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Some words and concepts in the Kur'an are used relatively frequently and may contain different contents or express different meanings depending on their context. As a matter of fact, this situation led to the emergence of works such as vucüh and nezā'ir, which dealt with the use of words in different meanings in the Kur'an from the early period. One of the important elements that help in determining the meanings of the words and concepts in the verses are the narrations of reason of revelation. However, both the fact that the works on vucüh and nezā'ir do not determine the meaning of each of the Kur'anic words and the narrations of the reason for revelation for a limited number of verses necessitate the use of different methods and possibilities in determining the meaning of some Kur'anic words and concepts wherever they are used. The verses that were revealed as words to direct their addressees to the right path, being isolated from many of the elements of the environment of revelation and reaching the next generations in the form of a written text, cause obscurities in terms of understanding and interpretation. In addition to classical research methods, tracing all the information about the descent period and being able to evaluate this information together through meaningful and consistent connections will help to eliminate these gaps we are dealing with. One of the expressions frequently mentioned in the Kur'an and used in different meanings is the concept of al-kitāb. It has been determined that this expression is used in eighteen different meanings in the Kur'an. In addition to the findings in classical works about the meanings of the expression used in the Kur'an, it is also seen that different meanings are given and some evaluations are made in the studies conducted by contemporary researchers. One of the verses that mentions the writing of a book and which has been found to be unable to explain the issues such as what the expression al-kitāb in it indicates, who wrote it or had it dictated, the purpose of writing it, etc. in a meaningful integrity is the 79th verse of al-Bakara Surah: "They wrote the book themselves and said, "These are from Allah!' in order to gain a small benefit from it. Woe to those who say! Woe to them for what their hands have written. Woe to them for what they have earned!" Commonly in Islamic Sciences, each discipline adopts accessing or interpreting information through its own resources. The main sources used to determine the meaning of the verses or the words and concepts in them are generally works related to the field of Tafsir and Language/Lexicon. However, the works compiled in the early period were not created within the framework of specialization that took shape later. These resources have the ability and opportunity to access information that will address all areas of Islamic literature. For this reason, it is not a choice but a necessity for a Tafsir researcher to adopt the principle of benefiting from all these sources. The opportunity to access many works in different fields and benefit from digital libraries offers today's researchers the opportunity to determine the revelation process and the meaning of the verses and the words and concepts they contain in the most accurate way. In this regard, in our study on the 79th verse of al-Baķara Surah, it was concluded that the verse in question is about the Jewish clergy, that they misused the knowledge of prophethood and wrote a fabricated book in order to prevent their own subjects and polytheists from believing, and they gave it to the Meccan polytheists. It has been seen that the information in the Tafsir sources regarding this verse is far from expressing integrity when taken alone. It has been evaluated that more concrete and consistent judgments can be reached when the data in the Sira, History and Mağāzī works are evaluated together with the information from the Tafsir literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article identifies parallels between methods and conceptual impulses that informed the shape and shaping of MT Psalms and MT Isaiah as books. For the past fifty years, there has been abundant interest in the macrostructures of the Psalter (MT) and Isaiah, yet inquiry into the shape and shaping of these two books has taken place in isolation from one another. When compared, there is striking overlap between the shapes of MT Psalms and MT Isaiah. In this article, I show similarities between Psalms and Isaiah in terms of both editorial methods (dual introductions; central hinges) and semantic emphases (torah observance; the nations; divine kingship in Zion; worship) that give shape to each book. Consequently, scholarship can move beyond simply acknowledging commonality between individual texts in the Psalter and Isaiah. A remarkable level of similarity between Psalms and Isaiah as books exposes how a common set of theological instincts from the Zion tradition informed how these books took form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Islam spread, ties with non-Muslim communities expanded. Among those who converted to Islam were also scholars who know the Torah and the Gospel. Converting to Islam, they shared with Muslims biblical descriptions of events mentioned in the Qur`an and Sunnah. One of the biblical stories, mentioned in Quran and in commentaries to it, is well-known story about “people in cave” – seven sleeping lads. The legend is expounded in sura Al-Kahf. Worship of sleeping lads, that took place in the whole Christian world over time found reflection in Islamic tradition. This story acquired with popularity in the most remote parts of muslim territory. This process did not bypass the Muslims of the Crimea, expressed, for example, in the practice of turning to the legend about the inhabitants of the cave.

