Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah is also called the Pentateuch (five books) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1,650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.
Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated by scholars to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, and they are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.
Today’s reading is one of the three accounts of YHWH’s covenant with Abraham to bless him with many descendants. It was written by the Priestly writers between 550 and 450 BCE. Although the readings today appeared to make an unconditional covenant with Abram about numerous offspring (v.2), the omitted verses (8 to 14) required Abram and his offspring to be circumcised. This made the covenant a conditional one in which both parties had obligations.
The reading is also about names. In the Hebrew Bible, one’s name described who you were. Abram means “exalted ancestor” and has the same root as “Abba/father”. He is renamed Abraham (“ancestor of a multitude”) (v.5). Sarai’s name was changed to Sarah (“princess”) when Abraham was told that she (at age 90) would conceive and bear a son (v.15).
The Priestly writers took the position that the name YHWH was not known to the Israelites until the Exodus (Exodus 3 and 6). In today’s reading, YHWH disclosed the divine name to Abram as “El Shaddai” – translated variously as “God Almighty” or “God of the Mountains” or even as “God with Breasts” (a fertile god).
Romans 4:13-25
Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among other messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.
Nero’s predecessor (Claudius) expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE. During Nero’s reign (54-68 CE), he allowed Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) to return, and this created tensions within the Jesus Follower Community. (They were not called “Christians” until the 80’s.)
In today’s reading, Paul held up Abraham as an example of “righteousness” (being in right relation with God and man) who was blessed by God, not because of the Law (which wasn’t given until Sinai) but because of his faithfulness. Paul argued that through faithfulness to God who raised Jesus from the dead (v.24), both Gentile and Jewish Jesus Followers share in the faith of Abraham and are “justified” (i.e. in a righteous state with God and man as Abraham was).
2018, April 29 ~ Acts 8:26-40 and 1 John 4:7-21
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienActs 8:26-40
The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension. The last 13 chapters describe Paul’s Missionary Journeys – not always consistently with Paul’s letters.
Today’s reading – the conversion of the high-ranking Ethiopian eunuch – is filled with references that were important to the late First Century Jesus Follower Community.
Philip was one of the first deacons (6:5), and just prior to this story, was converting Samaritans (thus spreading the Jesus Movement).
In the First Century, Ethiopia was seen as “the ends of the earth,” so the conversion of an Ethiopian official was a fulfillment of Jesus exhortation to the apostles to be his “witnesses … to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1.8).
Most references to eunuchs in the Hebrew Scriptures were unfavorable. Eunuchs were prohibited from making offerings at an altar (Lev. 21:20) and from being admitted to the assembly of YHWH (Deut. 23:1). The only favorable reference was to eunuchs who keep YHWH’s sabbath in Isaiah 56:4. The story of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch was therefore an important statement of openness in the Jesus Follower Community to all who accepted the good news.
It is also noteworthy that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading verses (vv. 33-34) from the “Suffering Servant Songs” in Isaiah 53. The Gospel According to Mark first presented Jesus as the Suffering Servant-Messiah. The four Suffering Servant Songs in the Book of Isaiah were written during the Babylonian Exile (587 to 539 BCE) and originally referred to the Judeans in captivity.
1 John 4:7-21
Today’s reading is from the first of three letters attributed to “John” – an attribution that was given to these letters in the late 2nd Century about the same time the four canonical Gospels were attributed to Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. (We do not know the actual authors of any of the Gospels.)
The author of 1 John was likely an individual speaking on behalf of a community of followers of the author of the Fourth Gospel.
Today’s reading takes key ideas from the Fourth Gospel and makes a beautiful and powerful statement that God is Love and that we love God only by loving one another.
2018, April 22 ~ Acts 4:5-12; and 1 John 3:16-24
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienActs 4:5-12
The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension. The last 13 chapters describe Paul’s Missionary Journeys – not always consistently with Paul’s letters.
As a background story to today’s reading, Peter healed a lame man in the Temple (3:6). After Peter made a long speech to the observers (3:12-26), the Temple Authorities (including the Sadducees — who denied resurrection for anyone) took Peter and John into custody. Next day, they brought Peter and John before the High Priestly family (4:6). Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 8), made another speech and stated the lame man was cured in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He blamed the Temple Authorities for crucifying Jesus and said God raised Jesus from the dead (v.10).
In the late First Century, for their own self-protection, the Jesus Followers’ writings largely exonerated the Romans for Jesus’ death and instead blamed the Temple Authorities and the Pharisees for the Crucifixion. In fact, the Romans crucified Jesus as an insurrectionist.
