Diwa: Studies in Philosophy and Theology

Diwa is a refereed journal published twice a year by the

Graduate Schools of Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City
and Christ the King Mission Seminary, Quezon City
Philippines

Editorial Board

Editors Randolf C. Flores, SVD, SSL,PhD/SThD (cand.)

Felix Ferrer, SVD, SThD

Managing Editor Antolin Uy, SVD, PhD

Business Manager Wilfredo Saniel, SVD, SThL
Member Guillermo Villegas, SVD, SSL, SThD
Member Dionisio Miranda, SVD, SThD
Member Leonardo Estioko, SVD, PhD+

Manuscripts for publication, books for review and notice

should be addressed to:
The Editor of Diwa
Divine Word Seminary
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4120 Philippines

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 DIWA
Title Header
Studies in Philosophy and Theology
Diwa is a refereed journal published twice a year by the
Graduate Schools of Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City
and Christ the King Mission Seminary, Quezon City
Philippines
Volume 33, no. 2 November 2008
CONTENTS

135-155 Genesis 18:1-15 or The Enigma of a Secret Laughter

Jean-Louis Ska, SJ
156-172 Of Ox and Ass: The Function of Exodus 23:4-5
Miriam R. Alejandrino, OSB
173-188 A Female Image of God in Hosea 11:1-9
Veronica Chiari A. Dy-Liacco
189-210 Story of Aqhat: Ugaritic Background of the Narrative
Framework of the Book of Job
Randolf C. Flores, SVD
211-224 Remembering Paul, Remembering the Poor
Carlito D. Reyes
225-233 Juridical Reflections on the Teaching Authority of
Episcopal Conferences: Philippine Context
Jerome A. Marquez, SVD
234-239 Book Review
David M. Scholer, ed., Social Distinctiveness of the
Christians in the First Century: Pivotal Essays by E. A.
Judge (C. D. Reyes)
240-248 Book Notices
Randolf C. Flores, SVD
 Dedication in Memoriam
Fr. Thomas Cassidy, SVD (1918-2009)
Father Tom was born on 27 October 1918 in the town of Washington, County
of Peoria, Illinois, USA. He was ordained to the priesthood on 15 August 1945
and was sent to Shanghai two years later. He studied Chinese for more than a
year at the University of Peking (now Beijing) and was helping in the Tsingtao
Cathedral when foreign missionaries were expelled from Mainland China in 1949.
He then served as chaplain for the US Marines for several months. In March
1949, the young missionary was sent to the Philippines to work in Mindoro
Island. He was chancellor and secretary to Most Rev. Henry Ederle, SVD, then
the Apostolic Prefect of Mindoro. He also served on the staff of Mindoro College
(now Divine Word College of Calapan) where he taught Social Sciences and
Religion. In 1952, he was assigned to the parish in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro
where he started a high school and became its director and principal for four years
(1952-56) before he was appointed as vocation director for the whole Philippine SVD.
In 1960, Father Tom returned to the United States to do graduate studies. He
attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and obtained an M. A. in
Speech. When he came back to the Philippines, he continued with his vocation
recruitment while he was involved in the retreat apostolate of the Society. In 1967,
he was assigned to the Divine Word University of Tacloban (now Liceo del Verbo
Divino); he was director of the High School Department and a part-time lecturer
in Literature at the Graduate School. In 1970, he was assigned to the Divine
Word Seminary in Tagaytay City where he taught Speech and Homiletics until 1986.
He was then assigned as assistant pastor of Saint Jude Parish in Manila and
as part-time chaplain of the College of the Holy Spirit in Mendiola (Manila). He
retired in 1997 and stayed at the Villa Cristo Rey in Christ the King Seminary,
Quezon City.
Father Tom is fondly remembered as the homiletics teacher par excellence, a
dynamic preacher and an inspirational speaker. In his retirement years, he found
time to write occasional newsletters to friends where he shared his insights in
eloquent prose.
He died at 8:05 am, 4 February 2009, while confined at Lourdes Hospital
(Mandaluyong City) because of complications due to pneumonia.
“Dabo eis in domo mea et in muris meis locum et nomen melius a filiis et filiabus…”
(Isa 56:5). Requiescat in pace.

[Excerpted with slight changes from the obituary released by the SVD Philippine Central Province.]
Contributors (Diwa 33, no. 2)

1. Jean-Louis Ska, SJ is a professor of the Old Testament at the

Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome where he received licentiate and
doctoral degrees (1980 and 1984). A leading scholar in pentateuchal
studies, his recent works include Introduction to Reading the Pentateuch
(Eisenbrauns, 2006); De l’ancien et du nouveau: pages choisies de l’Évangile
de Matthieu (Lumen Vitae, 2008); Una goccia d’ inchiostro: finestre sul
panorama biblico (EDB, 2008); and ed. with Jean-Noël Aletti, Biblical
Exegesis in Progress: Old and New Testament Essays (PIB, 2009).

2. Miriam R. Alejandrino, OSB obtained her Licentiate in

Sacred Scripture (SSL) from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome
(1992) and Doctorate in Biblical Theology (SThD) from the Gregorian
University also in Rome (1995). She teaches at the Regional Major
Seminary and St. Alphonsus Theologate, both in Davao City; and at
the Divine Word Seminary (Tagaytay City).

3. Veronica chiari a. dy-liacco graduated from the Ateneo

de Manila University (Quezon City) with an AB in Social Sciences in
2003. She has completed her studies in Biblical Hebrew and Greek
and is close to finishing an MA in Biblical Exegesis from the Loyola
School of Theology, Quezon City.

4. RANDOLF C. FLORES, SVD teaches Old Testament and Biblical

Hebrew at Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City and at the Loyola
School of Theology, Quezon City; and theology at the Ateneo de
Manila University where he is a PhD and SThD candidate. He holds
a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (SSL) from the Pontifical Biblical
Institute, Rome (1999). He is the President of the Catholic Biblical
Association of the Philippines and Editor of Diwa.
4 Outside Header Left

5. CARLITO D. REYES is a priest of the Diocese of Pasig (Manila) and

teaches New Testament at the Divine Word Seminary and Theology
at the Ateneo de Manila University. He holds an M.A. and Licentiate
in Sacred Theology from the Ateneo de Manila University and Loyola
School of Theology respectively where he is also a PhD and SThD
candidate. He serves as pastor of the Our Lady of the Rosary Parish,
Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales, U.K.

6. JEROME A. MARQUEZ, SVD holds a Licentiate in Canon Law

(JCL) from the Gregorian University in Rome (2000). He teaches
at Divine Word Seminary (Tagaytay) and is a doctoral candidate in
Canon Law (JCD) at the University of Santo Tomas (Manila). He is a
member (Defender of the Bond) of the National Appellate Matrimonial
Tribunal (Philippines) and the judge of the Judiciary Section of the
Diocese of Imus (Cavite, Philippines) He is also the Director of the
Saint Jude Catholic School (Manila).

N.B.
For the list of abbreviations used in the articles on biblical studies, see CBQ,
“Instructions for Contributors,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 65 (2003), pp.
682-710; also availabe online at www.cba.cua.edu/cbqinstructions.cfm

The main editor of this volume is RANDOLF C. FLORES, SVD.