The appearance of Boaz’s name in the Bible genealogy – Ruth, 1 Chronicles, Matthew, and Luke – creates difficulty. Ruth 4:21, 1 Chronicles 2:12, Matthew 1:5, Luke 3:32 informs that Boaz was the father of Obed. The issue is the Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament, mentions that the father of Obed should be Mahlon, and not Boaz. According to the book of Deuteronomy, the purpose of Boaz and Ruth’s levirate marriage is to raise up an offspring (Obed) that would continue the name of Mahlon, and not Boaz. In Ruth 4:4, Boaz even confirms this purpose is to perpetuate the name of the deceased (Mahlon). In the Gospel of Matthew, Sadducees also explicitly narrate that the brothers of the dead man would raise up seed for him to perpetuate the name of the dead man (Mat. 22:24-25; cf. Gen. 38:8-10). Therefore, the Law opposes the idea of Obed carrying the name of Boaz, and not Mahlon. This research employs the study of intertextuality to offer another perspective – Matthean perspective – on the problematic name of Boaz in the Bible genealogy: Ruth, 1 Chronicles, Matthew, and Luke.

The research aims to: determine the meaning of symbols and symbolism both linguistically and terminologically, understand the value of symbols among Jews, clarify the meanings of numbers and their significance for Jews, highlight the exaggeration of Jews in their reliance on interpretation to explain the ambiguities in the altered texts, open the door for many researchers and scholars to explore topics related to comparative religions, and enrich the library of theology and comparative religion, which focuses on aspects of Jewish studies and their history. Research Methodology: the inductive method and the deductive method. Jews rely on symbolism to understand their sacred texts, and through this, rabbis integrate this religion, opening the door widely to the alterations that have affected this religion. Among the most prominent findings of the research: A symbol linguistically is a gesture or indication using the eyes, eyebrows, lips, and mouth. The definitions of a symbol have varied according to the science or art in which the term is used. A symbol is a sign that refers to a meaning that exists independently, representing it and replacing it. A symbol in the Old Testament is an expression or indication of what will happen in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psalm 131 employs the metaphorical imagery of an infant and mother to portray the relationship between the psalmist and YHWH. Since this imagery is critical in understanding the psalmist and the overall message of the psalm, I utilize psychoanalytical Object-Relations theory in reading the psalm. This interpretive framework offers insights into the language, structure, and movement of the psalm that might otherwise be overlooked. This essay reveals the foundational role of YHWH, particularly in relation to his absence and presence as primary caregiver in the development of the false self and the restoration of the true self-identity of the psalmist. The restoration of the psalmist's true self-identity is further supported by the larger canonical context in which the Torah of Psalm 119 functions as an object-relations transitional object for the psalmist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a new interpretation of καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα in Mark 7.19c. After reviewing and offering some nuance to an emerging non-antinomian interpretation of 7.15a/18b, I turn to Mark 7.19c and argue that the phrase καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα should be understood as a part of Jesus' speech in 7.18–19. Jesus' argument, I suggest, is that ritually defiled food cannot defile humans through ingestion because humans purify all foods from ritual impurity through digestion. This reasoning depends on a widespread Jewish view that excrement is impervious to ritual impurity: because all excrement is pure, the stomach acts as a purifying agent that purifies all food from ritual impurity. I proffer that the common translation of Mark 7.19c – 'Thus he declared all foods clean' (NRSV) – should therefore be abandoned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal on Humanities & Social Sciences is the property of International Journal on Humanities & Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Biblical Hebrew is known for its creative avoidance of mentioning intimate body parts. Did such euphemisms continue in Greek-speaking Judaism? This article proposes that the “Greek hat” in 2 Maccabees 4:12 is not (or at least not only) a literal hat or a vague metaphor for Hellenism, as has been suggested through the centuries. Instead, it is a sly euphemism for a foreskin, and refers to the practice of epispasm, or the restructuring of a penis to reverse the look of circumcision. Such a reading fits well with the text’s anxiety around the gymnasium and its concern for Torah observance.