This shift of blame also allowed the Jesus Followers (who continued to see themselves as Jews) to separate themselves from the other Jewish sects that were responsible for the Jewish Revolt against the Romans that began in 66 CE. These including the Sadducees, scribes, Zealots, Herodians and Essenes – all of whom were eliminated by the Romans in either the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE or the killing of the Essenes at Masada in 73CE.
After the Revolt, the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees were the only surviving Jewish sects. From 70 to 100 CE, the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees contended with each other for control of post-Temple Judaism until the “parting of the ways” around 100 CE. By that time, the Jesus Follower Movement had evolved into an early form of Christianity and the Pharisaic Movement had evolved into an early form of Rabbinic Judaism.
1 John 3:16-24
Today’s reading is from the first of three letters attributed to “John” – an attribution that was given to the letters in the late 2nd Century about the same time the four canonical Gospels were attributed to Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. (We do not know the actual authors of any of the Gospels.)
The author of 1 John was likely an individual speaking on behalf of a community of followers of the author of the Fourth Gospel.
Today’s reading and its emphasis on love follows the theology of the Fourth Gospel. It adds the moral imperative that persons who have the world’s goods must help their brothers and sisters in need (v.17).
2018, April 15 ~ Acts 3:12-19; and 1 John 3:1-7
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienActs 3:12-19
The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension. The last 13 chapters describe Paul’s Missionary Journeys – not always consistently with Paul’s letters.
Today’s reading is one of Peter’s two lengthy speeches given in the Temple. Immediately before this speech, Peter healed a lame man at the Temple and people followed him and John.
“Peter’s speech” largely exonerated the Romans for Jesus’ death (v.13) and followed Luke 23:13-25 in blaming the Jewish Authorities. In the historical context of the late First Century, this shifting of blame by the Jesus Followers to these “other Jews” made sense.
The Jesus Followers and the Pharisees were the only Jewish sects that survived the disastrous Jewish Revolt in 66 CE that led to the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. The Sadducees, scribes, Zealots, Herodians and the Essenes were all eliminated by the Romans by 73 CE.
In Christian Scriptures written after 73 CE, to avoid offending the ruling Romans, the Jesus Followers largely exonerated the Romans for Jesus’ death. Simultaneously, they separated themselves from “those other Jews” responsible for the Jewish Revolt in 66 CE.
As the conflict between the Jesus Followers and the Pharisees for control of post-Temple Judaism intensified after 80 CE, the last three Gospels (Matthew, Luke and John) minimized Roman responsibility for the Crucifixion, blamed the Temple Authorities and the Pharisees for Jesus’ death, and portrayed the Pharisees as hypocrites enslaved by the Law.
1 John 3:1-7
Today’s reading is from the first of three letters attributed to “John” – an attribution that was given to the letters in the late 2nd Century about the same time the four canonical Gospels were attributed to Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. (We do not know the actual authors of any of the Gospels.)
The author of 1 John was likely an individual speaking on behalf of a community of followers of the author of the Fourth Gospel.
Scholars also conclude that the three letters attributed to “John” were written after 100 CE because they do not reflect the tense relationships found in the Fourth Gospel between the Jesus Followers and the Temple Authorities (in Jesus’ lifetime and up until 70 CE) and the Pharisees (from about 70 CE until the “parting of the ways” around 100 CE).
2018, April 8 ~ Acts 4:32-35; and 1 John 1:1-2:2
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienActs 4:32-35
The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension. The last 13 chapters describe Paul’s Missionary Journeys – not always consistently with Paul’s letters.
The Gospel According to Luke and Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.
Peter and John and other Jesus Followers prayed at the Temple soon after the Ascension and Pentecost. (Jesus Followers saw themselves as part of Judaism until the late 1st Century, even after the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE.)
After praying, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (v.31) and, as described in today’s reading, the “whole group” gave all their possessions to be held in common so that no one would be needy among them (v.34). Today’s reading is a reiteration of the holding all things in common by “all who believed” as described in Acts 2:44.
Holding all goods in common is still characteristic of those religious orders whose members take a vow of poverty.
1 John 1:1-2:2
There are three letters attributed to “John” – an attribution that was given to the letters in the late 2nd Century about the same time that the four canonical Gospels were attributed to Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. (We do not know the actual authors of any of the Gospels.)
There are similarities between these three letters and the Fourth Gospel (for example, “from the beginning” in verse 1). But there are also differences – in the use of images (in the Fourth Gospel, Jesus is the “light” but in 1 John, a moral life is the “light” v. 7), as well as differences in theology and in other aspects of the Fourth Gospel.
