seminar notes 3

8/6/2019 Seminar Notes 3

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SEMINAR 1: NOTES 3

STAGES OF GROWTH IN HOW THE BIBLEWAS FORMED

1. Events/Experiences

The written bible grew out of historic events. Some ofthese events are familiar to every Christian: the call of

Abraham and his move to Canaan, the years of the otherpatriarchs, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, four hundred yearsof slavery in Egypt, the exodus when Moses led his peopleout of slavery.

The events or experiences could be understoodafterwards. Imagine this story:

Thats our first love letter, a friend of yours could tellyou with a naughty smile. As you read it with amazement,it was just an algebra problem. As you listen to his storyyou will find out that the love letter mentioned grew out ofan event during the time that your friend and his wifewere still at school. Because his girlfriend was away ill, hehad been given the task of writing to her with the mathhomework. An ordinary enough letter, but it had started

something, and others had followed it. Taken by itself, theletter would have been completely uninteresting; kept bychance and reread after their marriage, it had reallybecome their first love letter.


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So there are events which make no sense bythemselves. They only make some sense by becoming partof our history. At the moment they are taken,photographs are not very interesting. But looked at

afterwards, they become important.

Each event can carry within it a number of meaningsthat may not see all at once. If however, it is important,we shall be led to think about it again, and by thinkingabout it, we shall discover its riches. The more one goeson, the richer, the original event becomes. (Charpentier,1981: 9-10).

2. Oral Tradition

Tradition is from the Latin word tradere, whichmeans to hand down. When people talked about theevent, and passing what that event is all about by word-of-mouth, this is what we call oral tradition. God revealedhimself to his people through events, and people talked

about these experiences. As accounts of these experienceswere handed on from generation to generation by word ofmouth, a body of oral traditions about the events grew.The oral traditions themselves contained different forms-blessings, curses, songs of battle and laws as well asaccounts of the events, stories which today we would calllegends. (Ralph, 1992:10-14)

To help you understand what oral tradition isimagine your own experience. Our lives even in a time ofready access to all kinds of written and recordedmaterials be it in the newspapers, magazines or even inthe internet still contain some elements of what might calloral tradition. Most of us hear and tell jokes rather than


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read or write them. Our families have stories, which aretold and re-told, particularly at holidays or familyreunions. When I was a child I used to recite rhymeswhich I had never read. I just learn it by imitating other

children. I was scared of some horror stories given to meby my elders making to afraid to walk in the dark alonefearing that an aswang, manananggalor any evil creaturewill devour me. When my family went to church, I heard,absorbed and recited prayers and creed which I could notyet read. Through life in a family and a community, I wasexposed to, and made my own, a number of oraltraditions.

In addition to thinking about the variety of oraltraditions, we should think about the motivations thatunderlie them. In the examples which I mentioned, thereare a variety of motivations. A joke is told to amuse,family stories could be told for a variety of reasons- topreserve the past, to instruct the young by goodexamples, to glorify a loved one, to build family pride anda sense of belonging. An aswang story is used to scare

people, and a creed on the other hand is intended to handon beliefs.

3. Written Tradition

Written accounts of events were based on oraltraditions. As word of mouth traditions were written, theywere also revised. Traditional stories were appropriated,

sometimes from surrounding cultures, and were madecontemporary by succeeding generations. A writer mightappropriate a story which already existed in his culture inwritten or oral form, and use it to illustrate a differenttheme. For instance, a story about the animosity whichexisted between a nomad and a person who owned land


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and grew crops, m might be retold to illustrate thepervasive effect of sin- Cain the tiller of the soil, kills Abel,the shepherd. An existing story about a natural disaster,a flood might be retold to illustrate how God acts through

events, how man is responsible for his actions, and howonly God can save.

The stories as they appear in the Bible are layered.A layered text might be compared to a tree. If I cut down atree I can see its layered history by the circles which havegrown around the trunk each year. A story, too, can belayered in that elements of the story reflect its passage

through time, as various authors revise the story toinclude new emphases or insights. The text is layeredbecause it is not the work of a single generation.

Stories about people, events, songs, poems, riddles,curses, blessings- all the elements were eventually writtendown. The fact that they were written down does notmean that oral tradition stopped. The two traditions

existed side by side. (Ralph, 1992: 19-20).