Our study focuses on the recitation of the first verse of the Genesis/Bereshit chapter in the Torah, the holy book of Judaism and Christianity, with Taamim symbols. Taamim symbols, dating back to ancient times, are markings placed above or below sacred texts. These symbols generally denote a melodic sequence formed by two or more notes, rather than a single note. In our study, the first verse of the Genesis chapter, which is significant from both Jewish and Christian perspectives, has been transcribed into notation and analyzed comparatively with the Turkish music system. When examining the academic landscape of Türkiye, particularly in the field of Turkish Religious Music, it is observed that the music or musical recitations found in the sanctuaries of Semitic religions are not adequately addressed. These studies typically consist of postgraduate theses or articles derived from these theses, primarily contributed by M. Safa Yeprem and his students. Our study is significant as it will be the first to examine the musical recitation of the Torah and fill this gap in the field. Furthermore, our study is the first to explore the application of Taamim symbols to the recitation of sacred texts. The origin of Taamim symbols dates back to ancient times, and like the Neumatic notation system, these symbols guide the reader. The difference between Taamim symbols and the Neumatic notation system is that Taamim symbols represent a melodic sequence rather than a single note. These symbols are markings placed above or below words in sacred texts, each symbol indicating a distinct melodic sequence. Moreover, variations exist in the melodic sequences of these symbols within Ashkenazi and Sephardic cultures, and the symbols we are examining belong to the Sephardic Jewish culture, which sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire to escape European persecution. Therefore, there is no record of how Ashkenazi Jews interpret Taamim symbols. Hence, a comparative study with the Sephardic Jewish tradition is necessary. In a study conducted by M. Recai Çiftçi on the musical analysis of sacred recitations, the recitations of Armenians, Greeks, and Muslims were comparatively examined in terms of pitch and interval consistency, melodic structure in prolonged syllables, and duration of pauses. However, Jewish sacred text recitation was not included in this study. Our study will fill a significant gap by comparatively analyzing the recitation of Sephardic Jews with the Turkish music system. To examine existing studies on Jewish sacred text recitation, various keywords were identified, and searches were conducted in internet databases and various online libraries in Turkish, English, and German languages. However, it was observed that there are no studies on the musical expression of Jewish sacred text recitation. Additionally, studies on Taamim symbols are scarce, and existing studies mainly consist of brief historical information. Following the literature review, a recording of the first verses of the Genesis chapter from the sacred book was obtained from Rabbi David Sevi of the Şişli Bet-Israel Synagogue. To compare this recitation with Turkish music, the recording was transcribed into notation using the Mus2 notation program. Ornamentations made by the reader during performance were indicated on the notation. Additionally, decibel (dB) values were provided on the fourth line of the notation to show the pitch values during recitation and on the fifth line to indicate the emphasis made by the reader. Computer-aided programs were used to show cent and decibel values and to ensure that the research yielded more scientific and reliable results. After completing the notation process, the recording was analyzed in terms of pitch, interval usage, melodic structure in prolonged syllables, and duration of pauses. In postgraduate studies and articles in the field of Turkish Religious Music, we observe the use of the four-line notation technique. However, in our study, the five-line notation technique was employed. The five-line notation technique has been used in postgraduate theses and articles derived from these theses in the field of Turkish Religious Music until now. We believe that the five-line notation technique should be used in future notation studies as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three Abrahamic religions -Judaism, Christianity, and Islam- are believed to originate from the same source. Although these religions emerged in geographically proximate regions and display differences in certain aspects, they also share similar narratives on various topics. Despite the different times of their revelation, their commonalities in certain matters are noteworthy. The approach of these religions to various subjects and their similarities and differences have been subjects of interest. One such topic, found in many faiths and mythologies, is the story of the Flood. According to Jewish and Christian sources, the Flood occurred during the time of Noah, who is considered a righteous man. In Islamic sources, Noah is regarded as one of the great prophets (Ulu'l Azm). The purpose of this study is to trace the account of the Flood, its location, nature, philosophy, and the fate of the Ark according to the Bible and the Qur'an. By identifying the common and differing aspects of the story in the sacred texts of these three monotheistic religions, this research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the narrative. The topic spans various disciplines such as mythology, literature, history, exegesis, and hadith, and these aspects will be addressed as relevant.In the referenced sources, the Flood is seen as a sign meant to guide humanity to the right path, a manifestation of divine law, a miracle, and a lesson. This study utilizes the texts of the Old and New Testaments (Torah, Psalms, Gospels) from the Holy Bible by the Bible Society and the Qur'anic text along with its authentic exegeses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study undertakes to explore the Old and New Testament roots of the rule of law. It shows that the roots go back to the Mosaic laws and the organization of the ancient Jewish state based on them, an ancient state based primarily on laws. It points out that from the aspect of state and legal theory, the uniqueness of the Mosaic laws lay in the presentation of the supremacy and primacy of the law. This principle was reflected in the fact that no one, neither the king nor any leaders, could set themselves above the law. In addition, according to the specific laws concerning Israel's kings, the exercise of royal power was even more confined within the framework of the law. We argue that the principle of governance bound by law is part of the social teaching of both the Old and the New Testaments. All of this - in interaction with the related elements of ancient Greek-Roman political philosophy - played a prominent role in the fact that it was the Judeo-Christian culture where the idea of the rule of law spread and became the basic principle of the political and legal system of the states belonging to this circle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Torah is central to Judaism. Jesus's relationship with it sparks conflict with Christianity. Some Jews think that Jesus violated the Torah, while some Christians believe that he sinlessly followed it. This clash escalated on 22 June 2023, when Ultra-Orthodox Jews protested a Messianic convention in Jerusalem. Social media videos and comments highlighted Jesus's purported Torah compliance, placing Matthew 5:17 at the center stage. The comments proved indicative of the gaps within the literature as neither determined all the unique Written and Oral Torahic/legal issues raised within the Gospels nor quantified the extent of Jesus's compliance. To address these gaps, this study employs artificial intelligence (LDA), statistics, and legal analysis and exegesis to determine Jesus's compliance with the Torah, Mishnah, Talmud, and Mishneh Torah. The findings show the Gospels' consensus: Mark, Luke, and John reflect that Jesus was non-Torah-compliant (14.80, 43.80, and 0.00%, respectively); Matthew states otherwise (70.80%). Overall, the study revealed that Jesus kept 79 of 162 Written and Oral Torah laws (48.80%). This study has significant implications for Christian doctrines, the definition(s) of sin, and the missionizing ethnoreligion members and serves as a case study that illustrates AI's impact on religious authority (i.e., clergy, scholarship, and doctrines). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Burdur Theology Journal / Burdur İlahiyat Dergisi is the property of Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy Universitesi lahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

