looks most urgent or efficient without reference to Israel. Today's Church is "bu.i lt up together" (Eph. 2:20,22) with those who were the people of God before and who still are a chosen people. The growth of the Church takes place only where the structure is "joined and united togc:ther" (Eph. 2:21; 4:16). This word "together" appears frequently in Ephesians especially and always describes community of the Church with Israel (also when resurrection and en thronement are explicitly mentioned as in Eph. 2:6ff.). In an alienated world of sin, darkness, and error there always was and always will be a pt'Ople of God. The W1faithfu1ness of Israel to covenant cannot nullify God's faithfulness (Rom. 3:3-4).
As brothers of Jews the Christians are given an unchanging constitution and order. They are received into a Godgiven order of living in God's house. They are dependent upon a Word given and a Spirit promised by God to orhers first. They arc scrvcJ by, and are called ro serve: in, a minisrry that has preceded their own commission. lt is Israel who . , right of God's choice always comes first in questions of truth and righteousness. faith and preaching, feUowship and scrvice.MO

1 behalf of Israel continues.8 Later in the history of revel:wo.n the e :tu showed that the salvation of the Gentiles and Israel are Inseparable (Rom. of Satan by 9 . 11 ). The one and the same Lord who challenged the casting out demons from the possessed of Israel has the nght to challe.nge ami sovereignly expel demons from those possessed among the Genules. H e confronts the hostile powers of this woriJ wherever they are found . In working for tlle of Israel Jesus worked for the of the whol.e ld u " T he reason why Jesus came to Israel was prc:c1sely because h 1s wor . f I . 1 I to srae mission concerned the whole world." M& His announcement o was an act of service to the Genriles in the same way h1s death for II It was entirely consistent with the narure of h1s comm1SS1on, thtrewas .. sT G 1 "tll fore, tllat Jesus sent his disciples to the house of Israel. The ospe IS e
84 J Puul and 1he of Mankir.J, p. 262. S) ,; lllhn 'Miu1011 in the Nru 'feJtament, p. 30, remarks 1ha1 a('( cannOI rhou hi of in ;crms of convemional boundaries within lhc people of Israel: the SIC ' scsr!!l'lted 011 cu hic ritual grounds, prostitutes and sinners ond JaXcollenors excludc:d on religious and national grounds - a n:ccovc us e P fellowship. . 86 J. Munck, Pnul and t he Salvation of p. 266. 87 H . Vogelstein, HUCA, 2 (192)), p. lt5.

The same priority also applies in the sphere of judgment, for " there wilJ be tribulation and distress for every hwnnn being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek ... for God shows no partiality" (Rom. 2:9-11). Jesus had frequent contact with Gentiles during his ministry. Each recorded instance was an occasion for one of his great signs to be shown. In one case this became the cause of great joy for Jesus because cert.Un Greeks sought him rhrough the disciple Philip. One significant act of Christ must still be conone which is directly concc:rned with the relationship of Israel and the Gentiles and which is directly rebteJ to his mission. Attention must turn from the H ouse of Israel to the House of Prayer for all peoples.

2. The Cleansing of the Temple

Jesus lived within a circle of crisis and involved the people and leaders of that day in that crisis. The crisis was both communal and individual at one and the same time. Everything Jesus said and did was conditioned by an overwhelming sense: that he was sent by the Father and that he therefore must obediently accept God 's will for himself and mankind. It is interesting to note that as his life
8!! 89 Rom. I :16; 2:9; 3:9. 9; I Cor. 9:20; Am J.S:); 20:21. M. Barth, T!Je Brok.,n Wall, pp. 130.131.

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drew swiftly to its dose Jesus increasingly appea led to prophecy and applit:d to 110 his deeds tbe fulfillment of what God decreed concerning the Son. In the l:tst days in Jerusalem the conscious fulfillment of what propht-sied himself played a significant role in the words and acttons of Jesus. H ss entry into Jerusalem in fulfillment of Zt.-chari3.h 6:6, the Clc:aming. of the T emple, and the challenge to his authority, the thirty pieces of s1lver, the Crucifixion, etc. are all spt:<:ifically related to prophecy. The sumrn.lC)' of tlus is stated by Jesus himself to the men with whom he walked to Emmaus, ..0 foolis h men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets h,Lvc spoken! Was it not ncrcssary tlut the: Christ should suffer these things ;snJ cotc:r into his glo ry?" And bc:ginning with Moses and :1U the prophets, he: interpreted to th c:m in all the scriptu res the things concerning hismc:lf {Luke:
24:1527).

Isaac Watts said, " In Je-sus grace :md vengeance join." No.t the: IC'JSt )ignificant of the occasions in which this happent:d was the Cleansmg of tl1e Temple. . The importance of this act of Jesus 1S shown .by the fact that all the Sy noptists record the event. John also records a cleanssng of the Temple, thou!>h it appears that the cleansing to which John rders may have taken place early in Jesus' ministry. 01 There is no c1uestion that Jesus makes n:ft:rence to the following prophlcies on this occasion: And the forcig nt:rs who join themselves to the: Lo rd, tO to him, to love the name of Lord, and to be his servants, every one who keeps the sabbath, and does not prof:lnc it, and holds fast my covenant - these 1 will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prJyer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be cJiled a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God. who gathers the outcasts of Israel, l will gather yet others to hs m besides those already gathert:d. (Is a. )6:7) and, Has this house, which is by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Beho ld, I myself have: it, says the Lord. (Jer. 7: II ) 90 j. A. Baird, The fuJ/Irc of God, p. 251, calls this parable." l am cenain meaning he pbccs on the word and have nut uc:J Ius term. If means teaching by means of word or act, I can asrc:e. It would .tppcar. to however, that the phrase is ambiguous. Jesus "':'ords and v.orks wtre an actu.U, hrstorrc.ll rcality, an element missing m the general meansns of paC3blc. 9t tvbtt. 21:12-13; Mark Luke: 19:46; j ohn 2:1 \22. It is a matter of dispute whether these passases all rder to the same "' c;nt. If they the in John's Gospel becomd problem. If then :r.re two ucCJso nn; un "'luch tim happened, one faces the questiun how these two acts doHer fr.>m c:ach other, and whlt they mean.

Bringing these two O ld Tc:stament rc:ferences togetller in his public outcry Jg.linst the prostitution of God's house for secularized purposes to the exclusion was built brings together the same familiar ()( those ior whom the ten.sions of grace and Judgmt:nt in one acr that was observed in other circum>t.lnce.s :1.) a duracteristic of God's dealings. While l saiall taught that the house ul tl1e Lord must be: the gathering place for Is rael and the Genules, J ererWah revt:aleJ that this shall pass away. No wonder that Jesus had to speak of tl1e destruction of the Temple in this context! trJ Only in tl1is w ay does 11 bt:<:oml dear that what Jc:sus is demonstrating about the earthly sanctuary is "'xpressive of the new g.1thering place of the whole people of God. The time w11l come when neitl1e r Je rusalem no r Gerizim will be a gathering place (John l:l l) to worship the F.Hiser. Jesus himself will be the Temple men will destroy bu t whid1 J esus will rebu.ild in three days (John 2:19). As to the actu:U cleansing of the Temple Mark makes it very clear that buyers and sellc:rs of :Ul kinds of ml:'rChJndise were excluded by Jesus. Their presence 111 the Court of tht: Gentiles i) attested by Jewish sources from which we learn thJt the money changt:rs up their tables three wt:eks before the: Passover, the: time when the.: Temple tax fell due; they were not thc:re the: whole year. 83 This was the only part of the Temple to which non-Jews had access; in other wo rd>, tl1is was the only pi.lce in God's House of Prayer tl1at Gentiles were permitted to use to worship God. Yt:t their place had been pre-empted by the agents of Annas the high priest fo r whom these concessions constituted a rich >Ou rce of revenue. "4 It is not enough to say tiJJ.t Jesus' action was designed as an objection to the .1buses suffered by the common worshippers at the hand of temple: authorities. 05 Lohmeyc:r has pointed out tlut it is not the T emple that is deanst:d but the Court of the Gentiles. In this .sction Jesus did something quite empty and insignifican t, he thinks. from the viewpoint of the devout Jews since that :lction of Jesus did not touch the Temple proper or its services. did not interfere with U1c: existing order of the Jewish ritual. 00 lt is significant that in this event

92 J\!Jtt. 24; .Mark 13. John's r()cord of the cleansins includes the: same note of 1udsnwnt, for Jesus replied to the authorities, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will rnise it up" (John 2:t922). John's account relates how the disciples recalled Psalm (o9:9 in w rultction with thr netion of Jesus, "Zeal for thy house has consumed me, wd the in>uhs of those who in>ult thee have fallen on me." 93 f.1., Sheq. J :3; J. Jeremias, f wll' /'romiu, n. 3. 91 fT., Taan. IV.S; Ker. 1.7; Chag. 7Sa; Sbeq. 1.7; d. csp. Rosh ha Sb. }La,b; 1.6; Josephus, Am., XX .9.24, on the family of Anna. See also E. lohrne)er, Lord of p. 37; Ethc:lbert StauHer, foul W:JT ganz (Hamburg: friedrich Wittig Verlas. 1967), p. 97ff. 95 J. C. De YOWlS, f eruJ.Ilt!m in 1he p. 60. 96 E. Lohmeyer, Lord nfthe Temple, pp. 39-40; Roberc Hcruy lightfoot, The GoJpel of St. !>-lark {Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1950), p. 63, who also remarks that "the existence of a court for the Genti les in this area, in the vc:ry heart of Juda ism, is indeed rema.rkabl c." Gottlob Schrenk, article "1Ep6c;" io TIP'NT, Ill, pp. 221247, csp.
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one of the great rruss10nary appeals of Jesus comes to the fore in the very center and stronghold of Judaism and that it was occasioned by Jt:Sus con frontation with the noxious abuses of an avaricious and worldly priesthood. Here at the Tt:.mple where the sacrifices and offerings pictured his atoning dc:-ath and perfect life he was so filled with zc:al for God 's house that he of necessity had to restore to the Gentiles their designated place. This Court of the Gentiles was no o rdin ary place. Its size together w ith the splendor of the Temple and its buildings and porches were the marvel of the ancient world. Certain governc:-d this Court. N o one with dusty or dirty feet was permitted to pass through it. The Court might not be used as an ordinary thoroug hfare. Usc of the Court was fo rbidden to the sick. The Court was definitely a part of the T emple and JL-sus seemed to regard it as such, for the robbds refuge which the lc:aders had made of it he looked upon as a desecration of the entire The eschatologiCII destiny of aU men revolved around this pl.lCI:. Mt. Zion with its Temple was rega rd e,l as the center of the world, and Jerusalem wJ.S looked upon as the mother of peoples : Thus says the Lord GoJ: this is Jerusalem; I have set her in t11c cen ter of the nations, with coun tries rou nd abou t her (Ezek. 5:5). The destiny of the City :tnd GoJ's H ouse was char some day it would embrace all nations in the day of fulfillment. The rabbis taught, The land ol lsrJel lies in the: centre of the wo rld: lies in the Centre of the land of Israel; the: holy precincts lie in the centre: of jcrusJlem; the Temple lies in the centre of the holy precincts; the ark of the covenant lies in the centre of the Temple; the:: founda tion stone lies bdore the ark of the covenant. Fo r, on it the world wa.s foundr:d. 9 K The Cleansing of the Temple is one of the acts of the Lord as the Messianic King in the Father's house. The road of the triun1phal entry of the prophesied coming King could not end at H erod's palace or at Pilate's Prat:torium. Jt haJ to proceed directly from the Mo unt of Olives to the Temple of God, who alone is sovereign Lord. No lo ngt: r docs Jesus say, "The of God is at h and" (or what is almost its sense in the usc of the ph rase, "God is comi ng"). The Lo rd has suddenly come to his Temple. Fulfillment is nC"Jr. The K ing has come. And such a Ki ng! The exercise of his Lordship bc:-gins by renovating and restoring his earthly palace so that any man anywhere at any time can and purpost: was to purify the cultus from a prohne p. 243, s3ys that "Jesus anr.l calculating spirit.'' Schrenk objecn to the view of Jeremias who streS>t:S the Me.sianic '"'ent tn the view> of those who find a rd igio.poliricol in it. aspect of 97 R. H. Lightfoot, The Gospel J\fcJStlge of M"rk, pp. 6263. 98 Midl'llsh Tanchumn, cd. Choreb. p. 444. 15 18, illustratin!l Ezck. 5:5. The quotation of this source is found in R. H. Lightfoot, The Gospel J\1eJJage of Mark , p. 64, and E. Lohmeyer, Lord of the Temple, p. 22.
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obtain unhindered, unimpedt'<l acct:Ss to rum. Even if a man comes empty handed ( recall how J e-sus forbade anyone to carry anything through the Court - Mark 11: 16), his palace was the place where all men could pray. Therefore the King pronounces a verdict on the tramgre)sors. T heir sin was that they haJ pre-empted for themselves the place that belonged to the nations, excluded those for whom this Temple stood, and took refuge in the Temple as robbers who go back to the safety of their den. They gloated, "This is the sanctuJry of Yahweh!" ... Steal, wo uld yo u, murder, commit adultery, perjure youndves, burn incense to Baal, follow alien gods that yo u do not know? and then come presenting yourselves in this Temple that bears my name, sa ying. "Now we:: are safe - safe to go on com mitting all these abomin:ltions!" Do you t.tke this Temple that bears my name for a robbers den? J, ar any rate, am not blind- it is Yahweh who speaks.llll Mark makes a significant observation regarding this action of Jesus. He observes th:u Jesus' actions were combined with instruction, that after Jesus had Jriven out those who sold and those who bought, He taugh t, and said to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?" ... And the multitude was astonished at his teaching {Mark ll : l7,18b). Jesus' words ca nnot be looked upon as a passionate outburst uttered on U1e spur

of the moment. They are a deliberate address intended to instruct the people
concerning the nature of God's Temple and the place of the Gentiles in it. T be d eansing is not a plea for a more spiritual worship, but a demand to make room in God 's house for Gentiles to come and worship. OnJy indirectly is this a problem of the Jewish T emple; it is directly a problem of the Gentile This is dearly demonstrated from the prophetic passages which Jesus cites and which wi thout any doubt refer to Gentiles. The Lord has come to his Temple (Mal. 3:1), and he comes in grace and judgment ( Mal. 3: 15). When the time is come that there will be "no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Alnughty and the Lamb," then "in its light will the nations walk; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it ... they shall bring into it the glory and th e honor of the nations" (Rev. 21 :22,24,26) . James said that the house of D avid ( which is Christ anJ his kingdom) will be rebuilt "that the rbt of men may seek the Lo rd, and all the Gen tiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who has made these things known from of old" ( Acts 15: 16-18).

99 Jeremi3h 7:411, quoted from The jen11alem Bible. 100 T . W . M3nson. On/; tCJ /-louse o/lsrad?, pp. 1316: R. H. lJghtfoot. T he of St. M"rk, pp. 6069; E. Lolomcyer, Lord p. 44ff.; H . Stocvcsandt. j o uJ und tile llttdttwliJJicJII, pp. 89ff.; F. H:ahn, Miui(Jft 111 t he Ntw
Teii.Jmmt, pp. 3637,
11 .

4.

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Abolition of the old T emple and the influx of the Gentiles are inseparably linked together. T his g reat act of J esus in the T emple is an act of power on the authority given by God, a manifestation to Israel and the Gentiles tJ1at th e uni versal covenant of God abolishes all earthly distinctions and barriers. N ow that the Gentiles ace given their place in the Temple, it is time for tJ1e middle wall of partition to be tom down. To believe in Christ and accept him means community, co-existence, a new life, peace: ( Eph. 2:14). From the viewpoint of a Jewish audience there: was an unheard-oi element in Jesus' teacl1ings and actions. jesus did not procbim the triumph of lsrad over the nations of the world. He emphasized the sovereignty of God over :Lil of life and all peoples. The current attitudes o f the Jews of his day towards other people came to the fore in two encounters between Jesus and his contemporJ.Iies; these encounters concerned taxes and Roman restri ctions on Jewish courts in capital cases. When shown a Roman coin, he said in effect, "Jf the Pax Romana is worth having, it is worth paying for" (Matt. 22:2 1 ). When asked to judge a woman taken in adultery, he did not presume to challenge Roman authority in favor of Moses :wJ said in effect, "The Romans may reserve tJle right to condemn to dcatJ1 for themsdves, but man possesses the capacity to forgive" (John 8:1-11). 1111 Therefore, when God's sovereignty is proclaimed Jesus did so in terms of the grave danger to Israel of being excluded by God and the glorious hope for the Gentiles of being admitted to God's Kingdom. For b.:lth Jew and Gentile these two poles remain real options in the teaching of Jesu.s. That Gentiles from cast and West would sit at table with the Fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in rhe Kingdom of Heaven while the: sons of the Kingdom ace thrown into outer darkness to weep anJ g nash their teeth (Matt. 8:111 2) was the exact reverse of current Jewish priorities. It was also the great privilege given to the G entiles concerning one of whom Jesus said, 'Not <;-ven in Israel have 1 found such faith! ... Go; be it done for you as you believed" (Matt. 8:10, 13). The implications arc tremendous for the Christian mission. No one m1y under any circwnstance claim to have Christ on his siJe or for himself .tlonl, be the man Jew or Gentile, man or woman, Westerner, African, or Asiatic. In Christ those "who were once afar off have: been brought ncar in the blood" (Eph. 2:13). When Paul wrote of the work of Christ, he Slid, .. He came and preached peace to you who were far off peace ro those who were ne:1r," and then, as i( thinking of the cleansing of the Temple, he added, "for through him we both h:m: access in one Spirit to the Father" (Eph. 2:l7,18). Small wonder that Jesus reacted as he Jid to rhe visit of certain Greeks who had come to the feast and asked to st:c: him (john 12:20ff.). In this request Jesus saw the fulfillment of his mission, though it would mean death, and

sai? " The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified!" Dr. Harry Boer wr1tes concerning this passage as follows: The _ glor!fication of Christ [in John 7:38.39 and 12:20H.) refers to his ex m a_nd after the resurrection. It was at the resurrection that the was to )c:sus. and this receiving of the Spirit enabled him to gtvc the SpiCit to the Church from which rivers of water would flow to the world. of the Son of Man (John 12:23) makes possible the through the Spirit to 1tavra Td: l!Mj whom j esus traosmtss.ron of h.'s s:tw to hrm rn the form of ce rtain Greek proselytes. It means the dJwntng of the d:ty when the Spirit whom he will send forth will gather the unvers:tl Church through the proclamation of her Before this could happen, however, Jesus would have to undergo both ci rcumcision and baptism.

D. God's Univemd Covenant Ratified

Events _ moved swiftly in the dosing days of Jesus ' life, and all these events tn him, Messianic King. Unknowingly, the leaders of the Jews prov1 ded the occaswn and brought about the circumstances in which Ch rist f ulfillcd his sign ( OT)!AE(ov) and validated his authority ( They destroyed the Temple; he raised it again in three days (John 2: 1822). He had resto!ed the earthly Temple to its proper function. All men were now I ree to _pray rn the House: of Prayer. Nevertheless there stili remained a wall of sc:paratron between and non-Jew that needed to be destroyed, never again be Worsh1p still required sacrifice which meant that non-Jews had l1rst to be 1clenufwd w1th the election of and covenant with Israel before they could have free access ro the sanctuary of God. A kind of sacrifice needed to brought so that every man at any time anywhere could draw near to God wJth hands to be filled with an overflowing blessing. Jesus death changed forever the status of the Gentiles in relation to the Jews. The of the earth both see and share in the salvation of the Lord. Jesus was l1fted up and killed by the hands of lawless men acting in ignorance to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23; 3: 17): Because God had said to Abraham, "In your posterity shall all the of the earth be blessed" ( Acts 3:25). God had not forgotten his to the of lsrael, however, as Peter said, "God, having raised up his servant, sent lum. to you Jews) first, to bless you in turning every one of you from your wcckedness (Acts 3:26). The time was come when God

10 1 1 am indebccJ w T . W. Munson, Ouly 10 tiN House oflsr.u/?, p. I tff. , for thi s insight into the coott3Sl of the views of Jesus 3.lld his contemporaries.
160

I 02 H. R. Boer, Pm1uos1 a"d who refers to f . W. Grosheide.

.Missio"ary Wilnns of

Ch11rch, pp. 18.5186,

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would make the Servant of the Lord "a covenant of the people" and "the light of the Gcntilt-s" (Isaiah 42:6).

1.

Je;pl Cimml(i;ion and Baptism

event in the life of Jesus. '"That the Scriptures might be fulfilled" is the f requent witness in the Gospels as th t- life and ministry of Jesus unfolds. So also there was another circumcision which Christ had to undergo, just as he spoke of another baptism with which he had to be baptized. 105 This circumcision Paul calls ''the circumcision of Christ" (Col. 2:11). The entire passage reads as follows:
For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fulness of life in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In bim also. you were circumcised with a circumcision mdde without hands, by puttmg off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; and you were bu.ried with him baptism, in which you were also raised with hinl through fa1th 1n the workmg of Cod, who raised him from the dead. And you. who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, Cod made alive together with hirn, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having canceled the bond which stood agamst us with its legal demands; chis he set aside, nailing it to the: cross (Col. 2 :9- 14) .

When Jesus began his public ministry, God's covenant lawsuit with lsrJd was in the ultimatum stage:. Jesus was baptized by John not for his own )ake but to identify himself with sinners and fulfill all righteousness. Jesus' bapti)m by John was proleptic in d1arJcter, for it symbolized the judgment orde-JI wluch mankind could t-scape only if Jesus underwent the ordL""..U for them: tl1c righteous One dying for sinners, the One giving himsdf for the many. was not the ordeal it:sclf but only symbolized what man's d:u1gr. l t was also "acted par:tblc:," for it WJS the sign of God's ultinl.ttum. Who coul.l esClpc: death except someone die in his place? The baptism which Jesus later aud10rizc:d as a sign of the universal chJractc:r of the covenant community has a significance appropriate to d1e new dispensation with which it was inaugurated. It is a sign of to the lon.l of the covenant. Through baptism God accepts men as the servant people of his covenant and under the authority of his Christ. Thi), it was noteJ, was one of the basic meanings of circumcision also, as Kline has shown.10a Circum cision was part of the redemptive, Jaw covenant and involvt'Ci an aJministration of God's lordship and Lhe exercise of his sovereignty. Christ, the obc:Jient Servant, was circumcised on the eighth day, in dlis way being placed within the: fellowship of a covenant people elt:ctt<l by God. As a man, he shared lsrad's election to service. The circumcision of the infant Jesus in obedience to Genesis 17, that partial and symbolic cutting off, corresponded to the ritual of Genesis 15 as a passing of one who was divine under the curse: threat of the covenant o.uh. That was the moment, prophetically chosen, to n:uDe him What he did, he did not for hinlself but for those whom he came to save. God gave his Son who would come under the judgment knife and suffer d1e curse as a substitute for sinners. Jesus became Isaac's substitute. Abrah3ffi's faith in God's covenant faithfulness was vindicated because Yahweh had provided (Gen. 22:14). However, it is not t.l1e cirmun1cision of Christ in accordance wid1 Gent-sis 17 that san'S. For him too t.l1e circumcision in the flesh, done with hands, was only a type, not fulfillment. Every type: found its fu.lfillment in some historical
103 M. G. Kline, By 0.11b pp. 4349. Kline docs not limit the m<>aning of circumcision only to consecration. He says oo p. 47 that it includes malediction, consecration, identification, jusliication, anJ spiritual qualification.

This passage is crucial to an understanding of what the work of Christ means for Jew and Gentile. lf circwncision is the st-al of the covenant with Abraham's Israel, and baptism the seal of the universal covenant of God with all mankind (also announced formally to Abrahan1), and if in addition Jew and Gentile are a.like saved in the same work of Christ, there must be a place, a time when both seals meet and find the center of their reference and fuJfi llment. This happened at Ca.lvary and Joseph's garden tomb. What happened at Calvary was not a symbolic oath-cursing, but the actual carrying out of the curse in the circumcision of God in the crucifixion of his only-begotten Son. There "d11: body of [Jesus'] flesh by his dt>ath" (Col. I :22) was actually cut off (Col. 2:11 = d:nK5uot<;) so that ''we [Jew and Gentile} might be presented holy and blan1eless and irreproachable," who once were "estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds" (Col. 1:21,22). Paul uses the noun d:nKouou; ("removal, stripping off") in Colossians 2:11 to express what happened in the circumcision of Christ. The verb cmKOUO!lat is used in Col. 2:15 and again in Col. 3:9. To catch the sense of the word we "fully put off," expressing the exclusion of every possibility of should returnmg agam to the: former state or condition.108 Pau.l means to say, therefore, that Jesus' death was h1s circumcision. The accompanying sequence of the

Luke 12:SO: Mark 10: 38; Col. 2:10 14. Thus Albrecht Oepke in G. Kittel, TWNT, II, pp. 318-321, article anlKf>u<.>. :"ho regards the verb form as ; middle with the accusative of object. The word IS used only these thrt.'C times in Colossians. The participle in 3:9, he says, is meant imperatively. The middle is used w1th an active sense; "this is p.uticululy suitable because the usage is figurative and because the One who acts has a personal interest in his act.ion"
105 106
Sec
(p. 319).

104 lbid., p. 45.

162

163

experiences of Jesus found in the Philipians 2 resurrection) would lend strong support to th1 s .111terpretat1on. Adc..lltJonal confirmation comes from the equivalence of baptism witi1 crucifixion, a thought of great importance in Paul's Christ's death as sin-bearer was the experience of God's wrath against siu, a coming under God's . The above inrerpretation of Christ's circumcision as IU1 obJecuve reality experienced by Christ in his death on the cross is not with idea that what Paul is speaking about is the subjective expenencc of the Chnstian who is in Quist and tilerefore shares in all that which Christ' done for ouc salvation. Even on the latter position the thrust of the passage rem:tins, foe the believer is still identified with Christ in his death, burial, and. resurrection. The same pattern emerges in Romans 6:3ff. [where] the: first step is called d.cath, whereas in Colossians 2 it is called circumcision. If then oils the c.leuthc:xpcrience a circumcision, it as only because he was first of all prepared to cnll Christ's death a circumcision.108
]. B. Phillips combines these two ideas of the objective and subjective sense of the genitive in his dear translation of Col. 2:11,12.
ln Christ you were circumdsc:d. not by any physical 3ct, but by being set free from the sins uf the flesh by virtue of Christ's circumcision. You. S<l to speak, shareJ in that, just as in bnpt.ism you sh:ucd in his and in him

are sharing the miracle: of rising ag:un to new lafc - and all thts bc:cause you have faith in the uemendous power of God, who raised. Christ from the
dead.'ou

This circun1cision, says Paul, was made "without hands," that is, it was not :Lccomplished in some:: hun1an symbolization but by God 1 just as had prophecied.
We esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted .... ):fe W3S cut off out of the land o[ the living, stricken for tr3nsgression of my people ... . It was the will of the Lord to bruise him . ... He poured out his soul to death, and numbered wlth the transgrc::ssors (!sa. 53:4,8, 19, 12) .

The surgical rcmova.l of the foreskin in. the coven;,ot rite fulfilled. by Christ in "lhc: putting off of the body o t the flesh_ (Colomans. 2:11), t,.e ., dt:'.tth, crucifixon, the cancellation of the bond "wh1ch stood aga.tnst us With

its legal demands; this he st:t aside, nailing 1t to the cross" (Col. 2:14).110 The Scriptural da tn teach th:tt Christ was also baptized in his crucifixion and death. The New Testament's exposition of Christ's experience of tile ordeal of death and burial, together with the triumph of his resurrection is called his baprism.111 What must be observed is that the baptism of Christ oo the Cross goes beyond the meaning of his circumcision. Both cirrumcision and baptism involved for Christ the suffering of the curse of God, the cutting off of the body of the flesh . However, that is where the meaning of circumcision stopped. Jesus' death and burial were the fu lfillment of the curse sanctions of broken covenant. Grcumcision says nothing about the restoration of life, about resuiCection. This glorious experience was, however, part of the baptism of Christ in which believers share. A new era. of coven3nt administration was about to begin, inuut,rumting the time of the "new covenant in my blood" of which Jesus spoke (l Cor. 11 :25). His baptism, real and actual in deatil, resurrection, ascension, established and made possible for a ll men the blessings of salvation, the univcrsul covenant. It bt'CU.luc the b:t5is on which the people of GoJ were coostituted a holy nation, a roy:d a people of God's own possession. Because Christ was baptized at Calvary and Joseph's tomb (not a series of unrelateJ events but one single, comprehensive work of redemption), the beJic:ver incorporated into Christ by faith becomes a part of the new community Christ came to establish. Therefore even the circumcised Jew needed to be baptized. His circumcision was not sufficient to symbolize the completed work and fulfilled covenant. It was not enough for the Jew to be identified with a race or nation of special promise. He neede<l to be identified as part of the new hun1anity Christ came to redeem a.nd which God promised to bless. Christian baptism is clearly a re-presentation of the baptism of Christ on the cross and in the tomb. There is yet one other characteristic of circumcision and baptism that must pointed out. Circumcision could only point to broken covenant, the cutting off of a man's life in symbolic form, even though that Jife was spared by the mercy and g race of God. Baptism does not point to unfulfilled but completed covenant, of life restored, indestructible, etemal, in union with Oujst (Rom. 6:9-11 ). He who sharc.>s in the death of Christ must of necessity share in his life. The covenant was God's way of bringing mankind back to the source of life in him and into unity with each other, expressed in a common life.1 u The difference betwteo the two covenants may be summarized as being the Jiffcrence between the administration of condemnation and righteousness. In

See Rom. 6:3-6; GaL 2:20; 108 M. G- KJjne, Dy Oolh 109 J. B. Phillips, Ntw 11.nd Sons, 1958), sub /oro.
101

6:tl. p. 7l. . . . in Modern E11glub (london: Wtllaam Colhns

M. G. Kline, By Oa1h Consigned, pp. 72-73, also combines the ancient covenant to this verse outd to Colossians 2: I} with the legal dements found there. Cf. also Andrew J. Dandstra, 1'hc L.11u and /l!f/WI/1 o/lhe WtW/d (Kllmpen: J. H. Kok, 1964), p. 164ff. I l l Rom . Gal. 6:15. 112 H. Berkbof and P. Potter, K<'J WordJ ojlht Gospel, p. 37, 110

164

baptism this movement from the one to the other is completed and finalized. "There is therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). This new covenant in Jesus' blood serves as the necessary basis of the church's life and task. Just as the dection and purpose ("mission") of Israel was dependent upon and defined by the Sinai covenant, so also the church's task is grounded in the passion cup. Through his death and resurrection Christ defined the nature of the Churd1's commission: proclamation of the lordship of Jesus Christ.u 3 If covenant is, as was shown earlier, basicaUy a declaration of God's lordship, then baptism as a sign of entrance into it will mean coming under the jurisdiction of the covenant and of the sovereignty of the Lord of the covenant. There is, says Paul, only "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of us all, who is above all, and through all, and in all" (Eph. 4:5) .