4. Edited Tradition

In the growth process of the bible, the fourth stage isthe editing tradition. At various times in the history of thechosen people the inherited oral tradition and written


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traditions were edited. According to most scripturescholars, the first five books of our present Old Testamentreflect a number of editing.

What are the consequences in understanding thestories in the bible as layered text?

First, the books in the bible do not appear in theorder in which they were written. Scholars have date thecreation story in Genesis 1:1-2:4 to the last editing stage,the Priestly editors who reworked the traditions after theBabylonian exile (around 450 BCE). The next story about

the man and his wife who ate the fruit of the forbiddentree, is thought to be a much older story dating to theearliest of the editors, the Yahwist editor, who organizedand interpreted inherited materials during Davids reign(about 950 BCE). The present order of the stories in thebible is an edited order.

The arrangement of the books in the Old Testament

is largely thematic. First section is the law or torah, thenthe prophets and writings. In each section, the order inwhich the books appear is not the order in which theywere written. Prophetic literature like the book of Hoseaarrived to its present form long before the first five booksof the bible reached their present form.

Second point to consider is that the present text

contains divergent point of view. An obvious example isthe attitude toward Israels having a king like othernations which appears in 1 Samuel. Some texts seem tofavor the idea of kingship while others disapprove it, sinceonly God is King. The explanation for the lack ofconsistency lies in the history of the text. The editor had


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several traditions with which to work, and he did notchoose between them but included both. The earliertradition is probably pro king and the text with anegative attitude probably dates to a later time when

abuses had tempered the peoples early idealism in regardto having a king.

The third consequence of edited text as layered is noaccount, which we read is an account contemporary withthe event. All the accounts include the hindsight or whatwe simply call a flashback. As accounts were edited fornew generations, they were made contemporary for that

generation. Certain themes were emphasized for theaudience whom the editor was addressing. This is clearlyseen in the story of Noah. Ancient flood stories existed inthe surrounding cultures but this flood story is givenreligious significance. Details are added which reflect thereligious sensibilities of later generations. Notice that inone tradition Noah takes on both clean and uncleananimals, a reference to laws nowhere near as ancient as

the story itself. Notice how the story is molded into acovenant tradition through the symbolism given therainbow, an editing technique which scholars attribute tothe Priestly editors who lived after the exile. (Ralph, 1992:19-20).

5. The Canonical Stage

Canon means to measure. In the biblical world,canon is a standard used if a particular book is part ofthe scriptures or not. The criteria set if a book is part ofthe bible are:


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First, the book used should be recognized by theworshipping community as inspired and are acceptedas vehicles of revelation because they faithfullyreflect the experience and beliefs of the community.

Second, it should be used by people in their prayerand community liturgy.

Third, it should be a guide in the moral dimension ofthe peoples moral life and not in conflict with theirfaith.

The overall growth process resulted to the formationof bible. It was illustrated what is the effect of oraltradition to the written tradition, and it was also shownwhat is the effect of editing to the final text. The canonicalstage is the last phase if a particular book is to beincluded to what we known as the sacred scriptures.

BIBLICAL INSPIRATION

All Scripture is inspired by God and isuseful for teaching, for reproof, forcorrection, and for training inrighteousness, so that everyone whobelongs to God may be proficient,equipped for every good word (2 Tim

3:16-17).

The exegetes (bible scholars) may disagree amongthemselves as to the interpretation of one or anotherpassage in the Bible, but all would agree that the Bible isthe word of God. It is revered as a holy and canonical


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literature because it is inspired. Jose Rizals Noli MeTangere, or Handels Messiah, and the works ofShakespeare are also inspired, but the inspirationpredicated of the books of the Bible is different in kind

from that attributed to the great men of lettersthroughout the ages. Biblical inspiration is different fromthe ordinary kind of literary and artistic inspirationbecause the human authors who wrote the books of theBible were so influenced by Gods Spirit that what theywrote were Gods word. It is inspired since the authorshad great faith in God, and such faith made them see Godinvolved and part of the different events of their lives. We

cannot explain fully the supernatural process ofinspiration which brought about the writings of the Bible. The hint, though, is given by Paul in 2 Tim 3:16 wherethe phrase inspired by God means God-breathed. TheSpirit of God is frequently represented as breath. Thismeans that Gods breath (the Holy Spirit) produced theScriptures. Inspiration, however, is also used of thedivine influence, which enabled the human instruments

of revelation to speak, as well as to write, the word ofGod. Thus, both divine and human agencies are involvedin the process of the inspired inscripturation of Godsrevelation. In 2 Pet 1:21 we see that those whom Godchose to write his message were men moved by the HolySpirit.