"Exclusivism" is one of the oldest and most important approaches to the authority of religions. Based on exclusivism, only one religion can guarantee the guidance and well-being of its followers at a time. On the other hand, recent pluralists believe this theory cannot properly justify the divine guidance system. Besides the rational analysis of the reasons for exclusivists and pluralists, explaining the religions' opinions on this particular issue holds high levels of importance, and because Islam is the last divine religion, presenting its view on this issue is highly important. This research has attempted to examine the verses (of the Quran) that refer to the exclusivity of Jews and Christians and focus on its connection with the exclusivity of Islam. By the end, it is concluded that there is no connection between the negation of the exclusivity of other religions and the negation of the exclusivity of Islam and to either prove or deny it, other evidence should be referred to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This encyclopaedia entry explores the Jewish theological perspective on technology, highlighting its fundamental role in improving the human condition and completing creation. It begins by tracing the historical development of Jewish theological approaches to technology, starting with a look at a number of fundamental biblical narratives, proceeding to the relevant Talmudic and Midrashic literature on the subject, and culminating with readings in medieval, modern, and contemporary Rabbinic writings. This review of historical approaches to technology leads to the conclusion that while the human technological endeavour is part and parcel of reaching the goal of creation, it must be guided by divine purpose and ethics. This message is then shown to be reified in the practical demands set forth by Jewish Law – i.e. Halakhah. Bringing prominent examples that demonstrate how Halakhah seeks to regulate new technologies, the entry explores the Halakhic discourse with technology. The entry concludes with a section entitled ‘Eschatology and Ethics’, which discusses how technology must be guided by ethical considerations to bring about the eschatological era as well as to serve humanity in that ultimate era.

The commandment to protect the ger, often translated as stranger, is asserted several times in the Torah. The book of Exodus requires the Israelites ‘not to do wrong to a ger or oppress them’ (22:21). Leviticus teaches that a ger who resides with Israelites shall be treated as an Israelite citizen, and that the people of Israel should have ‘one standard for ger and citizen alike’ (24:22). But what exactly is a ger? Throughout the centuries, Jewish tradition has offered various meanings of this biblical concept. The early Rabbis distinguished between ger tzedek (‘righteous alien’), that is, a non-Jew who becomes a Jew through conversion, and a ger toshav (‘resident alien’), that is, a non-Jew who lives among Jews and accepts the Noahide Commandments (Gen 9:8–17). Some leading Rabbis like Rashi argued that ger applies first to these Noahides. Others, like Maimonides, understood ger most of all as a reference to converts, since Jews did not form the majority in any society and therefore did not have the chance to oppress anybody except converts. Some contemporary Orthodox Rabbis in Israel apply the term to local Arab and Palestinian populations, while other Liberal Rabbis in the US use it to describe non-Jewish fellow travellers. This article will present the evolution of the term ger from the Bible through Rabbinic times, introduce the reader to some of the traditional debates on the figure of the ger, and finally discuss the modern applications of the term. But first, it will present the etymology of the Hebrew word ger.

