What is the Jewish concept of God's revelation like? How does a Jew see the concepts or revelation of Christianity and Islam? Do Christians understand that Judaism is not a thing of the past and that Judaism is not solely the preliminary stage of Christianity? How does a Jew perceive God's judgement and grace today? How does God's dispensation work in the life of a human being? The Reform Jew writer and theologian Schalom Ben-Chorin, was born in Germany, but lived in Jerusalem since 1935 until his death in 1999, based his theological thinking on God's revelation. It begins with God's creation of the world and its ultimate goal is the Kingdom of God in this world. The city of Jerusalem and the cooperation between supporters of the monotheistic religions i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam have a significant position in Ben-Chorin's theology in realising the Kingdom of God. The present study also brings up the philosophical and theological prerequisites for Ben-Chorin's concept of revelation, describes how Ben-Chorin interprets the Biblia Hebraica and furthermor

Foreword

9

(6)

1. Introduction

15

(22)

2. On the philosophical and theological preconditions for the concept of revelation

37

(54)

2.1. On the philosophical preconditions for the concept of revelation

37

(21)

2.1.1. The dialogue philosophic connection

37

(3)

2.1.2. Martin Buber

40

(8)

2.1.3. Franz Rosenzweig

48

(7)

2.1.4. Ferdinand Ebner

55

(3)

2.2. The concept of theology as a precondition for revelation theology

58

(33)

2.2.1. The main types of revelation theology

58

(6)

2.2.2. The Reform Jewish movement as a revelation theological connecting point

64

(4)

2.2.3. The position of revelation theology in Jewish systematic theology

68

(10)

2.2.4. Theological anthropology as a precondition for revelation theology

78

(13)

3. God's revelation in the Word

91

(46)

3.1. God's revelation in the act of creation as a way to revelation as the word of God

91

(3)

3.2. Revelation as the word of God

94

(43)

3.2.1. God's word and tradition as sources of revelation

94

(14)

3.2.2. The oral and the written Torah and their criticism

108

(6)

3.2.3. The choosing of the people of Israel and its meaning for other nations

114

(10)

3.2.4. Faith and love inspired by God's grace

124

(13)

4. God's dialogue with His people

137

(58)

4.1. The concept of God and God's will

137

(34)

4.1.1. The dialogical concept of God in Israel's monotheism

137

(9)

4.1.2. God's self limitation - finitum capax infiniti

146

(7)

4.1.3. God's will as the contents of God's revelation

153

(3)

4.1.4. The Decalogue as a revelation of God's will

156

(15)

4.2. God's dialogue with the people

171

(24)

4.2.1. The covenant people as the receivers of revelation

171

(15)

4.2.2. The communal concept of faith of the people of faith

186

(3)

4.2.3. Man's freedom of will and predestination as the prerequisites of faith

189

(6)

5. God's revelation as a prophetic message

195

(20)

5.1. Prophet and rabbi

195

(9)

5.1.1. The essence and task of prophecy as a mediator of God's revelation

195

(5)

5.1.2. The difference between the task of a prophet and a rabbi

200

(4)

5.2. The highest prophet and the prophetic message

204

(11)

5.2.1. Moses as a mediator of God's revelation

204

(3)

5.2.2. The prophetic message as a theological interpretation of history

207

(8)

6. Ongoing confrontation with the word of the Bible

215

(20)

6.1. God's revelation interpreted from the changes of history

215

(10)

6.1.1. Progressive Judaism and progressive revelation

215

(2)

6.1.2. Pneumatic exegesis

217

(8)

6.2. The existential reception of the word of God

225

(10)

6.2.1. Existential confrontation with the word of the Bible as the hearing of the inner voice and as an experience of God's personal dispensation

225

(4)

6.2.2. The Holocaust (shoa) and the silent God

229

(6)

7. Judaism's task of witnessing and the immanent Kingdom of God

235

(60)

7.1. Revelation to all nations

235

(19)

7.1.1. The message about the covenants

235

(4)

7.1.2. Israel as the "light of the nations"

239

(15)

7.2. The immanent eschatology of the Kingdom of God

254

(41)

7.2.1. Messianism and the theopolitical goal of history

254

(8)

7.2.2. The Messiah and the redemption in the expectation of the Kingdom of God

262

(13)

7.2.3. Jerusalem as the capital city of nations united in God

275

(5)

7.2.4. The fulfilment of the Kingdom of God as a given task

280

(10)

7.2.5. The monotheistic ethics of the Kingdom of God

290

(5)

Conclusion

295

(6)

Abbreviations

301

(8)

Sources and bibliography

309

(22)

Appendix / Anhang

331

(16)

Index

347

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From the Creation to the Kingdom of God : The Concept of God's Revelation by the Reform jew Schalom Ben-Chorin in Dialogues with Christianity and Islam

9780820464183

082046418X

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