The churchs teaching on inspiration has obviously

undergone evolution. In Vatican I, God is conceived asthe principal cause and true author of the biblical text,while the sacred writer is viewed as the instrumentalcause that acts under his influence. Vatican II presents abroader synthesis of inspiration. The role of the sacredauthor was no longer seen as passive interpreter or


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instrument. Rather the sacred writer is a person whowrites his text as a real, active author - one who studies,reflects, researches, and communicates through hiswritings the redeeming experience of what he has been

part of. Consequently, his worldview and the limits of hisknowledge necessarily show up.

Dei Verbum states: to compose the sacred books, Godchose certain men who, all the while he employed them inthis task, made full use of their own faculties and powersso that, though he acted in them and by them, it was astrue authors that they consigned to writing whatever he

wanted written, and no more (DV 11). Inspiration doesnot destroy the authors characteristics. But at the sametime, God is undoubtedly the author because he is at thevery origin of the sacred text. It is his actions that thesacred writer tries to express. We must note that not allbiblical books are regarded as historical. They could alsobe inspired poetry, drama, legend, parable, etc. Hence, asRaymond Brown explains, if the Book of Jonah is a

parable and not history, then Gods inspiration makes it aparable (1990:31). Gods truth can be expressed invaried ways. There is, therefore, no contradictionbetween acceptance of inspiration and acceptance ofdifferent literary forms in the Bible. Flowing from the factthat the Bible is God-inspired is the theological concept ofinerrancywhich means that the Bible is free from errors.Vatican II relates inerrancy to salvific truth: The books

of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wantedput into sacred writings for sale ofsalvation (Dei Verbum#11).


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Today, the belief of inspiration extends to thebelieving community who gathers together to listenattentively to the word of God. The Bible is inspiredbecause it serves to form a believing community and is

still performing the same wonder in our own day. Today,communities are being formed because of the dynamicword of God; they bear witness to divine revelation.(Bragado and Monera, 1997:127-30)

Currently, the discussion of the fact and process ofinspiration has ceased to claim much attention fromtheologians of the main-line churches as it once did.Today, it is only the churches with a fundamentalist bent

that are still very keen on reaffirming the inspiration andinerrancy of the Bible. One of the many reasons for therelative abandonment of the doctrine of inspiration withinthe main-line churches is the development of thehistorical-critical method. For the exegete, the doctrineof inspiration remains beyond the pale of the historicalinvestigation of the whole Bible text itself (Collins,1987:319).

BIBLICAL TRANSLATIONS

If the Old and New Testaments were never translated,then they could only be read and understood by studentsof Hebrew and Greek. Since the Bible has a universal

message and appeal, God willed that translations orversions be made over the centuries. As far as the Old Testament is concerned, the official version of the OldTestament for Judaism since the early Middle Ages is theMasoretic Text (MT). It is so called because the scribeswho preserved, edited, and even invented the vowel signs,


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accents, and punctuations to the Hebrew alphabets foreasy reading were called Masoretes. The word had itsorigin from the Hebrew root verb masarwhich means tohand down. Masoretic, therefore refers to what is

handed or to what is traditional. Another importanttranslation is the Septuagint which is the Greektranslation of the OT and is abbreviated as LXX. Thereason for this translation was to make the Bible morereadily accessible to the Greek-speaking Jews ofAlexandria (Egypt). This version is older than the MTwitness. Some of its readings that differ from the MT arein consonance with readings from the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In 382, Pope Damasus I commissioned Jerome toprepare a reliable Latin translation of the Bible based onthe Hebrew. This Latin translation became the officialBible of the Church for thousands of years, and hencecalled Vulgate, meaning common. All of these had tobe done by long hand either in scrolls and codices. Thesame is true with the New Testament. From the original

Greek it was translated to other languages. The Latinversion of the NT became influential for quite a whileespecially at a time when the Church had not appreciatedthe original biblical languages. It was not until the timeof the humanist renaissance period with their mottorecursusad fontes (back to the sources), i.e., a needto go back to the original languages. This was speciallytrue during the Protestant Reformation. While the

Protestant translations were done from the originallanguages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek), the Catholicsinsisted on the Latin Vulgate.