Throughout history, there have been people who consider themselves, their family, tribe, clan or race to be superior to other people and who act and behave towards them with a sense of superiority.. The first example of this was when Satan rebelled against Adam by claiming superiority over him and consequently lost his high position. In the following period, we see that the claim of superiority between Adam's two children resulted in the death of one of them. The desire to be superior in human nature spread to a wider area after the Renaissance and Reform movements, especially in western societies, and led to the establishment of nation-based states. In today's world, there are approaches that claim that some people are superior to others. There are even religions that distinguish their followers with a caste system and aim to ensure the happiness of only one nation. However, apart from Judaism, there is no religion that explicitly expresses the superiority of one race and its dominance over others. Jews, who consider the Children of Israel to be God's chosen people, justify their conviction with certain events alleged to have occurred during the time of Noah and found in the text of the Torah. This study reveals the reasons for this claim of superiority by focusing on the Torah text. The study is based on the Jewish holy book Tanakh, and it also draws on both old and recent works written on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Judaic law famously bans pigs. For millennia, scholars have wondered why. This paper uses the economics of property rights to resolve the puzzle. We argue that the Judaic pig ban was an instrument for internalizing swine externalities. Free ranging pigs in search of sustenance trespass on agricultural landowners' property, wreaking destruction. Activities that foster such pigs thus create negative externalities that can cripple agricultural economies. When the expected cost of swine externalities becomes large, internalization becomes worthwhile: lawmakers with a vested interest in the agricultural economy ban activities that foster free ranging pigs. That is what transpired in ancient Judah, where lawmakers were priests whose livelihoods depended on agriculture, where all swine ranged freely, and where the expected cost of swine externalities surged during the late Iron Age. Lawmakers invoked God to enjoin involvement with pigs because a supernatural injunction was cheaper to enforce than a natural one: in a land of faithful Hebrews, Yahweh's swine prohibition enforced itself. The Judaic pig ban's features are consistent with pig bans recently adopted by US states such as Montana, which everyone agrees are instruments for internalizing swine externalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mark 10:1–12, Jesus and the Pharisees discuss whether divorce is permissible. The Pharisees' question and Jesus's answer seem artificial against the background of ancient discourses on divorce. Particularly Jesus's answer in Mark 10:9, which forbids divorce without exception, still gives rise to discussion today. It appears uncompromising and unyielding compared to other NT texts dealing with divorce (Matt 19:1–12; 1 Cor 7:10–16). I show that the prohibition of divorce in Mark 10:9 is the result of a conflict of authority between Jesus and the Pharisees that develops in the Streitgespräche in Mark's Gospel up to Mark 10:1–12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ancient civilizations where social classes were sharply distinguished, slave constituted the lowest stratum of society. One's membership in the slave class could be acquired from birth, as they were born into slave families, but it was also common for individuals to be reduced to the status of a slave later in life due to reasons such as being captured in warfare or being taken as a hostage due to debts. Over time the ownership of slaves became a privilege, leading to a dramatic increase in the number of slaves in society. Corresponding to this increase, legal texts in ancient the written laws of other ancient Mesopotamia civilizations, there are detailed provisions regarding slaves, including various legal articles related to slaves involved in disputes that ended in injury, theft, and runaway slaves. While legal provisions related to slaves showed similarities in many civilizations, the Torah in particular, classified slaves based on the their ethnic origins, distinguishing between Hebrew and non-Hebrew slaves. In our study, based on the legal provisions concerning slaves in these civilizations, the social status and rights of slaves are examined comparatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jewish thinkers in the Middle Ages have developed various approaches to account for the existence of unresolved controversies in the Mishnah and Talmud: a question that touches on fundamental issues, from the nature of truth to the ways to deal with religious and political dissent within Jewish societies. This article presents a seldom-studied approach to controversy that appears in the Tikune Zohar literature, a collection of kabbalistic compositions dated to the early fourteenth century. The product of a secondary elite, and connected with the influential zoharic movement in kabbalah, these texts present a unique approach to the question of halakhic controversy. The Tikunim 's approach distinguishes three types of controversy: "lower," evil controversies that are driven by pride and resentment; "middle" controversies that adorn and protect the divine; and "higher" controversies, where the disputants participate in the sexual dynamic of the sefirot, the divine emanations. These types of controversy are arranged metaphysically and are distinguished not by content but by the disposition of the disputants. The higher type of controversy is depicted as existing even in the ideal, messianic state of the Torah and must remain unresolved, for to resolve it would mean to collapse the godhead itself. The Tikunim 's unique model of halakhic controversy can also be viewed as part of a larger trend in kabbalah at the turn of the thirteenth century to organize and harmonize various Jewish approaches according to a new (kabbalistic) key. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article takes a thematic approach to commonalities between the three main wisdom books in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible (OT/HB; sections 1–3), and then looks briefly at apocryphal and New Testament (NT) developments (section 4). The first section covers the acquisition of wisdom; its function as teaching and character formation through proverbs, instructions, and pre-scientific listing of phenomena; the beneficial goals to be gained by adherence to wisdom in relation to life and death issues; and the importance of communication as individuals and within community. The second section looks at the divine aspect of the wisdom quest, with God as creator, and the place of woman Wisdom and wisdom’s moral code of retributive justice. The third section considers the challenge to traditional wisdom perspectives and to faith in God posed by more questioning wisdom books, looking at the way individual experience contradicts traditional ideas and how retributive justice is overturned. Notions of ‘the good life’, how life is relativized in the light of death and how faith in God is maintained in the face of human suffering are explored. In section 4, the wise sayings of the apocryphal wisdom books are considered, as well as the interrelationship between divine Wisdom and the Logos of John’s Gospel in the NT. The issue of hidden sayings and belief in the afterlife are also considered. These themes all relate back to early themes from the wisdom books of the OT/HB. The conclusion focuses on contemporary relevance for the modern believer.