Biblical Scholars believe that the author of 1 John was likely an individual speaking on behalf of a community (“We declare” in verse 1) of followers of the author of the Fourth Gospel.
Scholars also conclude that the three letters attributed to “John” were written after 100 CE because they do not reflect the tense relationships found in the Fourth Gospel between the Jesus Followers and the Temple Authorities (in Jesus’ lifetime and up until 70 CE) and the Pharisees (from at least 70 CE until the “parting of the ways” around 100 CE).
2018, April 1 ~ Acts 10:34-43; Isaiah 25:6-9; and 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienActs 10:34-43
The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension. The last 13 chapters describe Paul’s Missionary Journeys – not always consistently with Paul’s letters.
The Gospel According to Luke and Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today’s reading exemplify this.
Peter’s speech (today’s reading) is part of the story of the conversion of Cornelius the Centurion and is a synopsis of the major themes in the Gospel According to Luke. In the conversion story, an angel told Cornelius to ask Peter to see him. Peter was moved by the Holy Spirit, went to Cornelius, gave his speech, and the Holy Spirit “fell upon all who heard the word” (v. 44). The conversion of the Gentile, Cornelius, by the power of the Holy Spirit was a key element in the so-called Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) where it was decided that Gentiles did not have to convert to Judaism (by a kosher diet and circumcision) to become Jesus Followers.
Isaiah 25:6-9
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and were written in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under direct siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brings hope to the Judeans during the time of the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they have suffered enough and will return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and gives encouragement to the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile.
Today’s reading is a part of the Book called the “Isaiah Apocalypse” (Chapters 24 to 27). Chapter 24 describes great destruction, but the next three chapters speak of an “eschatological” (end of times as we know them) renewal and restoration. Today’s verses told of a banquet on the holy mountain for those who trusted in YHWH. This image was closely linked in Ancient Israel with an expected Messiah through whom YHWH would swallow up death forever.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.
Today’s reading presents a number of interpretive issues. When Paul says Christ died “for” our sins (v. 3) does he mean “because of” or “on account of” or “to atone for”? In 1 Cor. 15:44, Paul speaks of the resurrected body as a “spiritual body.” In today’s reading, is the appearance to Cephas (Peter), the 12, the 500, James (Jesus’ brother) and lastly to Paul, a “physical” or a “spiritual” appearance? Nowhere in the Christian Scriptures is there a claim that any appearance of the resurrected Christ to Paul (including the three accounts of the Damascus Road Experience) was a “physical” appearance. Does this mean the other appearances (Peter, the 12, the 500 and James) were also of a “spiritual body”? Paul seems to assert that the appearance to him of the resurrected Christ was of the same type as the appearances to others.
2018, March 25 ~ Isaiah 50:4-9a and Philippians 2:5-11
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienIsaiah 50:4-9a
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and were written in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under direct siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brings hope to the Judeans during the time of the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they have suffered enough and will return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 and gives encouragement to the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile.
Today’s reading is from “Second Isaiah” and is a statement by the prophet that his authority came from YHWH. The prophet also recounted that he was mistreated and persecuted (v. 6) just as Jeremiah was persecuted (Jer.11:9). Today’s reading gave weight to the prophet’s statements that the Judeans would be restored to Jerusalem.
In the verse following today’s reading (v.10), the prophet referred to himself as YHWH’s “servant,” a motif that was expanded in Isaiah 52 and 53. This concept was substantially adopted by the author of the Gospel According to Mark to describe the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Prior to the writing of the Gospels, the “servant” reference was present in today’s reading from Philippians.
Philippians 2:5-11
Philippi was a major city in Macedonia on the Roman road to Byzantium (Istanbul). Most of its inhabitants were Roman citizens. Paul had a deep affection for the Jesus Followers in Philippi and thanked them for gifts sent to him in prison (4:18).
Today’s reading was derived from a hymn that was already in use in Jesus Follower communities by the 50’s (CE), perhaps in a Baptism liturgy. Its statements are not only religious, they are also political. The Roman Caesars claimed to be “in the form [the essence] of God” and that they were “Lord” (the one to whom ultimate allegiance was owed).
Paul noted that instead of exploiting his connectedness to God, Jesus took the form of a slave/servant and emptied himself (poured himself out) for others. For this, Paul said Jesus has been highly exalted (resurrected). As the Christ, he is also the “Lord” and at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend.
