Human-Divine Interactions in the Hebrew Scriptures

Covenants and Cross-Purposes

Berel Dov Lerner

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English

Routledge
18 December 2024

Non-Western philosophy; Philosophy of religion; Old Testaments; Judaism: theology

Series: Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biblical Criticism

Rabbi Sacks Book Prize Finalist 2024.

This book addresses central theological issues and biblical narratives in terms of a bold thesis regarding relations between God and humans: that the actions of God and the actions of humans are informed by independently valid moral viewpoints which do not entirely overlap. The author suggests that God’s plans and actions refl ect the interests and obligations appropriate to His goal of creating a worthy world, but not necessarily our world. In contrast, humans must attend to special obligations grounded in their dependence on their existing created world and in their particular places in the human family. However, in acts of grace, God voluntarily takes on special obligations toward the created world by entering covenants with its inhabitants. When the covenant involves reciprocal obligations, as in the case of God’s covenant with Israel, it also recruits human beings to play conscious roles in God’s larger plans. These covenants frame the moral parameters of human-divine interaction and cooperation in which each party strains to negotiate confl icts between its original duties and the new obligations generated by covenants. The interpretive discussions in this book involve close readings of the Hebrew text and are also informed by rabbinic tradition and Western philosophy. They address major issues that are of relevance to scholars of the bible, theology, and philosophy of religion, including the relationship between divine commands and morality, God’s responsibility for human suff ering, God’s role in history and the intersection between politics and religion.

By: Berel Dov Lerner
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781032539287
ISBN 10: 1032539283
Series: Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biblical Criticism
Pages: 150
Publication Date: 18 December 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Berel Dov Lerner received his PhD in philosophy from Tel Aviv University. He is an associate professor at Western Galilee College in Israel.