In the Bible, legal discourse is often employed for theological purposes. It contributes to the search for an ordered life in the presence of God. While many factors are involved in such a quest, this essay focuses on four primary concepts: divine presence, holiness, righteousness, and the covenantal community. After introducing these concerns, the claim that law was divinely revealed to Israel is examined. Discussion of the method of biblical law is illustrated by a description of the theology of four major bodies of instructions in the Pentateuch: the Book of the Covenant, Priestly writings, the Holiness source, and the laws of Deuteronomy. Examples from other biblical texts are also used. On that basis, the article considers the appropriation of biblical law within Christian traditions.

The article analyzes the monograph by A. B. Kovelman Those Who Entered Pardes, published in the Chase collection of the Knizhniki publishing house. The leitmotif of the experiment connects the beginning and the end of the study and permeates through the seven chapters of the book framed by the introduction and conclusion. The weaving of motley themes following a certain idea and the creation of a composition from a variety of elements reveal the Talmudic method of “masefet”, which allows the reader to gain their footing through the continuity of “their own” and “the alien”. This book is not just about culture, metaphor and its literalization, or idioms and codes that permeate through the Judeo-Christian cultural dialogue. At the center of the research is the question: where are we standing and what is under our feet, the desert or Jacob’s ladder?

Abstract. In Jewish society, a widow may experience a negative social stigma that puts her in a disadvantaged position. This negative stigma certainly confirms that a widow needs protection. The purpose of this paper was to outline the position of widows in the eyes of both Torah and Ancient Near Eastern law. To that purpose, the author conducted a literature review, which includes Old Testament texts as well as extra-biblical texts related to the position of widows. This study showed that widows, in both the Torah and the laws of the Ancient Near East, are entitled to protection. The difference between the two laws is that in the Torah the protection of widows is theologically reflected as initiated and guaranteed by God. Abstrak. Dalam masyarakat Yahudi, seorang janda dapat mengalami stigma sosial negatif yang memojokkan posisinya. Stigma negatif tersebut tentunya menegaskan bahwa seorang janda membutuhkan perlindungan. Tujuan dari tulisan ini adalah untuk menguraikan kedudukan janda di mata hukum Taurat maupun hukum di Timur Dekat Kuno. Untuk itu, penulis akan melakukan kajian literatur, yang meliputi teks-teks Perjanjian Lama maupun teks-teks ekstra biblika terkait kedudukan janda. Hasil dari kajian ini menunjukkan bahwa janda, baik dalam hukum Taurat maupun hukum-hukum di Timur Dekat Kuno, wajib mendapatkan perlindungan. Yang membedakan di antara kedua hukum tersebut adalah bahwa dalam hukum Taurat perlindungan terhadap janda direfleksikan secara teologis sebagai diinisiasi dan dijamin oleh Tuhan.

Proverbs 30:3–5 depends on Job 38–39, hence, the use of the divine name Eloah in Prov 30:5. We note the same in Ps 18:31 but with the substitution of the name of YHWH for Eloah, as part of the messianic Yahwist reaffirmation of the writing of the whole Psalter. In this perspective, Ps 18:32 identifies Eloah with YHWH. In the parallel of 2 Sam 22 to Ps 18, the name Eloah is not repeated, the emphasis being on the relationship between David and the Psalter. Deuteronomy 32 agrees with the overall redaction of the Psalter, which jointly reaffirms the Davidic Messiah and the Torah of Moses, in the general introduction (Ps 1, the Torah and Ps 2, the Messiah), in the first Book, Pss 3––41 (Ps 18, the Messiah and Ps 19, the Torah) and the fifth Book, Pss 107–150 (Ps 119, the Torah and Pss 120–132, the Messiah). Thus as inclusion, Deut 32:2–4 is based on Ps 18:31–32 with the reference to YHWH the ROCK, an allusion to the Temple and its cult, including the performance of the Psalter. The vocabulary of this passage from Ps 18 appears again in the following verses of Deut 32, including the name Eloah in Dt 32:15, 17, its only occurrences in Deuteronomy.