After the conversion of England by Augustine in 600C.E. the Bible was started part by part to be translated


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into English. The first complete translation of the Bible(based on Vulgate) into English is associated with JohnWycliffe (ca. 1382-1384). From 16th century on camethe great era in the English translation of the Bible.

During this time came printed translations like TyndaleBible, Coverdale Bible, Great Bible, Geneva Bible andBishops Bible. From 17th century came the famous KingJames Tradition (1611).

We also have to note that the division of the Bibleinto chapters happened only in the 1225 C.E. withStephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The

division into verses by Robert Etienne occurred in 1555C.E.

Today, we have excellent translations from both theProtestants and the Catholics:

1. The New Revised Standard Version(1946/1989), aProtestant sponsored Bible and an offshoot of the King

James Version. It was granted imprimatur by CardinalRichard Cushing of Boston in 1965. From then on, itsrevision committee included prominent Catholic Biblescholars. This is one of the best of the modern Englishtranslations. It combines fidelity to the text with goodEnglish style.

2. The New English Version (1961) was produced

under the auspices of a team of British Protestant Biblescholars. It is genuinely British in its idiom.

3. The GoodNews Bibleor Todays English Version, atranslation by the United Bible Societies intended for usethroughout the world.


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4. The New Jerusalem Bible (1985), a Catholic Bible

in contemporary idiom first published in 1966 by BritishCatholic scholars. The readings of the Catholic liturgy

are based on this Bible.

5. The New American Bible (1970), a work done bythe members of the Catholic Biblical Association ofAmerica, with the collaboration of Protestant Biblescholars. Its latest revision was in 1986.

6. The New International Version(1973), prepared by

an international group of Protestant scholars whoseprimary concern was the accuracy of the translation andits fidelity to the thought of the New Testament writers.

What types of translations are these Bibles? Thereare two commonly accepted philosophies of translations:philosophy of dynamic or functional equivalence andphilosophy of formal correspondence.

The philosophy of dynamic equivalence is atranslation that focuses on meaning; while the philosophyof formal correspondence is a literal translation. Bothtypes can claim to be true and correct. Dynamicequivalence does not produce a word-by-word renditionbut investigates the meanings of its words and structures,and transfers the message of the test into the so-called

receptor language (Harrington, 1979:39). This type oftranslation has the advantage of reflecting more explicitlythe opinions of experts regarding the interpretation of thetext here and now. A formal correspondence translationpresents the biblical text in intelligible language but takes

far less initiative in determining for the reader what the text


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meant for its original readers and what it means for today(ibid). It leaves the readers with a better possibility ofexploring for themselves the various options involved inthe text and of coming to their own decisions about its

present-day experience. The dynamic equivalence type oftranslation is represented in NEB, GNB/TEV and JB;while the formal correspondence translation is seen inNRSV, NAB, and NIV. The Living Bible edition is aparaphrased version. Paraphrase means a restatement ofthe authors thought, using different words than he did(Brown: 13).

Beginning in the 1950s, Catholic translations of theBible have been from the original languages. A greatdevelopment in our time have been the ecumenicaltranslations of the written word of God in many parts ofthe globe. We are now helping each other to understandthe Bible. We are now witnessing how the Bible itself hasbecome an ecumenical bridge. For instance, the Catholiccan now read TheNew Revised Standard Version or The

New English Bible without doctrinal apprehension.Moreover, in recent years there had been attempts toadopt inclusive language in biblical translations. To citesome versions of the English Bible: The New JerusalemBible (1985), the New American Bible With Revised NewTestament (1986), the Revised English Bible (1989), andthe New Revised Standard Version (1989). The NRSVseems to be the most successful in the use of inclusive

language. (Bragado and Monera, 1997: 13-23).

JUSTICE, LIBERATION AND COVENANT


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Love cures people-both the ones whogive it and theones who receiveit.

Dr. KarlMenninger

A man risked his life by swimming through thetreacherous riptide to save a youngster being swept out to thesea. After the child recovered from the harrowing experience,he said to the man, Thank you for saving my life.

The man looked into the boys eyes and said, Thatsokay, kid. Just make sure your life was worth saving.

