THE REFORMED THEOLOGICAL REVIEW prToRS {TMERE, PROFESSOR ALLAN M. HARMAN, B.A 8.D,ML.TAALTAD, “ut EV CANON PETER JENSEN, MA-BD.D Pi, yey, ASSISTANT EDITORS "THE REY AE BIRD, BS PAD.BTH.DpMin.MT, Meus DI. BG. WER, BA.Dip B.BD-PRD. Spicy ASSOCIATE EDITORS “THERE, CANONS. BARTON BABBAGE M.A,PAD.TAD, Sy. ‘THERE. W, BUMBRELL, MA.BD.SETA-MAD, Sys “THERE CANON LL. MORRIS.M Se BD.ALTR PRD, Melbourne ‘TMEMOST REVEREND D.¥B. ROBINSON, MATRD. Syn "TERE, PROFESSOR KLAAS RUMI TAD, Kanpen The Nets Coxrtuerrxjoy ent eine extn ‘be Chsian Fach The teste a espn ISSUED APRIL, AUGUST, DECEMBER Communion an Subsition sold be eva "The Eters PO, ox 8 Dory Vice 3108, Anna Sbserpon: ‘Auta New Zesand 8 Sth nt Aca SAUIGS ‘ter Cums 34.0, Poe THE REFORMED _ THEOLOGICAL REVIEW Vol. 59 ‘APRIL, 2000 No.1 Antecedents of the Christian Hope of Resurrection, Part 1: The Old Testament 1. Adoctrine in dispute ‘The resurrection was a doctrine jn dispute in the first century A.D, a8 seen by Jesus response tothe Sudcees in Mark 12:26-27 And forthe deat nga, ave you no read nthe book of Moses nthe ‘toys! he eth hot God sit him, "Tam he Go of Abraham, the Gri Tras an the God enh He is Gd mt of the dvd bt of th ving oa ae «qe one ‘The well documented wrangle was evidence that not all Jews were in agreement over what was to Become the central claim of Christianity (1 Cor 15:17) The doctine ofthe resuection ino es in dispute today AL one end ofthe spetrum ae scholas who deny outright not only the suction of ‘ess, bot ny future resurrection ofthe dead ALthe othe nd, with choles ‘who affirm bo, there i tl dispute over when and how the resumecion Ihope arose in Istac's history? Certainly very few would agree with Jesus, scholahip ince the Enighnmen ee J. ete Ressretion sad Ista Doctrines in spac’ Stimuls 5 (1997) pp45-56 2 Typical is Crug who says that a theology of restreton rm he ead never clearly tained inthe O18 Testament pet. PC. Crag, Eze Pilea: ‘Westminster, 1983), 2612 Antecedents of the Christian Hope of Resurrection, Ps 1: The Ol Tetament Paul andthe wrtrof Hebrews that esurtecton was hope ofthe patriarchs (om 4:17; Hed 11:19), “This is the ist of two aticles which aim to trae the development of he resurrection hope andthe ways in which twas expressed in Isa!’ history up to the time of Fesus. This hope is olen cosidered only i terms ofthe hope that individuals wil ise to eternal ie after death or a8 a metaphor for Isre'sreturn from exile, N.T: Weight in particular argues that it was ecisely «as a metaphor for return fom exile tha the resurrection hope began.” My ‘specific intention her isto explore what seems tobe the presupposition of esas and the New Testament writers, thatthe resurrection hope ofthe OT ‘was much broader than this, and ha it goes right back tothe paar and Find its limate grounding in Iss bli in God as crestor. The hope that individuals would ise to cleral ie after death, and that God would restore Israel fom the “dcath of exile were jst two particlarisations ofthis more undsmental hope, This an important issue, or itis commonly presupposed that Ital’ resurrection theology arose as response to he life situation ‘What hope to show here is thatthe reverse wa ru: Isrcl interpreted her ‘ie situation inthe fght of her resurrection theology 2. Resurrection in the Old Testament ‘The OT provided the primary source forthe resurrection hopes of Jews a the beginning ofthe fst century. Whats ler from te dspute between the Pharisees andthe Sadducecs i that this source was variously undertod. Ia this section, the matral thai elevant wo this topic wil be iterpeeted and assessed in the light of out concerns. A assumption ofthis ate is the historicity of the OT, tht i, the events and chronology in the OT which purport fo be records of fact ean be taken in this WaS. For this reason, 3 For Weight twat no ual persecution ding the Syrian and Roman psi and Within saat wor! fee and eorstion that reaction becane cae I hope forte vinden of invils