2.

Acquilal by Rerurreclion

"Mission to the nations can only be pursued meaning fully on th e p resupposition of the dear promise and firm belief that everything whid1 was needed for the salvation of all has already taken place." ' 10 The proclamation of the death of Christ, of Christ crucified, is more than a certain qualification of the Christi:tn's message to the world and of their life in the world. The "crucifixion of the Lord of g lory" ( l Cor. 2:8) which was the utmost humiliation of the Son of God (Phil. 2:6ff.), is the very beginning, center and source of all that Christians have to alt<.'St by word and deed. At the same time, another event stands with this and belongs equally to the heart of the Gospel. This event is equally as unique as the Crucifixion: the resurrection of Christ. The Resurrection is the mimcle of miracles. We cannot argue for it; we cannot explain it; we cannot prove it. We can only ponder over it and study what the New Testament says about it.116. The Biblical teaching about Christ's resurrection connects it inseparably with the Crucifixion. On thl.! one hand, there could be oo resurrection except a de.lth occur first. On the other hand, if Jesus had only died and was not raised again from the dead, there is no hope, no no message left to Christ's Church (I Cor. 15). The resurrection of Christ by God's power is the solemn accept

nnce of Christ's sacrifice, for a sacrifice is only good when it is "accepted" by Gcxl, when it is a " pleasing odor" to him. 11u A sacrifice, like a prayer offered to God, depends on Cod'r accc:ptance of it. The: resurrection of Christ means that the might and grace of God exhibited in this gre-at act reversed the normal order of life-death to which man is by nature captive and by which he is hopelessly intimidated.11'1 The sequence has now become death-life, as Paul wrote in Eph. 2:5, we who were dead ... (h:J made alive." To say "resurrt-ction" means that there is Ooe, who, though ne1ther detached from, nor strange to, nor unconcerned with the troubles of nun's life, is stronger than the bws of nature to which we are subject. It was >imply impossible for de-.1tll to hold Jesus Christ (Acts 2:24). lr is no mere accident that the resurrection of Christ is frequently described in political terms. Christ through resurrection is "enthroned" (Eph. 1 :20) on GoJ's established throne. H e is to be honored by all as the supreme King and i\!onarch (Phil. 2:9-11). And obviously, the authority of such a king affects 1he livt-s and existence of every one and every thing in his realm. Christ rules uH:r tl1e spirit world, the world of man and over the natural realm. The resurr.;;tion .tnd enthronement of Christ reveal the eternal election, pleasure, and plln of God to have Christ rule over mankind through sonship, grace, and redemption. The resurrection means nothing less than tl1at GoJ rules tluough )l-sus Christ. The acquital whid1 mankind experiences in the resurrection of Christ is rdau:d to forgiveness and salvation. We read in Acts 5:30-31, "God ... raised .... He: exalted him by his right hand in order to give Israel repentance .1nJ forgiveness of sins." But it was not for Israel alone; " in your seed all the i.1milics of the earth shall be blessed." 11 ij In the pel the resurrection always m..-Jns tllat chosen mt:n are committed to something new. Their commission and ministry presuppose that tJ1cy an.: made new men (II Cor. 5: 11). They are forgiven, acquitted, sent out, equipped for service. The:: witness they bring to Jew and Gentile will come from their own experience of their participation in the Je-Jth, resurrection, and enthronement of Christ. We :1rc called to join God's work, not so much by saying there were or are mghry of God in this world, but first by being a sign of them so that our is "not in plausible words and wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and the power" (I Corinthians 2:4), in expeCtation of new acts n the coming years :1nd of the lime of the mightiest completing act of all. which the Fatller has fixed in his own authority.n&

II} Paul S. Minear, article "The Covenant and the Great Commission" in N . Goodall, ed., Miuionr U11drr the Croll, pp. 6-180, esp. p. 75. 11-1 K. Barth, Chwrrh Dogmafi(J, IV:III, p. 874. For a survey of the missionary viewpoint and theology of Karl Danh sec I. P. C. Van 't Hof, Hc't Zendi11gtbegdp 11a11 Karl /Jurth (Hocnderloo: Raad, L946). Van 't Hof affirms that Banh'> vit:w of mission cannot be understood apart from his view of the church. He also considers Kraemer's views which he feels are correCtive of Barth's. 1 D M. Barth, Tb1 Brokt11 !Pal/, p. 1.

116

11 7 118 119

Eph. 5:2; Gen. 8:21; Ex. 29: 18; lsa. Ezek. 20:41. Cf. Heb. 2:1}, "all those who through fellr of death were subject to lifelong
Gal. 3:8; Am
H . Herkhof

b.HJk:c."

and Gen. 12 :3; 18:18; 22:18.

P. Potter, Kay Words ofsbe Gospel, pp.

166

167

The resurrection of the acquitted sinner with Christ is absolutely necessary or there is no witness, no faith, no reality to Chrisfs n:surrection (I Cor. 15) for any one (Acts 26:23). The resurrection is pre-eminently the work of God. Markus Barth writes, Unless the resurrection is explained as a deed by which God manifests, distinguishes, and describes himself, even his love and power, his holiness and righteousness, his mercy and grace - it is nut explained at all. Much mental balking before and against the resurrection may have its roots in thc.fact that the respective critics are unwilling to Jet God be God on God's own terms. The God of whom the Old and New Testamenrs speak is the God who raises the Son.t20 T he resurrection becomes the justification of God, his Son, and the sinner. How can this be? This question is brought into sharp focus in the description PauJ uses of God's act of justifying sinners. Paul speaks often of justific.t.tion by faith, but once only he used the daring phrase that "God justfics the ungodly'' (or .. the godless") - (Rom. 5:4). This statement seems to deny his righteousness or at least to give a strange view of his justice. This seems all the more strange since the justification of the wicked is excluded in Scripture unless there is expiation of their guilt. "21 But the answer is not hard to find. God is faithfuJ to His covenant. His judgment is based upon t:-vcnts. No person, event, institution of the Old Testa ment was able to provide a way by which a sinner might be justified (forgiven) . God maintained this even in rel:ttion to his covenant with Israel. The works of the law did not suffice.1 ? 1 The only way that God could justify ungodly was in Christ J esus alone. Our acquittal before God lies in his Person, in his history, in his death and resurrection. It does not lie in man's faith in him, for faith says, "Not I, but Jesus Christ in me" (Gal. 2:20). "He was raiseJ for our justification." Jesus Christ is today before God not only as the evidence before the Jaw, nor as an attorney for the defense. He is at one and the same time the legal ground, the advocate, and the prodaimer of man's justification. The One djed and rose again for the many. The resurrection is the enthronement of the divinely appointed intercessor for the sinners; it is the validation of his ministry; it is the proclamation of his work's accomplishment; it is the ground of all certainty and trust in the victory and regal rule of grace over sin.123 There is great urgency for the Church to understand the meaning of the
t20 M. Barth, Arquital by Ruurreclion, p. 61.
121 122 123 Ex. 23:7; Numb. 14:18 ; Deut. 2):1; !sa. 5:23; I Kings 8:32; Psalm 82. Rom. 3:23, 28; t0 :3. M. Barth, Arquital by R.uurrertion, pp. 9596. Jn the section pp. 6796 Barth

Resurrection. Karl Barth rightly critizes the Churd1 for the character of the Easr:r. hymns . with which it cdebrates the resurrection of Christ, drawing speCific. to this .characteristic in them that they for the most part emphas1ze the fJtStborn nghts of the church and largely ignore its first-born duty, the duty of mission.u Jeremias expresses this in this way: the of Last. Day. The Gentile mission is the beginning Easter of Gods fmal act m the mgathenng of the Gentiles. The Gentile mission is anticipation of the visible enthronement of the Son of Man . , . musto11ary laJk is pari finalfulfillnufll, a divine factual demonstration of the exaltation the Son of Man, and tJChatology in prouu of realization. It offers poSSibthty of cooperating with God in his gracious anticipation of the dectstve hour of redemption described in Isaiah 25: the Gentiles accepted as guests at God's table (vs. 6), the veil torn from the eyes (vs. 7), and death abolished for ever ( vs. 8) .125

Th;

E. Chris/'1 Enthronemenl
J ohn 17, which is often referred to as the highpriestJy prayer of Jesus, is actually the report of Jesus Christ, GoJ's great Apostle, to the Father who sent him. His assignment is near its close. Events will move fast to their conclusion. In the hearing of his disciples he makes his report to the Father: the Son may glorify thee. For Fathet, the hour is come. Glorify thy Son thou hast made him sovereign over all mankind, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. This is eternal life: to know thee who alone art truly God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on earth by completing the work which thou gavest me to do; and now, Father, glorify me in thine own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world began (John 17:15, NEB). Liter in this report to the Seader, the Apostle, Jesus Christ, continues:
I have thy word to them, and the world hates them because they are strangers tn the world as I am ... As thou hast sent me into the world I have sent them into the world ... But it is not for these alone that r but for those who through their words put their faith in me; may they aU be one: as thou, Father, art in me, ancii in thee, so also may they be in us, that the world believe that thou didst send me. The glory which thou gavest me I have gtveo to them, that they may be one, as we are one; I in them

t 24

12)
p. I.

K. Barth, Chur(/J DogmaticI, IV:IJI, 304. J. Jeremias, )eJul Pt'omilt!, pp. 74n; R. Martin.Achard, Light to the Natiom,

has an excellent treatment of justification and forgiveness by resurrection.

168

169

and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one. Then the woriJ will learn that thou didst send me, th:1t thou didst love them as thou d tdst me (John 17:13-H).

Reading the entire ch:tpter in the light of what has previously been s.Ud about the apostkship of Jesus places his mission and that of his followers in a more meaningful light. Jc:Sus Quist is re-.1Jy (or..! new assignment. His churcl1 will from now on Live in a new condition and circunlStlnce (tl1ey will be scattered, c:;1ch to his own home - John 16:32). A change has taken place, however, for the scattered shcxp will neither be shepherdless nor will th<--y be separated - the Great Shepherd will keep thc:m as one ilock. When his circunl cision and baptism on Calvary are completed, he will rise witllou t the robes of his humiliation, 120 ready to baptize his own with the Spirit and with fire he takes iliem into partnership in his assignment. "All power," he s.1id, "'has been given unto me." It is ch:tracteristic of John"s Gospel (which places the greatest emphasis on the apostleship of Jesus) that the hour of the Gentilc:s comes into its fullest cxpres)ion aftc::r the Jcalh :tnd resurrection of the Son o f God. Jesus said that the grain of wheat must first bll into the earth anJ Jie before it will bc-.lf much fruit (John 12:24); be sa.id this in the contc:xt of the Greeks who cante to the feast to worship. When he is lifteJ up, he would draw ;tll men. to himself (John 12: 32). Jesus speaks of the "other sheep" that will be brought into the fold in relation to his l:tying down his life for them (John 10: 15,16). H e will give eternal life to mankind when his work is finished (John 17:1,2) .'"1 The:: resurr<:ction from the Jc:ad was the enthronement of the Son of God. What does he say about his kingship? his program? the assignmc:nt to his subjects? To answer these questions requires :1 study of Matt. 28: I 8-20 and related passages.

an. 7:9-14.129 Daniel has opened" (vss. l 0 26) Fro' m tlte th .. Jn JUdgment and the books were rone a stream of f eel" ( which the horn making kingdom-cl.Ums in rebellion a . vs. 10) by anJ destroyed (vss. 11 2 6) Th S f M g. God ts consumed . e on o an and the vtnd1cated f Most Htgh receive an everlasting kingdom.uo Then o the

a vision of God in heaven where "the court sat. o.

J.aa must bt! understood against the background f D

there came one like a son of man and he came t . was presented before him nd to I . . o tdhe Ancient of Days and . .n urn was g1ven om d 1 all peoples, nations. and langua es 8 dominion IS an everlasting dominion wh"ch b gll bJs 1 ki d s a not pass a w him, d his . ng om one that shall not be destroyed (Dan. 7:13,14). ay, an

This service of tlle nations to the Son of Man is part of his th pb.IClUels of the 03ltiel 7 passage to J ohn 17, Matt. 28182e; e;o;ement. u v1ous. ., are qw e entllronement patterns included (Or declaration of exaltation) ur dominion) Yl These: de::ments found' tllese elements. ( 1) . (3) enth . (exaJtanon, (2) . ll rl o nement . or the transfer m para e coronatJOn b d

nru.l1 among the Egyptians, are clearly traceable in varied New pJ:.sag(.-s.

es ament

an

I "timothy 3:16
I.

Exaltation

""He was manifested in the 1esh, vindicated in the S .. by angels" p1I1t, seen

2. Presentation

preached among the nations. believed on in the world" "'taken up into glory"

3. Enthronement

Phslippiam 2:91 1
l.

The Promu/galiCJII oflht'

Covenanl

l. E:ult:uion

""God has highly exalted bim"

"and bestowed on him the name which JS . a bove every name:

2. Presentation

Scholars such as 0 . Micltel, J . Jeremias, E. Kasemann, E. Lohmeyer have given detailed attention to the teaching of the New Testan .:nt rcgarJing the enthronization of Jesus Christ."'" Th(.')' have also shown that the New Tc:Stlnlent
126 It is outside: the scope of this srudy to <nte r into dcwil concerning the matter of Jesus garments as mcnuoncJ in Scripture. Clothes were 3 mJrk of man"s >home nJ guilt (Genesis 3:21). The: sign of Chri>t"s humiliation which conclu>ivdy pointed uut God"s Son was that was lying in a mngcr in Bethlehem, in swaddling clothes (Luke 2: 12) . When men wi>hed to put him to 111 open shame in his qucifixion, they took away his gJrrne:tts (John Though 1ncn wrapped him wtth clothe> at burial, a sign of his complete triumph and of the fulfillment of the curse wa> that he left his guve clothes bclund in the t<Hnb (J ohn 127 J. Jeremia>, ].-ills" Promiu, pp. ?>738. 128 Sec the following: llrncst !Gsemann. ""Kritische Analyse 'on Phil. l.'fhK, 47 (19)0), p. 346Cf.; 0. Michel, Dcr Brief a11 die llebriier, p. tl6fi.; 0. Michel. oc:r

Ah>'hluss des Mauh:iusevangdiums .. Evangdiuh' Tb I . Em>t D.u Es.mgdumJ Mallh:ilii (G " VX ( 19)0/) 1), pp. 16-26; I '.I<> 7) tn \\;Ierner Schmauk ed Krs" ls" sth . h andt'llhoeck & Ruprecht, u K. tnnmn11 b tJ N T f' ">be> considered as relating to th . h . ar " er as elle 11Jamens. I Tun. 3:16; Heb. 1:)-14 Rev 4 ) eo:nt are: Matt. 28:1820; Phil. 2:511: Lr.rll/1, p. 235. ' ' ' n. ' 2628. See also R. P. Muten, Carmen I N Se-c in addition to the above references W Frc ta lRfi \), crucr Schmauk. cd., 1n Memoriam ErnJI e Y 8.. f, 39 pp. lH-161; cr.:, ), pp. 2252, article b Erns Lol ) :. Evangellsches Verlags P H; ]. MiJJion.1fJ Nalll:e, p. ;3. tmeyer, Mar LSt gegc:ben aJie Gewalt." " esp. I JU ]".!. Kltnc, 8) 0Jih CoiiJigued, P )8 n 13 . . " ' 1h1s pots>age follows the patter f 'd . . pomts out that the toral suucture . n o a JU tc 1 ordeal We td h ro..rllllmg .,( 1he ordeal sanctiOn$ of t1 c c . wou ave then the I .I t . , ovcnant ugarnst transgrcs>ors Sec 0. Michel, Ddr llri<'f 1111 die llcbriier p 116ff . J J .. . J . r . eremras. etlll Promue,

17l

170

3. Enthronement

"that at the name of jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on eartl1 and under the c:arrh, and every tongue confess that jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory o f God the Father"

2. Presentatio n

HtbrtwJ J:jl.S
1. Exaltation

( the inJ unction to prodaim his authority among all nations) "Go therefore :1nJ make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that 1 have commanded you" (the word o f power) "Lo, I am with you always, to the dose of the age"

2. Present3 tion

"Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee .... I will be t.o him a father and he shall be to me a son . . .. Let all God s angels worship him" " thy throne:, 0 God. is forever ever, the is the scepter of thy kingdom; thou h:lSt loved anJ hated lawlessness; therefore, God, thy God. has anomtc:J thee with the oil of gladness beyond thy II w.1 s fitting th:1t he, for whom and by v.hom all ex1st, 111 bringing m 3 ny to glory, should make the p1oneer. of thc1r salv.ltion perfect throug h suffering. For. h.e who sa.nct1 f1es an,l those who :ore sanctified have all one o rogm. Thlt IS he 1> not ash:tmed to call them brethren. saying, 'I will proclaun thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congreg .1110n 1 will praise thee' " "Sit ,11 my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for th y

3. Enthronement

Thj) last word of power "is to be understood ," says Jeremias, "in the light

of Luke 10:19 and Mark l6:17ff. : the Son of Man displays his royal power in
Ius guardianship of his messengers." 1 36 This application o f the enthronement pattern to Matt. 28:1820 has not bt:cn uncritically accepteJ, and F. H ahn warns "'not to rush to bring Matt. 21:1: ll:lff. onesided ly into connec:tion with the passage." ue There are some >tl)nificanc data that must be observ(-d that this passage and make 11 w1ique among the selection of enthronement texts with which it is grouped. I . In this passage Christ himself speaks, whereas in the other passages the Spirit th rough the inspired author g ives expression to the faith of the Church. lr is not unlikely that in some of the enthronement passages of the epistles n.:mnants of the liturgy and hymns of the early Church have been preserved. In them the Church Jcclar'-s to the world what it knows and believes concerning Jesus Ch rist and God's acts through him. In Matthew 28 jwJJ speaks to his Church. 2. Prophetic references such as arc found in I Timothy and especially in HebrL'WS 1 are entirely absent from the Matthew selection. There is good reason Jcremias, f eud PromiJe, p. 39; F. Hahn, Miuion in the New Testammt,

3. Enthronement

feel"
Lohmeyer in r<:fcrence to Philippians 2:9 has shown that "the h as to do with the cos mic lo rdship of Christ who is installed as Lord of the umvc rs.: and not simply as cultic Lord of the ch_urch.: He .the second of this hymn must be placed in .a sc:tttng: IS th e world, and it is through h1111 that God works out hts. purpose. becomes the " criterion and Judge of all history, and the arbtte r of all d est111y. In this early Christian hymn the supreme name .is on Jesus, th e. g lol"): o f God is shared with Jrsus (and it is not dUl)IOJshed . but the F when (-very tongue confesses that J esus tS Lord, tillS wtll be ) process . o r, b d d done "to th e g lory of God the Father." No angel or man y any act o r c<: can exalt him so highly as God has already done. . Otto Michel, who is followed by Jeremias , believes that thts trsple-actlon coronation fo rmula also applies to Matt. 28:1820, and analyzes the text .1s follows: u
1. Exaltation
133

I))

}.

p G -t if. It must be remembcrcd that }eremu and Hahn (a.s also von Harnack) do nor Itsrd MJtt. 28: lll20 or the Mark passage as authentic words of jesus, but view

(the assumption of all pov.er by th.c Risen in he.tvcn and on earth has been gtveo to me

"all authority

132 Ernst Lohmeyer. Nultppu, p. 97; R. P. MJnen, Carm en Chriui, p. HS. Wilhelm ,. Christi (Gottinncn Vandcnhoeck & Ru precht, 1967) , pp. 75104, holds Boussee, "-]riO/ " . . that the title " l..ord" has culttc . . . 1 ds ed Soli Deo Gloria New T ellamenl S1ud1n 111 H oncJI 1B J. MeD oweII Rtc 1ar . 1 b F F B . of William Cbilds Robinson (Richmond: John Knox Prtss, 1968), arttc e Y ruce,
" j esus is Lord", pp. 2336. . .. !34 0 . Michel , "Ocr Abschluss des Matthausevangtl ums,

/' h Th 1 , llf e eo 01/,ld,

X (I !150/H), p. 3<16ff.

r Jges as c:Jitorial inscnions of a later date. A. von Harnack, Miuion .md Expansion, )7; Jeremia.>, The Prayers of ]n us (London: SCM Press, 1967), p. 36. The I IIAJM Jifficulty with their position is that these men have failed to see the unity of these "' rd> in rebtionship to the un1versal covc:nant and the apostleship of Jesus Christ. See lw G. R. ;, t h.: New Testament, pp. 7792; R. P. Marten, CJmw1 Christi, pp. 23S242. ] . Firet draws the right conclusion whl'fl he says that the ...udusion of Matthew's Gospel is not an appc:ndix thlt hs no relationship to the Gospel, but it is the point from which the Gospel goes forth; it is the raison d'itrt: of the church; J !'1ret, lies agogiuh momenl in hn pauoraal optredtn (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1967), r :!!. K Barth, An Exegeti(a/ Study of Mall. 28:1620, p. 67, says "the Great Commission 11 trulr the most utterunce of the risen j esus" and " these texts ... do not mean tlut this event was subsequently interpreted or con>trued, much less invented by the faith .,,J the pic:ty of the: Church. They unequivocally refer to an event which laid the ruunJtiun of, and gave shape to, the faith of the emerging community" (p. l]) . In .vnclusion, we must maintain that the: gives us a clear summary e mente jesu. I )6 1'. Hahn, Ati11ion in the New TesltJITitlll, p. 65; on p. 65 , n. 4, Hahn notes the of Trilling, Das tvahrc lrrael, p. 32ff., to the application of the enthronement p.mrru, although Hahn accepts the pauem because the authority of Jesus is brought into <unnecti,, n witb the lordship over heaven and earth.
p

172

173

for this, and this rc:ason is rdated to the above observation regarding the one who does the proclamation. In Matthew Jesus summons his churdl to the task of proclamation. He, as the. i r Chief Prophet; speaks i.n his right, for . the period of his obedient service, fulfilling all that God 10 the Scrapturcs n:quiCeJ of him, is now ended. H e now summons the bdieving community to join in that prod.unat.ion. Jn a sense, U1e other passages are the community's obedient response. . . 3. Christ includes a sacro.ment:U element in the worJs of Matthew 28. Th1s IS entirely lacking (and it would even be difficult to formulate some construction that would include it in harmony with the contents of the hymnic sections) in the other passages. The reason for this difference is to be found in the nature of the passage: in the epistles Jesus Christ is being prodaimeJ as lord; in Matthew he a(/I as Lord. 4. The audience reference is :Uso distinct. The command to make disciples (the principal verb in Matt. 28:18,19) is :td,lrc:ssed to the believing community. In the epistles the believing community addresses the world in witne)s and thcrc:hy conf roots the world with the challenge to discipleship. 5. The words of Matthew 28 art: with the of a com nations. Th1s munity, a new, all-embracing community comprising people of does not come to expression in the epistol:uy passages. The focus of :lttention in the: epistles is the glory of God's acts in f"Xalting Jesus 0Hist; in Matthew this is implied, cf course, but the center of reference is what Christ Jesus will do through and for his Church. 6. A comparison of the passages in the Gospels and the Acts para11el to Matthew 28 give no indication of enthronement, hymnic form. Although one might attribute. this to the editorial work of the of books, forms of these commissions differ sufficiently to make 1mposs1ble a generalization such as Michel makes. .:n These parallel passages do lend themselve-s to a covenantal interpretation, as we sh:lll show. Several years ago it was my privilege to be an official guest at the opcn!ng of Parliament in Ceylon.138 Jn his thronespeech the newly dl-cted Pr1me Minister made continual reference: to my govc:mment," specifying in detail along what lines the nation would be governed, what policies the governmt'nt would initiate and fulfill, as well as what duties were expected from the citi:zeos. Thjs "throne-speech was quite distinct in dmacter from the actual investiture with authority which had preceded and by which the Queen of the
137 The passages in mind are Mauhew l8: 11120 and p.uallds in Mark 16: 0-18; Luke 24:4649; John 20:2112: .Acts I ]. Hahn, J\limon in New p. 63H., writes in paN about difficuhies in humoni1ing the v1ew of MIChel wnh cnthroniulion, he does accept the thesis. . 1 The author was nt Ihe time of the Presbytery of and Prcslu.cnc of the General Consistory of che Oucch Reformed Church of Ceylon. scrvrng as a collegacc minister of that church and us missionary of the: Christian Rdormed Church in Amcnc3

B!"1t.'s11 .commo.nwealth recognized the Prime Minister's appointment. This the Jtfferencc betwl-en the Matthew 28 passage and the texts I tom the c:pmlt:s. 28 is the thronc-spt:t;-ch of the enthroned Lord ' not the proclamation of his enthronement. T? .define the actions and worJs of Matt. 2ti:l8-20 in this way only is not sufflCII!nt, .howc:ver. The (with its parallels) must be considered as the ptomult,'llt.IOo of the nt:w covc:n.uu in Jesus' blood, the full inaU.!,'lUarion, implemematiOn, and revelation of God's universal covt'nant with mankind. Sinct' is basically administmt1on of God's lordship in which he con>cxratt:s a people to b.imsdf under the sanctions of divine law, are there found bert: all the covendlltal dements which would allow the condusion that th. d IS :1 ministration of the Kingdom of God is indeed a covenant and the )arne as God's univer..al covenant? The p:l)sagc doc-s contain all the: covenantal elements. There is the divine v .11h :.worn to mainta.in the C)tablishc.:d relationship: 1 am with you always, tl1c ( 20). Ptrw nal ronmi111111111 in teems of consignment to the _ s auth?nty 1 s clc:trly prominent: when you go, make disciples, lllptwng .. . teachmg ... " (vs. 19). An oath sign is present: baptism, and uduJ.-s C?od s and mans pJ.It in its signification. An liiJthority or owner JIHp rt!I.-JtJOnJb,p 1s w1derstood in baptizing ''infinto the name". And dc:-.U:ly th.'s. t.o covenant aJministrtttions that have preceded is rht: tacr ot Ul(; rllllff/1.' 1//1/1(11/Vt! so prominent in the passage. into the: jurisdiction of the New Covenant by of jesus Chnst as Lord is in clear continuity with the tradt10n of the 10lt1atory oath of aUegiaoce found in Old Testament covenantal engagements (and their c:xtra-biblical counterparts) . uo
the

The

of

.The unity of 28 with othc:r covenant administrations is seen b) me.ms of a companson of the elements basic to covenant as found in each of them. In an earlier part of this study it was demonstrated that tht' form of God promulgated in the Old Testament finds parallels in the Hllute suzeraJn-vll.Ssal tre:J.t.ies of those: days. Three elements were basic in these cvv<!flants: (I) a preamble, spoken by the sovereign, which was intended to mspirc confidence and gratitude and to dispose the vassal to attend to the .ulc:O.Illt obli_gations and whidt might take the form of specifying the name sov:re1gn andfor mentioning one of more of his great works on beh:Uf 01 hiS subJC:U; declaration of the fundamental demand(s) expected from the: vassal, complete consecration and commitment to the sovereign to the exdus1on of all other alien alti3nces or purposes - demands which were

(19}6-t960) .

139 M. G . Kline, Dy Oa1h CollsigtwJ, p. SO. h is a wellknown fact that lhe confcssttn of Jesus as Lord was mnde in early b3ptism. Sec }. Crel1an, &rly Chriitian .JIId Creed; R. P. Martc:n, CllriJJi, p. 292.

174

175

usua.lly specified in such a way that meeting them would lead to the highest

good and greatest benefit for Lhe vassal; (3) the promise of tl1c sovereign

to

covenant fidelity as lord of the covenant, administrator of its conditions, and fulfiller of the All God's covenants are declarations of his lordship, manifested espe-cially in his gracious acts for his people in the past and present, nod to be manifested in the exc::cution of t11e promises (or Lhreats) included in tllc covenant. In the specifically soteric forms of the coven.1nts in Scripture this sovercagnty is rdated to God's sovereign grace which inbllibly effects his redemptive purposes in Christ, which purposes arc accompanied by the divine guarantees assuring the R>alization of the blessing sanctions of the covenant. Since there is a unity in all of God's work of redemption for Israel and for mankind, it is not unlikely that a similarity of form in the way God's redemptive covenants are adminis ttred is also present. The following comp:uisons will be helpful in setting this in focus and showing the unity of the covenants. l n a previous discussion it was noted that the covenants with Israel were instituted by God in service of the universal covenant. Therefore they must lead to and find their fulfillment in tlle universal covenant, which - like all covena.nts - now J.Sswnes a new form of administration since the conditions of its promulg.ttion are found in the fulfillment in Christ, whose circumcision on the Cross fulfilled and completed tlle covenant with Israel :tnd whose baptism in deatll a.nd resurH:<:tion accomeverything for our redc::cnplion (John 19:28-30). The crucial question is whether M:ttt. 28:18-20 may be equated with the "new covenant in my blood" of which Jesus spoke in institution of the Supper ( I Cor. 11 :25). The phrase "new coven:tnf' occurs first in Jer. 31:3137. Jeremiah's prophecy mentions two fearures of this covenant which wiU charac lerile it and differentiate it from the previous covena.nts. First, thiJ new covenant will abrogate the old. lt will be a covenant "not like the covenant which 1 made with their failiers when 1 took tl1em by the hand to lea.d tllem out of the land of Egypt" (vs. 32). lt will stand in sharp contrast with the:: old; its discinctive featu.re will be that God's Jaw will be written on the heart rather than on tables of stone ( vs. 33; compare Il Cor. 3:3). This change is very significant. The suzerain- vass;tl trt:aties on which the Sinai covenant was patterned provided for two copies of the coven:tnt to be made, one of which deposited in the temple of tlle god of the suzerain, the ot.her was c.leposited in tl1e temple of the god of the vasul. ln tlle case of Israel both copies were placeJ in tJ1e Aik of the Coven1nt since tllis was God's place of resic.lence.w fn the New Covenant this will be written in the heart, for there God dwdls in the
140 Many of these treaties and covenmts had other and important distinguishing elements besides these three. These were selected as being ccnml to the: cuvc:nant suueture. Dct:ailed analyses of this covenant form 010 found in W . Brueggc: mann, Trudi1ion for CrisiT. and M. G. Kline, The Trealy of 1he Gmt/ King. Both of these works contain bibliographies of uthcr studies on thi s 5ubject ul covenant form. 14t M. G. Kline, The 1'rtaly o/J/JtJ Greal King. pp. t622.