Author Unknownfrom More Sower Seeds by Brian

Cavanaugh

The reality of love and the meaning to live a quality lifedemands the following: to live in justice, experience a totalwell-being and liberation which is situated in therelationship we give to ourselves, to others and ultimately toGod. In the biblical sense, we call such relationship as thecovenant.

Justice in the Old Testament

It is said that justice is the minimum of love and love isthe maximum of justice. But what is really justice? Why is itthat it is the basic requirement of love?


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In a broader sense, justice is giving the person what is

due to the person. The following types of justice would helpclarify this point.

1. Attributive justice- this is the type of justicestreaming from the nature and attribute of the person, thatis his dignity, rights, honor and integrity. Making a joke to aperson who is detrimental to the persons character (we alsocall this one as character assassination) is a classic exampleof attributive justice. Cases of moral defamation are alsoexamples how ones honor is trampled.

The Old Testament beautifully captures suchattributive justice: we are made in the image and likeness ofGod... (Gen.1:26). This does not mean we are madephysically the same with God since God could have no form.The point of the verse is we share Gods honor, and integrity.No single amount could match such dignity possessed byeach human being.

2. CumutativeorContractualJustice- this is the typeof justice based on agreements or contracts. A worker notbeing paid by its employer according to their prioragreement would violate such kind of justice.

In the Old Testament, this is expressed in the love ofneighbor as yourself. You cannot love unless you shouldlearn to respect agreements and commitments. In that waythe fidelity of the law is required. This is seen in the large

number of Proverbs. For example: Pr 4:11ff.; 12:28.

3. Contributive Justice- this is the type of justicedemanded to each member of a group for the sake of thecommon good. The paying of taxes or a simple contributionin the class are some of its examples.


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In the Old Testament, the challenge to use well onestalent for the good of the community portrays such reality.In the story of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11) mans prideand arrogance destroys his sense of dignity and integrity,

thus confusion and disorder occurred.If the demand is about the obligations of each

individual to society, then such justice could also be termedas legal justice.

4.DistributiveJustice - this is the type of justice thatrequires the equal benefits and privileges to all members ofthe group. The law should be applied to all without

partiality. This is exemplified in the Deuteronomy 16:19-20:

You shall not bend the law or show partiality. Do notaccept gifts because gifts blind the eyes of the wise andsubvert the cause of the righteous. Justice! Seek justice if youwant to live and inherit the land which Yahweh, your Godgives you.

5. Social Justice - this is the dominant type of justicepresent in the prophets. Prophets cried for equaldistribution of resources. This is beautifully captured in thewords of Amos:

I hate, I reject your feasts, I take no pleasure when youassemble to offer me your burnt offerings. Your cerealofferings, I will not accept! Your peace offerings and your

fattened beasts, I will not look upon!Away with the noise of your chanting, away with your

strumming on harps. But let justice run its course like water,and righteousness be like an ever-flowing water.

Amos 5:21-24


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The prophet is indeed strong about social justice. It isin justice where freedom lives. Prophet Isaiah woes thosewho enact unjust laws and issue oppressive decrees. Hewoes those who rob the poor of their rights and deprive the

helpless of justice. (Isaiah 10:1-2). The Jews every 7 years practice the Jubilee where all

debts shall be pardoned (see Deuteronomy 15:1-20).It is highlighted in Deuteronomy that there should be

no poor in their midst since Yahweh give them prosperity inthe land that they have conquered. (Deuteronomy 15: 4).

6. Retributive Justice- the justice which seeks toreward the good in the life after death. If one could notobtain human justice in this world, Gods wrath will be therelater. In the last part of the Book of Daniel, this is welldescribed:

At that time, Michael will rise, the Great Commanderwho defends the sons of your people. It shall be the time ofanguish as never before since the nations first existed until

this very day.Then all those names that are written in the Book will be

saved. Many of those who sleep in the Region of the Dust willawake some to everlasting life but others to eternal horror andshame. Those who acquired knowledge will shine like thebrilliance of the firmament; those who taught people to be justwill shine like the stars for all eternity.

Daniel 12:1-3

Exodus: The Model for All Types of Liberation

The most important story in the history of the Jewishpeople is the story of exodus. Exodus which means'departure' describes the time when Moses led the people of


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God out of slavery in Egypt. In a broader sense, "Exodus"refers to the whole complex of events from the deliverance toentry into the Promised Land (Ex 3:7-10). This is the firstaccount of God's deliverance of Israel. It is the story of a

people in search of freedom and prosperity. The Book ofExodus presents the Israelites as foreigners/strangers in aland that is not their own. It demonstrates a people whodepart, and set out in a land for bread, land, protection andmaterial blessing.