2018, March 18 ~ Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Hebrews 5:5-10
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienJeremiah 31:31-34
After the righteous King Josiah was killed in battle in 609 BCE, the fortunes of Judea took a sharp downward turn. Babylon threatened Judea’s existence, and Judea had a series of hapless kings from 609 until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Babylonians deported a number of Judean leaders in 597 and a larger number in 586 (the beginning of the Babylonian Exile). Jeremiah’s prophesy (i.e. speaking for YHWH) began around 609 and continued until 586 BCE when he died in Egypt.
Most Bible scholars agree that the Book of Jeremiah underwent substantial revisions between the time of Jeremiah (627 to 586 BCE) and the First Century. Sections in the book that are in “poetry style” are attributed to the prophet, and parts in “prose style” were added later by writers whose theological outlook was closely aligned with the Deuteronomists. (In fact, Chapter 52 in Jeremiah is virtually word for word with 2 Kings 24:18 to 25:30 written by the Deuteronomists.)
Jeremiah is largely a prophet of doom and gloom, but today’s reading is part of a two-chapter “Book of Consolation” (Chapters 30 and 31). Today’s section is in prose style, and although it purports to be written during the Exile (586-539 BCE), it is part of a “late stage” of the Deuteronomists’ continuing development of the Book of Jeremiah after the Exile.
This reading claimed the houses of Israel (Northern 10 tribes) and Judah (southern 2 Tribes) broke the Sinai Law Covenant (v. 32). YHWH promised to make a new covenant with them and write the Law on their hearts (vv. 31, 33.) so they will know YHWH who will forgive them. (v.34)
Hebrews 5:5-10
The Letter to the Hebrews is an anonymous sermon addressed to Jewish and Gentile Jesus Followers which urges them to maintain their Faith in the face of persecution. Most scholars agree it was written well after Paul’s death in 63 CE.
Today’s reading develops the image of Jesus the Christ being designated by God as a High Priest of the order of Melchizedek (v.6 and 10). Melchizedek was introduced in the Book of Genesis as the King of Salem (an ancient name for Jerusalem). He was also a High Priest of El (one of the oldest names for God and still found in names like Beth-el – House of God). Melchizedek made an offering of bread and wine and blessed Abram (Gen. 14:18).
Here, the author of the letter recites Psalm 2:7 (which was addressed to the House of David) to assert that Jesus the Christ is God’s begotten Son (v.5) who, by his obedience, became the source of eternal salvation (v.9).
2018, March 11 ~ Numbers 21:4-9; and Ephesians 2:1-10
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienNumbers 21:4-9
Numbers is the fourth book of the Torah (Hebrew meaning “teaching” or “Law”), also known by Christians as the Pentateuch (Greek meaning “Five Books”). Numbers (like the last half of Exodus, and all of Leviticus and Deuteronomy) is set in the time the Israelites were in the Wilderness before entering the Promised Land. If the time in the Wilderness is historical (no archaeological evidence has ever been found to support it), this would have been around 1250 BCE.
Most of the book of Numbers was written by the “Priestly Source” during the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BCE) and in the 100 years after the Exile. Today’s reading is one of four stories in the Torah in which the Israelites complained about their food or water or both. (The other three are in Exodus 16, and Numbers 11 and 20.) In this story, YHWH got angry and took action against the Israelites by attacking them with poisonous snakes. According to the story, many died until Moses intervened (v.7) and put a bronze serpent on a pole so that people who were bitten might live if they looked upon the bronze serpent (v.9).
According to 2 Kings 18:4, the bronze serpent on the pole was installed in the First Temple, but became an idol that the people worshiped. The good King Hezekiah (727-698 BCE), as part of reforms that were praised by the Deuteronomists, had the serpent removed from the Temple.
According to today’s Gospel reading, Jesus compared his being lifted up on the cross to the lifting up of the serpent on the pole in the Wilderness (John 3:14-15). Just as looking at the bronze serpent allowed an Israelite to live, believing in Jesus of Nazareth brings eternal life.
Ephesians 2:1-10
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. According to the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. This letter was written in the late First Century by one of Paul’s disciples and was intended to unify the Ephesus community.
Today’s reading is addressed to Gentile Jesus Followers (“you” in verse 1) and both Gentile and Jewish Jesus Followers (“all of us” in verse 3). The emphasis on salvation by grace through faith (v.8) rather than by works (v.9) is a theme that follows the theology of salvation found in Paul’s Letter to the Romans written in the early 60’s (CE).
2018, March 4 ~ Exodus 20:1-17 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienExodus 20:1-17
The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Torah/Pentateuch, and covers the period from the slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh (around 1250 BCE, if the account is historical), the Exodus itself, and the early months in the Wilderness.