Copyright of Namaa Magazine is the property of Namaa for Research & Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Young Intellectuals / Genç Mütefekkirler Dergisi is the property of Journal of Young Intellectuals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

From generation to generation, customs are also handed down in Judaism in the area of ritual purity, which in almost all cases also includes a hygienic aspect. It was in the interests of healthy people to prevent diseases and infections, which in their time could seriously threaten and destroy the entire community. To recognize leprosy or some of its pathological tips meant to recognize a danger to the community. When it comes to personal and social hygiene, ancient Jews excelled in this area. It is likely that the hygienic side (of ritual purification) was a by-product of the religious understanding of purification. Strict observance of the law of the book of Leviticus 13:1-44 contributed to a healthy lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the usage of plural νόμοι versus singular νόμος throughout the whole corpus of the Greek Bible. Obviously, the singular is predominant. If we put aside later variants and textual traditions, the rare passages where the plural νόμοι is used (in Proverbs, Jeremiah, Esther, and 2 Maccabees) mutually elucidate each other: the plural occurs where the translators wanted to stress that the law(s) in question should be distinguished from the Torah. With respect to Jer 31:31–34 (LXX 38:31–34) and the quotations from it in Hebrews, the article demonstrates that the plural νόμοι in the LXX cannot be explained by the Vorlage , as many modern researchers suggest, but was a conscious device used by the LXX translator. The aim of the translator, followed by the author of Hebrews, was to stress the distinction between the Law of Moses and the Laws of the New Covenant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taḥrīf is one of the most fundamental Islamic arguments against the Jews and Christians for falsifying their Scriptures and one of the most critical issues discussed in the polemical tradi-tion. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751/1350) is one of the leading polemicists of the Islamic world in the Middle Ages. One of the issues that he examined in his work, Hidāyat al-Ḥayārā fī Ajwibat al-Yahūd wal-Naṣārā, which he wrote as a refutation to Jews and Christians, is the distortion of the Tanah and the New Testa-ment. This article examines and analyzes Ibn Qayyim’s views on taḥrīf and biblical criticism to determine its place and importance in the Islamic refutation tradition. For this purpose, his understanding of taḥrīf and his opinions in his polemic have been analyzed and revealed by descriptive and comparative methods. His views influenced the falsification conception in the Islamic tradition and scholars after him, which was also reflected in tradition. Based on Islamic sources and the Jewish and Christian scrip-tures, Ibn Qayyim concluded that most of the authentic texts of the Jewish and Christian scriptures had been distorted textually (taḥrīf al-lafẓ/al-nass) and interpretively (taḥrīf al-maʿnā). And he revealed his claims with theo-logical and rational proofs in detail.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the translation and reception of the Pentateuch in medieval Poland by examining the Old Polish (vernacular) apocrypha of the New Testament. It analyses, for example, passages in which a verse from the Pentateuch is quoted or paraphrased, in which a quotation from the Books of Moses is omitted by an evangelist, as well as all passages in which the names of various figures and heroes of the Old Testament Pentateuch, are invoked. It turned out that in medieval Polish-language biblical apocryphal narratives the Pentateuch functions differently from other biblical and patristic sources. It is not used as freely as the Gospels or the Psalms. It is used to characterize the Jewish world and the precepts of the Law. Quotes from the books of Moses rarely function as prophecies. The Pentateuch in Old Polish apocrypha functions as a reservoir of stories, a collection of catchphrases to be evoked. This is because while the heroes of the Old Testament were prominent in preaching, art, and language, the text of the Torah was not frequently translated into the Polish language.