During this time, Egypt dominated the ancient worldand Palestine lay within the bounds of that empire.

Moreover, Egypt, being a fertile land, was a favorite place togo for refuge during famine. When Abraham's descendantshad first arrived in Egypt (ca. 17th c. BCE during the periodof the Hyksos), they lived in peace as guests of the king, orPharaoh. But after Joseph's death, the family of Jacob lostfavor in Egypt. Since they were growing and numerous,they became a political threat to the state that they had tobe controlled and treated harshly. Some of these Pharaohs

who did not know Joseph took advantage of these foreignersand used them for cheap labor. They built the store cities ofPithom and Rameses (cf. Ex 1:11). The Hebrews werereduced to the status of state slaves in a foreign land, a landfar from that which they had been promised by God. Newlyborn baby boys were ordered killed by the Pharaoh. Thebirth of Moses as described in Ex 2, the child who shallliberate his people one day, escaped this slaughter of

innocent babies. We Christians need to read this narrativecarefully because Matthew's account of the slaughter of theinnocents is patterned on the Exodus account.

After a period of some 400 years, the Israelites cried toGod for deliverance. God heard their groaning and


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suffering. From then on, "God looked upon the Israelites,and God took notice of them" (Ex 2:25). He responded bychoosing and empowering Moses to stand before Pharaohand announced God's message of redemption. At Mt. Horeb,

the mountain of God (Ex 3:1), God shared with Moses hisproper name: Ehyeh asher ehyeh- "I am who I am" or "I willbe who I will be" (Ex 3:14). In Ex 3:15 God also said toMoses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites. 'The Lord(YHWH), the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, theGod of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.'""In an environment where many divine powers were present,some known and some unknown, people naturally would

want to know which god had chosen to show favor on themor which god they may have offended" (Anderson, 1986:60). The narrator of Exodus 3 wants us to know that the Godwho revealed himself to Moses and who announced hisdivine plan of intervention is the very same God who spoketo their ancestors. YHWH, therefore, is the special name forthe God of Israel. In Hebrew, I AM ('ehyeh) is the firstpersonal singular of the verb h-y-h; while YHWH is the third

person singular of the same verb, "He is" (or "He will be").This God is one who is true to his name. He causes things tobe; he says and it happens. He is always present, availableto his people. He is not, as in the song ofBette Midler, a Godwho is watching us from a distance. For the Hebrews, God isin their midst as deliverer, protector, guide, and judge. Theelders of the people went to the king of Egypt to demandtheir release: "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met

with us; let us now go a three days' journey into thewilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God" (Ex3:18). In other words, the Exodus provides us with the clueon who God isand how God actsto deliver the downtroddenand oppressed.


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Israel's life-story did not really begin with the time ofAbraham or even with creation, although the OT in itspresent form starts there. Israel's history had its truebeginning in the exodus event -- the great watershed or

turning point in Israel's history. It is the central moment inIsrael's history. It is the event that created a self-conscioushistorical community, an event so decisive that it becomesthe point of reference where subsequent experiences wereseen in its light. Israel's prophets (e.g., Amos 2:9-11; Hosea2:14-15; Micah 6:4; Jer 2:2-7) and the Psalms (e.g., 66:6;136:10-11) stress the pivotal significance of the Exodus.Even today the Jewish people understand their vocation and

destiny in the light of this event which made them a people.It is the paradigm of liberation to be remembered for onlythrough its remembrance can it be an effective saving eventin those who seek true liberation. The Exodus story formsthe basic pattern of deliverance to which all other liberationmotifs are accommodated. Even Latin America's LiberationTheology is inspired by the biblical account of exodus.Exodus, indeed, provides the model of how the people of God

should seek justice in society. In Israel, the best way toremember this memorial event is the yearly celebration ofPassover. To remember Exodus is to celebrate the "passing-over" from slavery to freedom. Thus, in the annualcelebration of Passover, the Jews see themselves asparticipants in that experience; this event of the past entersinto the present with deep meaning, an anamnesis.