Sp1rit sent by fellowship of believers is now in Christ "a dwellin pl.1te uf_ God 111 the Spmt' (Eph. 2:22). The apostle gives this si Jl>trapuon of the Church in che context of the preach ' to J G 1 l'k ang o f peace b y g Chnst ) _ ew .1n . e a I c and of the spiritual house in process of buildin whose luunJauon the apostles ( Eph. 217 oew . IS the prophets . 22) . H owever g t1Us <U\Cil3lll 1 cleuly spccifil-.:1 as tJ Ulrllit/11 ,., of the /awl It Wl' ll be, th erer' ore a new tvnn ot .1w covenant (Jc:r. 31 33) ;. , 1 'I! N ew co venanl w1lJ con'"11111111<' 1. d'tiJt Oltl. Thas new covenant will bt'"lon" o to tl 1c: aummlstrauve pattern "' JC covenant renewal and be inclusive of tJac promise of the. establi. h mcnr of an etemal, relationship of God tu men ( vss. 33 30) b . J s .an,l expericuccd in fdlowship (vss 33b 3.1bb) f ' ' a.se on cuuiJ be lnd acrually were broken by Israel .(vs '32) . d . . . . an 1ave 1x:t::o made >Uittc (Htbr. l-l:73). The New Covenant, mediat<:d by Christ and more ll?an 1hc C?Jd, would be enaaed on better promises. The promjse of LvJ, _ 1 wall be therr God and Lhey shall be my people," (Jer. 31 :33) Ihi> '' llh the old (Gen 1 7 7) an J was ma d e 10 the word of J connects "I "lth ) ou always " God refer> to his great work a.s Creator (a am nlincfll 111 the , n t as we m. L- ve St"t'n) to b'l.L'lran tee d1 i ' Co vena " I f prorhi l l)o..l.J :rdcr [of the hc.1vens Jnd the laws established for the from before me, then sh:11l the lscael cl.l..><.: I rOn\ be1ng new covenant . a n:Haon before me" (vss 35 36) If, tJ1en t1 11s .I1 .l.S 11 . consummates, th1s vtry discontinuity is ex ressive of its priluun,l, ort;,uuc uruty with the Old Covenant.,""'" p Tht "ritcr of Hebrews (sec chapter 1:!) relates this passage: in Jerell\Ja.h to tile cvmplctt:J ' stry f rom heaven. 1 1 work of Christ on earth and his continuing ll\Jn1 in his blood wh' Jt"">U) )Jh 1 -t 1at the Ntw Covenant ICh WJ.S poureJ out for (. ?'r. 11 :26; 31.34; H t-b. 8:12). A dciple of Christ cannot drink n1 the Lord's death (1 cor. I I . 0 l Chn>t:. covcn.mr 1 I wathout proclaiminrr .26 ) . . :'" cn.lnt u: prcx: 3rrli1110n .He two ways of describing tht- same: divine Jeed hl NLw (A)vcnJnt, therefore, is the basis of rhe word:. of Jesus 10 fvl t -.u - J t ,JS t11e JniS>aon of Israel was made explicit in Jsrucl's election a t. -1:1 rtl ...nJ deliverance throttgh the covenant at Sinai, so the tlSk of rhe new eo Je of c..,,..( " J(l(lOIIItcd hy Christ to his JiSCJples and is fM all nations. Th;ou ph his tnJhruncment t!l:y ure told of their mission under his covenant. The Lord vas!led them .tnJ spoke as their King. His visits alw.1ys 1 '".IliOn,

tl!
1 rlw

t.. nJ 1

c. \\ .

M. G . Klrnc, 11) Oa1h ol 10 the New DJ\'It>, T:u uwg of/htJ f Gl:b<nn. 1 \tous 1'1 the Fou rlh

s..

p. J 75. n. 2), notes in this connection the new Jnd grc:.iler Moses and refers Oil riJ .. Afoul/( (umbridgc:: t964) p 25ff (Napervtlc: A. R. AJlc:nson
,

" 111.11

t IIJ\C: tl\ll ftuJ >ICCCS>.

96 )
3 ,
10

tH

Ill G. Kline:, ll) Q,,Jh Co111Jg11ed, p. 76.

I'JUI S. Mnear. "The Covenant ami the Crou, pf). 6480.
Cummi>iion, .. io Nt)rmAn Goodal.J

I II

,ltiJIII.oll Umlu lb<

176

177

THE NEW UNIVERSAL COVENANT PROMULGATED BY JESUS CHRIST. GOD'S APOSTLE M atthew 28
PREAMBLE All power has been g iven unto me in heaven and on earth ( 18)

Mark 16
(the tesllmony of the resurrection ) (9)

Luke 24
It is wrollen that tho Chrtst ahould suffer and on the third day ese from the dead

John 20
Puce be with you

Acts 1
He presented himself a livo by many proofs ... it is not for you to which the Father has fixed by his own eulhorl ly (3, 7)

<&>

know times or 'easons

DEMAND

Go therefore and make doscipfes of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you ( 19. 20) lo. I am with you always , to the end of the age (20)

Go In to all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation
(15)

Rapantance and for g iveness of s ins should be preached in his name to all nations. beoiMino in Jerusalem. You ora witnesses ol these thinos (47,..8)

As the Fa ther has sent me. so aend I you

(21)

You shall ba my wit nesses. in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth (8)

P ROMISE

These aions will a ccompany those who believe : In my name they will cut out demons : they will apeak in new tonoues: they will pick up aerponla. and If thay drink any daadly thing It will not hurt tham: they will loy thair honda on the alck and th ey will recover ( 18)

I aend the Promise ol the Father upon you. but Clay in tho c ity until you are clothed with power from on high

Receive the Holy Spirit (22)

You ahall b e baptized with the Holy Spirit (5) . . . You 1hall receive power when the Holy Spirit Is come upon you (8)

2. Commiu ioning of J!Je DiJCiple

Mallhew 28:1820

With the enthronement of Ch rist and his announct:ment of ir to the disciple group the redemptive prog ram of God entered a new age. The: promulgation of the new covenan t for all nations reveJ.Ied the new commission for GoJ') Apostle. Whereas formerly he dwelt among men in the form of ;1 )t:!'\ .tnt , ha vi ng been made like unto U) in all things, he will hencefo rth reign .ts Lord of lords and King o f kings. Peter proclaimed, "Let all the house of Jsrad know assured ly t11nt God has made him borh Lord and C hrist, this Jesus whom you crucified" (Acts 2:36); "this Jesus God raised up ... exalted at tl1c right h:1nd of God" (Acts 2:32,33). The writer of the book of the H ebrews heralded similar glad tidings: Thou didst mJkc !urn for a lmlc: while lower th an the angds. thou hJ>t crowneJ him with glory and honor, puuing everything in subject1on unJer his fec:t. N ow in putting everything in subjection tt) him, he: ldt uutlung outside his control (Hebrews 2:7lla) . This new assignment with full Juthority over :LII to be exercisl.J until the end of the is ;tlso a part of the apost ll'S hi p of J esus Christ .md will h.tve its end. Paul this revelation in connection with che study of the resurrection of those who belong to Christ (who is himself the firstfruits), Then come) the cnJ, when he Jdivcrs the kingdom w Gt>d the: Father lftcr destr0y111g "very rule and every Juthurity anJ every pow.,r. For he must reign until he h:ts puc all his enemies unda his feet. The lase "nt:my to be is death. "For GoJ has put all things in subJcction unucr Ius fe.,c." llut when It say), "All things are put 111 )ubicctlull under h1m." It is pl:un th.u he IS excepted who put all things unJer hun. When all things are subject tLl him, then the Son himself w1ll also be: subJeCt to him who put Jll under him, that God may be everything to evcry une (I Cor. 1 :2-1-:!ll). A ll this is in h a rmony wi th the of .1postleship. Authority ddcg.ltc:d to Chmt fro m the central authority (i.e. by G od the: Father). It is within the defined (unlimited in this case:) set by G oJ. It includc:s a time reference when the a:.signment term inates (the end of the age) . T h r:re is a return of authority to thc one who commissions at the: e nd. The cnmm is) io ned one Juring the ass ignment rc maim subject to the Ont who commi>sioned h im .to&6 The Apostlc is to en lis t a nd ass ign o thers to his task , but th e t.t)k L-15 An intere>ring flHJIId tn 1 Cor. 15:27 and the subjeCtion in the prcSclll sc t>f J,sus Christ to God who (tllllmtioncJ hirn can be funJ 111 the >h>ry of Jt>St:ph Jnd lm commission by Pharuah. "You >hJII he u,cr my hou>c, aml .111 Ill)' people >h.dl >r.kr 1hemsdvcs as you comnunJ; only JS regJrds the throne will I be grcJtt:r thJn yuu .... I .un PharuJh, without your consent no mJn shll liit up or root in Jll bnJ of Egypt" (Gen 41:40, 44).

remains his. All is to be: done to the glo ry of God the Father. There recurs here al l .we. have about apostleship. Seen in this light the of the diSCiple fellowship for the task of making disciples to lumsdf s the excercise of Jesus' sovereignty as Lord over God's Kingdom .H7 The of the Enthroned Lord clearly defined his authority as given by God and cxeCCised over the world and the redeemed community H e d h' . . recCJve t 1s Juthonty by delegation: "all authority bai bem given unto me." H ow must the thronespecdl itself by which the new (universal) covenant was announced Jnd the K ingdom program declared be understood? PR EAMBLE: " All power has been given unto me in heaven and on earth" 28:18). " You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you (Aas 1:8). The au thority which rhe formerly abased, humbled, crucified, but Sc:r:anr of God now c:xc:rcisl'S is nothing less than rhe authority of God It IS n?t the nature of authority to perform an action without any lundflnces th:u IS central to the thought, but the giver and the be-.uer of that ru le in harmony a nd free agreement with the Father is in th e tore, :tnd responsible use of that authority to exercise a right uvc:r all It 1ndudes the n g ht and power to give effect to God's will. Will or can take place, even in a fallen world, which would compromise IllS authonry or take place outside of it.'"w Thi.s is basic to the task of Christ. H e i) called upon ro defeat

.til pnncpalittes and powers that are in rebellion against God. His authority
JnJ power must extend to all spheres and over all things, the world of men and .1ngds as well as the natural realm. The Kingdom of God is everywhere upposcJ of evil. Vicedom has pointed out how gre-.11 is the force vf Jcm0n1sm n 1tS struggle against God's King and Kingdom. H e says, Everything can be demonized. The satanic elemem lies in this: the demonic power depends entirely on God and what he has created. lt possesses nothing thar does not come from God. Whatever is demoniz:ed and turned againS[ God technology, power, n:Jtionalism, piety, e.g. } is always but a dis torted mage of the: glory o( God.H8
146

J.
H.

L. Koole, De Jodm i11 de V crJiruuiing, p. 106.

"Th, Development of the Apos10Jau: in Judaism and its Trans in 1/UCA, 11 ( 1925 ), p. II), comes ''cry close to defining Chro>r s rmtlt:>1up m. co the commiion of 28: 1820. His scudy 1s invaiWibk r.r J clt'ar under$tand1ng of oi 1his office. 148 Werner Foersu:r, tf,ouoia, in G. Kiud, TJIVNT, 11, pp. }6257}; ) . Blauw, .\flfuoii.Jr)' Nwlllr r, p. 8). 1-19 G. F. Vkedom. l\1issio11 of God, p. 18; Karl Ht'im. "Die S!ruktur des H, .. /IIIII ( 1939), p. 17. All sin IS of thO> We muse use the bles>ing> c....,J h.IS It) us for gnntl purpOSl'S Ill , . ,n lhl'lll in Our U>e 1 0 evil ends. Thc 'ulc)'Jrd ( ) ) brought forth wunhless, roucn graP<'> by pru>titucing every sl<Xl deed J11J purp<tsc ol chc

117

180

181

God's people need not fear: "Wt: ace more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Rom. 8:37), the reality of which the NEB makes very explicit in its translation, "In spite of all, an overwhelming victory is ours through him who loved us." Heaven and earth stand under the same Lordship of God, both as Creator (Col. 1:16; Eph. 1:10) and as covenant Lord (Mart. 11:25) . They are the sphere of God's absolute dominon . No entity can posst:Ss autonomy, for only God is supreme. "All things" in heaven and arc drawn into the work of reconciliation and pcace. Heaven and earth are taken up into the saving event in Jesus Christ. All power has placed in the hands of the risen Ch.cist exclusively by the Resurrection. All thought of decay and destruction is cxclu(kJ because the power of the Resurrc::ction consisted in the overthrow of death (Acts 2:27). 160 The unity of the redemptive work and of the creative role of Christ are strongly emphasized in Colossians 1: 1320. A new interrelation of heaven and earth has been effected by God's saving action in Chrisr:m This triumph of the Resurrection becomes the heart of the Gospel proclamation (Rom. I, e.g.). There is no activi ty in which men engage which so impresses man with the sense of his personal helplessness than missionary work. ln bringing the Gospel to the world the witness for Christ knows how utterly impossible it is for him to change the heart of a man. As soon as he bcgins his labor he immediately experiences the opposition of the forces of evil. Though this is humbling, neither is there any work in which wc :ue supported by such overwhelming promises.' 52 Tc feel this, recall his promises: "all power has been given to me ... . I :un with you always." Man counts but little in his own sight and right. The least of the apostles once reviewed his labors (in the light of the resur rection of Christ) and gave this testimony: By the grace of God I am wh:lt I lm, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder . .. though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me (I Cor. l 5:LO) .... Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord (U Cor. 10:17). The work and the: message of the Christian mission may never be abstracted from ei ther the activity or the authority of Christ. They are its only validation. J. H . !3avinck observed concerning this imponant concept, Missions cbim the kingsh1p of God over all of life. ) !!sus Christ is LorJ of everything. The whole of life ought to be subject to the royal authority of no Peter in this passage applies to Christ the prophec)' oi Psalm 16: l0 and takes this to mean that victory of Christ over ddlth was s< complete that his body did not decay while in the tomb. lH Helmut Traub and Gerhard von Rad, oupav6c;, in G. Kittel, TII" NT, V,
pp. 497536. 152 J. H. Bavinck,

Him who has redeemed us by his precious blood ... , God is King js the heart of our message. This means that all earthly powers, the power of ancestral morals, the power of fear of demons and sinister forces, the power of fleshly lust and human egotism are destroyed and God is worshiped as the only King, whose will ought to be only norm for our th inking aod 1iving.l&3 Blauw has pointed out that in all the Gospels the command of Christ is concerned with authority: Matthew emphasizes royal authority (28:18-20), Mark, liberating authority ( 16: 15 18), Luke, f orgiving authority (28:44-53); John emphasizes thc continuity between Jesus and those sent (20:21) .164 It is consiJerations such as these which set the mood of our faith, as D. T. Niles wrote: $\)me months ago I stood inside tht: imposing temple to Mecnatcby Amman at Madurai in Jndia and as the bells tolled and as the worshippers prostrated themselves 1 found myself saying, "The kingdoms of this world are become rhe kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ." In some such way the Christ iaos of the early Church must have reacted as they faced the temples and the powers of the Greco-Roman world. That is the mood of our faith . . . which says, "This is the banner under which we march" rather than "This is the opinion which we hold." 165

DEMAND: ''Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing chc:m in the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching dJLm to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19).
This instruction is the distinctive turning point, the great change of direction in the proclamation of salvation. AIJ limitations previously in effect are removed. "All power ... everywhere .. . all nations ... all that l have commanded" -it is impossible to conceive of anything more inclusive than this. 156 The Jewish proselyting efforts, significant movements in their own right, never reached these heights. Surely the Jews had gone everywhere in their dispersions, but the purposes for going were not to "make disciples." They had indeed practiced b.1pcism, but it was not in the name of the Triune God. They had faithfully conveyed the Torah to men and brought them under the wings of the Shekinah, but they had never been able to pn-ad1 an accomplished redemption or the fulfillment of the Law. Their message was reinforced by symbolic, typica l ceremonies such as ci rcumcision and sacrifice, not the accomplished reality. On the one hand the Christian church inherited a wonderful legacy from its past. On tht: other hand the Christian mission was radically "new" and diffecent.161
1 )3

J. H. llavinck. The lmpao of ChriuianiiJ,

lmpurlu/ Chritlianil), p. 41.

does in fact analyze Matthew 28: 18 20 in terms of the four "ails" contained in this passage. 1 )7 I cannot agree with A, H. Godbey, The Lost Tribes, p. 451, who says that "the

Nalure, p. 88. 155 D. T. Niles, S11tdies in Gmesis , p. 13. 1)6 J. Blauw, Missionary Na1ure, p.
I )4

J. Blauw, Miuionary

p. 30.

l82

183

The mission carried on by Jesus' d' . 1 included a relocation of the center both Jrw and Gentile. It lhe Temple to the body of Christ.m act5 :om with Jerusalem and presented to the believing fell h. d n Chnst said, I am with you .. he ows IP an to the world th 1 f . . . . on carth : hIS d1sc1plcs The full 5 'f' e ocus o h1s presence . lgm 1cance of thi 5 GospeI beg1ns with the proph .. 1 seen In the fact that the ends with lhe promise of God WIUl us" (Matt. 1:23) and . noted that the . 1 0 make d1sc1ples of all nations ... Th r J .' . n_Matt. 28: 19 fmds its center modify this main verb (fJa91'JTEUc.>) used transitivcl he: nopeuetVTec; (used also In M k y6 . hese partiCipial clauses arc: (I) .. ar I 15) "h whenyougo";(2)f3an;ll,;oVTec;-"b . . . ==.. avmg gone," in the sense of They elaborate the command t - _.. ; (3) OtOOOI<OVTec; "tcachin<> ... . o m""'e ISC1ples the d' . I o nations to become what they d' . I ISC1p es arc to help other 1sc1p es of jesus 1 60 are, Th ere has becn . current a an d Stl'II 1s u1 command of Christ. The emph . pop ar misrepresentation of this 1 . asls s p aced on th emph ass s on the task of mak d ' . e gomg. whereas actually the if one takes 1TOpeu9VTec; in that i_ s the primary verb. Even the main verb or the centrl . .. . an mperatve, this docs not dunne . .. commiSSIOn ''" \XIhat . t:o emphasis so frequently attributed to th . IS tragic about this wrong _of Christ is that the entire demand is isolated from the whole w't e the world " becomes the fulf 'll In fcss o the Bible, and the "going into all I mcnt o what Chr' t d h IS emands. Obviously not everyone can go into all the wo ld b rlve '" Jerusalem where Christ was r ut eac can start ( 1 . ' .. d . rom w 1Cre he IS. Do we outside Jerusalem's walls or . s' . or In Jude-a where he was crucified Ill amana whc c h uttermost part of the world where I . r e was not wanted, or in some made for him. Jc s not known? There disciples must be Th' JS vt:'rb nopeuoj.ta\ was frequently used b Jesus' work was a movement 'o d I. y Jesus to describe his mission d h . . th wnr liS people e New Testament to describe h. . . . w en this v('rb is used in IS J O urneylngs, It emphasizes a certain d i,ine

Wh:

in his wanderings (&el: Luke 13:33, 9:51). His wandering life b a rcnunciation of self for the sake of his own. In the metaphor of the shepherd <howcd how the shepherd both goes out and se1trchcs (nopEU9Eic; l;T]<E'l 18: 12) and also goes before the flock to protect and provide for it t.J,.,hn 10:4). This b"comes a model for the disciples of Christ (Matt. 10:6) , N 1.< Hauck/SchuJtz say. "A technical term in the missionary command ... The with the preaching of judr,mcnt of salvation to the whole world." 16'l The command taken in this sense means that the di5ciples arc to be CJf Great Apostle, Jesus Christ. who not only came unto his own but whose was for a purpos". "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19: 10). The tntn): to the world must correspond to his assignment. for in his commission the disciple finds the path of his obedience. "As the Father has sent me, so 'C'1'1tl I you" (John 20:21 ) . Therefore. " make disciples of all nations" remains the center and heart of cMenant obedience. By it the disciple displays that he lives under the Lordship " ( Jesus Christ, for the word TIOpevoj.tal carries the connotation of going to 1 tJsk or gooiY'3 "Missions is the summons of the of Christ." 164 fie hind this command to "make disciples" ( (-la9T]TEUc.>) there is the thought rh.11 one can become a disciple of Jesus only on the basis of a call that leads rn .lt<cipleship. This is pr"cisel)' how men were made disciples of Jesus in his, J.t\' , The Gospels record that Jesus took the initiative and ca lled men to himrlf 1 "'' It is Jesus who finally decides whether a man enters into discipleship. TI1crrforc, he is the One who g ives form and content to the rclationship. H is method of claiming Lordship over men was to call them to follow him.1 " 6 Andrew Young has written "An Everlasting Covenant" and in it he describes J conversation between Nicodemus and the disciple John as follows : '"' Nicodemus: But tell me why! Why did you follow him? I think it was our feet that followed him. John: It was our feet. our were too a Craid. Pcrhars indccJ it was not within our choice; He tells us that we have not him I only know But he has That as we followed him that day he called us,
tf.!

nf the early church was si . . . liS JX'rsonnel. irs agencies irs acti,it) of the Judaism to which it appealed anti the termlnol<>gy, its organization, in the or . . also J, Btauw, Miuionar) of those communities to the pagan of the r":o also p. 97U. . p. 63. for a balanced ,iewpoinr of the ). Blauv.. AftJIInnor) Notllrt' I" 98f( D9 C. H Dodd. NTSr., p. 61 . . . 160 K. Barth. CJutrriJ DQ . .. 11 :rtt.2. p. R60 I61 Th' . IS IS the sense thai J Rtauw , . . .. . _,,ftSJIOtlnr.l Nolru,, p. 86 o'. h nlllnR nopEu9vter " . (' .., a porlrrt(1111nt anrrui .. H ' .. . ,.l,t'S to t e wnrd, placc_ s the cmphnsi< on J!oinR The fact that (>ttrlio(im" conscoously and illlcntionall) in II. One 11'111 ha''t lu p:t.<s Israel's more logical .t? Sa)' tha/ thr IWinJ! is first <i fu lfill order." It would apptar prc_cedes bapiiZios and lea It cannot ;ak . II temporal!)' and lol!ic:tllr 0 ma1 n verb. e liS e the emphasis that belongs 00 the of the
Jn

See Friedrich Huck and SieRfried Schulz. 'TtOpEUOIJat, in G. Kittel. Tfi'' NT , VI.

rr

184

IM J. Blauw. M inio""')' Na111rr, p. R4 . Karl Heinrich Rengstorf, fJavEl6:vc.>, !J6:9T]TT)<;, PI al .. in G. Kittel, Tlf7 NT, lV. rr \<l0-4(, 1. thM this is fundaonenl311)' different frnrn the discirlcs Q( the mbbis rc wh"m the pupil Iinks himself and seeks nul the and that everything depended "" Jc<u<' Pcrs"n not his teaching. Foith is the factor in th( case of Jesus' ,),.ciplc< (p. 447) . H. Vogclstcin. f/UC/1. II ( 192H. 11 2. IM J. W. Bt)wman, 1/;e {111 c111io11 offnur, p. L%. 167 Quoted br D. T . Niles. Studies i11 Gr11nis. p. 107.
185

' 66-179. esp. p. H4.4. 5. If.\ Ibid .. p. 573.

We were not walking on the earth at all; It was another world . Nicodemus: Perhaps it was some miracle he did. It was indeed; more miracles than_one: john : I was not blind, but he gave me Sight; I was not but he gave me heann_ g; Nor was I dead, yet he raised me to ltfe. . . l b. involved acceptance of his The Person of Jesus is central. Dlsapd es dly by obeying him. There authority, inwardly by believing in. hdlm an ohu the New Testament when mplle everyw ere 1 is a supn:mely persona.1 ed 168 There can be nothing in the life of the the word tJ.6:Srrrllc; (dtsctp e) IS us . d I . . 1' fe The disciple is drawn into t from the Lord an lts 1 disciple th at IS a par d H call to discipleship cuts ts . . . h h. w'th all they have an are. tm I . f h . haHenges those (and who really ts fellowshtp Wit . alifications for discipleacross <."Very human consideration, or e c . t have none of the neces)ary qu excepted?) w 1 10 seem o . G and the common rabble that . II t . open smners even en t ..., Id ship: tax-co ec ors, . . , wshi was not created because Jesus neec e knew not the Law. The diSCiple fello d h. . d until he called them, the)' the disciples, but men and women nee e tm, an were not even aware of this need! . . . ll . Jicrocosm of the Judaism of the times. In The circle of d1sc1ples IS rea Y '1 n h h people even their divergence. it we find all the powers and th_oug o tl t th;t Jesus sought to do it In its own way it thus. a:ound him, and that this service with a full realtzaton o t e re I . d r to be The . I le as it was not as he magme t . . was a serv1ce to t 1e peop ' b t But is ilso shows htm lS . . 1 h J . . s to be :1 so er rea1ts . of the dtsc1p es s ows e)u. 311 that may result when he comes the One who IS ready obedtently . . f ' t election no longer perceives 1 1 1 't s consc10us o 1 s . t II th 1 's people afresh what is its obltgato a people wlllc 1, w 11 e t t why it is called, and undertakes to e tion to God.169 . . . . fittin as a description of what Jesus desires to That is why dtsctpleshtp IS . g . t the position of conscious relation to do foe men. He wishes to men tn att;Khment men acquire to him the will of God revealed tn him. Thh e p b J tl responds to the calL Under of the man w 0 0 e ten y h h' d binding force because t e shapes t h e w h oIe 1 e th Word develops IS true an 'II .. these con d ttlons e . h . h. If completely committed to the wt disciple is committed to htm w . o ts lffiSt:

It':

responds to his personal call, "Follow me," he will have to say to men, "Follow him with me." There are no limitations, because race, nation, language, social position matter notrung before God. J esus says, "Tell all nations that they must be my disciples." 110 T his disciple fellowship has not been established for itself. It has been brought into existence for those who are yet outside of that iellowsbip. The believer's function in this world is the same as Christ's: he is called to confront men with the same demands of the Creator as those to which he himself responded by Christ's enabling grace. Vicedom states tills very forcibly, "Because God wants missions to the heathen, we are the church. Otherwise we make ourselves lords of the Gospel and abuse the ministry of reconciliation." 111 The social patterns of the nations become new by the power oi the Gospel. The Gospel that is heralded is Christ This proclamation takes place with lull authority and power. Signs a.nd wonders accompany the message (Mark 16). J oy reigns where this is proclaimed (Acts 8:8). What is spoken it not a word oi man but the Jiving, eternal Word of God. Hence, to evangelize men is to oifr:r men salvation (I Ptt. 1:23-25 ). Friedrich has shown that there was current in Jesus' day a Messianic expectation that was connected with the coming of Messiah's Kingdom and evangel which looked for the full manifestation of Yal1weh as King. This message W<IS for the Gentiles also, but it was first for the Jews and then for all Because through proclamation the divine intervention in men's lives takes pbce, true preaching it not just preaching about Christ. It is Christ preaching. He declares to men an event; through him the Kingdom of God comes. His word is efficacious because he speaks from God and the Spirit of God rests upon him. Jesus Christ did not bring a new doctrine that demanded intellectual Jcceptance. He brought a message that demanded faith. At the heart of the Nc:w Tt:Stament keryg ma stands the Lordship of God. Preaching is not a lecture on the nature of his Kingdom. Men must repent (t-tET6:vota), not just because they are bad but because the Kingdom is at hand. Man must be changed

170

The position of Dennis Eric Nincham, S111dies i11 1he Gospels: Ena)'J in Memory pp. 145-146, is not Citing first divergent opinions from ancient

<- / II. H . Lightfoot (Ol<ford: Blackwell, 1955), 'The Gentile Mission in Mark and Mark
l j :')-11,"

rr

11mcs 10 :.huw the variant und<:rstanding of the words El<; 1tavra Ta 1!9\IT} ("among all d": pcopk" or " unto Jll people") , he says, "If the Gospel wc:re preached in all the

of the Father. .. Gos el" (l 6 :l 5 ) as a parallel to ''make Mark uses the phrase the P f the .. ood news": Christ died disciples" because this is ht.h e are b;ought nigh. When one for those who were enemtes, m ts
5-148 ; K. H . Reogstorf, T WN T IV Pp 442 445b. P. s. Minear, Imager, PP 14 Ibid .. p. 452.

168 169

>ynJgoguts of the Diaspora, the hearers would probably regard the prophecy as adequately iuliillcd. There is, strictly speaking, no mention of preaching the Gospel to all nations." 171 G . F. Vicedom, The .Miuio11 of God, p. 82. 172 Gerhard Friedrich, Euayyf.A.tov and EuayyEA.II:;o!J.at, in G. Kittel, TWNT, II, pp 707737; see c:sp. pp. 707, 715, 720, 725, 735. Karl Barth believed that the working , ,j these miracles was declared to be obligatory; sec: Kad Barth, "Interpretation of Matthew 16-20" in Ger-Jid H . .Anderson, The Theology of the Cbriuit.n Miuion (New York: .\I.Graw-Hill, 1965), p. 55ff. Herman Riddcrbos, 1'he Coming ofrhe Kingdom, uans. by II. De jongste (Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed Pub!. House, 1952), p. 373. ) . C. Hockcnd ijk, Kttrk e11 Volk in de Duitu Zendingswewnchap, p. 223ff.