beyond deh NT. Wright, The New Testa and the People God (Londo: SPCR, 199) Vo 1 9.320-33; Chrigon Origin snd the Resection of Jens The Resection of ess a Histone Problem, Sewanee Theological Review 41 (198) pp.107-123. Weighs wgument srl explored aterm thi aise “Torintncr, Niekeebrg etme: "Theology eflet he life sivaton. The Danie resretion bli paver relipods need inthe Hasidic conmmunty which he ook of Daniel nose" G.W.E. Nckelsbug, Resection Immortal, and Etra {fein Imertesamental Judaism (Landon: OUP 1972), p19 ‘The Reformed Theloical Review 5:1 Api, 200) 3 ‘conservative dings ofthe documents have been followed S 14) Resurrection in the Torah {A first blush there i litle evidence in the Torah fora bli in the resurrection from the dead. The late vocabulary slacking, but the theology ‘which undergind the resurection hope ft be found here, even iit isin ess familiar eategores. in Ben, God cested and gave ife, Man was created an fashioned frm the dist (62) ofthe ground and given life (Gen 2:7), Mankind had acces to the tee of life and with i provisional immorality (Gon 29, 16). As 2 consequence oftheir dsabedience, however, they were banished from the {garden and denied access to the tee of life (Gen 3:24, Par ofthe curse on ‘Adam was a returning to dust (59, Gen 3:19) This seemed tobe the final ‘word on man’s destiny destiny thats mphasiod inthe narrative description ‘of Adam's descendants who live a set number of years and thea die (Gea 3) ‘This chain of death i remarkably broken in Gen 5:24 with Enoch, who was translated’ (7p) to heaven without dying, While this suggests tht there is another worl, and that humans canbe taken here by God it doesnot offer hope that those who have died will ncessrily be mised ie, ‘Similan, the dest of Jacob to have his dead dy buted with his ators (Gen 4729-30, of oseph wo have his bones ead fo the promised lind (Gea 30:25 ef. Exod 13:19; Josh 2432), and the description ofeach ofthe patriarehs as being gathered tis people” upon their deat (Gen 28:8; 35:29; 49:33 ll suggest that here was something beyond death, but none ofthese passages speak explicitly of «resurrection nope “The genetlogies in Genesis Sand 11 can be seen a an expression of the fact that somehow death stayed trough he powersof life that are expressed Jn human generativity andthe suocesson of generations, The statement of Genesis 11:30, "Now Sarai was barren: she had no chil’ is in effect 2 recognition of the fact that death threatens to gui the upper hand. Her brrenness seen as form of death-in-ife This point is made expliily in This isnot to deny oe ofsores an eter work efore the Boks reached thei {inal form; bower agent abou sch things peultive a somewhat eeu, ‘Thisarele wil asume athe NT thoes oth stort ofthe OT and Mose ‘uthorhip of he Tosh and see wher the evelopment of he resurcton bape ‘a be unre om these rons. tye treximent which follows engl ndbto to 1.6 Janzen, “Resueton and -Heemoneties: On Exod 3.6 in Mask 1226 J8723 (1989), pp 42-58,4 Antecedents ofthe Christian Hope of Resrection Pt I: Th Od Testament the case of Jacob's wife Rachel, who in Genesis 30: ries tral, “Give me sons: if ol Lam dead. Sarah's arreaess os ndleativ of fundamental tension inthe Genesis narrative. The long genealogies are evidence of life ‘Continuing, bul the aaraives framed by these genealogies show tha life was threaten Te batenness is death then the promis of dscundants in Genesis 12:1-3 isnothing less than life from death, Abraham and Sar ive wih hope inthe ‘promise that Vac wil bring life from the dead, and even though their experience strongly suggests otherwise, their hopes vindicated ‘Death again theates with the bareness of lsaae's wife Rebekah (Gen 25:21), and with Jacob's wife Rachel, a We have seen bul Yahweh keeps his promise and brings fonth life, I ere tht the resection hope arises in Ismel’s history, withthe promise of Yahweh that he wil bring Bf fom the ead, hough the specifics area partcularistion ofa broader