The history of Jews in Iran goes back to a time before Iran existed as a political entity. Since about 2700 years, Jews have been living on Iranian territory. In Iran, they are called Kalīmī, derived from the Persian name for Moses, "Kalimūllāh" ("The One, who speaks with God"). Jews formed a branch of Iranian culture and history due to their long history of settlement and dissemination on Iranian territory. Judeo-Persian literature is part of this culture and history. This rich heritage consists of Persian language, written in Hebrew letters. Its contents relate to the Torah, the Talmud or Jewish history. Judeo-Persian has its own standing in the Persian language and literature and provides us with a picture of the identity of the Jews of Iran. In this paper I analyse verses of the Torah, composed by the fourteenth-century Jewish poet Shāhīn. This literary work contains different aspects of Judaism, Islam, Persian Literature, Hebrew idioms and writing as well as Iranian culture, which all constitute the identity of Iranian Jews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implications of Paul's thinking regarding gentile identification with Abraham have not been fully realised. Paul believed that gentile believers needed ritual transformation through immersion and the faithful obedience (pistis) of Christ to the Law and his death and resurrection to forgive the characteristic sins of the gentiles: idolatry and sexual immorality. They were made sons of Abraham by receiving Christ's pneuma. Paul's views reflect first-century debates surrounding both the precise ritual requirements of joining Israel and the status of proselytes after conversion. This paper examines several occurrences where scholars postulate that Paul opposed certain aspects of the Torah's legal system but proposed alternative explanations of pagan practice that were the more likely subject of debate. Therefore, we see no reason why Paul would have opposed gentile believers who observed the Sabbath or laws of kashrut , even though there are no explicit instructions by him to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking its cue from the earliest reference to written torah (Hos 8:12), this article seeks to identify the content and purpose of the oldest written tôrôt. I focus on quotations from "temple-entry liturgies" or temple tôrôt (Hos 4:2; Jer 7:9; Ps 50:18-19; 81:9-11) and compare them with the Decalogue (Deut 5:17; Exod 20:13). It turns out that the Decalogue had a forerunner consisting of a small set of apodictic rules about individual social behavior. This prequel to the Decalogue had its origins in the sanctuaries of the Northern Kingdom. Though the various instances of temple torah were in origin oral performances, they had a material counterpart in written copies of a proto-Decalogue. These were monumental texts on display in several Israelite temples. In some respects they compare to the Balaam text from Deir 'Alla and the theophany text from Kuntillet 'Ajrud; in other respects they compare to the copies of Hammurabi's Code present in the temples of Babylon and Sippar. What distinsguishes them from these texts, however, is their terseness and their claim to be copies of an original that was handwritten by God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the grain of much Johannine scholarship, this article offers a sustained argument against the notion that John's Jesus replaces sacred Jewish institutions and practices such as ritual purification, the temple, the Sabbath, and the Jewish festivals. Instead, I argue that John promotes a deeply appreciative and contextually sensitive vision of the Mosaic torah in which significant torah practices and institutions are retained, whilst also being reinterpreted, diversified, and sometimes relativised. This vision, in turn, has beneficial implications for Jewish-Christian dialogues and can provide wisdom in contemporary debates about the role of Jewish institutions and practices in Christian communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to carry out a theological analysis of “land” as one of the important theological themes in the Old Testament. The approach used in this article is the deductive paradigm. Based on the results of the analysis of the theme of land theology in the Old Testament, the theological theme of the “land” refers to the land that belongs to God which was inherited (mahala) by Israel. The land became one of the prominent features of the series of stories and life in the Old Testament. Israel’s responsibility on YHWH’s land is to establish the Torah as a source of religious education. The paper recommends that any Christian that God places anywhere and in any field of work should strive to strengthen Christian teaching that is rooted in the Word of God as a source of teaching authority. It recommends that an understanding of “land” in the Old Testament should become the theological starting point in building the paradigm of Christian Religious Education.

The miracle of Quran lies in its preservation which no other scripture may proclaim. Amongst the Abrahamic religions, the Torah and the Bible have also undergone modifications and alterations. Hence the reason that the Muslims believe them to be divinely revealed in their original form but that these scriptures have been abrogated. This article deals with an analysis of the Book of Evidence and concludes that the fact that these scriptures have been altered is demonstrable.

Judaism, in its traditional expressions, which are contained in the Torah and Talmud, knows the concept of holy war, which it characterizes in a special way: as a war of destruction under God’s oath – herem. But even the passages of the Pentateuch enable to perceive that the ‘heremic’ holy war is not understood statically but goes through a development: from the genocidal war against the idolatrous peoples in the example of Numbers 21:2-3, to a war with certain limitations in Deuteronomy 20. A special twist is offered by the prophetic texts, which place the concept of herem as a mirror for the moral collapse of biblical Israel (Jeremiah 25:8-14). The Rabbinic Judaism of the Mishnah and Talmud, on the basis of the aforementioned biblical texts, then abandons the military use of the term herem and understands it in the sense of spiritual discipline, which concerns the exclusion of ungodly elements from the community. In addition, Talmud introduces a typology that is roughly divided into commanded and optional war. The majority opinion of the rabbis limits the commanded or obligatory war to Joshua’s war. An additional rabbinic restriction is the so-called Three Oaths, in which Jews promise not to forcibly establish an independent political entity. The reason for this kind of ‘enclosure’ is also in the catastrophic failures of the Jewish-Roman wars. The tradition is reinterpreted by Moses Maimonides, who interprets the commanded war more and more in the context of spiritual struggle and renewal of the Jewish faith. He does see war as a potential means of defending the Jewish nation, but never in the sense of conversion or expansion. Based on these traditional understandings, we can postulate that Judaism does not allow so-called holy war and therefore avoids militant violence justified by divine command.