187

186

because God is coming, his rul e is nC':lr. Repentance creates the possibtlity of participation in God's gre-at work and Kingdom. l t is salva tion history that must be heralded, and thts proclamation is itsdf an c:venr of salvation. The proclamation is the decisive action and through it the K ingdom of God comes. Those who enter are disciples, ready to Jive undtr the sovereignty of GoJ and the terms of his covenant of salvation.rl 3 The connection between proclamation and comm ission is made vc:ry d ear by the apostle Paul, who asked, "AnJ how ca.n men preach unless they are sent?" (Rom. 10:15). a n oattA.A.Etv and KfJpuooEtV are decisively united in the New Testament.
A prc:acher is an agent of someone who is higher whose will he loudly cleJrly makes known to thc pubuc. Without calling ami senumg pre.1dung is :1 seJf.contr:tdict ion .tnd even a dc:<"cption. lr holds out something that hJs no reality. If there is no sending, thc preaching of Christ is propaganda, not mission.1 H

Three words are used in the Gospels to designate lo whom anJ where the Gospel is to be prt-achc:d. (1) Matthew says, n c:Xvra -ra (28:19) "all the nations." T his phrase::, when used in the sc::nse of the Gen tiles, is oftc:n used with no sense of the plurality of the nuions; that is, it is useJ non sociologically. It designates, then, all the individuals who do oor bdong to the chosen The significance of this Jcsignation is that the community of the Gc:ntilcs (together with the Jews) has taken over the place of lsr.tcl .IS the locus of the: redemptive work of God. The: church is now the "hoi) n:ttion" (1!9 vo<;), God's own people (A.<'xo<;) - I Pet. 2:9. 11 u

1n regard ro the world of nations this me .1m tlut the church, 111 so fu as she has taken the place of Israel, reprc)cnts the )alvation which has cumc 10 Christ. just as in thc Old Testament Israel could in amic.ipation repre)ent the salvation of the world. Bur the Jtffcrence is tlut the churd1 no longer anticipates: she remains a symbol of the hopes of the Kingdom in the fulness of the nations. J\ l iuionJ comes into view when this hope t:1kes th e form uf proclamation on beh1lf of Christ. 117 173 A vcry and in;pinng trcatmcnt of Fnc:drich in G. Kutd, TII'' NT , li t, pp. 61!3696 sec: cspecinlly pp. 7107 12.
174
l<l'jpUOO<J

hum.1nity is uot vic:wc.:d as " a worJJ. widt: census of individuals, but as the )cparate peoples tha t, taken togtthcr, comprise mankind as a whole. Each mJmtains its Ji)l'r<:((: untty.'' 11 H What Jesus had in mind was not nations i11 the sense of ethnic, )oci.l[ untts. The word is obviously used in a religious )<:me, mankind in its separation from the Creator and Red eemer God.l1 u ( 2) I\!.Irk !>ays ( !6: 1.5) that the bdit:ving community must go El' Tov 1\00jlOV QTIC:CVTa ("intO .tJI the wodJ") anJ IOUSt preach naon Tfj Kt(OEl ( " to the: whole T he K60(-tO' (cosmos) spt'Cifics the inhabited world, the: the.ttre of humJn life and history, oftentimes in the New Testament in the )ensc.: of )alvation history as th is our in the fallen creation. In some the K60f.tO' looked upon as the locus of revelation in Christ ( I John -l.t). When the K60f.tO' tS rt:eom:ilttl and redc:c.:mttl in Cluisr, then tt becomes the j3aatA.Eia -rou 9EOu (the Kingdom of God) . 1ijo (.)) The word KTiot<; ("cn:Jtion") hJ!> as its background the thought that Y.thweh IS the Cr<:ator of .dl things and that the: world is absolurdy dependent un him. r\s a cre.lture mnn owes God obeJience :1nd the goal of his life has 1><.-.:n .1ppointcd to him by the Crater. In the prc:aching of the Gospel the w ni the crc.::llurc with the purpo)t: of his having been creJtt:d. " T his confrontation of Crc.ltor and creature ... makes the crearu rc a creature " ' will. T o be: a Crt<.tturc: i) w be willed, anJ to be willed is to be willed for a ,t:u.IL" GoJ is Crt:'J.tively .tt work whc:revc:r his action is effective for man's >JI I .1d011. I Ml Nu lunit.uion b placed on the proclamalton. The c:xten)ive character of the by him tmmediatc:ly as he claims the pvwc:r Jnd authM1ty of Christ "holt: woriJ and crc-.1lion for himst:lf as tht: sphere of h is n.-dcmptivc work and )u\'creignly sends hts witne.)Ses c:verywlu:rc: into that world. W herc:ver his Jt )n plc:s go. they go not only .lt his command but in his authority for there is wthtng that docs not belong to him. When they are instructed to teach men al l the intensive range of that authority over all life and that he h.lS uvcr th t: whole man comes into vic:w. l n these thoughts lies the justification

is given by Gerhard pp. 697-714 (KI'jpuoow);

necessa ry to go into Jctail on the di;tinctinns betwctn thc OIJ Te,tanH:nt anJ !':c:w Tt>tamc:m terms. Thme intc:re>tcJ may consult RnnJIJ Kcfinerh Orchard, Out of Ettr) N.won ( Lundon: SCM 1959) . p. fM summry of 'Jrious view> see G. l'. Vicedom, Tlu Miuion of God. p. 97lf., who criucizcS thr view nf Hockcndltk that "all n'ttiuns" means hlll\lanity wi thout tlwir na tiunal irwolhment. 7: t4 ctrtainly undcrSt3nd) all peoples. natiOib as me.uung all men, including the Jews; sec E. l thrnqer,
Oa1

tn

Ibid., p. 71}.7. JUri Ludw1g Schmidt, f6voc;. in G. K111el, Tll" t\'T, II, pp. 364 372. It is nm

1'. S. Minc.lf. / m,Jg<'J, p. 69. and other rcft.rcnCt:> found in the mdcx regarding peupll uf Gud, etc. Ab< F Hhn, 1\IJJJioJJ i11 '''" N<'w T <!Jittlllttfll, p. 12>. 1 'J GcrmJn mi>Sum stutlc have: bttn dom111J1eJ fur the past I 00 y..-.us by the concept " ' tCl E6VIj. J. C Hnekcndqk, ,., I 'alk ;, Dull!<' Zmdtllgsuti<'IISCIJ,,p ( Utrcch t: dtt.dls 1hi> dcvdupmcnt. Sec alsn Gustuv Wurncck, CII.WJ;.tl tSrb, Miuwm/,hn! t !nd eJ., Gotha, 1!102), pan Ill, p. 249ff H. R. Uocr, i'<'IIIUOSI and Jht MiJJion.;r y U 'un.-JI o/Jlr Chur.h, pp. t(j0 1GI, b.:ltc:''<'> tlut TCl 6\ll'j must be: thought llf 1n rd1suu S<'n>e JnJ lo:.tr> th.u If the ethnic (anth rupologlcal) and not the soteriolngiral ><n>< 1s .tlluw.d 10 dominate, the smcnuloslcll clc:rncnt) "will be crowded into a corner nJ the Chrt>llan f,11111ly thrcJtened wuh thr luss of II> covenantal chJr.Ctc:r and '" be: \lt'We.l JS 3 in rni.rocosm", p. l(if. alsu R. K. Orchard, Oul of Evay .\.mun , r> lllff., and G. Bcnr.un, j udm ""d I'IJunizr.r, p. )Uff., both of whum huld that
178

176 177

See

J.

,\luiJhjuJ, p. 417. 1\liuion.lf) Na111r11, p. I }0. Blauw, 1\l iJlltJIIdfJ p. 80.

J. Blauw,

u.r: l.tlflnpt ''pctJpll" or nJtiun h3s .1 rdigio us IHU HermAnn Sas)c, K60!!0<;. in G. Kind, TWNT, Ill, pp. 8671198. l ll l Wcmcr Fucr>tcr, I<T(otc;, in G. Kiud, TWNT, Ill, pp.

11:18

189

. '

of the comprehensive approach in missions. There are no boundaries recognized by Christ to his sovereignty, and in the end all things in hc:aven and on c-Jrth will be subject to him. Therefore, the C hristian may not think of his task primarily from the vi ewpoint of task , but he must th ink of it in terms of the existence of Christ"s own in the world where it is his pleasure and will th.1t the::) shall be. That is the area of thejr assignment and oi his. It is not just that belongs to them. "All tl1ings are yours ... and you are Christ's; and Chrht is God's," said the apostle Paul ( I Cor. 3:21,23). The world and all its relation ships come under the domain and the cJajm of Christ. The participles " baptizing" and "teaching" describe the way by which disciples are made. The believers are commissioned to m:lke discipll-s b) baptizing men anJ putting them under instruction. Ooce the witnl"SS has been recei ved and bdievc:d (rc"Ception by faith is implied in becoming a disciple). the recipient is brought under the promises and sanctions of the covenam through baptism and Since the covenant is a declaration of God 's LorJ)hip, then the b.1ptisnul sign of entr:1nce into it becomes a )ign oi under the jurisdiction of the covenant and particularly unJ(.r the covenant.1l dominion of the LorJ. Baptism is the sign of const.'Crarion and disciplc::ship 111 the New Covenant. Its meaning is life, the new liie, th.1t has bttn made possible by rht:ir parriciparion in the de-.1th ;1nd resurrection of C hrist. 28:19 means consi!lnment under the authority of Christ. In this passage blp ti zing the nations takes irs place alongside of tC:.".IChing them Christ's com1 mnJ. ments, both of which are descriptive of the manner in whicl1 disciplc:s :ue to be m:t.dc.1B3 A n interesting ami significant parallel can be found in John 4: t where Jesus teaches the mul riru,les, m:lking disciples and bapti zing. In the New Testament the coniession of Jesus as Lord is closely related to Such confessions wc:rc related to liturgies in the early cllurch. 1..:. Further confirmation for the covenant basis of baptism .:an be found in the meaning of the inJinto the name of the Triune GoJ, which f r,un Old T estament analogic:s signifies an authority or ownership relationship.u'6 Some: examples from the rabbinic literature illustrating the meaning of the phra)<' "into the name" will help us to understand how this term was understood b) tht people of Jesus' day. 181 (1} H eathen slaves were compelled to receive baptism on their entl)' into a

182 G. R. Delsley Munay, /J.Jptism i11 TestJml'nt, pp. li889, d iscu>SCS th1s fully. 18} M. G . Klin.,, 8) 0JtlJ CoJJig11d, p. 79. 1111 ActS 8: 16; 19 ); Rom. 10:9; I Cor. 1:13; I Peter 18) Vtrn<>n H . Ncufdd, T/Jt! &rluJI Christi;sn Con/osions (Gund Ecrd mnns, t 963). p. 6( f. 186 Deut. 28:9, 10; Jsl. 63: 19. The Aaronitic blessing in Num. 6:22 21 involv<d plucing God's name on his people. . . 187 Strnck.O illerbt:ck, Kommmtar, I, p. 10)4ff.; G. BeaslcyMurrJy, EapttJIII 111 New Tntumt nl, p. 90ff.

Jewish household anJ wert to be bap tized " in lht name of slavery." Similarly, whc:n rhq were set free they were to be immersed "in the name of freedom." Such bapusms set the man in the relationship which was in mind in its per formance. The analogous thought in Christianity would be that being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, :.nd the H oly Spirit sets the one baptized in a definite relationship to God. The Father, Son, and H oly Spirit become to the baptized p<"rson what tlleir )ignifieJ. (:!) Offerings were said to be made in the name of six trungs : in the name of che offering, the offerer, God, the altar firt-s, the sweet savor, and the good plc.l.)ure before God. This also defines the purpose one has in view. The viic:ring in made with re-spect to its intention, for the benefit of the offerer, ior rhe sake of God, with regard to tlle sacred (tllat they were properly kindlc:d, e.g.), in view of the sweet savor, and for the delight it yields to God. From thjs poior oi view Christian baptism, if analogous, would take place for the sake of God, m:lking the baptized person over to God. l3) An Isr might circumcise a S.umritan, hut a Samaritan might nor ,ircumcise an Israelite b<:cause SJnl3ritans circumcised "in the name of Mount <..;c.:mim," i.e., with the obligarion of venerating the God of the Samaritans who 1s worshiped th ere. The above illustrations serve to enforce the meaning of Scripture that Christl.IJ I baptism grounds a relati on between the Triune God and the person bap tozt:d . The baptized person must affi rm this through his conftssion to the God w whose name he is baptized. This is consistent wit11 rhc Biblical usage where b)' giving someone a nan1c, one establishes a relationship of dominion and pv)sc:ssion toward rum. I lSI! On the basis of J Cor. 6: l l the name of Jesus is seen tv mean the whole content of tlle acts revealed in Jc:sus Christ. "In the n..me of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of God" the Corinthians are ......l.Shed, sanctified, and justified. In 1 John 5: 13 those who believe are said to h.1ve life: "in the nan1e of the Son of God" (Eic; TO 6vo1-1a ;ou uiou TOo 9EOu), that is, by entry into his sphere of action, H is Person (John 20:31). Thereiore, in Matt. 28:19 baptism into the name means that the subject of b.tptism, through fellowship with the Son who is one with the Father, receives iorgiventss of sins and comes under the operation of the H oly Baird h.1.s pointed out that the theme of forgiveness is reserved in tlle teaching ministry u{ Jc:sus for the disciple audiences. Faith, forgiveness, he-aling and discipleship go together, and forgiveness is the mark of the true servant of the Kingdom oi GoJ.

Hans Bietenhard, in G. Kittel, T IIYN1', V, pp. 24228 1, esp. p. 2)3 . Baird. Crilirism. p. 120, p2ra. 10. The logia to which Baird refers ,,.,ur in JJI the S<>urces. G . R. BeaslcyMurray, Llapthm ;, tht! Ne"' Tdlaml'flt, p. RO, ,.. 1s " 1lw in all its forms the commiss1 on has to do either with baptism or with the rrnuoun of sins. T hese are buc two forms of the sa me thing, for in the world of the No:w Trsu men! ideas baptism and the '"miss ion of sins are inseparably associated."
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The place where this change takes place for the believers is their baptism. Just as the Philippians, so they at baptism have ... renounced the old nature of Adam's likeness and received the new n;tture of Christ's image imprinted upon them. They cunfcssed their allegiance ro the new as Lord of all, as they invoked his name and passed into his kingdom. All that is involvt:d in being "in Christ" (:as by they wc:rc all ''in Adam") is conccmrated in the b:tptismal rite, with irs imprinting uf a new im:tge and of :t change of lordship. 100 ln the New T es tament baptism is ;dso represente,J as a seal in the sense of a mark of ownership or authority. 101 Believers will pass through very troubled ttnK'S before the enJ of the age will come. This seal of union with Christ and ownership by him will be their hope and strength in that hour.'"'1 ln this sense the participation in Christ's redemption and ib benefits give-s d1e believer SL'CI.Irity based on a divine oath and promise:. GoJ's pc:ople are sealed with J sign that marks them as God's own, ass ures them of salva tion in the of wrath and judg ment, and prottcts them from Ji\'ine conJt:mnation and the powers of evil.1" 3 P:wl says thq have bet:n "sealecl fo r a day of redemption." Haprism is an an of confession of Christ bcforc the: world an,J ,bows thar the believer is willing to be joined to the Lord and fcom his previous life (or in the case of religion, from the o ld rcligious community). This is ex:tctly the way a heath en community regards C hristian baptism today. The ht-athen do not generally to hearing the Word of God, and are quite ready many times to make room for C hrist alongside their Jcities. But when one of their fellowship permits himself to be baptized, then the community becomes hostile. The re-ason is not hard to find because baplism is public recognition of the fact that there is anothcr Lord whose command ments recc:ive priority over everything dse in the life of the believer. The commu nity of th e baptized appea rs dangc:rous to world ly government from this viewpoint. Viccdom observes that western Christians are often to ncognize this external side of baptism as important. '"' This must bt tlken seriously by the chu rch in its p rosecu tion of its witnessing task. The natur( of the process by which one becomes a believer is c::tsily forgotten. Christians are templed to 11l;lkc thcmsdves the norm for othc:rs, forgetting th:lt the norm for the new life of the newborn disciple is determined

by his new relationship to God, not by someone else's experience. The newborn disciple's obedience to Christ may be imperfect and insight will need to be given received on many things, but the fundamental step was taken Chnst was accepted as his Lord. Baptism equips every believer with the gtfts needed for the service of the Lord and with the same rights as well as obligations. By undergoing baptism the new converts come to belong to Christ; they are made his ptoperty, entered in the Name of the Messiah as members of his people; and through their puticipation in the Anointed they share in his anointing, the gift uf the Holy Spirit, the sign that the Messianic age has :dready dawncd.aUG Moltmann says that "baptism is ahe:td of itself," by which he means that when men ace baptized into the past death of Christ, they ace sealed for the future that is being brought by the Risen Christ. It is only as an eschatological church that tJ1e baptizing Church has the right to perform the act of baptism, i.e., its title to this judicial and creativt: IICt derives [com its openness towards that to which it_ is on ly on tht: way as yet. Christi<lnity is to be understood as the community ot those who on the ground of the resurrection. of Christ wait for the Kingdom of God and whose life is determined by that expcctation.")6 Baptism demarcates the congregation of the New Covenant. There was an Abraham at the head of the marked by ci rcumcision. The Head of the new body is Chnst who.Js confessed as its Lord. Therefore, in its mission the Church requires the confesswn of that Lordship before it administers the sign and seal of covenantal i.ncorporatio.n. This has primacy; it is not, however, exclusive. Tbe person so bapttzed must l1ve und er 01rist's authority. In his baptism he is "consigned by oath to the Lord of redemptive judgment," by active commitment and p.J.Ss.i ve consecrati.on.l 97 Baptism is the sign which Christ places upon those who m: Incorporated tnto the life and work of his Church. The second element involved in making disciples is teaching. The verb "to te-ach'' (oto6:aKEtv), says Rengstorf, is a word "peculiarly fitted to express God's prc-:senting His will to His people in order to subject them to this will Jnd to fashion it accordingly."JUil This is character:istic of Jesus' ministry also. He constantly called for a decision from men either for or against the will of God. His goal was to bring the whole man in line with the purposes of God. In Matt. 28:19 Jesus makes the teaching of all that he has commanded a perpctuaJ command for his Church. In being obedient to what he has cornm.a nded them, tJ1ey become the agents to pass o n that will and commanJment to still o tlters. Not the le-ast of the implications of this is that the new disciples will be
19) 196 198 197 0. Cullmann, BapliJm in the New 1'eJramenl, p. 52. ). Moltmann, Theology of Hope, p. 326. K:ul Heinrich Rengstorf, oto6:oKc.l, in G. Kittel, TWNT, 11, pp. 135-148. l\f. G. Kline, By Darb CorJJigned, p. 102.

'[',Jftiiii<III ,

R. P. Marren , ChriJti, p. 293. Sec :!lso 0. Cullmann, B.ifniwt itt New p . .50. 191 G. W. H. b .mpe, S11al oji!Jtl Spirit, pp. ll LR; 0. Cullmann , Bupritllt in th< New T <'1/fUJ/vl/l, p. 4S . Lampt mentions and marking of C;ttttc, sla,es, prasoners, soldiers. 1\12 Eph. 1:13; i:30; II Tim. 2:19; Rev. 7:2; t-l: t; 22:4. 193 G. H . Lamp.:, The Seal o/ lhe Spirit, p. 16. 194 G . F. Vicetlom, The Miuio11 of Cod, pp. 126, 140. l'.)O
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taken into a similar task and an unbreakable chain formed to the end of the age. This includes not just prodan1ation concerning Jesus but proclamation of Christ. The total dominion over the whole of creation must come to expression in a total dedication and submis.sion to what jt"Sus commanded. One's obedience is determined by his relationship to Jesus Christ himself, not by conformity to an impersonal commandment.11' 0 Therefore, " alJ that l have commanded you" includes not merely the thought of the content of the prodan1ation but, what is more central, it refers to the total scope of one's obc:dience and commitment to the Lord of the covenan t. N othing in all life's relationships lies outside the area of subjection to him. It is as though Christ is saying through the witnessc:s in all ages, " You have been made the object of salvation ; prove it no w true that you know it." :.ruo There is a clearly defined unity with btptism in this, for in baptism it is not the convert's faith that is being sea.led ( i.e., guara nteed as genuine), but their actual persons, and tilL")' arc: "sea.JeJ with a to a Jay of redemption," as Lampe so effectively The for whim tht! Lord of the covenant calls to his service is so that God's purposes may be accomplished through him and his pt-ople. His perfect love provt-s that he lays no heavier burden of obedience on them than what he had himself perfc:ctly fulfilled. Because the will of the Sender is supreme, the mission to wltich he calls and appoints is spared every caprice and whjm and human inclination. This is e.xtremely important for th e Christian mission be-cause mission is not propaganda. Propaganda only serves to make others like ourselves. There has been mum in proclamation sud1 as the transmission of tradition and of culturally conditioned traits that have no bearing on the true disciple relation ship. ' 'Every man has a right to draw so near to Jesus Christ that he doc-s not have to become a Westerner before he can understand him." The Lordship of Jesus Christ is established over the whole redeemed creation when his sovereign will is obeyed. T herefore we dare not "Christianize'' peoplc but we m ust " missionize" them, as Vicedom says, that is, "we must S<.-ek to bring them to the Lord so that their Jives will be dctermined by him." 'l<12 A missionary situation is created the moment a m an professes Jesus Christ as Lord. This is essential.ly what the Gospel me-ant to the Jews. Peter said, "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified" ( Acts 2:36) . "If the Chris tian Church has no Gospel for th e Jews, it has no Gospel for the world. The Gospel of the Lordship of Jesus Christ spells our God's Jove for the world." ' 203 PROMISE. ''Lo, I am with you always, to dose of the age" (Matt. 28:20).
199 200 201 202 203 ]. Blauw, Miuionary Nat/Ire, p. 86. 0 . Cullmann, BaptiJm in the Ne1v Tntat/lt!t/1, p. 49. G. W . H. Lampe, The Seal of the Spirit, p. 8. G. F. Vicedom, The Miuion of God, p. 80. J. Jocz, C!JriuianJ and j ewJ, p. 48.

"Promise" in the Bible carries a sptcific connotation that differs from the: common usage of the term. The general, everyday use of the term refers to the coming of a reality that does not yet exist and and sets the heart of a man on the future. This element is not lacking in divine promises, but there is more : the present circumstances ace determined by what is possible to the God of promise. We do not have to wait for the development of the expected future uut of the framework of the potentialities inherent in the present. History for the Christian is not just the movement toward future potentialities but is also a f uJfillment in the present by the God of promise of what he has guaranteed. :)() Looked at in this way the promise element in the universal covenant takes on a special significance. Christian eschatology. which seeks to span the inexhaustible future of Christ, examines the inner tenJency of the resurrectio n event, asking what rightly c.1n be and must be expected from the risen and exalted Lord. ft enquires about the mission of Christ and the intention of God in raising him from the dead ... It is not that time brings his day and it is not that history proves him right, but he guides time to his day.!Xl6 Histo ry may not be viewed as though it were merely the unfolding of a divine plln for the agc.-s. History in the Biblical sense is the consciousness of a divine comm ission in this present age when men are confronted with the peculiar rensions created by their conf rontation with the Lordship of Christ. Will man ubc:y or contin ue in disobedience? Will he believe or continue in rebellion? The words of Jesus, "I am with you a.! ways, " ace in exact correspondence with his own corrunission and that which he gave his disciples. H e did not mean to mertly that the work of mission will continue under his authority to the enJ of the age. He rather promised to be the fu.lfiller of the covenant, his ,liscip les working with him rather than he working with his disciples. He would direct all things and exercise all power to the consummation of the age. Therefort:, discipleship does not mean obedience to his command to preach, blptize, and instruct all nations. It means orientation of the whole life of the believer to the goal of Christ's own commission. The temporal and geographica.l components of mission (end of the age, ends of the world), as Blauw calls them,:tOO are subsumed under the promise and goal. The promise "I am with you always" is re-ally quite astounding. It is another Illustration of Jesus' applying to himself the divine prerogatives. In Hag. 1:13 we read, "1 am with you, says the LORD." The promise of the divine presence identification with his people) is a keynote in the Old Testament reve and finds its most striking, symbolic expression when Israel is ca.lled the
201 For a discussion of the na!ure of promise see ). Molcmann, Theology of p. 102(. 2M Ibid., p. 194. 2u6 J. Blauw, Miuionary Nat11re, p. 110.

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"apple of God's eye" (Deut. 32:10; Ps. 17:8).'-'0'7 Much attention has b(:cn given to the " I am," "I am he," etc. as use-d by Jcsus."0d )r.:sus deliberately used these expressions of Jivine self-revelation in the boldest decl:lrations concerning himsc:lf, for he means to say by them, "Where I am, there God lives and speaks, caJis, asks, acts, decides, loves, choose-s, forgives, rejects, suffers and dies."'1ov The rabbis understood this phrase in this w.1y, for in the Hagaddah exposition of Deuteronomy 26:5ff. regarding the Passover, the words " I am" ace used to denote the personal presence of the redeeming God on that occasion. 21 Conscious of his unity with the Father and aware that the world would hate and persecute his people just as it hated and put him to death, Jesus promises to fulfill this covenant by his own act and presence. When at the end of the age evil men will wax worse and worse, when anti-Christ wiJI set himself up in the temple of God, then in the darkest hour the Churd1 can triumphantly say, "He is with us!" - in Jerusalem, Judea, Sam:tria, the uttermost part of the worlJ. The promise me-ans more divine presence; it rm':llls the divine activity.

3. 1'he Baptism by ChriJI

The universal covenant had been announced. The basis on which it was founded was lnid in the dc::tth and resurrection of Jesus. The Med iator of the New Covenant h:.d into heaven , fnr above all principalities and power, to rule until all things :tre put his f cet. A community of Jisciples has been commissioned to work with Him. Th:tt community needed only the qualification for its task. " He who is coming ... wiJI baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire," John had said (Matt. 3:11). Jesus haJ promised, The FJther will send the: Holy Spirit in my (John 14:26), and, "Before many days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit ... anJ you will receive power after the H oly Spirit ha.s come upon you" (Acts 1:5,8). What was this baptism with the Holy Spirit and what did it mean? Recall that Jesus in his ministry did not baptize, though John had dt."arly rela[{-d the work of Christ to He pem1itteJ his disciples ro baptize for a very short while, a which we have t.-arlier parJ..IIeleJ with John's baptism (John 4:2). It m:1y lt'gitimately be pre-sumed that at least some of Jesus' disciples

207 The apple of the eye is 'isbon (1\WK). Jhe " litde n13n" of the eye; i.e. the pupil. One sees God's people.- rdlccted in his eyes, for his eyes focu.ed on them as the object of his love und C'Jre. 208 See e.g., Ethelbert Stauffer, j.tsus and His SlOT)' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, I!IGO), pp. 174 t98; D . Daube, The New Tcs1.ww11 and u,,bbinir ]udaiun, p. 325ff. 209 1!. StauHer, jesus and His S1ory, p. 194. 210 D. Daube, 1'/u N .. w Teslamenl und Rabbinir judtJism, p. 325.

had received the baptism of John, having previously been John's disciples. H owc:ver, the baptism of John did not suffice as a substitute for Christian baptism, for in Acts 19:17 a group of disciples who knew only John's baptism were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, receiving at that time the Holy Spirit. The crucial question which determined the procedure concerned the reception of the gift of the Spirit: "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" The: significance of the outpouring of the H oly Spirit on the disciple fellowshp is that the pouring out of the Spirit is the baptism of that fellowship by Jesus. Nowhere is it stated that this nucleus of believing followers recei ved Christian baptism with watei. They did not need to r<:ccivc it. They experienced the iull re-.Uity when Christ himself baptized them with fire and the Spirit at Pentecost. They did not need to receive the symbolization. Significantly, in en:ry Ne-w Testament passage where the gift of the Holy Spirit comes to men, this is always related with water baptism in the nan1e of Jesus or in connection with the profession of faith in hirn.:111 Paul is the only apostle of whom it is reported that he was baptized with water (Acts 9:18), at which time Ananias told him that God had sent him to Paul so that Paul might be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17). The Holy Spirit is the bond that unites the ascended Lord to his followers and the agent through which they become his members.'m who were baptized with fire and the Spirit on Pentecost emerged f rom th is baptism by Christ vindicated as the pc:-ople of the new covenant. The redemprive, universal covenant w:I.S inaugurated by the ascended Lord of that covenant. Those who were baptized by the Spirit-baptized apostles were like-wise \'indicated as the redeemed community for they also shared in the forgiveness of sins and the gifr of the Holy Spirit as we11 (Acts 2:38). Peter's address calls )pecific attention to this [ uJfilln1ent of the universal promise, "It shall be that whocver calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). This Gospel "'':IS for the Jews first, and therefore the challenge had to be presented to them: " Let all the house of Israel know assuredly." In the previous consideration of the baptism of Jesus by John one element purposely omitted in order to give attention to it in this connection. In Jdining tbe meaning for Jesus of the baptism of John in the Jordan, it was noted tl1is was according to the word of Jesus "a fulfilling of all righteousness." In being baptized by John Jesus accepted the penalty of broken covenant in place of his people. No attention was given at that time to an equaiJy imporand significant part of the entire episode, namely that there was in a seose A Jua; baptism administered that day, both of which are related to (although they are seemingly related only in a temporal sense) but quite distinct from c.-ach other. The one baptism was administered by John; the other was a blpusm of the Son by the Father. The rit1.1al of the first involved the prophetic voice of a commissioned servant and forerunner, John, through
Am 2:36; 5:32; 8:1618; 9:17; 10:4448; 19:5,6. I John 3:24; 4:13. Sec also 0 . Cullmann, Dapsism inlht

212

TtJJamenl, p. 51.

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whom me coming of the Lamb of God to take aw:1y the sms of the world was announced to the community; the second involved U1e testimony of tl1e F:1tl1er, "This is my beloved Son." The one was a baptism with w:1ter; the: other a baptism with the Spirit. The first took place in the swift-flowing waters of the: Jordan; tl1e second took place on the shore after ) esus had come out of the watc:r (Matt. 3:16). John's baptism involved some sort of word spoken by men as tlley were baptized, but no human voice soundc:d in the b:1ptism with the Spirit.'m This was the Ser.r:1nt's commissioning, his inauguration as God's Apostle:. The witness of the Father and the gift of the Spirit testify that the judgment whid1 Christ took upon himself to fulfill was not for himself but for others. God said, "My Son, in whom Jam well pleased." " He had done no violence, anJ there was no deceit in his mouth ... yet ... he was numberc.-d with the tratb g ressors and he bore the sins of many" ( Isa. 53). It is a mim-ading of the narrative to say it was through John's bap6sm that the Spirit W.lS givrn to Jesus, the Christ. The two baptisms (with water and with the Spirit) were coterminous, but they rc.:main quite distinct. The Spirit was given to Christ after he had placed himself under the sanctions of rhe covenant which his people had broken. He was led by thJt Spirit, anJ everything he did, s.1iJ, and wherever he went was through the Spirit. Signific:tntly, the narrative illustrates the: control of the Spirit :uH! his qualifying gift when we were told (immediately after the testimony conerning his baptism) that the Spirit drove him into the wilderness to be tc.:mptcd by Satan (Matt. 4:1 ) . H e said to his fellow in Nazart'th not many weeks later, ''The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because hc has anointed me to pread1 .... " (Luke 4 : 18) . This docs not mean that the two incidents, though Jistinct, are unrelated. There is a close connection between Jesus' rc:ception of John's baptism and the the Son of God with power baptism with the Spirit. He was declared to (Rom. 1:4); he accc:pn:d his appointment to be tht: Obedient Servant, the: Lamb of God; the qualifying Spirit was given to him for the task that Jay aht-aJ of him. Only when he had through the symbolic curse of the water placed himself witl1in the covenant context could he receive the Spirit for his work. From now on "God is encountered where H e Himself confronts the community, that is, in the Son, or, for me individual, in the Spirit in whom this encounter with the Son takes The visible manifestation of the Spirit, the audible accreditation by God the father, and the flct that this took pl.tce at the public announcement of the Messiah (with whom the Rabbis connl 'Cted the endowment of the Spirit) aJI stamp this incident as the beginning of lhe new

age of Procksch says that it is the baptism of Jesus which marks rl1e _ begtnnmg ot the new asc: of the Spirit in the full sense. The Spirit was obv10usly not yet poured out on although on one occasion before Pc:ntc:eost Jesus diu say to the disciples, "Receive: the Spirit." 21e Until Pentecost tile: Spirit is linked txdusivdy with Christ. His words clearly indicate that his of Spirit and the pouring out of the Spirit by him were made pu)>tble by the gtft uf the Spirit to him by his f.ather.:m 1i I helle are kept dt-arly in minJ some otherwise vexing questions ctase For one thing, an importan t aspc:ct of the significance of Pc:?ll"COst '. s that through Holy Spirit the ascende-d Lord is inseparably utlttt'J hts followers and tt ts the Spirit who accomplishes tbis.:ns John wrote, Uy lhts we: know that he abides in us, by tlle Spirit which he has given us" t1 John 3 ::?-1); also, "By this we know that we abide in him and he in us b<.:talC>e he has given us of his own Spirit" ( l John 4:13). The Spirit who converts the :aich is the same Spirtt which descended on Jesus at his anJ wttll whtch he W!IS anointcd.'11 u In tl1e controversies within the the reception of the Gentiles the confirming evidence -'pu>wlic tlut Gr:nules sharl' tn the fulness of the saJv;1tion in 01rist was found in the I Jcr llur when they were b:tptizeJ thc:y shared in the gift of the Holy Spirit :\; .1 baptism in the tHtJne of the Lord Jesus confurs Lhe Spirit. The .l,;.ount Acts J0:_-14-48 shuws that baptism may follow the gift of the Spirit, hut baplt>.m WJ.s sttll nc:c:--ssary. This is a rc:Cord of an extraordinary event in ri1J1 God was de;,monstrottng through Cornelius that nothing God has cleansed nuy a_ ny longer be_ Peter defended his of baptizing Cornelius .1.nJ hts household m lhts remarkably dear expression.
A> 1. bt-gan to the: Holy Spirit fell on them JIIJI a1 on " ' at the begmmng: Ami l remc:mbc:red the word of the Lord, how he: said. "John bap ttzcJ wtlh warc:r, but you rha/1 b11 bapllzl!d with the Holy Spiril," If thea

Coli.! gave thr! rami! gift to tltem as he Slve 10 us when we believed on the: Lord Jesus Christ, wlto was I ro withstand God? (Acts 11 :15-1 7).