hope. Whet is the theological bass for this broader hops to be foun? “The narrative context means tat Yahweh's promis obrng life from the ‘ead is closely ted to who fe isas Creator. The same God who create life from the dusts ble o bring ie fom a dead womb. Hence creation theology provides the grounds for a resurrection hope The character ofthis hope is Individual, with the nation only foreshadowed a this stage (Gen 12:2) ‘The threefold formula found in Exodus 36, am the God of your father, ‘he God of Abraham, the God of Ista, andthe God of Jacob seems to imply ‘comparison between the sitution ofthe Tsasites in slavery in Egypt and ‘hat ofthe three patriarchs with their arte wives. With Pharaoh's command to drown every male child born tothe Hebrows (Exod 1:22), the nation of Israel was under a cloud of death, But Yahweh makes a promise, this time in Exo 3:71 declare tha wil bring yo up 02) oa ofthe misery of Eye ‘Theres avery real sense in which the exo itself was a departure frm the presence of death, especialy ater the death ofthe firstborn In Exodus 12:31 Pharoah summons Moses and Aaron and commands them to “Rise up (>, XX dviornal), go avay from my people, bth you and the Israelites” Although these passes ae the closest we gto resrrecton terminology in this context, there are clear parallels withthe patriarchal narratives. Israeli summoned fo trust Yahweh's promise o deliver them, a deliverance which nother particularsation of the resurrection hope which is subsequently 7 We sce oth ofthe ideas n Pal sundrsnding of he Gees native in Rom The Reformed Theological Review 8: (a, 200) s expressed in terms of creation theology ia Moses’ song of Exodus 15:1-18, ‘This song proclaims that its God the Creator who brings brings ile from death. The new feature associate with the resuetion hope hee that its ‘8 means for deliverance from oppession-the oppression of slavery. Hence the fesutection on view hte is natonal-the ation who live under a cloud ‘of death wil be ised t i This broader, ceation-ased resurrection hope is also sen at the end of the Toca in Moses’ song: ‘See now that I, even Iam fe; kill and ! make alive (vr, LX Efy novjeu); 1 wound and I heal; and noone ean deliver from my hand (Deut 3259). Yahweh has the power over life and death Even a this pit i Kae’ history, there has been ample evidence fr the truth ofthis testimony a8 we have seen. Here atthe end of the Tora the resurrection hope i stated in is broadest terms-hope in Yahweh a the one ‘who can bring life from the dea, ) Resurrection inthe Former Prophets This broad hope of restrection as Yahweh bringing life from the dead continues inthe Former Prophets. With Hanna thee is another instance of Patcularstion ofthe resection hope in tems of abaren womb being brought ole, The oping chapter of 1 Samuel emphasises her barenness (v.25, 6), Upon the birth of Samuel, Hannah inlerpres her station i the light other understanding of Yahweh's character. Here we se thatthe broad hope ofthe Torah has become an axiom of God's character: Be “kills and makes alive (rm, LXX Gooyoven), he brings downto Sheol and rises up (75, LXX ea)’ (1 Sam 2:6). While tis i not yt partiularised i an ‘eschutlogcal direction, it would be wrong not to see the resurrection hope ‘on view hee operative inthe if fan indian” Agsin this hopes grounded in craton; its because Yahweh has seth world on its pllas that eis able to do these things (8). "Yahweh's contol of life an his ability to bring life from the dead is also seen nthe Eh and Elisha sccountsin and’? Kings. In response to worship ° For he craton theme in his song ste WI. Dumbell, Te Endo the Being (Glomebuth Wet Laser, 1989, ppel67-171 LP Gord's comment pene" While iinet resection not acetal dogs ofthe Old Testament theres moe chunce of elbisting st ae pace Tare thinking ots suche hese na slnced by scolrypreauppition efor they ave ha the opportunity to speak” RP. Gordon, 2 Samael: & Commentary (Michigan: Zondervan, 1986 80