2012/1 (LIV)

ARTICLES:

• Thomas Römer 3

  Abraham´s righteousness and sacrifice: How to understand (and translate) Genesis 15 and 22

  Abstract:

  In this article the story of the “Binding of Isaac” in Gen 22 is analyzed with regard to its changing divine actor (yhwh or elohim), its possible belonging to an “Elohistic source”, and to the way it could elucidate our understanding of the enigmatic sentence on “believing” and “counting for justice” in Gen 15:6.

  Keywords:

  Abraham; binding of Isaac; names of God; Bible – literary criticism; Christian reading of the OT

• Ivana Procházková 16

  The Torah within the heart, in the feet, and on the tongue: Law and freedom in psalm 119 from the perspective of cognitive linguistics

  Abstract:

  Using the approach of cognitive linguistics, the author analyzes the metaphorical expressions used in Psalm 119. She describes the language of primordial human experience present in this psalm and discovers that its deep theme is freedom. Though dealing with just one psalm, the survey proves how helpful the cognitive linguistics could be for exegesis.

  Keywords:

  cognitive linguistics – Psalm 119 – Biblical metaphors – Biblical exegesis

• Andreas Pangritz 38

  Zur theologischen Begründung der Ethik

  Abstract:

  It seems that, at least in the context of German protestant theology, the question of theological foundation of ethics has lead to a crisis. Recent publications like Wilfried Härle’s Ethik and Jürgen Moltmann’s Ethik der Hoffnung (both published in 2011) have nearly nothing in common in this respect. A recollection of Reformation theology (Luther, Calvin) can contribute to a clarification of the problem, but not to its solution, because the radical criticism of the „law“ is one of the reasons of the ethical aporia at present. Karl Barth’s understanding of the „law“ as the form of the „gospel“ provides a possibility of integrating ethics into dogmatics, thus preparing the way for a new interpretation of evangelical freedom. Drawing on new insights from the dialogue between Christians and Jews Friedrich-Wilhelm Marquardt, in the context of his eschatology, has proposed „evangelical halakha“ as a forward-looking foundation of ethics, interpreting evangelical freedom primarily as „freedom to the law“.

  Keywords:

  theological foundation of ethics; gospel and law; evangelical freedom; Noahidic commandments

• Petr Tomášek 55

  Der Masoretische Text als Zeuge einer mündlichen‚Überlieferung und Lernens der Hebräischen Bibel in der Rabbinischen Zeit

  Abstract:

  Wir haben gesehen, dass der Text der masoretischen codices höchstwahrscheinlich auf zwei Quellen beruht: Auf dem konsonantischen Text, der von den Schreibern kopiert wurde, und auf einer mündlichen Tradition, die parallel dazu memoriert und studiert wurde. Der Grund für die Existenz einer solchen doppelten Überlieferung des biblischen Textes, ist in den sozio-ökonomischen Verhältnissen, d.h. vor allem bei den Schreibkosten in der rabbinischen Periode, zu suchen. Alle masoretischen Elemente (Vokalisation, Akzentuierung, masoretische Notizen) gehen offensichtlich auf die mündliche Tradition zurück. Die Akzentuierung und die masoretischen Notizen spiegeln dabei mündliche Techniken wider, die die Memorierung und das mündliche Studium des biblischen Texts unterstützen sollten: Die Kantillation des biblischen Textes als Mnemotechnik, das Lernen eines targ?m als eine Art durchlaufender Kommentar, und die mündlich überlieferten Listen von merkenswerten Formen als didaktisches Mittel. Es eröffnet sich so für uns ein Fenster in die verlorene Welt der Mündlichkeit und mündlich betriebenen Gelehrsamkeit in der rabbinischen Zeit. Diese mündliche Tradition zeigt sich dabei als relativ zuverlässig. Tendenzielle Änderungen in der Vokalisation konnten generell nicht festgestellt werden und solche sollten als marginal bewertet werden, falls sie überhaupt vorkommen. Das heißt selbstverständlich nicht, dass es zu keinen Überlieferungsfehlern bei der mündlichen Überlieferung kam. An sich aber weist die mündliche Tradition ganz andere Tendenzen zu Fehlern auf, als schriftlich überlieferte Texte. Die Textkritik sollte deswegen beide Traditionen auf ihre Eigenarten hin untersuchen und eine mögliche Interaktion bedenken. Aus unseren Analysen geht hervor, dass es einen bestimmten, nicht systematischen Kontakt zwischen den beiden Fassungen der hebräischen Bibel gab.

  Keywords:

  Hebrew Bible – Massoretic punctuation – Massoretic accentuation – Oral tradition

• Štěpán Lisý 88

  Preliminary remarks for the comparative study of mysticism

  Abstract:

  In the present article I argue, that our understanding of mysticism in general has its origin in Christian-theological framework. If some scholars are able to decide whether there is one or more mysticisms, there has to be a common understanding of mysticism (referential term). But every scholar gives a different definition, and even scholars dealing with mysticism in the same religious tradition. Sure, any definition can help us to find a referential term to which all scholars dealing with mysticism refer in order to claim, there is a different mysticism. I found more helpful to turn to Balagangadhara’s approach. He says, in such a case we’d better to choose a prototypical example. In our case it is unio mystica. So, mysticism is, what unio mystica is and by studying its characteristic properties we can arrive at understanding what is mysticism and only then will we be able to compare those properties with other kind of mysticism. Since the 19th century, all scholars refer to unio mystica as one kind of mysticism and the other kind is where the unio mystica is absent. If mysticism is what unio mystica is, then there is mysticism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. But there is no mysticism in Indian traditions and Buddhism because we can hardly find a Jewish, Christian or Muslim notion of God in Indian traditions, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shinto etc. So, if there is no Christian, Jewish or Muslim notion of God there cannot be unio between human and divine, and if there cannot be such a unio, there is no mysticism as well.

  Keywords:

  Mysticism Jewish – Mysticism Indian – Suffism – Unio mystica

• Pavel Hošek 108

  Preliminary remarks for the comparative study of mysticism

  Abstract:

  In this article the author focuses on one of the most important proposals in the area of the newly developing Jewish theology of Christianity, the monograph written by Michael Kogan and entitled Opening the Covenant. In this book Kogan proposes a significant shift in Jewish interpretation and evaluation of the rise, development and theological value of Christianity, which is in accord with the efforts of a larger group of contemporary Jewish scholars, who formulated and signed the Dabru emet declaration and who try to develop an affirmative theological hermeneutics of Christianity from an authentically Jewish point of view.

  Keywords:

  Michael Kogan, Jewish theology of Christianity, Dabru emet

BOOK REVIEWS

• Pavel Filipi 116

  Retelling Matthew by Jiří Mrázek

• Elena Sidorová 118

  Walter Brueggemann, The Word that Rediscribes the World