The Jerusalem Church drew the same conclusion as Peter, "Then to the Gent tin .Lis? has. granted repentance unto life" ( Acts 11 : 18). The reference 1... the:: Sptnt, bapttsm, repentance, and life: in this short narra6ve conclusively tllat the Churrn regarded this as a complt:te sharing in the fulness
! Il lbuJ .. p. 401 : Ouo Procksdt, i<i.I IOI.

aytoc;. in G. Kiud, TWNT, I, pp. 881 14, esp. pp.

213 See Mark I :5, "They were bap1izc:d by John in the J ordan river /IJ B)' {()Jiftning t/J, ir Ji!IS" ( r have tried to convq what I bdie,e is the meaning of 1hc Greek text by this translntlon).

j ohn 20:22. 2 ; B wh. ere the: of Lhc Spiric 10 men is made pos.siblc: by God's the Sptm tu the: Son. Jesus CAn be said to have po1uued tl.c 111 fulne>s dur111s Hu ltfctirne and w tliJprnu the Spirit to the community after the <<>urrccttun ( Luke 24:49). See TIVut-ta arclclc in TWNT cited 4bove, p. 405.
1G See
117 o u(
Jill
/Dr

214 See 'ITVUj.Ja, article by Klcinkncchr, Bnumgartd, Bicdcr, Sjnbcrg, Jnd Schwdzer, in G. Kittel, TIIYNT, I, pp. 332455, esp. p" 4()L.

0 . Cullrnann, 8oJ/)tiJm ;, t/JQ

p. } I ,

Neu1 Ti!Jfallle/11,

p. 5 I; G . W . H. lampe, Th. So!al of

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of salvation by Jew and Gentile. The result of the controversy was that it setded once for all the basic question whether Gentiles became Christians by way of Judaism. Such quc'Stions as circumcision and the Gentiles' relationship to th_e keeping of the Law would arise in a later context (se.: Acts 15 and the Council of Jerusalem) , and the apostle Paul would have continuing with the dtrecton of persons who were of the party of the concision; the Christian mission was definitively set by God 10 the home of a Roman centurion, and Jesus Christ brought the first of the Gentile families into the . . redeemed fellowship when he gave his Spirit to a Roman.:I?O . The accomplished work of Christ is the ground and foundatton of baptism. By baptism men are made to particip:tte in the death and n.'Surrc-cuon of Christ, share in the Spirit with whom Christ equips his people, and become members of the redeemed covenant community.2'2 The completion of the work in the Father had sent him to do made it possible for believers to be his name and in the name of the Spirit. The baptism by which men are bapti2ed and made partakers of Christ and his commission corresponds in many respects to that baptism which the Lord himself Just as wl'rc two aspects to his baptism(s) (death and resurrectiOn, and the besrvwtng of the d comSpirit), so our baptism involves participation in his finished work an_ mission to apostle-ship today. 223 The Christian who has sacramentally ?ed and risc.:n with Christ to the new life in the Spirit is anointed in the.: Messtah upon whom the unction of the Spirit came. The baptism of the Christi:tn is the mark of his incorporation into the body of Christ and of his participation in the baptism and anointing of Christ.:.t:l4 The disciple-s . proclaim to the _ woriJ that this participation can be theirs in the same way as tt has become thetrs : repentance towards God and faith in Jc:sus Christ. It is in this way and in this way alone that Judaism finds its fulfillment. _ All the prophets and Moses testified that the Christ had to suffer and enter tnto into he_dacs n?t his glory (Luke 24:26). When the jew is s tts tn reject the election and calling of Israel. Instead, this elect.ton fmd_ the obedience to the sovereign Lord of the New Covenant, and he ftnds htmself through grace made a member of the new people of God, the new humanity.

Chap ter IV

The commissiom d Church

In his book, ChriJI Find1 a Rabbi, George Benedict wrote: What has Chnst done for you that you are willing to turn youc back on Judaism and your face to Christianity? I will tell you. But first, please notice, that r have not turn.-d my back on Judaism. On contrary, I am carrying judaism forward with me. I cannot turn my back on my mother, but I can give her my arm to help her walk with me while my life lasts.:t In this unique way the author sums up his relationship to the community of lsr;1el into which he was born and the new covenant community into which he was re-born by the grace of Christ. His experience is from a certain viewpoint .1n illustration of what God accomplished in the gathering together under one head, J'-sus Christ, both jew and Gentile. There was a great re-grouping of mankind in the presence of Christ in whom God calls us to meet him. Christ has taken the place of the city jerusalem, but the situation is still the same: it nlJHers not whether this be the Jerusalem here on earth (as in the Old Testamenr) or tlJC Jerusalem that is above where Christ is at God's right hand. God is that men should come to him where he is. And he is present through in the body called the Church. This gathering of mankind through the mediation of his people constitutes the heart of the Church's commission. God converts the nations by working in the midst of his people. The Church does its work of evangelization in the measure in which its Lord gives it life; when it lives by him its very existence is effectual. In contradistinction to what has sometimes been beHeved, mission bas nothing in common with any sort of political or commercial enterprise; it is entirely dependent on the hidden activity of God within his Church, and is the fruit of a life really rooted in God.2 What is the character, the nature of this new people of God? What does God intend to do for mankind through the redeemed corrununity commissioned by the universe's sovereign Lord? How must this commission be conceived of

219 See Acts where the temporal sequence in the summary of Jesus' life: goes this way: baptism by John - anointing of Jesus by the Spirit - ministry or Jesus - death - n:sucrection etc. Sec also Acts 10:44; t :8; 't:27. 220 G. Busley-Murnay, Baptism in Jhe New T.:stammt, p. F. Filson, Thru Crurial Duadts, p. tiS. The antagonism of the Jews to Paul contJ?ues .nro our present day. Samud Sandmcl, lPe Jews and jw11 (New York: Oxford Umversry 1965). p. 79, expresses this as follows : "A mnn Saul, later called Paul, Came and spoiled it all."

n.'

1 George Christ Finds a Rlzbbi (Philadelphia: Bethlehem Church, 1932), p. 263. 2 R. Martin-Achard, A Ligh1 to the Nations, p. 79.

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today? The redeemed community's rebttion to the world (which is the field of its labors in Christ and the arena in whid1 disciples are to be made) has not been defined. The baptism of believers is the sign which Christ t.hrough his Church places upon his disciples aod by which they are ord:Uned to do his work in this wocld. 3

John, quoted Psalm 2:1 in explanation of the rage of the enemies, but included in the list of those who "were gathered together against the Lord and ag:Unst his anointed" not only Herod and Pilate with the Gentiles but also Jhe peoples of Israel (Acts 4:25-27)! Perhaps the de-arest expressions of the new relationships that obt:Un in Christ between Jew and Gentile are found in Paul's writings. Remember, that you [Gentile Christians] were at that time separated from the Commonwealth (nof..rtE(a<;] of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in this world. But now in Christ you (Gentile Christians) who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made us [Jews and Gentiles] both one, and has broken down lhe dividing wall of hollility, by abolishing in his flesh the Ia w of commandments and ord.i nanccs. that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so maki!1g pl'are, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross. thereby bringing the houili1y 10 an end. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; foe through him we botb ha1te <lCCeJJ in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer Strangers and sojourners [napotKOl], but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members [olKEtOt] of the household of God (Eph. 2:1219; italics and bracket insertions are mine). Paul describes "the mystery that was hid in Christ," not made known to other generations but now revealed by the Spirit, as being this: ... the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers oi the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Eph. 3:4-6).

A. The New People of God

Any consideration of the natuie of the new Pt'<>ple of God and its must take account of the bond that exists between Israel and the Chnst1an Church. Attention also needs to be given to the social dimensions of the perfect work of God whereby all tensions and contrasts have been resolved and all have been made one in Jesus Christ. finally, it is necessary to ask whether the definitions of the People of God under which the ChUich has been operating since the times of the Reformation are still serviceable today, and if they are found to be inadequate, how they must be re-defined in to sd the mission from Christ in its proper focus for today? For m the great :UlJ mscrutable wisdom of the sovereign Lord his people have come into his Kingdom for this time and age.

1. lJrael and the CIJIIrch

The establishment of a fellowship of disciples drawn from all peoples, Jews as well as Gentiles, involved in the redemptive work of Christ meant that the insiders and outsiders of God's house now stand in a unique relationship to each other. Since it was made very dear in the Apostolic Church that Gentiles did not become Christians via Jud:Usm, the creation of this fellowship required a redefinition of Israel's .rel:Ltion to God and of the Gentiles access to Him. At the same time, the relationship Israel h3S ro the Gentiles had be defined anew. The New Testament epistles give consideration to this new phenomenon. Whereas in the O ld Testament the nations of the world arc often described from the viewpoint of their hostility and enmity to God and his peop.le, this note is almost entirely lacking in the New Testament. Inste-ad, ennlJty anJ opposition to the Church are from the time of the establishmen t of the Church set in the focus of Old Tt"Stament prophecies that would seem to refer only to the Gentiles. The disciple fellowship rejoiced over the .release of Peter and

Tho: great mystery which Christ has revealed is the fellow-citizenship of Gentiles with Israel. He:: was saying here what must have seemed incredible to Jewish ears: he told Jew and Gentile alike that the center of God's acts has been re-located from lsrael to a new people created in ChiiSt from both Jews and Gentiles. He makes very clear in Romans 4 that the line of descent runs from Abrallam via Christ to the world of Gentiles, and Abral1am is himself the prototype of the Genti le Christians. Salvation has meaning, therefore only if it is aU-inclusive and embraces all mankind. God is sovereign over all and established his universal covenant with mankinJ, announcing this through Abraham and fulfilling it in Christ. The uni ty of Israel and the Gentiles belongs to the very signs of Messianic fulfill-

Increasing attention has been given in late years to baptism as an Foremost among those who place this significance: on baptism cs. . Barth, 1 Brokm Wall, p. 186. Sc:e also George W . Webber, The Coflgf<gaiiOil "' 117twess (New York and Nashville: Abingdon 1964), p. 101.
3

4 W 1: must be careful in our statement of this proposition so that we do not lose sight .,; chc continuing place of the Jews in God's purpose. To say God has relocated his work mons the Gentiles, as Johannes Blauw has done (sc:e his Miuio11ary N :J/ure, p. 98), rnuit lk 1aken to include lsmd or it is only partially true. (For Paul's emphasis see Gal. 3:8. 2628; Rom. 3:2930, 4:11 -n, 18; 10:4-21; 15:813).

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meot. Whether one considers the Old Testament viewpoint of the nations versu.s Jscat:l or the New Testament viewpoint o: rhe nations (including unbelieving ]smel) versus the Church, humanity displays its most at the: point of its separation ftom God's people. The commg of Chnst and the re-constitution of the People of G"::l in the mission to the nations was the ami Jecisive turning point of Israel's destiny as the People of God.6 The whole arsuml!nt of Paul in the letter to tht: Ephesians turns on this one truth : Jesus is not really the Messiah if Jews and Gentiles remain separate_ It is to be deeply regretted that the emph:uis jn Christian missions has shifreJ so very far away from tht: semc of duty cesponsibiLiry to rhe Jews. While propaganda for tht: conduct of Christian mission emphasizes " the utter most part of the earth,'' it frequently neglt.'\-t:S "jt'rusalem and Judea." moJern theology of mission h;J.S devdopeJ a blind spot here as a result ol failure to apprtlCiatc the new relationships that obtain in Christ." It must be remembered that according to the Scripturts Israel is the apple of God's and mankind's eyes. God keeps his people as the apple of hi) eye (Gen. 32: 10). The ma.n who touches tbcm is a fool who "touche) t.he apple of eye" 2:8). In no place in Scripture is this uni.qut! of lsrad abrogated by God. Even though the Jew may have reJ{"(tec.l Gods salva.bon, "God has not reje-cted his people!" (Rom. 11:1). Even though hJ' come upon part of lsrael, until the full number of the Gentiles come in" (Rom. 11:25), there t:i a future time coming whcn it will be said, "All Israel is savcd" (vs. 26). The Gentiles may never forget that they wert:grafteu in, they who were once wild olive shoots, to share the rid10ess of the olive tree whose Root ports them (Rom. 1 1: 17-21) _ Those who belicve in Christ cannot have pean with God and with ead\ other unlt:ss they havr.: peace with Israel a.nd approach God together with Jsrael (Eph. They may not proudly think that

diu not have: a people until he saved them, repeating tht: error of Job's tracnds (Job 12:2). Though his house was not full, there was a household of G<X!Jr Jll ltmc-s we by sovereign grace (Luke 14:2223). In Eph. .!: J . JO Paul )pcctflcally menttons that Jew and Gentile (notice his u.se of the words "wt:" and "us"') nceded the ricl1 mercy and love of God in order to be God has :Uways been loving and merciful; he did not become this when tor thc first time the rooms of the Father's house welcomed in feasting and banqueting prodigll! Gentiles who had squandered all their treasures in riotous ll\ ang_ WhJ.l is so important to observe is that everyone who is saved is r.JCt"tlll'l.! in nu other way than by the One God whose will a.nd plan for man is the same:: for all in all agc:s. The p:i:.)ing of 1900 ye-.1rs has not changed the: situation one bit. lf Ephesians l>cc.une lll" .lr when God abolished the wall of enmity, nothing Jess has happened r.x!J)' The members of Christ's body :ue also "no-more-strangers" and "nornurcSOJOurners'' only because God has maJe them members of the household lh.it Ollle W;l.S lsraeJ. to the household o( God means 10 live in brotherhood and fellow with these jews who unwittingly bear testimony to the true of God and man. Only ''in Christ" do we come to see and appreciate wlay we live tn sudt close solic.l:trity wttlt the jews. And only "in Christ" do we discover rhar our solid:uity with the Jc:w is proof of any serious concept uf bn.>therhoocL The privilege Jnc.l the tension of solidarity witl1 Israel test the depth of our brorheriy emotions, words, and deeds. No Christian ethics C .ln by-pass this solidarity with lsrac:LS
Tu
'I he t:rowth of the Christian 01ucch takes place only where the real nature of

J. Jocz, Clmuians 1111J j<'WJ, pp. 44..4l. 6 Unfortunaldy some leading scholars have not ht:lpcd the Church to relurn to a balanc.:d, full-orb<:d thn>logy of Jewish missions- R_ Niebuhr evoked a control'trS)' when he declnd 1hat the cross and 1hc re>Unection need not nc<ess:tuly be the tml) condiuun of an appro:.ch 10 God (see "Christianity Tudy", 8 Dec 19)1:1; J.bo 1-. Joc.z, C/Jriui1111s .md j durs, p. 9). Even Marku i Barth, who has done such great tn defining Israel's gives an descripti1ln of the nalu.re of m 1ssit1ns 10 the Jews in lsr.ul and Cl1urrh (Richmond: john Kno" Prc:ss, 1969), csp. pp. IOSll1- Addilloau.U)', une need only revie"'' the curriculum 3tld cour>b of our 1heologicaJ seminaries to note the IJck of concern for the Jews_ . . 7 In the prt-sent day this question i; receiving auentaon, 11mong the Christians of Europe. The return llf the 10 Palesune, the eslitbllshment of the state of lsradi, the Six Days War, .Anb-Jewish relations and the rc>ulting polarily 11mong the world of nations ue forcing the church to re-exJmine the os\ues involved. A fl'w signific:1.11t discussions on this subject ure; "'' n.d ..), anirles reprintod from Dto 1-Jurb.wt, 22 (1970), pp. The Confllu '" AttddJ .. ,111 d Rrligious Pailh, the repon of the Middle Eas1 Advasory C<lmmattee of the Bnla>h Council of Churches (.April, 1!170); Generate Synude da Nedcrbndse Hervormde Kcrk . tsratl: uolk, land JIJul ('s Cravenhage: N .Y., 1970) . ,en a bnd
} Sec

of the Church is taken seriously, where the whole of the Body of "joined and united together'' (Eph. 2:21) and "grows into a holy rc:mplc tn the! LorJ." Barth observc:s that the word "together" occurs nowhere ,.., I or in daring combinations as in the Greek text of Ephesians, 1 pu1nts out thar 1t always describes community of the Church with Jsrad, also "'hen and enlhronement with Christ are explicitly mentioned.i s covenant was and is with till men. This cannot be properly ull.ler:.tood unless it is borne in mind that God and his purpose are first in ' '" cn.1nt .tction; only then does a pc"'ple emerge as the manifestation of rus
the

Chmt

publications den1011slrttles botll the crying need for 1hwlogiml uf the 'IUt:>tiou of Israel and the nations, ;a, well as rhe Jack of cbrity and mtJO!; lhc churches on 1he raise.! by today's evtnlS. See A & IV ( 10/11 ), pp. "Htllshisto rische betektnis van Israel" ''I b IJI1 lcr>d, and pp. 323329, "De kcrhn en her joodse vollc" by F. Stein. See also .\t lltt h, "j.,sus. P.tulus uud die judcn", 7'heologiJfhd S111dit,, Heft 91 (Ziuich: EVZ\ ' <dA,;, t-167); Tlu 8ro1m Wull, P- 126. II IMJ , p. l2\l, '/ Jb,J p. u I.
trll <"'

.,f

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purpose. God createl> this society of his people by his sovereign choice. The believing fellowship is his people only because be dwells within them and moves :unong thcm.10 This means that any definition of this pt'Ople must come from God whose sovereign grace and mercy makes them his people. Paul Mint-oar observes that rhe galaxy of images that oscillate in the New Tesuunent aro und the concept '"pt'Ople of God"" served in 11 dist1nctive way to place the New Testa.mtnt Church in the setting of the long of GOO 's with his chosen people. In doing so an enduring solidarity with Israel was asserted. The early Christians did not date tll(: beginnings of a "" people of God" from my other point than the covenant activities of God with Abrah:un and with lsrad at Sin:s.i. Among the names that belonged jX-culiady to the Old Testament People of God and their history and which Wt:re .1dopted in the N ew Testamenr for the Church, he lists the following: Israel, a chOSc:n race, a holy 11:tr icm, the twelve tribes, the patriarchs, the true circumcision, Abraham's sons, exodus, David's house and kingdom, remnant, the elect.u In case rhe community's ex.istc:nce, like that of lsrad of the Old Testament, is qualified in its creation by God's call and promise. These designations link the New Testament community intimately and inseparably to the whole course of Israel"s history .111d emphasize the truly frightening altern:nive of being outside rathc:r thln wit11in the household God has created. 1t is in Paul's letter ro the Ephesinns ( note t-specially 1 :3 10) that we see most clearly the relationship of God's CrC"Jtion, covenant, election, fnithfulnt'SS to the fatl1ers :utd his redemptive purpose in Christ to unire aJI things, in heaven a.nJ earth in him. The Importance of this for the Church today can be seen in the fact th:lt the designations which the believing community used to identify itself were of a kind that Jelioeatcd its responsibilities to the electing, covc:nanting God's purpost-'5. The Church of Christ does nor define itself in terms of the world in which it lives. It finds its definitions in the purposes of God for ic. This makes a great difference in the way in which we conceive of the place and tolSk of tht: Church in the world is thought of. The Church is a messianic community (" I .un with you" ) belonging to and dwelling 1n (discipled, baptized, taught) its living Lord whose sovereign rule marks the beginning and the end of the nc:w age in which it was created to Jjve to his glory and service. UnfortunateJy and tragially Church and Synagogue have faced each other in uneasy tension for centuries. The earliest tensions b<.>tween emerging Church and Judabm arose within the SynagO!,'UC.u This erlCOunter has oftc:n taken the form of hostility whose origin has not always been from the side of the Jews. The
Ex. 19:5; Ocut. 7:6; 14:2; P$. 135:4; II Cor. 6:16; Hcb. 8: 10; Rev. 2t :3. P. S. Mineo1r, /mag<f of rht! Chuab, pp. 7082. The culric tn.d ilion also a series of images II) the I toly City, Jerusalem, the pncsthood, s:&crifice, uoma, festivals; pp. 89-104. 12 Note the opposition tn Stephen in Acts 6:9ff. The story of opposirinn co Paul in his missionary labors is wdl known, al told in A cts. See r Thess. 2: 14H.; Gal. 2: 13ff.: II Cor. 11 :2-lff.; Phil. Rom. 2:17ff.; 9:1ff. 10 II

may never forget, however, that the faithlessness of mer1 did not nulljfy the: of_ GoJ (Rom. 3:3). Whatever Ismel did with its privileges .loi)J oppocnuutJes 111 covenant :utJ dc:ction - killed its prophets, stoned those unto her, r_ efused to be gath ered to its Messiah (Matt. 23:37), boasted in 1C> o wn works, lomlulolled the L.1w in terms of man-made statutes, and crucified lhc: _ of g lory ( I Cor. 2:8) - thc: Gentile Christian is an heir by way of 1nto r_ he_ household of God :t..nd is served by a ministry that preceded hJ> uwo COmmiSSi on. Thl' Church is built on "the foundation of apostles and pruph ...ts" (Epb. 2:20). T o initiate such re-orientJtion of mission effort to take Jt"COunt of the Churcll_'s solidarity with anJ rt-sponsibility to Israel will require 50ffi<' boldnt'ss and st'nous work. But il is int'Scapahle. The Church is not saved .1put f rom lsrad, and any boasting Ullt finds its origin in that branches brol.c:n oiT the ojjve-plant of God so that the wild olive branches might be !:r.Utd in, is excluJt.-d (Rom. 9).
tlu: Chmt ians owe
10

Israel, wh.lt they

from Israel, and what

they hope for Israel, this they also apply co their conversation with every

111.111 (Rom. This duty to Israel remains a part of the responsibility of the Christian Church tod.Jy. . it is hugely ignored in wide circles so that to the Jew Chr1st1an bears the strong overtones of diy.ision, persecution, dis ctmltn:lUOn, suffering. Markus Barth describes tJ1e continuing community of the Church and Isruel in this way, It is not fellow5hip wirh fellow men in general that we nceJ prim:uily and our knowledge: of salvntion and for receiving and rendering serv1cc: mspned by God. Essential for the and building of the Church are the Jews who lived before us anJ the Jews who live with, among. and around us now. And mdispensable is our bemg jomed and knitted and built with them. The: criterion whether we are honest, thorough, uncom prom1smg when we acknowledge: that we nud fc:llow man in order to sund God lies in our relationship tO the Jews. The "King of t11c: Jews" is he is ours. is theirs, he is theirs and ours. After one (Eph. 2:14), _ both of us have access to the F:Jther in one Spimr (Eph. 2: 18) . 1s open, no Holy Spirit is ava1lable and operative, that would admu erthcr o ne of the two without the other co the throne of grace. Access to "our is !jiven to both the prodigal who enters the Father's house and the older brother who ha s never ldt it. The Father shows one: and the same love for both (Luke: l }:lt-32). To "'the Hebrews'' 1t was written, bu_ t by Gentiles. too. it is still to be read, that "since we have a great high pnest, let us approach the throne of gf3cc:" (l-Jcb. 4 : 14,16; cf. Rom. 5:1f.; Eph. 3: 12). Not only Christ, the chid cornerstone, but also the foundation

M. Barth, Tht: Brl)/um W

p. I ,9.

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walls o f the Church bear witness to the commuo.ity with Israel. The Church is ''built upon the foundation o f apostles and prophets" (Eph. 2:20).H In the books of Ephesians, Romans, and Acts it is shown that God has not repudjated J erusalem and the Jewish people, as though God rejected Israel by sending the Church to the Gentiles. Whereas Paul becomes the apostle to the Gentiles, Peter's ministry is towards the circumcision (Gal. 2:7). Old lsr.tel was not cut off from a place in the New Israel of God, as though a curse IJ)' upon the ancient covenant people. It is important to see this in the de,elopment of the early Church, the story of which is told in Acts. . Observe, first of all, that the book begins and ends with the proclamauon of the Gospel to the Jews first. At Pentecost in Jerusalem's Temple the new age of the Spirit was inaugurated and the first persons invited to recetvc: forgiveness and the Spirit were citizens of the of In addition, not a few priests also were joined in obedient fruth to the coaununity (Acts 6:7). At the dose of the book apostle Paul, pnsom:r under house arrtst in Rome, who was so eager to 1mpart some bltsstng to the Roman 01urch, first called together the le-.1de rs of the Jewish community. He appealed to th em to accept the Gospel. Not a few convinced ( Acts Another important thing to note is that Jerusalem 1 S never of m1n? ro Jerusalem the apostles always returned. Jerusalem may a.Jd to 1ts long of crimes of murder of the prophets the murders of Stephen and James; 11 may seck also the life of Paul; nevertheless, Jerusalem's continuing importance indicates thJt salvation is both from the Jews and also among them. There were brethren in Jerusalem just as there were brethren in all the world. The oneness of Jew and Gentile is constantly in the focus of Luke's pu.rpose in the description of the progress of the Gospel. Such events as constttuteJ turning-poin ts in the relationships between Jew Jew are carefully documented and described. On Pentecost men heard 10 theJr own tongues the good news of salvation; whereas once men said they would . not scatter and. the earth (Babel) and God scattered them by confusing the1r languages, th1s IS reversed when the Spirit comes. Stephen's preaching is in a beautiful and lengthy summary of his address to the Sanhedrin, the burden of his address being as severe criticism of the narrow nationalism and perversion of law tl1at caused men to great deeds m A eunuch, excluded by law from full partlClpatton m the Temple servtce, is admitted a full member witl10ut limitation into the new. People of God (Acts 8:38; Isa. 56:3). This man was an Ethiopian, and not of the stock of Cornelius and his house received the H oly Spirit (Acts 10:44ff.). The Councd of Jerusalem sealed the unity of believing Jew and .Gentile in t.he fulfillment of the law for both. Paul's conversion stacy IS told three umcs, w1th variations and differing emphases; yet the basic fact that he was appointed
14 Ibid., p. t32.

Jirectly by God for the service of the Gentiles is never lost sight of. The manJatc of the Risen LorJ goc-s far beyond the geographical boundaries of the H oly City and the Promised Land; it transcends the racial boundaries of Jewish descent and blood; the narrow royal hopes of ancient Israel are shown to be utterly without foundation when the Son of God established the Kingdom anJ rules as David's royal Son. It is the Holy Spirit who the hcr.llds of the Gospel to speed more than chariots (Acts 8:39) and uses the Word of God which is sharper than any two-edged sword and who e-stablishes and brin!,rs about the Kingdom, not the ch:uiots, horses, and swords of men. What is so vecy clear is that the prodJJllation of the Gospel of the Kingdom did not herald a new form or .dministr:uion of nationalism but the cre-Jtion of one new People of God from JJnong the Jews first and tl1cn also from among the Gentiles. The covenant prom1><:S of GoJ are shown to be for all, not for the Jew only even though it nuy be for the Jew first. Conversely, the Gospel is not now for the Gentile only, c\cn though a hardening in part may have overtaken Israel. The light of covenant grace, once focused on Jerusalem, now shints from hc:.1ven to lighten all the Gentiles together with the P'"'Ople of Israel. The last J.1rs have comt, forerold by prophets (Acts 2:L7-18; 3:24). The Day of the LorJ is at hand (Am 2:20; 17:3 1). When finally, the: Gospel is prc-:1ched in both Jerusalem anJ in Rome, two cities, two capitals, united by faith in the unt: Gospel of Jesus Ch rist, then the d.1y has come when it is dearly show n that tht: purpose of GoJ was to grant repentance unto life to the Gt:.ntiles also (Acts Jl:LS). When this Gospel of the: Kingdom is in all the world for a w1cncss, the day will finally dawn when the Son of Man wiU come for all things wdJ have been united into one: ( Matt. 24: L4).

2.

