Ancient Israel used several designations and names for God(s). Many of them are of common Ancient Near Eastern origin. There are some systematic treatments of individual names concerning both the question of the origin, history and single problems of designations and names ’ēl, ’ĕlôah, ’ĕlōhîm and yhwh, however without explicit interest in comparative evaluation of their mutual relationships. It is furthermore true that very little of source critical research or thinking is in evidence under consideration of the nature of narrative and poetic texts. Any discussion about the meaning of these terms begins with the recognition that they were used as gneral and proper names. There are several criteria for solving the question whether the designations and names for God(s) are used in a particular text as proper names. One important criterion is the use of the terms without or with the definite article. The most important criterion, however, is the literary and poetical nature of the texts containing designations and names for God(s). The emphasis of the article is on literary properties of biblical texts in order to show more clearly in which cases divine designations and names are used as generic terms or as proper names denoting specifically the God of Israel. For this reason, it is important also to notice in which cases designations and names are used individually or in combination with other designations and names.
COBISS.SI-ID: 7063898
In his book, a wise Ben Sira frequently reflects uon human talking ((5:9–61; 19:4-17; 20:1-8.18-26.27-31; 23:7-15; 27:11-21.22-29; 28:8-26; 37:16-18; see also 51:1-12). As a teacher of wisdom he educates the youth toward correct speech by illuminating various polarities in the use of a word: between the silence and the word, between the exterior and the interior, between a wise and a foolish talk, and shows all the elements that influence the wise/foolish talk/speaker. Since Ben Sira is not only a 'wise man' but also a 'theologian,' one can see that throughout the book he often goes beyond the level of human wisdom towards the level of the wisdom of God who is the source of all wisdom of the word and grace, since foolish speaking is often associated with sin and sinful behaviour. In his way of thinking, by which he repeatedly keeps dealing with the same topic from various perspectives, the wise Ben Sira dedicates a special place to prayer, through which he asks God to be able to use the language moderately. Furthermore, he turns to God for help or thanksgiving, as when he himself became the object of calumny and false talk. The article highlights the features of the larger units that deal with this topic and reads them in a dialogue with the traditions of extra-Biblical literature, in light of the wisdom trdition in the Old Testament, and especially within the history of salvation.
COBISS.SI-ID: 10292739
In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul brings the Gospel message most radically face-to-face with the callenges of the contemporary hellenistic culture. He faces the task of bringing the mes-sage of the mystery of the wisdom and salvation of God that were revealed through the Cross of Jesus Christ into an environment of flourishing affluence that is aware of its own wisdom and power and swears to its freethinking and pluralism. In spite of his rehtorical skill and theological background he is aware of the powerlessness of human word in the face of the mystery of the Cross. He presents the Cross as the fundamental criterion of our knowledge of God and as the divide between human and Divine hermenutics. Knowing God is never an act of theoretical (philosophical) knowledge but requires a holistic decision; it is also an act of will, i.e., an act of penance and obedience. The paradox of the Cross of Christ, i.e., of the descent and death of God as the radical revelation of God's love, establishes a new foundation for every knowledge and unveils the problem of the human logos, which necessarily transcends itself. Paul thus presents the Cross as a new category of Christian wisdom and hermeneutics while developing the principle of offering – of love – as the basic principle of true human development, which radically turns the system of values of contemporary society upside down. Paul juxtaposes human wisdom against the foolishness of God an His Holiness against idolatry of the body. The body is not meant for consumption but for transformation by love through the Resurrection of Christ. He thus outlines a new Christian anthropology and gives a new foundation to Christian hermenetics, dialog and symbiosis. In the First Letter to the Corinthians, P aul therefore lays out new principles that govern the relationship between Christianity and the world in the areas of ethic and hermeneutics.
COBISS.SI-ID: 10197251