Today’s reading is set at Mount Sinai (“Horeb” in other parts of Exodus and in Deuteronomy) during the time in the Wilderness. In it, YHWH (“LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) gave the Decalogue – the ten “words” (v.1) – often called the Ten Commandments.
The structure of the Decalogue was a covenant: YHWH recounted what had been done for the Israelites (v.2) and then directed reciprocal obligations of the Israelites (v. 3-17). Because Ancient Israel was a patriarchal society, the 10 words were addressed to men (in the second person singular), and wives “belonged to” men, just as are houses, slaves, animals and other items (v.17). Each of the “words” is absolute and unconditional.
This is one of three versions of the Decalogue and is called the “Priestly Decalogue” because it refers to the Priestly account of creation in which God rested on the seventh day. Other versions of the Decalogue appear in Exodus 34:11-26 (the “Ritual Decalogue”) and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. In the Deuteronomic version, wives do not “belong” to men (Dt. 5:21), and the rationale for observing the Sabbath is the liberation from Egypt rather than God’s resting on the seventh day of creation.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Its culture was diverse and Hellenistic. Corinthians emphasized reason and secular wisdom. In addition to Paul, other Jesus Followers taught in Corinth, sometimes in ways inconsistent with Paul’s understandings of what it meant to be a Jesus Follower. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50’s (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.
In today’s reading, Paul continued his criticism of the “wisdom of the world” and asserted that “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom” (v.25). He explained that selfless love (the cross) is foolishness to those who rely on the wisdom of the world (v. 18, 20). God’s wisdom (v. 21) is the plan of salvation, and includes the crucifixion of the Christ/Messiah/Anointed One of God. For Jews, a crucified Messiah was indeed a “stumbling block” (v. 23), and it was also inconsistent with the secular wisdom of the Greeks.
2018, February 25 ~ Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Romans 4:13-25
/in Uncategorized /by Thomas O'BrienGenesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Genesis is the first book of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah is also called the Pentateuch (five books) in Greek. Genesis covers the period from Creation to the deaths of Jacob and his 11th son, Joseph, in about 1,650 BCE, if the accounts are historical.
Genesis (like the Torah as a whole) is an amalgam of religious traditions, some of which are dated by scholars to about 950 BCE and some of which were developed as late as 450 BCE. Since the late 19th Century, Biblical scholars have recognized four major “strands” or sources in the Torah, and they are identified (among other ways) by their different theological emphases, names for God, names for the holy mountain, and portrayals of God’s characteristics.
Today’s reading is one of the three accounts of YHWH’s covenant with Abraham to bless him with many descendants. It was written by the Priestly writers between 550 and 450 BCE. Although the readings today appeared to make an unconditional covenant with Abram about numerous offspring (v.2), the omitted verses (8 to 14) required Abram and his offspring to be circumcised. This made the covenant a conditional one in which both parties had obligations.
The reading is also about names. In the Hebrew Bible, one’s name described who you were. Abram means “exalted ancestor” and has the same root as “Abba/father”. He is renamed Abraham (“ancestor of a multitude”) (v.5). Sarai’s name was changed to Sarah (“princess”) when Abraham was told that she (at age 90) would conceive and bear a son (v.15).
The Priestly writers took the position that the name YHWH was not known to the Israelites until the Exodus (Exodus 3 and 6). In today’s reading, YHWH disclosed the divine name to Abram as “El Shaddai” – translated variously as “God Almighty” or “God of the Mountains” or even as “God with Breasts” (a fertile god).
Romans 4:13-25
Paul’s letter to the Romans was his longest, last and most complex letter. It was written in the late 50s or early 60s (CE) to a Jesus Follower community that Paul did not establish. Among other messages in the letter, Paul sought to encourage respectful and supportive relationships between the Gentile Jesus Followers and the Jewish Jesus Followers in Rome.
Nero’s predecessor (Claudius) expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE. During Nero’s reign (54-68 CE), he allowed Jews (including Jewish Jesus Followers) to return, and this created tensions within the Jesus Follower Community. (They were not called “Christians” until the 80’s.)
In today’s reading, Paul held up Abraham as an example of “righteousness” (being in right relation with God and man) who was blessed by God, not because of the Law (which wasn’t given until Sinai) but because of his faithfulness. Paul argued that through faithfulness to God who raised Jesus from the dead (v.24), both Gentile and Jewish Jesus Followers share in the faith of Abraham and are “justified” (i.e. in a righteous state with God and man as Abraham was).