The! CJmrch and tbe Reconciled IIYorld

The c3.1lto aH the nJtions to become disciples was something new in the history ol s.1lvation. Jesus Christ made himself the ccntc:r of the new fellowship created tluough the Spirit and develops this fellowship by permeating it with his l'untinueJ presence in it. Even the desire to become a part of that fellowship originat.:s in the call of Jesus Christ so tl1at men must answer him and not his ,ervants who extend the invitation in his name. Not the least of the dangers th.lt the Church continually faces is that of identifying itself with the world. It is a feature common to all non-Christian rdigions that the fellowship of culture and people is identified witl1 fellowship of religion. Viccdom observes that all countries s'-ek to &tUarantee the unity of th eir people through unity of l3avinck afCi rms that in ont way or
G. F. Vicednm, The Mission of God, 89. J::ven in the U.S.A. where a peculiar form of scpamt ion of church anJ state ha) cvolvtd and is promoted, most often on a

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another every religion in an attempt to establish a Kingdom of The Church 'd th' 'tfall only if 1t realizes that ir is on d1e s1dc: of God and can aVO! IS p1 ch t f thtough him is fully directed to the world. Every _true cbur IS an o_ the Kingdom of God, placed in a particular spot 1n the world, to bear Witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. How does the New Testament express the Church:s to which is the arena both of its existence and of iS Witness?_It as .that tudying the New Testament co find the answer to quesuon s_oon that the .Bible confcon5 the Church with u polittcn.l tn_'\ devt:lo cd form . The legal and juriJical effects of the resurrt-cta_ on of Chmt :ue d!cribed by Paul especially. God raised Jesus Chnst f the deacJ he ""made him sit at hi.> right hand ... above all ru.lc :1nd :tuthonty and and dominion, and ... put a.ll things undcr his feet ... th.1t at the of Jesus every knt>e should bow ... and every tongue ... .st as. Lord"' (Eph. 120-22 Phil. 2:10 11). The ResurreCtion a . , . . . f polaucal .. Chr1 mport From beginning ro enJ the Dtble as lull o po1Jlll"l1 - cs-1 1 event of untve ou ld 1 . k.i d ruJers 1udges and a Messaah who hera s t 1c: amageS: covenants, ng oms, f .. 1 establishment of the Kingdom of God's rule on earth. sp_ e:00 o t te to the affarmataon by Jesu.s . . f God" when he relatts these po1 I 0 f I' -uJ Chr'st of his absolute sovcreignty.UI The separation o men!. aves _mto sec. ar 1 and sacrcd is false, therefore, for men nre called to be pe:uple .n. the m.tdst of God's world. Even baptism cnn be looked upon as a of foe iu it Jesus Christ marks the person baptized as a OliZCn uf the a member of the redeemed fellowship, one who lives undc:r the Lordshap ul Christ. . . Ch . t that The New Testament shows most dearly that there 1s a 10 ns breaks down every political, social, ntcia.l, mor.ll, sexual The sltve and free m.tn, male and female as found an and o f Jew ao d ' . h d. . uaranteed in Christ {Gal. 3:26-28); excluded ia_t Christ are as and uncircumcised, b:uba.rian, Scyth1an (Col. 3: l_l). TillS 1s the d 1 ment that should be 1.:xpected on Lhe basis of God's covenant. of God is to unite a.llthings in Christ; this is his pla_n, the ages (Eph. l: 9. 1o). When we are told tltat "the Jividing of hosullty. has been broken down (Eph. 2:1-l), this means thar Jesus Chrast has_ sometluo? ro say about and to do with and LOw.trd whatc:vcr divisions exist an our sooety: the
uite irrclcv.. nt basis, ahc unity o f the )tate is lnsiolly by to a kind q . If b 11 r1 1,1ous and 11 comlllltmcm lO of irreligion and secul3nSm winch IS 1tse 3SICll Y r:o rel igious standpoint. . . Tlu Imparl o/ ClmiiiutiiiJ, p. 34. N . 16 J H Webber, God's Colon)' in 1\lan'J World (New Yurk & ashv1 11 c: 17 Abingdon Press, 1960), P 29. ff. G w !8 See M Barth und V. Acquilal by ReJurreruon, 99 ., eorge W bber Tlu 'Congregation in MiJJion (Nnv York & Nashville; Ab1ngclon Press, 1964), p. P. JmaJ;el o/ Churcb, p. 233; M . Banh, l'he Broilm Wall, P Ill.
17

J1ffcrences between races, nations, peoples. Jesus Christ has broken down every barrier, division, and frontier between men. But what is most wonderful of .111 - he has reconciled mea to God. The implication of this is that no one can claim Jesus Christ for himself ol.luuc.-. ln him segregation and separation :ue abolished. Color of skin, differences of sex, lant:.'Uage - all are done away. The multitude of the redeemed lOmpnseS pt'Ople of every race and people (Rev. ll :15 ). To proclaim Clwst is to proclaim peace and n.-conciliation. To tt:ach men to obey all that ht: has commanded is to convey one and the same m<.-ssage to a.ll. There is not <Inc Gospel for one pL "'ple and a different Gospel and duty for another. The Church is true to its responsibility only when in conformity wit11 Christ's great work of recooclliation it Jisciplcs all men and gives them opportunity to experience that Christ's rc::conciliJtion of men's differences is greater, stronger, and able to bre.tk all hostilities in our fallen society. The alrernarives which men fa.ce :ue 10 live as the new crc:1tion in harmony with God and one another through the or to exist in eternal isolation from God and man.lt Unfortunately, Christ's work is ofen rc:pudi.ued by the actions and auitudes of those who claim 1 0 sh.ue his re-conciliation. When the peace Christ proclaimed and which in IUCII i:. declared by :any of his is deprived of its social, national, racial, (lr '-conomic dimtnsions und is reduced unJ distorted so that only the individua.l bclu:ver's pe.1ce with God i) uf concern, Christ is denied . However, when through his believing disciple others are callecl in nnme to share the hlt-ssings M Jiscipblaip anJ to live togt:ther unJcr his Lordship, then the unuing, rc-concilins action of Christ will btx:ome a The secret of the (hurch's rdatiun h> the woriJ in which it lives is a dialectic or tens1on bt:tween lr.lns.::enJcnce and rdc:vanct: ar one and the same time.20 TrtJ/IJrendellu, because (or better, fellowship ) in world which the Church is the only ,IJJ not .1risc from the: crl:'.ltc:tl order of things. The Church arose exclusively out ui the order, and her function is to transmit to the world the c-all tv in tltis through obt:dience and faith. The Church must do this both in worJ .tnd by life. To enable: the believing community to do this, Christ baptized his Cburrh wirh the Holy It is the duty of the Church to show to the world thn pc-.1ce among men is the necessary corollary to peace with God and rhat such pt.:ace comes in believing obedience to Ute covm:1nl God so faithfully rn.1intains. bt<.11use the Church, while it is not of the world has been
in . his boot.. Gr<ul Dl<oorr.- (New York: Macmillom Co., 19H), piClurc:d the terror of closed in to one's own self In the p1tiful '"n\cr>ltoon or the IH>t soul who "I d<>n't know what I wanJ!" or of another who I.H bl'<'ll ,!;ivcn cvtcryahinn his wi)h commandtcd only to find a terrifying loneliness in rile IU<l'>>ll'll of empty hou>es he has abandoned as his soul was left forever and lo.- nlll\'t:J hllll.>c aiter tmpty house away from his fc:llow mtn. 2U l..angdc>n Golkey, JlfJw tbe Ch11rrh Can MirziJtt'r to ,;,, World Without LoJ/ng ltulf (New York, Evunston, & London: Huper and Row, 1961), p. )6. 21 Sel: H. R. Boer, Pel/ll'rOJI fllllllhe MiJJionary WtllleSJ, p. 2 1}. I')
h>

C. S.

Geo;ge w.
s.

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sent into the world and Jives out her obedieoce there. Paul Minear i.n h1s treatment of the images of the Churdl in the New calls attentiOn to the: significant fact that the images which describe the 01urch arc from the everyday, ordinary Life with which its members were so very f:uruilar. What a profusion of images! This is due in to. the 1 but also to the diverse origins of tile an:llogiCs: 1n 0 customs io farm and lake, in city streets and temple, 10 k1tl'hcn and 10 io ancient legends an d contemporary events. courtroom, Therefore, no part of life can be left untoudled_ by or left .separated from his influence, no more than that any part ot sooery may remam beyond his call to discipleship. Every part of life can e-ven be employed .to 1llustr.atc the Kin dom of God and the Kingdom life of man Wlder Gods rule. Gospel of the KingJom is obviously applicable tO :11l sphen:s 1n Ill e.

local group in a geographical setting and place doing certain religious acts. The Church JiJ not reflect upon its purpose as God's established people in his world, uwJ by God to approach the world that he would rcJeem. The Church was not lookeJ upon as the where Jesus Christ relates as the Jiving Lord to humanity, saved and unsaved. Tt.e passive character of the marks of the true OlUrch can be illustrated from the 13elgi.: Confession, :trti.:J.: XXIX: The marks by whi.:h the true church is known are these: if the pure doctrine is pre:tched therein; if it maintJins the pure adminisrracion of the sacraments as instituted by Christ; if .:hurch discipline exercised in punishment of
SIO.

3. A Nole on J<ejomwliun Dc:jiniliom of 1he Cburr.h The challenges the Church faces, the f;tilures with whidl it is the new, swiftly evolving forms of society it experiences w1th. wh1dl must interact demand a response from the Church as to how 11 conceaves of :ts place in society. The conviction is frequently expressed that ReformJtJOn and cate definitions of the Churd1, as found in the 16th century chisms, no longer serve aJequately to express what the as. Nor do confessional statements define what the task of the Church IS 1n terms .God.) 'ts establishment 2a These confessions reflect conditions ex1stmg an purpose 1n 1 d f the medieval days anJ period. This is true of Roman an.d Protestant e . . ln the 16th century all of society was regarded as 1n some sense Chns ttOns. . d I . 'f th tian. As a result, definition) of the Church from that peno t.:n( to JUStl Y e existence of one church or one tradition overagainst all others. Although the Church (:tnJ Reformation was characterized by reflection on. the nature this for the first time in the history of the Churd\) , the defuuuons tended to be passive in form and st;ltic.'.!s The Church wa.s frequently looked upon as a
P. S. Minear, /mJgrJ ojlh<! Churrh, p. 221. . Among ahe rt'Cl'flt Ji,cussions of this .ubj<-ct among RcformeJ people m U:S.A. - b. mde of J .., Piet Tbc Road Ah<'11d, pp. 2t-29. See abo Cohn W1lbur mc:nt&On mu>1 c " Williams, lf//Jrd ; 11 i/u IWorld? {New y,1rk : Nation.! Council of ot .Cl1mt. I96J); M. RichJrd Shaull. "The Fotm of the Church 111 the Modern Da>por , Pmrr. IUII Smrillaf} Bu/ldm, )7 (March 1\164), pp. 318, esp. I' d 4 A review of ahc major confes>iOnJI stJicmc:nts from 1he Reformauon can be foun 2 in j. H. Piec, The Ro.ul PP 2129. . R .J /IJ.<'rJ 25 c. W. Williams, iPIJere iu IIJe World?, p. 44; J. H. Ptet, The . ,. : . 4. Colin Wilbur Williams, ll''hal ir1 rhe IIVorldJ (New York: National CounCil pp. 33 3 . of Churchc:s of Christ, 1964), p. 52ff.
23

22

Frum cht) \'le\\ poinc the Church bL 'Comes only the place where certain things Jre Jont:, Js Pjer obM:C\ e>, JnJ ic is noc looked upon as a group which God has L.Jl bl into exi:.t.:n, < lu Jo somethint:.'" The nu rks of the Church need to be pl.ILeJ JL-cisivdy wiclaiu th.: fr:uuework of the Churd1's mission. This is where th<")' wm: fir:.t sd, for in Act> tlw teaching, fellowship, breaking of .lllJ prJ)'I:rs of the newly ( ormed Spirit-filled und Spi rit-enJargcd disciple ( ellowship i, Jt:scribL.J within the context of the Pent<.'COSt story from which it cannot bt: extracted. "As the apostles were driven out of the upper room and st:t on the road to the uttermost parts of the earth, the life of fellowship one in which there was a constant breaking down of the boundaries ui the woriJ - n:lllon, race, lJ.nguage, class, The 16th century of an establisheJ p.lttern within rhe Jcfinirions emphasize the c::.tJblished church. This m.1y not be taken to mean that the efforts of the fathers anJ the heritage r,-ceiveJ from them are not appn-ciuted. On the conlrary, ic is doubtful whether their spirituJI children todJy would done as well as tht:y. And it may not be lorgottc:n that nuny :Lmong Lh.:m count.:d these so dear that tlwy willingly sacrificed tlwir possessions and often their lives rather than deny the truth. However, times and circumstances have changed. The heathen, the pagln, the "not-my-people" are no longer oceans away, but all around the disciples tuJJ)'. They arc neighbors to (;u;hothcr. Their children play together. They meet at work, in the shopping centers, on the beaches. And unfortunately, at rhis critical point when: the Church of Christ is dispered in the world (a minoricy. 1t mu)t be remem bered) confessional statements are silent where they ought ro be most articulate:.

Tho: PsJit.:r 1/)lmtJI of s},., Cbrim.m lldormcJ Publi>hins House, 1959), I' 1). ). II . Picl, No,ul Ahead, p. 24. C. W . Wi ll iams, lii'IHII iu 1br il:tor/d?, p. 52.

Ch11rrh (Gnnd R:tpids: Otrisuan

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. tl co nt of the Nc:-w T estament The Reformation definitions take Li t e o r no ac u . b d ' sciples . . t which points the Church outside of itsdf. Having ecome I ak vtewpom . d ' . les are immediately commanded to m c: under Christ's the tSCI P d Th' finds illustration in the parables disciples. The IS _ e ver outwar : to be drawn in again (Matt. of Jesus. The net IS cast mto sea tn o th n abundant harvest (Matt. 13:47) . The seed is broadcast order to ga er a th whole loaf (Matt. ) The leaven is kneaded wto the meal to leaven e .The light is set on the lampstand in order to give light to. dche_ hodus.t: . k ('"' tt . 5) The mustar see 1S I 'cl ld otherwise be m dar ness a . 5 . 1 .. Wll : wou birds come to make nests in the resulting tree (Matt. and I Ch . t d 1 ' d not give his Church a distinct 1111SSIOnary oftu.:e. l t 1s true t 1at ns 1 . . eo Je a ministry that leads to There was no need to do so. fHe gadv_e . us p dp ,., . ts fulness as the whok . try 0 the 1vtne wor missiOnary service, a mlms 1. . t al office because of dogmatic counsd of God. When, however, t md self-support of the restrictions, serves only . th_e wc:lfare,_ .;f minis I T he Church has been Church, it is humanly h_nuted tn Christ and to procla.im d to live under t e or s tp
worl d . T he rightl'y fdlowship of that churcll preachtng, _t. e ens, J 'cally socit:ty would be . Th ld not have anttapate lOW ra I essentdlal. d cou ld's be thrown into such close relationships so altere an t e wor . . . what ha ens in other parts of the that today men are tmmedlately ,tftected by pp f th t:lke g lobe and can be instantanc:ously hearers thc h here on earth W at ts e n In what ways is place almost anyw ere People of God that has emerged or must emerge _ m the times of the the: tWodhaytcldooesser Reformers. a engages in Christ's mission to the world? say to the Church as it

of scientism and secularism, the "under-ground church," changing forms of ministry, social involvement, drug culture, music, ,race problems - these are but a few of the: concomitant cl1anges and results faced by the church today. Many question whether the institutional church can survive while others raise the yuL-s tion whc:tht'r it ought to.a 1 After l 500 years of Christian history the Church in Western lands has been forced by circumstances to come to grips with its character and purpose. No longc: r being able to find security in the State as its protector and guarantor, it ftnds d1at the modern state is often its enemy. Instead of being able to find for its positions in custom, civil Jaw, tradition, public opinion and iorms, it rinds its positions threatened instead and abandoned for unwork:lble hum:tnism where every man does as he pleases, where the moral dimension of anything man does is in actual fact denied. The Churm is living in :1 J iaspora, a dispersion. The new diaspora means that God has spread his people evc-rrwhere in a non-Christian and alien The term "diaspora" mt,1ns the scattering of God's p(:o ple in the midst of a hostile environment. This was the form of existence of the Jewish people Jur ing their exiks. The Hebrew equivalents translated "diaspora" (ota<mopa) 1n the LXX all have the sense of the process of "leading away, deportation, or c:xdc:, or of the state of those led deported, or exiled." 33 They are used with reference to the Assyrian, Babylonian, and other deportations suffered b}' the Jews who looked on exile as the divine judgment or curse ( Isa.. 53:8; )cr. 23:24; Ezek. 22: 15). But since, as was previously shown, voluntary emigraIIOm to all parts of the world characterized the Jewish people, the term began to take on the sense of all Jews who lived throughout the world. Only after 70 A.D. and the destruction of Jerusalem did the Jews really become a "homeless" people, a.nc.J the diaspora became something different from what it had been previously. The word is used in the New Testament also. In John 7:35 the Jews use the term in a specifically Old Testament sense when they ask whether Jesus expected to go to the dispersion among !he Greeks. 3 ' Elsewhere in the New Testament
)l The inaugural address of Johannes Yerkuyl, De Taak tier Miuiologie en der .lf,, siviMirc Meiii(Hiick in het Tijdperk van Suerularisatie en Sauularisme (Kampen: J. H . Ko1k. 1Y65) , is rhe clearest and most definitive expression of the relationships of mjssion .uaJ secularism and secularization of our age that l have found . A number of authors have dealt with the concept "diaspora". Fo r a SIUVey of ahr>< viewpoints consult the following: J. Rkhard Shaull, "The Form of the Church in th< MoJcrn D iuspora'' ; F. A. N o cwuod , Ssrrwgers and Exilet; Lewis S. Mudge, The Crmblmg Wulls (Philadelphia: Wesrminstcr Press, 1970), p. 159f.; P. S. Minear, lmJJ:'S o f the Churrh, p. 62 ff.; C. C. West and D. Paton, Tbe Miuionary Churcb, article by D. M. Paton, " The Uitlander tn No Man's Land: The Church in the World", pp. H H For a Roma n Catholic viewpo int see Kurt Rahner. Tbe ChriS/ian Commllmenl. ;1 Sec article fnaorcopa by Karl Ludwig Schmidt in G. Kittel, TU:'NT, 11, pp. '.lhl tll. esp. p. 99. .11 T he word "G reeks" ('EAAfJVlOTa[) is difficult to interpret. Jt may simply mean

B. The New Diaspora

. od D w R that by the time the B 1 (fer wrote to h1s g -son, Dletncll on lOC rm of the Church will have dungc:d beyond insight Bonhoeffer could hardly havde boy wt_ll_ recognttton. . 1 d' 1p to them an red.ictcd the radical ness of the changes. the Ic;tusesTlea mg; t of a P 1e cone P 1 h e rt.>sulted from t 1em. ' the t 1a_t av cd as in some sense Ch ristian has been every ChristiaiiJIIII 10 a soCiety d or' ty eve rvwherc. The growth where abandoned. The Church IS e mtle1 > ' a min I ., . .

c .

. d Tbe M i11ion of GtJJ. PP <)0-9 1. . t r. 11 29 See G . C V u:e om. F I' sbted by Rcsualu ,u cr . l f( L 1/<!rJ all J /' 'upars 'ftJI/1 f 11011 11311 . 30 DietriC h Bon >oe er, e . . 1.J "1'huu..t115 ,,n the lhpo:im ol ! 66 Ill ScCt U.Hl COl li C <)67 ) o (London: SCM Press. 1 J.p. F . I I. Churrh in Modem P D.W.R.''. J. ttichard Shaull , T orm 0 1

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the word is used in James 1:1 and I Pet. 1:1. Here :1gain, one's UJlderstanding of the term is dependent on one's viewpoint as to the recipients of the letters. 1 they a.re Jewish Christians, the term is used in its nonn:U sense anJ the reference is to the Jewish diaspora. lf they ;u<: written to Gentile Christians, it luis a figurative, Christian sense. 36 Regardless of whlt position one takes relative to the meaning of the texts, the persons addressed :m: Christians :1nJ :ore in fact said to be living in dispersion. The term was co01rnonly used, however, I)Jllong the post-:1postolic fathers in reference to the Christian church. 30 Minear prefers to take the term "Jiaspor:1" and view it in relalion to oth.:r imagcs such as "exiles," "citizens," "ambassadors." He points out that the scattering of the shlocp of the flock ends with their being gathcrc::J by :"fessiah, a.nd tJ1at Caiapha.s prophcsicd Ul:lt "J L-sus should die . . . to gath.:r mto the childreil of God who a.re scatterl:.i abroad" (John The tde.l of gathering rather than is more emph.tSizeJ in the New TcstJ.tUenr (Mark 6:31fl.; .M.ltt. 26:}1-}}; 28:16-20). Mine:lr also observes th.1t the m.L>ter irruge wJ..S the exodus of Abraham from H.1r:1n and the exoJus oi lsrad from Egypt, "kinls of exile that always followed upon God's elt:etion 3 nd lllways sought the fulfillment of his prom1sc: ( Hc:b, 11:8-28). ll was this kind of pilgrimage tlut became a necessary corollary of promise anJ clection to early Christians. They htld bt:en as a company of exiles; t.hcir _cOI.tunon declio11 made them tcnt-dwdlers and crealc ; d among thc:m a fdlowshtp m the Promised Land a.s their go:d.'' Perhaps bec;luse term had bt:CI)me a technical term .unoug thc Jews and :1 senst: of pridt: acconap:tnied its usc: sufficient explanation why it Jid not find immc::diate widt-:.prt.W t:mploymcnt in the early church. Sch01idt remJrks tb.lt rhe d1.1.>pora of hrJd m.1de it impossible for the Jew; tn be txtermlnJtcd at one stroke. 30 The Christi.m Church w.LS born in di:tspora. The SC.IItered when tlu: ShepberJ was smatten (Matt. 26:31; Ze.:h. 13:7), were g1therc:J ag.Un by living :IIld risen Savior in Gnlileee (Matt. 26:32), as he had thl'fll. The

jews rc:siding among the Greek., \lr it 1113Y mt'lln the Greeks in which. case the won! G red.s wouiJ be cquivnlent to the 111t:3nlll)l ... Sec K. L. Srlunidt 61CX01topa, in TIJ?NT, ll, pp. I 011 02; also article EA.AllV by Hans Windisch in G. Kittel, TWNT. Jl , pp. SOI-St6; see :1lsn Muctl Simon, St. St<[tiJI.'II .wd tb<! J-1<!1/eniJII (Lomllln, York, Tumn111: _"lll.l Co, l\IS6). SuackBcllerbcck, K umlllr!lllllf, 11. p. 5411. j ohn 7:35 10 mc:ln Jew, .unong du'

Grc:t!ks.

;s Sec the discu.\.\aon in G. Ki1td, 7'11"NT, II. p. tU2.

36 lbul., p . HH; P. S. Maneu, p. 62. 272 n 18. where Man<Jr rcfc:rs h> c:.:..;y or w. c. Urmil.:, QJII J. N. r.JII (The Hab"Ue: Marunu:. Nijhof. 1959), pp. 33-4). Van Unruk .rrrtY of allusions 10 lhe church lhc: Omspora, anti JJngcr of rtus d ement in e-arly Chrisuan thinking." 37 P. S. Minear, lmu,;ct, pp. 6063, esp. p . 62. 38 Ibid., p. 62. 39 See G. Kitrel. TWN1', ll. p. 100,

first great ingathering was from Jews :IIld proselytes from around the Mediterr.lnc:.ln basin who had come from the lands of the Oiaspom to the feast in Jerusalem (Acts 2:9). lt was onJy a short while after the bcgillfling of the Christian Church that a great scattering of the followers of The Way took place m the persecutions that followed hard on the death of Stephen ( Acts 8:1). Tbe .1postles remained in Jerusalem, however, while believers sought refuge in the regions of Judt:a and Samaria. There was a new aspect to this dispersion, however. The forced exiles from the Promised Land in the days before Christ were abroad .lS God's judgment nga1ost their sins (Lev. 26:3}; Jec. 13:24; Lun. 4:16; Ezek. 24:6). The purpose of tlle scattering abrood of the Early Chun.:h is difft:rt:nt : this is 1101 u scattc:ring of a people without unity; it is a Jispersion of a fcllowshp with whom Christ promises to remain to the end nf tl1e 11ge. The New OlUrch was scattered in the service of the Go)pd. for who were scattered went about preachting the word' (Aets The Church w;ts founded in Jude.t aud GJ.lilet- and Sa.rnari.1 (Acts 9:31) 1> .1 result of and l:ly chat t1me converts could .Uso L>c numberc:J in lyJda, Joppl, Damascus, Caesarea. and even in the court of Queen <...Jnuace of l::thiopia (Acts IU7). The Christian Church still lives in diapora. But it is a diaspora with a purpose. There is a kinJ of irreversible! direction in the course prescribed for the Church. The whulc: program of God is moving toWllrd tl1e cre-.1tion of a. n.:ality whidl wiU be in :m:urdance with lhc promise. The Lord of the b:U:Vt'St as pc::titioned to 'thrusr out laborers into thr: harvest" in order to gather in the gr.1in from fields that arc aln:aJy white (Matthew 9:38). The whole diaspora ul the OlUrdl can only b.: understood in terms of its mission -a going forth from its centraJ authority Wlder commission, and to return ag.Un when at the: c:nd of the .tgc the mission ot the Great Apostle is completed. The Church's ,Jiaspora is its being sene out by Christ. The gathered ones go out to gather yet others. The significance anJ purpose of the Christian diaspora is to be found an its mjssion dimension. The seed that is scattered bears thirty, forty, even one hundred times more groins at harvest. The use of thr.- term "diaspora" is not new in ecumenical cirde:s, but it is being used in dlfierent ways. To some the term describl-s the scattering of the Christians in the world during the week as over against their gathered life Jn the Church Ocl Sunday. It also is taken to mean not only that the individual is dispc:rsecl but that the Omrch too is in :1 diapora situation. 40 Hans Weber expresses U1e opinion tl1at the Church between Christ's ascension lll,f coming has rwo forms of c:xistence: th.at of ecdesia (the assembly), and tl1at of the diaspora (the Karl R:lhner looks upon the concept

.j()

-11

Thu> M. R. Shaull, ''The Form of the 01urch", p. 5. 1-bns ReucliWtber in C. C. West, tl al., Tbe Miuiortury Churrh. pp. 109-t tO, "Tioe Marks of An Evange lizing Church."

216

217

of the diaspora as an essential, a "must," which he equates with "necessity" in the sense of the New Testament term f>et. He says, Insofar as our oudook is really based on today and looking tomorrow. the present situation of Christians can be characterized as that uf a diaspora; and this signific:s, in terms of the history of salvation, a "must," from which we may and must draw conclusions about our behavior as ChriStl..lll) . ... exists everyUibrrt in this world and everywhere as a dia1pora.i:l However, Rahner also says that the desire of the church must alw:tys be not to be :1 diaspora, tha.t this remains the obligntion of every Christian, anJ is a desire wbidl cannot fail to inspire apostolic activity of witness, both passive and active. "When the church begins to be a church of all the heathen, she also begins, everywhere, to be a church among tile hl'ltben." 43 This is not necessarily a setting down obstinately in spite of everything, for speaks out Slfongly agninst "a kind of obslioate, pseud<rheroic upostolate UHtt refuses to shake the dust from 1ts and go into another city when the message Luis on dc-Jf ears." The work of Christ is always a sign of contradiction anJ ptrSt.-ru lion, anJ Christ's victory is coming when in judgment he gathers up world history 1nto its wholl)' unpredictable and unc:xpected end. Surrounded by nonOlristinns and hence living in a culture, state, anlidst political movements, economic activity, arts, and science which are not conJucred simply and solely by Christians, the Christian today finds his faith under constant .lttack from without. The negalive influence such a culture exercises on the Christian's lift brings it into almost unavoidable conflict with his Christian mor3lity. 13ut it is also rrue that an10ng the dangers that confront the Church in its diaspon situation is that ir is tempted to withdraw from involvement in society into itself. When this happens, Christiaoiry is no longer a religion which is a matter of d1oice and growth. The d1allenge to discipleship confronts thost' who can boast a heritage from the fathers as well as those who art' nor J people of God. Each person must be won to live his life under the Lordship of Jesus. The Church in U1is way becomes a church of positive missionary spirit, not waging battles in ueas where its energies are wasted, but to live witness in tile community where it has been set. The tcmptat1on IS to look wtth dt-spcration and even fright for some way to ma.intain our old systems, find refuge in new techniques and evangelistic movements, while the forms of existence for the Christian community which ought to be devclopmg in its dispersion escape it. The glob:tl trend to increasing seculari:tation of life bas led to an unprt"Cedented secular diaspor.t as well. The number of technicians, educators, artists, scientists who constitute this secular diaspora has had an effect on the Christian
K . R3hner, Tlu Cl1rillian lbid., pp. 1819, .til Ibid., p. 14. 42

mission. Unfortunately, in such a secularizing society the Churdl has often models for its missionaries. Even though the individual dJsc.Jples m the1r secular caJlings must work in a way appropriate to their c.1l!mg. Utey be saiJ to fuJfiU their Lord's sovereign will nor to be 10 obcd1ence to him unless tht.'Y have an underlying and intentional splClrual purpose. The task of every dispersed believer is dearly ethical spicituaJ ' ' theologicul, whate-ver the form of the: work he does.45 It is regrettable that the lesson has not yet been !L-amed that for this task fait? in promises of our Lord is retJuired. Jt is his promise, I .Uways you, that makes alle the difference and whidl changes the . 1de-.1 d1aspora from th:tt of being scattered into that of being gathered. hum v1ewpou1r of the society the 01urch is indeed "everywhere." The K1ngdom of God (whiCh IS not to be taken in the sense of the Church) Jppear) everywhere when the seed is broadOlSt over all kinds of soil the of the. scnttering in every one of the parabolic illustrations Jesus' uses 1t1 dlustr:ue tlus truth is to gather unto himself. The great ha.IVest wiU take pla,ce ;'hen comes again. It is this rootlessness from the present world .lllJ .tll('lr as a living, f ruit-bcaring brandl to the vine gives the un1ty. If no place Oil earth is truly home, if the Christian Yl)oples. l1kc: in tents "in the land of promise, as in a fordgn 11:9), 1f fmal loyalty is to no earthly power, then the real Cltllensh1p the Christian is in the Kingc.lom of GoJ, and the Churd1 by its nature IS composed of chl.racteristic of the People of stldom comes to express1on m rhc tndit1onal, historic established forms wh1ch the Church has evolved and under which it has chosen to live. The parish structure of the Churd1 is almost entirely determined by the of as Hans Ruedi-Weber has shown. Today, however, the ts .looke? upon as 1uork, which in many cases no longer Wll.h J1mens1on o_f place. The evolvement of (or return to) mobile chansmata s1n11lar to those of the Early Churd1 is proposed by Weber a.s a pJrtial soluti1.1n to this challcoge. 4T

:un.

However, from. the viewpoin.t of the work of Christ the People of God are uot but JOined ro The sheep are in the fold, If the believing commun1ty ll!td no center, 1t would likely be impossible to survive. Because

p. 11.

43

more fully developed by David M. Stowe, "Changing Pauerns Today's World " , Praoiral AmbroJologJ, XVII (May-June 1970), 107 118. In J u cent report an Puerto Rican families in the Northeastern sector of the United States J found 11 >OCiologist using the term diaspor to mean "migration SCJ.Ilrring" in :t pUidy secular sense. ' 16 F .. A: Norwood, Slraf1gus and Extll!l, p. P. S. I m.:zgu, pp. 61-62. lt """' at Wtlllngen that the church was fitst dcsignnted as the People of God which "'cs 10 tents and carries out iu minisuy until he comes. 17 In "The Marks of an Evangelizing ... C. C. West, The JlfiJJion11ry Ch11"h pp. 101t t G. I
.J)

01 M1 ssunary

tn

218

219

Christ is its shepherd, the flock is free from harm and inviol11te from ravenous wolveh in sheep's clothing. This is a covenant relationship, confirmed in 1\n oath sworn by God in his own Name, for there is none greater than he.

