de Bruin The Great Controversy

The Individual’s Struggle Between Good and Evil in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and in their Jewish and Christian Contexts
1. Auflage 2014
ISBN: 978-3-647-54035-1
Verlag: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 264 Seiten

Reihe: Novum Testamentum et Orbis Antiquus / Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (T12P), one of the longest texts of the so-called “Old Testament Pseudepigrapha,” presents the fictitious farewell speeches that the twelve sons of Jacob held on their respective deathbeds. Tom de Bruin examines these twelve monologues as literary products in order to understand the function of the text for the setting in which it was composed. He approaches T12P from three directions: an analysis of the paraenetic parts, a discussion of the anthropology, and a comparative examination of other contemporaneous works documenting a world-view similar to T12P.These three approaches merge into a detailed discussion about the reasoning behind the admonition in T12P, and identifies the fundamental message of the text, namely that each person stands between the forces of good and evil and that this person is called to constantly decide which way to follow. Though T12P is still familiar with the apocalyptic origin and plays with the cosmological implications of this 'great controversy', the text clearly puts the emphasis on the battle inside each individual. It is thereby an important witness for reinterpreting and reapplying apocalyptic traditions through ethicizing them and focusing on the individual. Such an individualistic application of the 'great controversy' theme can be found in a number of other (mostly Christian) works, revealing a similar understanding of mankind’s existence and development as in T12P. The analysis of the ethical reappropriation of apocalyptic traditions in T12P provides important insights into the foundations of early Christian ethics, ancient anthropology, and the Jewish and Christian understanding of the struggle between good and evil.

Autoren/Hrsg.

de Bruin, Tom

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Bibelwissenschaften Apokryphen, Pseudepigraphen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Cover;1
2;Title Page;4
3;Copyright;5
4;Table of Contents;6
5;Body;10
6;Preface;10
7;Chapter 1: Introduction;12
7.1;1.1 Literature Survey;13
7.1.1;1.1.1 Pre-Modern and Early Modern Views: Grosseteste to Charles;14
7.1.2;1.1.2 The 1950s Onwards: A Three-Way Split;20
7.1.3;1.1.3 Methodologies of The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and Pseudepigrapha Research in Recent Years;28
7.2;1.2 Exhortation, Genre, and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs;36
7.2.1;1.2.1 The Form of a “Farewell Discourse”;37
7.2.2;1.2.2 The Form of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs;43
7.3;1.3 The Present Study;48
8;Chapter 2: Admonition and the Great Controversy in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs;52
8.1;2.1 Exhortation and Commands;53
8.1.1;2.1.1 The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs as a Collection of Commands;54
8.1.2;2.1.2 The Contents of the Commands;57
8.2;2.2 The Biographical Passages and Their Role in the Admonishment;64
8.2.1;2.2.1 Biography in the Testament of Judah;65
8.2.2;2.2.2 The Roles of the Biographical Passages in the Other Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs;69
8.2.2.1;Biography as an Example;70
8.2.2.2;Establishing Authority;71
8.3;2.3 The Future-Oriented Passages and Their Role in the Admonition;73
8.3.1;2.3.1 An Example Continued: Passages Regarding the Future in the Testament of Judah;73
8.3.2;2.3.2 The Role of Passages Regarding the Future in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs;75
8.3.2.1;Establishing Authority;76
8.3.2.2;Future Consequences of Behaviour;79
8.3.3;Conclusion;81
8.4;2.4 Virtues and Vices;81
8.4.1;2.4.1 Virtues;82
8.4.2;2.4.2 Vices;84
8.5;2.5 The Commandments and the Great Controversy;87
8.6;Conclusion;95
9;Chapter 3: Mankind in the Great Controversy according to the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs;98
9.1;3.1 Introduction to the Two Aspects of the Individual's Choice;99
9.2;3.2 God and Mankind;106
9.3;3.3 Mankind and the Forces of Evil;108
9.3.1;3.3.1 Mankind and the Spirits of Deceit;109
9.3.2;3.3.2 The Opponent and His Influence;115
9.3.3;3.3.3 The Spirits of Deceit and Their Influence;120
9.3.3.1;The Spirit of Fornication;123
9.3.3.2;The Spirits of Envy and Jealousy;126
9.3.3.3;The Spirits of Anger and Hatred;132
9.3.3.4;Non Vice-Related Spirits;136
9.3.4;Conclusion;139
9.4;3.4 Each Person's Choice and the Blinding of His Mind;140
9.4.1;3.4.1 The Individual's Choice and Mind;140
9.4.2;3.4.2 The Blinding of a Person's Mind;153
9.4.3;3.4.3 The Ultimate Choice of the Individual;155
9.4.3.1;The Opponent;157
9.4.3.2;Reward and Punishment;158
9.4.4;Conclusion;162
9.5;3.5 Conclusion;162
10;Chapter 4: The Great Controversy Theme in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs As Compared To Other Documents;164
10.1;4.1 General Motifs of the Forces of Darkness;166
10.1.1;4.1.1 The Opponent's Name and Identity;166
10.1.2;4.1.2 The Opponent's Allegiance;169
10.1.3;4.1.3 The Opponent's Modus Operandi;172
10.1.4;4.1.4 The Opponent as Ruler of the Unrighteous;174
10.1.5;4.1.5 The Source of the Opponent's Power;177
10.1.6;4.1.6 The Opponent's Underlings and Their Origin;179
10.1.7;4.1.7 The Modus Operandi of the Spirits of Deceit;185
10.1.8;Conclusion;187
10.2;4.2 QS: The Rule of the Community;189
10.2.1;4.2.1 Analysis;191
10.2.2;4.2.2 Comparison;197
10.3;4.3 The Shepherd of Hermas;201
10.3.1;4.3.1 The Two Aspects of Mankind's Existence;203
10.3.2;4.3.2 Mankind Versus the Forces of Evil;206
10.3.2.1;The Opponent: Powerful and Powerless;207
10.3.2.2;The Opponent's Spirits;210
10.3.2.3;Short Temper, the “Most Wicked Spirit”;213
10.3.3;4.3.3 An Individual's Choice, Double-Mindedness and the Heart;218
10.3.4;Conclusion;223
10.4;4.4 Origen;224
10.4.1;4.4.1 The Two Aspects of an Individual's Choice;225
10.4.2;4.4.2 Mankind and the Forces of Evil;228
10.4.3;Conclusion;232
10.5;4.5 Clement of Alexandria;233
10.6;4.6 Final Conclusions;236
11;Chapter 5: Conclusion;242
12;Bibliography;246
13;Index;260

Über Autor(innen)

de Bruin, Tom
Dr Tom de Bruin is independent researcher at the Leiden Institute for Religious Studies, Leiden University.