Creation, Tabernacle, and Sabbath: The Sabbath Frame of Exodus 31:12-17; 35:1-3 in Exegetical and Theological Perspective

by Timmer, Daniel C.

• ISBN13: 9783525530917
• ISBN10: 3525530919
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-09-23
• Publisher: Isd
• More Book Details
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Summary

This study redresses the dearth of resources dealing with the sabbath in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. While focusing on a key passage in Exodus, it also incorporates comparative data from elsewhere in the ancient Near East and explores inner-biblical and other developments of the study's themes. By giving attention to the diachronic elements that come to expression in the sabbath frame and its context, as well as to the typological relations between these passages and those elsewhere in the canon, this study is able to appreciate the development and dynamism as well as the coherence of both the Exodus material and related biblical passages.

Author Biography

Daniel C. Timmer, PhD, is Professor of Biblical Studies at the Facult de thologie rforme FAREL (Montral).

Table of Contents

This study's topic and themes in current discussion of Exodus and of biblical theology	p. 11
Review of studies relevant to the sabbath frame	p. 12
This study's goals	p. 18
This study's methodology	p. 18
The significance of this study	p. 26
Exegesis of the sabbath frame	p. 28
The literary context of the sabbath frame	p. 29
The relation of Exodus 32-34 to Exodus 25-31; 35-40	p. 32
Themes of Exodus 25-40	p. 32
Exegesis of the sabbath frame (Exod 31:12-17)	p. 43
The sabbath	p. 44
The meaning of Üabb&abar;t Üabb&abar;tôn	p. 47
Sign and/or covenant?	p. 51
Seventh-day of creation motive	p. 56
Exegesis of the sabbath frame (Exod 35:1-3)	p. 58
Summary and conclusions	p. 60
Hermeneutical and theological reflections on the sabbath frame	p. 61
Yahweh as the sanctifier of Israel	p. 62
Pentateuchal holiness prior to Sinai	p. 63
Divine rest elsewhere in the ANE	p. 74
The Garden of Eden	p. 79
Subsequent instances of holiness prior to Sinai	p. 86
Holiness at Sinai (Exod 19-Num 10)	p. 88
Exegesis of Exodus 19:4-6	p. 89
Exegesis of Exodus 19:8c-15	p. 93
The relation of Exodus 19 to Exodus 24	p. 94
This study's findings vis-à-vis diachronic conclusions	p. 94
The meaning of Exod 31:13	p. 96
The rationale for the sabbath as the sign of the Sinai covenant	p. 98
Rest, sanctification and the sabbath after Exodus	p. 99
Rest, sanctification, and the sabbath at Sinai	p. 100
Conclusions	p. 101
Exegesis of Exodus 32-34 with an emphasis on divine presence	p. 103
Introduction and context	p. 103
The rationale for the calf (32:1-6)	p. 104
God threatens to annihilate Israel but relents (32:7-14)	p. 106
Moses punishes Israel (32:15-20)	p. 107
Capital punishment of some offenders (32:21-29)	p. 108
Plague and divine absence (Exod 32:30-35)	p. 111
Exegesis of divine presence passages	p. 112
The angel replaces Yahweh and Israel repents (33:1-6)	p. 113
The tent of meeting (33:7-11)	p. 116
Progressive restoration of presence (33:12-17)	p. 120
The culminating theophany (33:18-34:8)	p. 123
Request for Yahweh to fully restore covenant (34:9)	p. 125
Covenant renewal (34:10-28)	p. 126
Divine presence via Moses' shining face (34:29-35)	p. 128
Summary and conclusions	p. 130
Hermeneutics, theology, and divine presence in Exodus 32-34	p. 132
Divine presence and forgiveness in Exodus 32-34	p. 132
Intercession, non-cultic forgiveness and presence	p. 133
Summary of the dynamics of forgiveness in Exodus 32-34	p. 137
The relation of forgiveness to sanctification	p. 138
Tabernacle and sabbath	p. 149
The interrelation of sabbath and tabernacle in Exodus	p. 149
Summary and conclusions	p. 145
This study's themes in subsequent Jewish and Christian literature	p. 146
Creation, temple and sabbath in Isaiah 65-66	p. 146
Full forgiveness and holiness	p. 148
Full divine presence	p. 149
The revelation of God's rest	p. 150
Sabbath and rest in non-canonical Jewish Second Temple literature	p. 151
Jubilees	p. 152
The Damascus Document	p. 154
Philo	p. 155
The relevance of non-canonical literature for this study	p. 157
Rest, tabernacle, and forgiveness perfected in Hebrews	p. 158
Sacred space, the tabernacle and forgiveness in Hebrews	p. 158
Sacred space, sacred time and rest in Hebrews	p. 161
Sacred space and sacred time as rest in Hebrews	p. 164
Is the creation-tabernacle-sabbath link absent from the Hebrew writing prophets?	p. 165
Relevant characteristics of the writing prophets	p. 166
Covenant consummation in the writing prophets	p. 167
This study's themes in the writing prophets	p. 173
Conclusions and contributions to biblical studies	p. 175
Summary of the study's findings	p. 175
Importance of the study's findings	p. 179
Bibliography	p. 183
Index of Ancient Sources	p. 223
Index of Subjects	p. 229
Index of Authors	p. 231
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