C. The Nt!w CrisiJ

The believing community today is f requtndy divided around two pole). There is a segment wihtin the Churclt that wants the Oturch to bc:eome deeply involved in the issues of the day. Some of these pc:ople are rc-.1Jy to sacrifice the tr.lditions, heritage and forms of the Church in Jlt.tining thi) involvement, writing off the trad1tional churches as irrelevant and )tultefying. Another segment of the people of God cherisht"S traditionll forms and (ormu lations so much that any propostd change is looked upon as disorderly anJ threatening, as a denial of the faith :1nJ abandonment of the purposes of GoJ in Chri!>t for his pt"'ple. The re-sult is a poluization within the Church which tragically limits its effectiveness and the accomplishment of its tJSk. \X'htn Christians attack one another, they uselessly expc:nJ time and enc:rgr whu.:h is not being dirc:cted to their central task. The way out of the dilemma posed by this unfortunate polarity must lie in the direction of a proper, Scriptur:Uly oriented understanding of our n.:sponsibility and opportunity for tht exercise of a prophetic ministry to t.ht: presenc age. The ChurCJ\ Joe:. not exist for itself, nor may it be made synonymous with the Kingdom of God. There is no way of getting so involved in our world 11s by missions. Certain falst assumptions must be JiscardcJ when believers miJve forward along those those lines. For one thing, they do not have to invent a new message different from the old. There is only one Gospel, just as "there is only one Name under heaven, given to men, whereby we must be savr:d .. (Eph. 4:5; Acts 4:12).
We are not called to say something never said or to do somethin_!: never done before. To be sure, we are called to be imagin.wve anti creauvc. but we Jo not have to create something out of whole cloth.-'li

Tht:re are, as assumed abovt, cr:rtain b:Lsic, und1anging elements in this task. The Lordship of Y:U1weh ovcr all creation must be continually asserted. and life are found in God alone. When men are either individually or collccttvely confronted with God's daims, a crisis of decision is created. The must be spelled out in terms of obedience to and rejection of God's cl:ums over men. Men must be compelled to choose, to come in that God's house may be iull. God never leaves rnll!l a valid option not to choose life; God's appeals and call arc always imperatives for man. The tradition received through prophcts and apostle. is as indispens:1ble for today's people of God in tht 1r proclamation as it was for Jesus in his d:1y when he announced the arrival of God. uf the This shoulJ not be huwc:vr:r, to that the old order must be in its cntirtty ac all cost. Whatever is saiJ to men, whatever "burdens" arc: placnl on them, fi()t be juJged in teems of whether or not tht"Se are rhe t!Jings Christ hirnsc:lf commanJc.:d. This calls for ureful discernment. The child of God exposes false: discernments. How mulh more: glorious would many plSt and chapn:rs of rcuemptive history have bt"t"n if only the Church had hc:edeJ thiS guud coumd lind sought in the Holy Spirit "to l(!y upon [men] no greater bwden than necessary things" (Acts l5:28). Under such circum.stam:es the Church could not be accused at is has been by Mgsr" Ivan lllich of Cuernavaca, Mexico, of t-ultur;d imperialism in its missionary work. Fr. lllich crusades continually for the withdrawal of all North American missiona.ry personnel from L3tin America lx-cause they are "ultimately salesmen for the middle clnss Aml!rican way of lifc." 40 Ann with John Mackay we are . .. deeply with statements from Cbina Jnmentiog the fact that we Jld not in time give the Church a theology and a true doctrine of the missiunnry obligation. The f1rst full-orbed doctrine wbich the Chinese have received is Marxism. We did not give them a doctrine of the church in the purpose of God. Let us not make the same mistake in ocher parts of the world while there is still time.60
It is time :Uso to reconsider our ecclesiastical imperialism in missionary efforts. lt is not unconunon to defend withdrawal from evangelistic responsibilities on the bJSis of mission theories whid1 insist on self-support, selfgovernment, and self-propagation, only to replace this with an insistence on for the emerging church by means of schools and the duty to provide: seminarie-s established for this purpose. What has not always been admitted is th3t this is the one )ure way that is left to guarantee a large measure of control over much of the future dt'Velopment of these churches. Therefore, while are trained in Wc:stem-oriented courses in theology, liturgy, and pol1ty, they have not been provided the means whereby the Church itself can
49 }0 D. M. Stowe:, "Chansing Patterns of Missionary Service," p. 112. N . Goodall, U11der the Cross, p. n9.

In addition, the message the Christian proclaims is not his private faith. l-Ie has the support of a gre3t community that has preceded him and into labors he has entered (John 4:38) as well as the great company of witnesses ( Heb. 12:1). H is ministry is grounded in the commission received from Christ himself, and whatever results from his faithful labors will be brought forth l>y him to lhe glory of God (II Cor. 2: 14-17). The true disciple has the responsibility and the urgent task of handling the tradition received from Christ ("whatsoever I have commanded you" - Matt. 28: 19) in ways wluch address it relevantly to the new crisis situation.
48 W. Bnaeggemann, Tradi11on for CriJis, p. 114.

220

221

spt.':ik relevantly to its own Situation and This is a tragic injustice to t-he Spirit of God who is given ''for the common good" (l Cor. 12:7). The one
ough t not to be done and the other left undone.
It wa.s practically a disenfranchsc:ment and subonlination of younger churches that they wc:re nor trained for the sprc:aJing of the Kingdom of Cod and admitted to it by the: mission. They were deprived of doing mission work as if the Kingdom of Cud were Jc:pc:ndent on the proof of a certain levd of culture! In this way the mission had to appear as the prcrogatavc oi the older Christianity .llld therewith as the churthly cxpansaun of the Westt:rn

Now the believing communi ty is quite aware of the demllnds of God b confused with roman tic morality and pietutic oods have: bcc:n perverted so that they do not go beyond 8 ..an st aytng pure:. But the dem:tnds of God which come out of ouc tradaton do not goodness so much as involvement. The do oot s ak of cburdly obligations but of investment in the secular commuru y ry .63 pe of_ ljfe today the gifts of every person in the believing 1P arc:. esscnual 10 the functioning of the whole. The community of conslttuted of prophet-members, some of whom are set a art b ofrdm:lliOn for special functions anJ possess skills and training pc-culiarp to th y uocttons . set apart in his baptism and is provided with ese all h k. But 1 e very Ch mtutn IS tChe 5. 11_5 n_eedeJ for today s d1allenges. Karl .R;umer insist on the fact that any nsttan JS
. . . :to apusde by the of his Christianity and at II r d . U pi An Cf tmes an 10 a aces. . y mst.un _ CJn be an on the basis o( any Christian situation All IS c:ssc:ntiJI IS thJt he: should have a riht discernmnt of h' . actu.tl Ch f . o , a .s own ns _'Jil aon. Tlus means i!postolato: as the: identification of our nstlan wath our prc:,cm situation, whatever that may be.6'

world.011 The irony of the situation is that such a misconstruction of the m1SS10nury t:1sk is a serious f.Uiure to grasp the point of the: tradition. The Church's eHeL tiveness is determined by the fact whether it makes discipk-s who serve in the Kingdom for such :1 time a) this or whdher it nukes of atself .1 gho)t town where history h:1s stopped since the demise or departure of the last citizen. The more parochial notions of what is really essential are not always in r.orrespond ence with the world of crisis in which the Church lives and to whit.:h it ministers, The real task of tht: witness of Christ is to en.1ble men to be obc..-dient within the context of covenant, to make tht: cuvcn;u1t rt:lc:vant, and to let the tradition toud1 totlay's situation in a life-giving way. This is not always e.J.Sy since tlw implications of covcn.tnt life are not always and it cannot always be said with the kind of defininmcss wt: would like what the life must be like in the prL-seot. The rt:cord of tht: p3st 1s crystal dcttr concerning God's grilouus and l1berating deeds in the past; to assert the same thing as positively in the present is difficult. One God 's continuing work of grace when he walks the way of obedience:. The stipui:Hions of the covenant .ue one of its gracious dclllents; God h.1s not left his people in the d.trk concerninb his expectations from them in their coven.tnt life. Cod declares whM we must Jo if we would w:tlk in covenant wah him. The author served (wm 1956 1960 as u mts,ionary in Ceylon and served the churches in th<' Northccmral and Northwestern Provinces. One thing d<-eplr improscd me: how irrelevant so much of tr:ulition3l Rdormed Tlwi)IOSY wAS to pc:ople and their situation, nod how .eldom thi' theology spoke to their re:al needs. .. the lfUC>tions that concern !>atan, the dcm<>ttS, angels, are not of concern, nor do th<:y rccei\C: mudl aucntion in the \\/c:st. These were: linng IS>UC> tO the Christian) of thr:se arcJs, surrounded as they were by animism and the continual o( the spiritual realm. Among the greatest joys that we cxpcrienceJ to proclaim to men the victory o( Christ over the powc:rs and tbe shack1es of silvery to demcntaJ spirits bn1kcn by Christ. This is a chuptc:r of Reformed Theology thJt h1ts still not been wriuen, and perhaps which cannot writtc:n by the West. When the "Five Points 1)f Cllvinism" were preached to these people, they often responded with the quesdon, "What's the issue?" Missionaries nod pastors were SC!atching wh<:rc it Jidn't ildll 52 G. F. Vlcedom, T bt Miuion uj God, p. H4.
51

Ch .

When it is understood that GoJ is ;tt work in and with his people ( Ph' ! present as the Lord of life and musr be brought under control and sway: t:Jucation work' rt"Creat ann, theology, . nussann The t:tSk o f mtSSIOII , . .s to brang . ' lll . 1 home: to his d:um on thetm :Hid to challengt: them to walk the road

2:l3; Mark 16:20) and is

bcb aplprodJchd with a comprthemi\'e m<.'losage so that .ty c 1ve to GoJ The _, . wh'ch th Ki d ,,)c:nce of t 1 IC tot:u experJeoce I IS _e ng om oi_ God is God as power and Spint. The rule of God over men mvolves _ the gft of the: Spirit. The divine pur osc in callin hi5 people to make tltscaples is nothmg less than the divine: willpto g the life and , f . . . . . tr:tnsmJ t to men d' . J b po\1 er o the Spmt. MtSSIOn IS essentially tr.lnsmission ("make ISCJp es, npuze, teach"). Unfortunately all too often a articular lt form ulati ons, church politics, denominationa l h one's bnulli of Christi:tnity have been transmitted when witnesses aave on preaching Jesus Ouist and disciplesh . hi These other things have their place aud cannot be esca eel beca IP m m . lf the of the Churrh. Not to value that herit1'ge ;.re hiC"ssmgs whiCh ha\e come through them But the transmission :,. tt IS not rh<'. goJJ of the llliSSinnary tJsl.:. The is to rnake d'sc When age 1 1 I cbc th tt s d P c:s. .arever t one must this one S"'at purpost. fiut since Christ does not

B Druc:ggemlnn, Tr.u1111011 for Cmir, p. 139. >-i Kul Rahnc:r, T/JI! Chriui.lll Ill tbt Marlut PI (New York: Shcc:J and ,. G .au, trl.nslutcJ br Ccci ly Huuings ) crman tatlc: St111lung 1mJ Grulde. 1966 P

'!

223

222

live in abstraction but in his people, the task of the miss1onary becomes t11at of creating the conditions in whid1 the believing community can experience the fulness of the life of the Spirit, of making real the blessings of God's universal covenant. Both as individuals and as society m:ullcind is stili faced with t11e fundamental issue: God meets man as his Creator in history, and man must dloose whether he will live in covenant ( dlowsJ1ip with his GoJ. As man faces God he hcJn God "Where are you?" In grace God tdls him where he can be; he: cells and assures him that life is possible in place of death. He announces tllar a covenant by which he wills to restore man to full fellowship has been fulfilled in Ouist. .And every mJn dlooses. God says, Therefore choose life that you and your descendants may Jive, loving the: LORD your God, obeying his voice and deaving to him; for that means life to you (Oc:ur. 30: 19,20).
Get yourself n nc:w he.lrt and a new spirit! Why will you J1e. 0 house: of Israel? For I have: no pleasure in the death of .toy one, says the: LORD God; so turn and live (.Ezek. 18:30,31).

Abbreviatiom

BT EMM HUC.A

=
-

Babylonian Talmud

= Evangelische Missions Mag:uin

Hebrew Union College .Annual

IRM
JAOS

= International Review of Missions = Journal of the .American Oriental Society

)BL

= Journal of Biblical Licerature

= Jewish Encyclopedia

JE
JR JT
LXX
NEB

= Journal of Religion
Jerusalem Talmud

= Sepcuagint
= New English Bible

NTSt RSV SBTh

nz
1WNT
ZATW or Z.AW ZThK

= New Testament Studies = Revised Standard Version = Studies in Biblical Theology = Theologisd1e Litcracuneitung = Theological Dictionary of the New Testament = Zeitschrift fiir die .Alttestamentliche Wisseoschaft = Zeitschrift fur Theologie und Kirche

224

225

Bibliography

For che convemence of English the translar1ons of publications have been includeJ wherever possible. Only chose works :lCtually cited in the footnotes :ue Ustc:d here.

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238

239

Index of Scripture R e ferences

G ENES IS 14, l\1, 22, 23, 31, 111 40, 141 I) I :3 1 I) 2:15 15 2: 16, 17 17 }:18 170 3:21 167 8 :2 1 19 v-10 :22 21, 24 v ll :6-8 2 1, 22, 23. 1}1, 178 12 18, 22, 24 12 . I 12 : I-} 19, 22, 2), 28, 167 23,32 12 :3 27 ,, 12 :5 67 12 . 10 21 14 : 13 162, 178 15 16. 1 67 162, 178 17 32 17 : 1, 9 177 l7 :7 102, 103, 104 07: 12, 13 27 17: I} 22. 28 , 167 .-'11.1 : 17, 18 162 22 : 14 22 : 18 22, 23, 28 , 167 22 26:4 28 26:5 22, 28 28 : 14 204 32 10 62 - _1),}3 29 \-1 27 .,6:40 37 :2) 67 180 II 40, 44 67 46:} 49 ) 97 EXODUS 16 s . 1. 2 16 9 . 16 46 12:29 41 12 :311 44 12 :43 12:48 29. 16, 103. 104 45, 46 12:49 3 18 :27 206 19 :36 206 19 :5 104 19 : 10 178 20 II 20 :2
20 :5 , 6 20:10 20:14 22:21 23 :7 2}:9 2} : 12 24:) 24:8 29:111

48 46, 102

7:7, 8 9 :4, 5
IO:D

23, -13 47 206 44 46 14 46 46 37, 39 43

50 11, 45
168 41 46 104 104 167 101 105 46 46 46 -16 -16 46 HI 41, 42, 46 46 44 46

'

lEV1TlCUS 1 .:? I :3 16 :29 17:8 17 . 10 17: 15 18 :26 19; ll) 19 :H-25 19 :34 20:2 20:20 22:18 23:9 23:22 24:22 25:6 25:23 26:12 26:33 27:26 NUMBERS

14 :2 14 .21 14 :28 15:} 16 ; 11 16: 14 17 20 : 1011! H:21 24 : 19 25 : 1 26 :5 26:5-9 28 :9, 10 28 64 29:11 )0:3 30 : 19, 20 }2:& 32 :17 JOSHUA 2:1011
)

8 :41 9 :26, 27 10: 11, 15 10 :22 10 :27 II : 18 12 :2630 15 : 14 II KINGS 4 :23 II :4

55
)9

59 59 59
4} 50
61:1

PSALMS 2 :I 16 : 10 17 .ll IR.49 22:27 24 : 1, 2

203 182 196

55 S5
16
))

48 :5, 6 49: 1 49 :2 49 :6 49 : 12 51:10

)2

1.54 34 56 128 60 132

n :s

)2:7

44
46 168 24, 32. 196 37 190 7) 97
]j

15 :4
17: 11, 26 23 : 13

78 71

68
43 43

I CHRONICLES II ::?6-4 7 II :46 21 : 18-22:1

II CHRON1ClS

42 42

50
42

224
18, 44 18

2: 17
6 :6 6 : 1-1 7:79 7:1122 ...... 7 :32, 33 8 :27 9 :8 9 : 11! 17 :9 30 EZRA 6:9 7:14-16 7:20 7:24 7 :2), 26 9:1 9:11 NEHEMIAH 8 :8 9:3-7 9:6 ESTHER 8 :9 8 : 17 J OB 12 :2

50 17
124 17
17

44
46 46 46 41

17

29, 30, 104

48 42, 44 41 46 24 , 32 41 10}, 107 42 130

17 : 10 )) :6 67 611: 13 69 :9 72:8 74 8 82 86:9 96 : 1 102: 1 s 104 :24 110 : 1 115 : 11 13 11 7 11!1 ;4 135 :4 l}l :30 136 :<1-9 117 :2 PHOVERBS 22: 17 -23: 11 ISAIAH I : 16-20 2 2:2-4 5:23 11 : 1 II :9 II : 10 II : 1016 18 : 1 , 19 .J9 : 19 24 :H 2) :6, 7, 8 27 : l .,-' 27 : 12 42 : I ' 42 :6 44 :22

27 55

H
)} :4, 8, 12, 19 H :5 H:8 )3 : 10

56, 198
164 152 215 167 107
H

56 56

55 55
IS?
}}

79 161!

,, :4, )
H :6 )6 :3

54 :15

55
77. 208 156

55
55

56 :7
60 :3 61:1 63: 19 66:18 JEREMIAH 3: 12 3 : 17 4 : 14 7:11 9 : 12 16 10 :25 12:15 13 : 17 16:9 17 : 16 23:1 23:24 29:1-7 31: 10 3 1 :3 1, 33 31 :3 137 3S :9

55

50
1, 149

15

190

89

55
1)2 130 75
3l

55 89
206 89 38 50

IH
55 55 217

"

7:1

8 :3}

59
17 17 78

46
75, 217 101
129 97 190 46 42 168 37 46 46, 104 46 46

9
20 :9 24:2, 3 JUDGES I :16 RUTH 2 : 12 I SAMUEL 2 : 17 7:6 II SAMUEl

67

50
lUI

130 19
)1,

55 H
U2 21) 75

55, 56
181 168

4
) :7, 8 6 :22-27 9:11 10 :2932 14 : 18 14 : 19 1) : 14, 26 1):1 ), 29 1, : 10 19 : 10 22 :35 3):14

124 124

'

72

96. 124
110

56 50, )6
51 132 67 67, 110

56
176, 177 97 78 78

110

39:8
41 :5

5 ;II, 12
7 : 1316 8 :49 II :3 22 :1) 23:37 I K INGS 8 :32 8 :38

n
39 42 44 42 42 168 62

85
130 17

68
110 169 IH 67, 132 132

LAMENTATIONS 4 : 16 EZEKIEL

217

54
46

5 :)
13 : 18 14 :7 16 : 10, 13 18 :30, 31 20:41 22 :7

DEUT ERONOMY 4 :27 ):1-1 6 : 10 7 :6

40
46 30 206

64 103

34
162 1)3 17 l7

50, 158 68
46 60 224 167 42

45
205 46

240

241

22:

22:29 24:6

42
217 152 1)2 152 130

l-1 :7 14:16 MALACHI

I : lO

152 140

34
't4:5 34:6, 11 36:2517 40 1 -1-1 :9 47: 22, 2\ OANit:l 6 II 7:')11
- , IU, !6

56
111

uo

44

1:11 }:1 15 .] :5. 6

56. 13:! 159

132

MATl'IIEW
I H

7: 1"1. 1-1 1 : 14 " : 2621! ) :11\) AMOS 2 \ 1 :6 11 6 : 11 7.I 9 :7 OUAD IAII 21 JON All I :9, Ill MICA II 1 : 1-1 7 : 17111 HADBAKU K 2 11 ZF.PIIANIAH 3 .') 3:15 HAGGA I 1 : 1'1 1 :9 ZF.CHAn t t\1-i 2 :1\ 2 : 11

(,2 171 17 1 171

IIIII

171 I >0

181 I \(\, a}l. n' ! 1}0, \ 6, II. I "1, 16 131. 132 131 \ :7 1}0, :812 1\0, 1:\1 196 3 :II 109 3 : 14 198

2, \, \)4, 119, 110, 122, l-l5 207 2\:37 I 57 IP. 111, 209 21 . 1-1 I 52, 211\ 26 . 13 216 16. HH 216 16: \2 131, 1711, 179 :!k 146, 1'\, 216 !II 1610 2K 11110 11, 1:!. \\, Hill, 109. II\, l-15. 171.

! : 10 2 : 12 2 :30 32 1 :311. 25 1:52 ' :6 "1 :7 , 16

: 2}

112 121! 170 128 129 1)0 130 129 16 I, 19S 1'19

4 :34
4: 5 :8 5 : 1!1 7 : 16 10, 113, 215, 7:}R, 't9 8 : 111 8 : 12 10 : 1 101

't : jll

I ' ll! I 1'), 11

' Ill

H,, I'" PO.

.,.

...... I!Ill, 176. I RI. 11'. "'

., 1-\,

135
112 5 80, !19 1 1n 119 11!1 I )0
1'1)

tu .n

19

ltJ

Ill} Ill\, 1111, lttR, 190. 1'.)1, 19\, Hll '.). 1111, 1\H

- ..1 , ' y l
I) !

',) .1tl
'J . Sl

10 . 16 10 : 17, Ill II A3 II .4952 II ) I, 52 12 ' 2026 a2 :n

12 :41

I H.

12. 160,

,r,
%
\7 , )6

\ : 17
I :2)

I.) I

1: 1 7 :24 11 :7 1-1.10, I I ') :36 9 :}8 10 : 1 10 :2 10 :6 10:8 10 .j() II :2, II . 28 12 : n I \.111 I} .H. u nH I'IA7 : 1211

137 198
2 14

MARK
I :} I ' 9

I 1\0, 198

10 . 10 Ill : 17 10:19 I I : 1\ 11 ; " 11 :22, 23 I :2' I '.I , IU

1') ;-1(,

1.\ : 16
I) : 2()

109 100

160
152 117 150 14, 185 1H 1-19 182 15\ H2 211 214 211 114 116
IH

110

17

1. 1-1 1 I) I 1()12 -I II I ; B, q 6 :7 6 :H 6 . \1-" ,__ 1-:!\

1\7 1?>7 146 1\8 1\9 216 IH 116 I) !I 1-1\ 1211 14? I\\ , 16' 1\6, I an 13:! IH D7 'I l"'l. 1117 181, 1116. 189 11-1. liB
11\

1\3, IM ltl 1\8 2ll7

14 :26 16 32
17

I
156
I i:?, I;)
I} I

55,
I \ll

, 27
') : :!.

20 : H-I :!0 :9 20 :.!1 22 ' 2'

:! \ t

1-11

5
179 I 200 171, 1'19 IR\

9 \1
IU }ll

II I ) 19

1-10

II 22 11 ' 2"-H 12 I 13
" 21 1-1 ()\, 6-l 16 16 .11 16 : 1 16: 1 16 : 17 16 : 1\) 16 20

21 N :2527 2-1 :46-49 24 44-H JOHN

I

17 ; 1-) 17 : I 17:20, 21 ltl ;28 111 :36 19 :2\, :! II 19 2810 2() 20: ' 7 20 11, 22 20 :31 ACTS 1: 1

169.

1'19 220 142 5 149 1'19 216 161 160 128 152 185 170 170 1)2 112 H 216 161, 170 170 149 150 149 196 170 17 1 170 170

100 H 170 176 179 170 17of. 1113. 199 191

"

I !I'

201
)1

6:6
8 :2() 9 :9 10 : 1<1, ll t; :7

1%

12, " 116. I) :21! 1" :2 11! :211 2.1.12. I i I \2, l a :H n 21 :33 2 1 :-Ill, II

1':!

'

1 '9 I 26
I :II

l:!ll 1211 130 no. 1}1, 133

1!8 185 156

I) I

l.i'
132 t6l) 62

132

11

22\

55
1\2 2 16

22:2
22 21 23 :2

LUKE
I ; 1..1

')0

I ,\ I 2 . !\!! 16 3 \ 17 22 4 : 13 1 :2 1 :2 1 .. :2 1-21

no

156, 1'7, 161 1%, 161 1-19 134 IU. 190 196 1n

174 I : \ll 160 15 11'. 181. 196, 200 I :8 108 2 217 2 :9 2 :911 93 20 2:16 2:17, If\ 209
2:20
2 :2 1

I:}

179 90 137

109
197 161 167 1112

2:23
2 :21 2:27

.t .n

20 2:29 2:32, 33 180, 199 2 :}4, 35 37 II, 180, 194, 197 2:36 190, 197 2:38 100 2 :39 2H 2 :42 20 3:13 }:17 161 209 3 :24 161 ) ::?5 161 3 :26 220 I :12 6 4 .10 20 4 :2-l 4 ;2).27 203 200 I :27 20 5:30 167 5 : 30. 31 5, 197 5 :; 1-3.1 19 6 208 6:7 206 6 :9 19 7 20 1 :2 217 8:1 217 8 :4 187 8:8 IH 8 : 12 190 8:16 197 8 16 18 217 8 :27 109 I! :\6 208 8 . 31l 209 8 : 19 96. 126 9 : 1. 2 ') 17 197 9 : 18 197 217 9 :31 80, 89 10 :2 100 10 :28 17, 20 IO : H 41 10 .}-1, n 135 10: }7 200 10 :311 100, 208 10 :44 197. 199 10 :4448 109 10 :47 19 ll: 1-3 20, 100 II : 12 II : I 199 109 II :17 II : 18 199. 209 125 II :}0 13 :5() 155 13: 16, 26, 1 ,\ 89

2-1:!

243

13 :17 13 :26 13 :46)0 1):50 14 : I) 11 : 1517 14 :2 1 1) D:9 I .5: 16-18 1) . 17 I ) :2 1 15 :28 16:1-l 17:1-27 17 :22-.H 17 :21 17 :26, 27 17:.) 1 1!:1 :7 111 . 12- 17 19: 17 19 :5 1!):8 20 :l l

20 20 19, 20 91

.j :5

168

20
23
II)

28 20 159

113
8 1, 113 22 1 IJ9, 91 2K, 89, 91 23, t-Il 20 I ), 22 209

4 :<) 1. 11 -1 : 11, H 4 : 1-1, 15 1.111 ) .1 5:4 6 : 1-5 6 :3 6 :36 6 :9-11 8:1 8 21

ti. H 11 .}7

3>
203 203 35 203 207 168 165 164 164 165 166 1

II CORINTHIANS 2: 1+11 3:3 100, 5:17 6 : 16 10 . 17

II : 24

n.

220 176 167 206 182 96. 206

2 :6 2:9 11 2 10, II
! 13

3:2
3 : 18

166 167, 171 2 10 223 206 109

llEBHEWS
I

1 ) 14 2:7, 8
2 : I)

GALATJANS 2 :7 2 : 11 -16 2 : 1} 2 :20 } :8

5
182 207 206
)6
),

3:25
3 26-28
4 :I

9
9: 1
<J : \

-l :.f
\ :)

119
96 197 1\)0 1}7 20, 13) 137 19, 28

! ) - II 10 ' 3

20 :2)
2 1 : 1922 22 :} 22 : 11 22:2 1, 22 24 : 1-1 262
26 : 1')-1 1

3
20 1 9 20 20 19, 141 111, 168 20 96, 126 19 137 182 198

10 :4-21 10:9 10 :I} 10 : 1) l l :I II : 172 1

II

15-1 168 203 190

11

):24 6 :7 G:ll 6 : 15

208 19, 100 206 164, 168 22, 203 167 203. 210 27 ), 127 102 164 109 164 100, 16) 206 2 10 182 192 167 2 10 100 205 167

COLOSSIANS I . I )-20 IIJ2 Jl6 182 J 22 16} 1 :::!6 128 I 27 1211 2 164 2 :2 100 163, 165 2 :91-1 2:10-1<1 133, 163, 164 2 : 15 163 3 :I 100 3 :9 163 3: II 210 3 :25 109 1: 11 143 I THESSALONIANS 2:14 206 2: 16 3 3 :13 100 4 :5 31, 109 II THESSALONIANS 3: 10 118 l TIMOTHY 2 :), 6
1 :6

3 :I 3 16 3 :2 3:7- 11 -1 : 14, 16 U2 6 1 6:4 8 11 : 10 8 : 12 8: 1} 10 :25 II :8- 1() II :828

II :9 II : 12 II : 19, 20 12 : I

173 11, 171, 172 180 167 148, 149 148 148

2: 17 2:25 3:8-12
}:2l

4 :7-9

82 1S2 82, 109 107, 132, 190 82 132 129 197, 198 189 197, 198 191 171

ll PETER 3 :57 I JOHN 3: 1-3 3 :24 4 :4 4 :1} ):13

34
207 109 109 109 177 206 177 177 109
II

26:2.> 2ll : 17, 23 28 :21 2828 28 :3 1

II :26 12 :192 1 11 : 17 IS :81} 1) :26

188 204 204 204 204 107 137, 143 203 12)

EPHESIANS l :3 )0 I :9, 10 I :10 I : 13 I :20 I :2022 2 :t 2 : 1 10

2 :6 2 1219 2.13 2 : 14 2:16-22 2 : 17, 18 2:17-22 2 : 18. 19 2 20. 22 2 :21 3 :4-6 3 J2 4 :S 4 :16 4 ;)0 5 :2 ) :5 6 : 1)

12 :2224
13 : I

13:2 n :4 1}:20 JAM ES 1: 1 I PETI:R 1:1 I :22

I :232)

216 2 19 29 29 220 5 1, H 123. 128 80 109

l)i

7:2 192 7:912 1 II : 1) I, 137, 210 14 :1 51, 192 21 :3 206 21 :22, 24, 26 22:4 192

') : 10

..

REVELATION

l7l
l

I ESDRAS 13:40-43 JUDITH 5:19 14 : 10 I MACCABEES 8 :22 II MACCABEES I :27

61 10 100, 103 72 10

10, 123. 2 16

155
203 100, 160 160, 210 204 160 177
)

ROMANS
I

1.4 I : 16 2 9 2 '9 11 2:1 4 2 : 17 2 :1721 2: 18

US
155 207 206 122 207 207 1)5

I COUINTHIANS t :B 1 :23 9, 2 :1 166, 2:8 3 3 :2 3:21, 23

1:20 6 : 11 7 : 14
!):20

190

}:16

35 100
171

5
167 207 128 109 190 137 19 1 100

II TIMOTHY 2: 19

192

2:2 2 :9. 10

10, 123. 2 16 82 187 100, 109 .32, 47, 128,

1)),

155
132 18 165, L76 177 222 166, 168 182 1110 1n

3:3 3:3, 4
3:9 3:23

155
16. I 168 1611 203 203

10 :2 10 :20 II :2) II :26 12 :7

IS I ) :10 I ) :2428 I ) :24, 51)

177, 207. 208 I)), 205 203 207 166, 220

155
192 167 109 7

3:28
3:30 4

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11

170, 171

244

245

Gc11erul Index
AJrun A 16, 148
lf.

Ill, 22, B, 26. 21, 28, 29, 61, 67, !)), 98, \)\), IOl, l04, t\3, 160, 11\1, 162, 2011, 216 GuJ uf- 28 69

n.

41l

Achar -<14 Acqulllal - 166169 Abm - 16, 62, 101, t-12, 192 AJen - 64 At'lcltJ -"' 2
Af):h.or1 l>l
"'1 (,

AitiC.t - 112, 16() C\l lo\III CS ll, li77 1,

I(,Jdt -

A):rippa - HO, Hll Ai-Ticn - 1>2-63 121 AkxJnckr Jotl111t - 102 Al cxJ nder th e GrN I 60. 61, 67, 101 Al exJndm - 67 , 61l, 7), 114 nf - 79 ' Am - )I Amenupc - 67 AmmoHl M, 98 Ami - 71 Atllt'CcJcnl' 111 Chr. /1ft> sin- 2. 4, 6 Anuoch ( PtsiJta) - 89 Antwch ( S)ri.,) - 67.

- 1211, l-iS, I 16\1, 180, 181, 18), 217 Jewish- 66, 12J-12\, t:n, l-18, 181 Helknl>m - t2S Ncw Tc>l3ment - 126. 127, 14M. 181, IHH Pc:rst.tn - 121, 12), 18(1 S.tnhcJrin - 12\ ArJhiJ -- 4.1. 60, 6-1. 6\ ArJbic. Scnp. -86 ArlmJic-6'. g6 At.tmc:.tn> - 37, IJ2, )6, 66 Ar,.:u> -72 An:.roh .. lu>- 101 Ark nf the Ct1,' t - 176 Arn1tni.tn. Scrip.- 86 Arp.tchsh.J - 19 Art.IXCCXCS - 96. 12l A>et'tiCOl - I Ill As tn.tth - 7 4 A>h.trai - 70 cnntinwt - 41, 61, 6}, 76, 142, 160 Min ot - 60, 66. 7 1, 72.
?-1, 79

J>

1')2, 193 h)' Jcsu> Christ - 170, 1')6-2(1() by Jesus ' I >ll \6, IRI hy Juhn - 106, 129 196198 Chtt>IIJn - 11'.1 136. I 6), I 8 I Ill\, 1')0, 196, 1\lO, HO cunfcto>n uf >tO 198 JtOce>c uf D uM bl - 6 - I 10 Htlld 311,1 ShJutn1Jt un

CkuJu ngul.tti ttn - 11) Cal>j;UI J - 72 {.JJ.J lenSt>, synJj;U/:llt' uf H6 CJIIJJn C.wd,lCe- 217 C.mlpt'll>t'S,
!Ill

c.. lvm -

!Ill

ul

UpC:tiiJUII1 uf - !ill >lll):>):uc u ( - 11\1 C.pp.tJCu - W CJjJII\'11)', llbyl onmn

"I

c ....t ..mh> - 90
laws - 16 Ce)'IIH1- 61. 62 C'lt.llll) - 111, J(ll) CltlltJ - IJU-6 ) , (1), 7 6, 112 C lhU JplJSiy H,111 Jl''""'l' 6o62 IIJill" lur 62 Sun,; J)'ll.tS ly- 62 Chttt rh nJ brad202 .tnJ S)nJ,t.:u.t:uc 20ll

C.tnJ -

., I

106

,,r

til .tn<tcnt wt>tiJ .nfJnt> - 107 uf Jcsus -- 1Nl'ol, 16) tM, PO, t'l7-l\lll
pn1sdy1<' > -

Ill'

tmJer ltuUIJII> - 7 1, 96 Clc-atlStn,t.: uf the Ten1plc I set' undrr 'Temple") Ctclesyri.t - 72 (urnmissJun .tnJ the chutclt - 201 221 t o( dosriplcs Jesus - 1911 w misstnn> 111 O .T . 19-10 Cumprchen>1vc- a pprnach -190 Cunverstun 111 JudJtSIII Il-l Con verts ' '' 2, 64, 92. 1)!, 1011, 103, 104 Cnptic Utblt - A6 c..rinth - 72, 89 Curndiu\ - llU, 89, 199.

131, 136, 139142,

I H-ISS, 161169, 170

179, 196 (see also under "U niversal Covenant"} of the Jews - 60, 6S Cus;anore- 64 Creatiun - 14,16 18 20 22. 23. 2). l i6, .141: 182, 224 Crctns-42 Crctc-72 Crtmcl- 102 CrtSt>, The ncw-220-224 Cruetfixion-164-166 Cucrnavaca- 221 Cult, faht'- SS Cypru>- 60, 72 Cyrcnc- (.0, 79 C)rus-

ur

!()ll

9'>1\lO,

A'scmbly, N ,T Clhtrch as - 11 ASS)rta86, 21 Atht:ns - -17 Atl.ontic-67, 69

AIIIC.I-72

102, 111\ 111), 100 192 ,,f the )<'WS in the N.T . - 1M PJul - 197 pr.,.:l) tc ( un.lcr prmdytc' ') tJhhtntC - 1911192 with HHI) Spirt!- 196 1(111 " 119 lkh;ic Cnnf<>""" 11-1

Curlli1JIIIH1- 174 St"t .11 )11 " cnchrnne mcnt'' EE:YPtion hymns - 17 1 uf the: Gentiles I H ItSI Cnvcr1Jnt wntinui ry - 177 definitinn i3 Great Commiinn- 11 1701 79. 196 Htttite - 21, nt-133,

D
DJmascus - 76, 96, 10}, 141 Dunubc - 7 1 Dutus 1! - 124 0JviJ - 17, '12, 43 Oeci:t - 71 " Declare:" - 47 fiEl - 218 Dcnund- 183 194 Dcmuntsm- Ill I " Oevuut pcrsnns" - 89 DPM J - )8 church as- 211-220 communities as gO'' 7071, 124 conracr tn 12312-l. 213-220 cxtcnt of - HI. ?1, 21) Jercmtah 's charter for >cocular- 218219 of - 10, II, 24, 70, 7'577,
96. Ill, 127, 214

c.. un

Clll'p us

201>

l(durm.tt ounJI dcftni ttOIOS - 2122 14

till"

f'ummr.)Sinnt'd -

111 1224 ltii(IJ - -2, 19

C Jr CU IIl (i>IC U
(11Vt 'I1JI11

AU!;U>III> -RU, 10 1 12
Aurhnritr (tf,ouo!cx) 181, 18'

112

1(),

AtJI<'S -93

Antiochu> VII -- lUI Anunchu> the Gr<'Jt - 6 1 Anti -sc:mtliStn - "1, 83. 114 Aphnodtt<' - 6R liter.lturc ('"'' '' Prnp.o):Jnd.t") E):ypr - 69. 114 Gtnaal - tl1, 114,118 11 9 wurl.l-71, 111 R.. Aptl ..):im, Jewish - 9' Aposro latc Jesus Chro st Apn.t lc

B
BJbt-1 21, 126

flt-n):d - 116 llcn NcdtJt" - -14, 101 Bcrb.-rs - 71) " Scth.tm"- ,II " flcthhJ MJrJ>h" - 6) ,
Kl

Stj.!n - 28 . 30. 162164, 191

21

J!cr

61 .tpnswlatco- 124 CJpl>\'tly - 6\,

71,

- 60, 65-67, 72, 77 , ll,tCirtJ - 1\1 " IJ.1tna" at Eltpbaflttn<' -

c>R
ll.opdsm u nJ G - 1\)0
t

Bethlehem - 170 Btslwp. >Jiem - 7 ' lltthyma - n Ol.tck Jew s - 6 1 Bl.lck Sc - 7 1 flmtia - 71 1:\umhJy- 6o1 I'

111

JNu

ntt'n ul SIJ<chem - 29, \IR uf 161166, 1"0, 176 prtHcr,hc.lprtcl)tc - 91. 98. 102lfl(r

Ct>ulm tssinn

c
C:tcsareJ - HO. H\1. 21"'

rh)') S.tmari tans -19 1 Setnill< pcf>plt-s - 28 City uf Gnd- see "Jc:ru >al<"m .. Civic st.llus of the Jews in lndt.l - 61 <llhltr l!);)'pltans - 6') u11Jc1 Gtceks -73, 96 under Pt:rsiuns - 96

nt - IH, t62 new - 166. 178179 "ntw" COVt'O.tnt - 176 179 uf GrJce- 21 n f Rcdempllon - 2S, '} of Wnrks - 21 particularism - 47 promulgation of the univrrul covcnant170179. 196 prophcu and - 1 U Semitic furms nl 133, 171176, Sinai II, 1}2, 161, 176. 171! unity tlf 163166. 177 cucnanc 12, 19. 2 1, 24, H. 47, 126 127, 129,
l.rwsuu -

-n

220 - 7783 synagogue OtJachc- 109. 117 Dictar)' laws of the Jews
Ii-I

Otscip lc:ship- 122, 1)0 1'1, 186-187, 21R220 Oi:.pcrsion (sec: also "Di aspnra") Abraham - II

246

247

N.T. Church - II Doeg - 42 Dona kal, d111ccse of- 6 Dutch - 64 DuraEuropos 71

E 169 .. 'Ebed"-33 Eden - 126 EJum - 71 Educat111n, -8182 E!lYPt grricuJe co Jews- 114 curonauon hyonns-171 - 60, 6669, 72. 76

in enthronement- 171 173 Exodus. The- 361\ 1 EzoonGeber- 59 Eua- 17, 64, 65, 71, 96. 110, 116. 12-l, 12)

F "Fathers <1f bapcosm" 107 "Funccs persecutionem"80 Freedmen, S)'OJgogue nf -79 Fulfillment, Christianiry Js-4. 112, 115
G GJiilee- 1 145. 151 GJIIIu - 96 G:unaliel- 52 Lina - H Gen.-Jingoes- 98 Geness I II for >ignif1cance Mi >sio Dei- 14 Gentile: movement- 2, 16?

LXX -8'1
Elam- 86 ElcphJncine - 61:1, 69, 124 Elecrion nnd service - }1 34 corpura re-'IH39. 167 indivitlual- }839 of lsr.oe l - 9. Ill, 24, Ill , 113,127. IBl55. 161, 177 w s:tlv.ui.m - 167 Ellt:oh-132 Elna:om - -12 Elurh - 59 Enuncipalion uf slaves1()2

,,r

nf- 42 passov.-r - lO.i Mt. - 99, 191 Gibeonnes - 11, 97 Glurif1catoon of Chmt161 Gnosucs - 105 God, JS Creator (sec Cre a cion") "God-f.-Hers" 119 90. 94 God :md 9} GuiJ Cuasr- 76 Grear CommoS>Illn Dc.-m;tnd - 111\194 Preamble-1111111' Promo>..- - 194-19(o sec: under Uruvc:r sal Coven3nr" Grcc:cc.--36, 7 1. 7l Greek 8.\, 86 Grcc:ks - 5!). 70. 7 1, 72. 9!1. 91. 10 }, 105, 124. 15), 160, 2 15, 216 Gru1ius - 47
H }, 71 H;dabh-) HAn 61, 62 HHJO - 216 l-lidim - 82 - 81 Hebr ... w IJnguJge - ll4 Hebrew, Mnlt - 2 I Hellc:nosm - 7. 69. 71,
11"\,

Hurnit nity Um ry of the rae.-- 16, 19, l09-2 10 lbcn.1 -71, 1<6 Idolatry - 91, 99-100, 114
102

culr o c cen ter 63, 72, 77. 71!, 101 , 157, 184, 209 tlesrrucuon by Nebu C'haunezur -78 OcSIIUCtion of Ill 70 A.D . - 3, 63, 64, 79, 52, 148, 209 on 0 .1'. - 17, 42, llll>SIUOJrY C'tnler - 9}, 111, 11!1. 196. 201 Jerhru - 1'. 9M Jews mtrcCnJCo<'S - 60 Js ScJfJCch- )II ,,, Chrosuans117 Jlllludt> ru mossions3. 111113. 160 Bl.ork 60, 63 Chon.t - 62 civ ol srarus under Cj;)pt - 6K c1vol unJlr the Greeks - n , 96 civ1l sr.uus under the RnnoJM - 7 1, 96 misstltn II) - 2M209 Jvh - H, 1041 Juhn (Jpusrlc) - 185 Juhn Hyrc3nus - l 02 J uhn rhc [!Jpttu of lllri rnacum" - 1\1 h.trcism uf Jesus - 129, IBIH .tcalh - 134-n6 mtanlllg n ( hap rism 129 1H J.nh - 17, Il l )ll)'lpl - 217 lurdan- IUIH Jrh - lBO Juscph RabhJn - 64 juStphus-81, 91 )11shua - 98 Judah - :!6 Jud.usm - ll, 74 auracr.vc fcntuns 11s. 71 fulfi llc,l in Chr o st - 4, 112, 2CI0201 R.thbioic - 71 It))
I

Justin- 9} Juvenal-?1, 114

K

lmJgt' of GuJ - 14, l-i1 lmoncrsaon- 99100, 107,

Wtl, I \.J, I c) I (>t'e Jbu '' tlpt"m " ) lnJtJ - 111; bJpiiSIIl- l OS Jews 111 (.!, 63, 6-1,
123

fu1ure rule -

trJJ< wirh 63 ln,rrucroun

ICill

'9. 60. 61.

fur hapto>rn

lr.1n -

Jn in - <i\, C\6, t 2\ llliJ;C.IIulnS onto Pttlr>rinc - 13 JsJJL' - 26, 16(1,

161

Kad<'n8 Fu- 61-63 Kcnires-41 Kcrtsch -60 Kerygma- 187 Khurdisran -66 King, as Messoanic - 1)2, 140, 152, 177, 190 G od as King-140, 187 KongJum of God-25 on preaching of John ond Jesus- 121, 129, 1361H, 158-161 Jnd m1ssion189, 212, 219 unavcrsal covenant -139142, 158, 17),
181

ns a mission motif 1-13 144 , 189.

2 12

and John- 134 n1urt uf rhe - n7-161 in the prophcrs - Ill, 1n in the N .T . - 141, 161, 170. 199, 102
209

lshonJel - 67 hos - 68 l>rJd 11J rhc: chur<h- 202

2411)

chronological reference

-138. 139, 08
in pietism- 143 in rroclarnarion 189. 212

u.

hi rrh .as a naronn- 36

-II

O.T.

ltO

F.n11113US - I 56 Enrhrnncmenc - I f>7 nf Chrisc- 167181 p.1tterns - 171 173 Enchronrzaroon - II Enrry incu Jo:rusalem, Jt>us-156 Ephe>us-131 Epicrccus- 92 F.schJrology Jcwosh- 118 Essenc> - t '0 EsrhN - 69, 85 proselyrcs - 103 Ethnic probl.-m fM the Jews - 51! 59 Erh inpia - 60, 61, 69. 217 Euboen -72 EuJlhrates- 72 Europe - 71, 72, 74 Euschius- 146

Jt-)US rcJ.lllllnSIIIp 10 l'l), !61, 170 Jc:w 1sh cnwJrd HIOO, 116-119, 156-161 new st.llus in Chnst 16 I, 170, I 99100, 202 Ger assumt-d mea111ng o f "proselyte"- -15, 67,
81!

census 11f Soluma>n-42 (OI(UffiCISiOn- 19 convc:r>ion <If1n MuSJIC' legi>lation41 , 44-47, 103 in tht: prophets - 7, 411-

49
20}

as- 41,

73.

Herod - 10 I, I 51!, 20' synas;ogu<" uf - SO f:lm1ly - tnl, IOL Hund1JnS - 83 Hezekiah - 50 Hallt-1 - 2, 3. 99 100, lOG, 116 l-11nduo>m - 15. 61 H - 1\, 59, 69 History mclning uf - 12 Hebrew uf - I) Hittlles - 42, 17' Hnly Sportr - 121, 171 baptism with -- 196, 200 Pent ecosl - 6, 196211() Honan - 61 H oran.'- 94 Host-n - 131

ll cc 1 " ' n ( untie I " deccinn") n.111 nn ni-IH, 20, 37,

IKiJ

odJiiun tu Gcnrolr> 19. 181! hr Jell - 20-1 -20 ) ltl)- 7 1. ltluliJh - H lrureJn>- -12, 102 lz.oln-120

J
26, 67, 16H )Jp.1n 112

... khni.oJ.t - 7 1 Jdw,hupliJI- 78 Jcrubuam I - )() .tn,l Jus Chris t 56, 121!, I Hf, 201 c"u ndl .,r-:wo l,

rabbinoc reaching 140 Kingdom of Saran- 142, 181 K60!-!0C: - 189 " K1rios", 1ranslarion of - 87 I. Larin Americ;a- :?21 LJ wsuil , covenJnl as 16:! Lebannn - 80 1..-nnrnpolis -68 Levi -98 l.cvites -78 LiherJtion- 1 LibcrJ!or- I 63 LIJJ;IJ 11f Jesus 12, l\8 l.cm lship co( Jcus Christ -5, 172 184, 193. 195.
210

nll.'ning ol( - 12, I ), I H, lll l lH5, 218220

248

249

1-l,lol(i, 117

ccrning -

26, 4}48.

Red
Jd:initto ns or lhl' church- 212214 Relevance - 211212 Repentance HO. 1 31, 1 H. 139o 1400 181-188 Rc>urrcction of Christ 161-169. 182. 210'.111 aCqU11lJI by - 166 und bapusm- 193 35 enthronement- 170 as jusofication of God -1611 Revd.uon. God's wriuen

<Jf Yahweh S<:<:

Jl>u

116 ciHhrunc

1ntn1

Lu rJ 's Supp<r- 1"16 LyJJ.1 - 2 17 l yc.loJ - 89 LytloC..n., - 7 1

mo.lern Jltitu tles t u ward - 3 /lf 1clu.ul.utcs -72 " Mil)''duJom" - Ill' l\l u.1h - 6' . ')II, 10"2 l\l ultiCCII- 7 1 /ll u;c> 11 , 16. ?ll,
" ' 116. 111!, 1611. 171

cr<JCifi>:thn JS -

16'

16)
{I CC -

IU

Phlllslilll'S- 1!. )6 Phllu- 260 6\J. 71, Ill, 101 , 11 3. ll-l- ll5

wtr - l H1 H Or<,ln - 11 p
1.t,L:Jn 1 )p 1>lOl:CilC -

M
I Ulo 113 72 MaJur.11- IIH Mallbu - 61 o 6} M aiJclu - I ;1 Mrcus l UI M.t rk 0 u f the Gu

ch.oir n ( - 62 /I h . u( OlovtS - nK Mur Jsh u -66 M)"tcry tn Chnst - :!0} Rcli):ttlnS - 6 (1-laerrw:.c.>) - 11151116

92, 110 120 cull> 1n I'Jin lln<' - 4 \

-

-59, 7 2 Pttti;.m - l4.l P>IJtc - l )1!. 103 Pl iny - 7 ) Put.rotJh un in the church - 220 Puntus - 61>. 72 PooppJc:-J Sbin-!llo IO.l
l\.tb)'l >n Jew> - 66 66 jc\\'> n Rum.tn Emrure -9, 10 J>uctoutulll I I'L)'l'f>, ul !Itt Jcw>- hl
l'n.,t'llt't>, t.lt\11\c all
>lUll '),

Y6 102 ICCcpll\111 u f - 1)9 100, 102 110 Runun prohlbltaun - 94 Runuu tnmh tns c np lillM - 911 >lJtus tn Guccu-RumJ n Wo>riJ -7}. I 19 Wllffit'll- 101), 10110), 107 ( S<'c Jlsn "0111 ttceJent>") - 1!11127

by
hapusm- 10'. IM . 106
101!. 1291} 1

IIU
pJj:JiliSill -

-10
Ricci. Mauhco - 6263 Runt3nS- 69, 70, 7 1, 74 0 7), 76, 83, 160 altitude toward jews90. 94. 113. 114 provilegcs extrodetl 10 Jews - 7 1 Ro me - \6, ?5o 76o 96, IHo 209 Jewish community in90. 103, 113 . 120 Rtmin- 6il, 71 Ruth - 103, 11 3

11\1112,

142. 1)2

n rcurncuiun- IU}I04,
Ill) lUG

N
NJ.UOI.III-'.I!l N ... hri' ' - 11
N.t l\11111 - (,6 N'"""- 16 , Ill,

MJrk o>f the Church :!122 11 M cdiJ -66

fo.lc.fiJu l\1hk H(i /llt-JIIcrr.uu:.ll1 67. '.llo /1<-Jn-Pcr".t - M. 7 1 " Mcl-(tlf:lh' ' , ... l'tlJ);>tg tc: ul -

r .. iatJ\'1,
-u.
1

ScrsplUIC P.dcsllnc .
' I

Ill

tS6 ,
(, I

nsin>-118
ltl\, 108 11 9 12\ ,,lfflfl'- 1110 10 I, 10} llll. JU). l(llj Ptu lc mais Ill - 101 Ptu lcmy I - 6A
J"l>>UVtr PhJti\CC'
Jilt!

I ruin IUII,Icrn

Ull>

1').).1')6

.uaJ 11111111\S su rnmunc,J l\t

H.

l lltl

f'lhkm -

I
nunt

hy h r.cl
P.1mrhrh' - -1 p,,. ,ol>ks - I \1, I \ 11,
P.1rtl11u 61 " J',I.IIC> o nfi.Jcl111111'

n c."IHhnuu.l '7 J. J'''

Cl>rt>l -

nopEuo!lat
Pnt>l> 1'11
llll
11011 -

lri+tll)
I H7 o I II H.

Q
Qua lificat11111 11f the disci 196 pit Clllll iiHIIIII)' 200

7')
llltlclutcJck 1111 l\1<-retnancs, J ews llfcS><'O):C r u! th e: (lo \ Oc." 0311( Jc:sus C.hrisl JS 1'>11 u " Mctucntr\" - ')I

6!1

N ,llural>z.lliun- 104, l09o 110 NJt.orcth- I 11lJ NchuzJ raJ.,., - <J!l " Nech.u" - 14

PMII CU IMI>IIl 11 2
f'J >W\'l'l ')'),

- I 17, II\)
IIIK,

" Prullmc" (hl3rt. lH .lCI)

- 1')1 1'.16 l'ror.l_.:.tn tl.t JpOC.tl)'ll( IC- 11 7 1 18 )<:"'i>h ;, 1. ,II, 7-l, '.1697, I Ill I IIJIUit' ul - J 1}, 11 1 ). 191 Pr .. plt,t< l,lbt'-''

5
Sabbath- 74, 78, 99 Sacrifice- 100, 101, 103, 191 see also pr\lst'lytism SJJJ uccccs- 83 67, 70 Smam -78, 1114, 196. 217 S.tmJri tJns - 76. 99, 146,
I !II

I ll\,

n
Jt:obbi.
Ak1hn - 1211 C 1ulbto- '\ fltJlcr - 7 ) L:lrHr b.:n H]rcanu120 H am.1n Hillel ( sec unJcr " H it lei") J nshu. - 12() Sh.101m.11 (\cc unJtr shJmma"l S11lltln h en f:leJzcr 116

- 211
nu'.tt -

7')

N,cuJemu> - 1115 Ndc Nwc, ch-66 N10.tChi.1n ')II Nu.h - l:!l> N . ,. Ull))ll\U

loJ6

Jnd Chnst -

n.

!l'.) , <J\ ,

1<>.

111, 116. 1\'. Il l. IH. 1611. I %, 2UII

l'.tl- ll101ll.lll.l" - ' I (;II

PtJuck - \') Pcupl e ui Good
1Uil1Ci

Ml): rJllt>rtS- 4\, 67. 7CI 71 l\h;hnah - 4o 69. S\1, 9 1. 91. 110 " /lfiHtol Dc:" - '.1

""'s - 1 Nuh1.1-6.,

ui - ''1 0 13 1.
I
ltl{,

119 G.tm Jiod -

f,>r

0
(},th f>CI1l ,
Ill C'll\l'tiJI\1-

/lhs>illn
jc:SU\ nll)"''"

p,
1011. 19 1 ()IJ Tnt.uilcnl .11\lcccJcnt> 111 Chr"ttl n
n 11 ),jun - 2. "' '\M
lllt !'I' I U OJt)' t" t'fl S(auu, ..

cu Gcn

cdcs ho Gcnlllts - t 6C) he.lllwu- 6R Ml htoiO.I tY o lppc.d nf th<.' O .T. - 19, n 1\1 "\io>lt.l ry ChO)CIIIU>fiCS' uf th c n:r. j,;l'llCI:Ii - 9' , 11 2o I l l , 7, I'.I, \I

new pe>plc ool GuJ :!012 ).1 l'<klll!( - 1\2 Ptlup<onnc\uS - -:!. PcntcCl - II. 11\ o I 16 :>UO Pcrc,:nna - 71
Ptt\ t.t )c.'t'

pcrau.l tf- lll H1 r.olr- '1. 1 '\1

Pr .. >d)lc<

SJma rotan wtlman-)1

s.nhcdron-98, 12)126 of -125 J cruSll cm- 93 urtgm uf -66

- l ' 1!11110

>niJl"rl.lii(C ,,( JJJSpt>Cd

HH

lr..&n
')()

nc'S ( >CC unJer " M1> r)' cunsciou.)

Pt( ... IJI\, S..:t1plU(4: lll -

ncs"l
rcl.uiun 111 N. T. -

n.

S,

1 >6o

- t!H O ph ir -- W
nr.lc.ll

uf Chri t, Ccntr.ll IIY 111 mi>" loll - IK6 p,.,1 11 1.1 R,,hb.ttt - 011 ')I. 1 n . 19" Ph.ll,ll > h - 16, IMCI l'h.Hi sct,- 79 , Kl, K\. Ill ,
112. I I C., 12CI l 11,

cum munirr -111111 0 >(JIU> - 9799 mu( J\'J r uu\ fur- >"\. 9-.1 No t.tc!HJII l.tw s 11f tho: Sl.l}o( 1H ')'ft..&.L:H}o:.Ut

th'"-

r.tbhini r

I'

tu

W,lfl - \, 1. I ll, SX 1)6, ')(\.Jil 2, l)(i, 1211

r.thbini.:

cun

RahhiniC .111itudb oil\ bJpi<Sm 106,1(11! , 19!! tu pru>dytc;. - 96 102 0 Ill, ll(i, 120 >cc abo 11ndtr " prt>c lyle)' ) Run -- I)<J. 2 11 R,1hah - 17, 9!1 lttch.1hitc;. - 97

Srah- 67. 98 SarJimJ - 114 SJtJn - 154 k1ngdom u(- 142 SJu l o> f Ta.rsus (see " PJul") S hechcm - 78. 98 Scholder, Kl ns- 52 Scri nl's - 120 Scnptun - ll}H 7 StCoiiiJ Cummtii\Wta lth-

h.1p1ism as -

1134

titutilc

.,r -

25l

Scnurts, - 41

,oonong

.1s
-

community
HIH)6, 102

ScpruJgint - 69, 8'1. 2 1

1!1, 121, 127 .ond cltCllolll - Ill stulo'.oh" (see " }q>ustlc>,

ShJOIIIlJi 2, 99. 106, 116 - 6} ShebJ, Qutcn of - 17, M Sheep - lost uf

12

brtJk hetwten church Jnd synagogue: - 73 74 Chri,ttJns and - 73 g <ncr.rl-)!1, 66, 77, ll9. II). 121 Gt< '.ll in 7<1 in Rurnc-1!0 uf K.1i-icn!: Fu - 61-6\ nr sil'nificance -778>. 1'27 >clwob - 81. 83 114. S)ria - 72. 103,

lll7, 181 Shcphtr.l - Christ - H Shilloh - 78 Shunnamorc: - 78 So,lutl I Silro,tm, PC111I of - 101:1 Si lk -- 60, 65 Simcton - !17. 1211 Slnwn M .occ.thcus - 7 1.
II \

1n
12,

S)riac - 1!6 SyruphucniciJn woman154

T
T.rbk ,,( NJtiins - 19 114 " T.Ih:tr:t" - 116 T:o lmud - 2 .\. I, 2627, 69. 81. 9 1. !13. 97, 103. 106, 111,116 ><'<' .1l so Index Refer .:ncc:; tu T.rna ry - 6 1 86 TJxcs - 8}, 123 'T e.ach" 28: 1\1)-

Tltc"dnc ian C<Hic - 11 9 ThcoJurc:r , bis hop - llc1 Thco philus - 119 Th cssulunica- ll9 Thoma s ( uf tn,l ia) - (\1 Tlo rnncS(It'cCh- I "I i iJil Ktu K nu Tib<:rtJ> (Ctl)') - -1) Tibc:rru>, <:mpcror - II I Tohlr - 6 1 Ptl cr - 66 l'tlU) 61 Tatrus Jusrm - II? Tubir - 11} Tur.1h - Ill, 39. P, " 1 , Il l , Il-l, ?1, t OO, 116 Tramco:nJJnCc: - 2 11 212 Tr.ln>fi,.;uration - 121! Tran>lorinn uf Scrip1un - 1\-1-8 '7 " Transbturs" RIR' ] lws in l mli - 61 >ULc:rnin\':tss.ri I \ 1 n 3. 1751 77 wi1h Rnmc - 1 1 Tripu li - 1(). 16. vill:t,.;c> - 7(1. 71 Tukkiyim - 5? Tyrt 7 1, I"

Universa lt!)' of rhc: Q.T . - -1, I? "Urbana" -80 Urih - .-12

>yOII):JJSU C

- IW

tf

W om en proselytes 100

91,

w
\XIJ II

z
Zar-44
ZaccloJeus - I S2 ZeJiors-fn

v
Ve rnJcubr 81 Verrucull, >yfl.t,.;uo;uc: of
!10 .

uf \t' par.trt< ln -- l6l

Vitellrus-101

\'<IJr legr>l.llaun - 1243 \'<l.orc:r-orJtl - I 121 \\ \'l:f,tll>, h.ru I '6 Fn lluwc:r, ,,(- 21 1 W l\1llllll uf SuiUIIHIII II\ , 111

Zdek-42
Zitln - 1-18 CC:IIter oi rhc: w o rld 158

Sin.u \c:o: Sinun

I I, 30, 97, 176 "cnvcna n r" - 60 8 1, 1()2, 107

,,r

lOR SnciJ I Gospel - IH Solomon - 17 , 12. 43. W. 61, 69. 91 Sun uf !Ifau -- 17 1, I H Sovc:rc:ignry of Gmt - I ), 20. 24, 2), \11, )6. 12 1. 141, 160 Spull, bJpr"m hr - l 'tl Sraj:, of rhc:- IS Sr.,ph<.'n - 206 SrrJsbiiU<I(- 1211 SubarcnSl'>, syngugue uf -80 Soli - '12 dynQsly - 62

u
Uni ry ' " Chnst- 51. 160Ic12. 20'1 Jo:w .11111 Gtnrik - '201. 207 10\) <I f humaniry, 16, I'J, :!09210 Unrvcr>.al covenlnr Jlso unJcr "''""' nant") and c:nrhrono:mcot 169179 H the "new" CII\'CilJIII - 1761 77 CUVtnJOI form 17 ' 179 Mntr. lll : lll20 PI 17'), 196 pronoulj:JtcJ - 1"0 179 surrJm<:n iJ l denwnr 114

Tcmpk JI ElcphJnltnc -

61l

cltJnson,; -155- 161 dcsrrucrwn in 10 A.D. - 61. Hl1. I.H, 1)7

rschJtulos ocal l(i(l

159 56.
66,

Chris 3nJ I ll!4

uf Jcru.alcm -

"S upersrtli o J u,IJica" 101 2'1, I "111 H. 17' 177 Sybdlinc: buuk.- 109, II ), 117 Syn:oguguc n bridge - 10, 88 anJ chur ch -

92, 1()1, 12\ 156-161, 1111, 107209 of Sulumun - 61, 68, 7 1, 78 , 79 s:tC r i fon:s nf non -Jews - 101 , 12-1

''" - 113. 1'25. t n T o:nlpt.llinn of J... Trrtu ll ia n -l:lO. JIO 116 72

n,

11,

8,, I tO, 146, :!0}

253