Just like the Israelites, millions of Filipinos are alsoaliens/strangers in many foreign lands around the world.The number of Filipino migrant workers abroad ranged froma low of 1.2 million to as high as four million. Their foreignremittances in 1995 rose to $4.7 billion. They have lefthome in search of liberation from poverty, hunger, and


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insecurity. Like the Jews, they have wandered seeking forgreener pastures. Like the Israelites of old, our Filipinosojourners are always exposed to numerous threats:

*sometimes physical threat: at the mercy of otherpeople

*sometimes psychological threat: feeling ofrejection by other people

*sometimes spiritual threat: temptations of othergods

But like the God of Israel, our God is always our protector

and liberator. Therefore, we can also claim and paraphrasethe words of YHWH:

I am the Lord your God, who brought youout of the Philippine Islands. I willalways be your protector and defender. Iam a God who is always available for you.In times of troubles and difficulties, just

call out my holy name and I'll be there.

Suggested Readings: Exodus 13-15; Psalm 114; Isaiah43:16-19; 48:20-21; 63:11-64; 2 Chronicles 35:1-18

The Old Testament Salvation and Liberation isTotal and Integral

Salvation in the Old Testament is to be experiencedtoday, in the way we could achieve the fullness of life and atthe same time a look forward to the salvation in the life afterdeath.


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The liberation and salvation of the person is not just amatter of receiving sanctifying grace for the soul, butliberation is being free from all forms of threats be itphysical, psychological or spiritual. The demand here is to

be real, to look at life as total and integral`. Each persontherefore is challenge to develop the different aspects of hislife be it social, economic, political and religious. A poor mancould not just justify his being poor by saying that it is thewill of God, but he should work and do some alternatives tobring in the best of himself. A rich man could not just be soreligious inside the church and continue his organizedsyndicates and gangs.

Salvation today means an experience of life as ablessing where each one promotes dignity, justice,companionship, and sense of community life.

In that way, we can look forward to the salvation afterdeath. Here we believe that we do not only see God face toface but we hope that this state of life makes us experiencethe joy and fullness of resurrection.

Total liberation today means to experience fully human.To be fully human entails knowing yourself, be yourself andbe the best of yourself. If these are already happening, abrighter future is ahead of us even during the time when weenter the gates of immortality.

The Covenant

After the deliverance at the Sea of Reeds, the Hebrewpeople traveled for three months until they reached Sinai (Ex19:1). It was a difficult journey, loaded with hardships anduncertainties. Food and water were rare. Yet God in his


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graciousness provided them their daily sustenance. Heperformed to them signs and wonders, such as, water fromthe rock, manna and quails from heaven. While theyreceived grace in the wilderness, the Sinaitic wilderness was

also a time of grumbling, murmuring, discontent, internalstrife, rebellion against Moses, and even lack of faith. AtSinai the people pitched their tent before the mountain,while Moses ascended to commune with the Lord. Godspoke to Moses informing him that Israel would be God'sown possession.

"Israel" is, therefore, sacred name, a name of a people

established by a very special event: a covenant with God.This covenant gives Israel a special character. She is unlikeany other nation; she is no mere ethnic grouping. TheHebrew people is a confederation of tribes whose onlyuniting factor is their common plight: a band of slaves inEgypt whom God heard, saw and rescued. Israel, unlikeother nations, is the people of the covenant, the "people ofGod." Israel because of the covenant becomes a qahal,

"community" with a sense of historical vocation.

Covenant, therefore, is the state of relationsbetween YHWH and his graced, freed people.

The book of Exodus 19:3-8 describes the solemnmoment when that people came into being:

Then Moses went up to God; the Lordcalled to him from the mountain, saying,"Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites: You haveseen what I did to the Egyptians, and howI bore you on eagles' wings and brought


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you to myself. Now therefore, if you obeymy voice and keep my covenant, you shallbe my treasured possession out of all thepeoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine,

but you shall be for me a priestlykingdom and a holy nation. These arethe words that you shall speak to theIsraelites." So Moses came, summonedthe elders of the people, and set beforethem all these words that the Lord hadcommanded him. The people allanswered as one: "Everything that the

Lord has spoken we will do." Mosesreported the words of the people to theLord.

The covenant (Berithin Hebrew) in the Old Testament isnot merely an agreement between two parties. It means anexclusive intimacy with the Lord; it is love with a promise offidelity. Covenant, therefore, implies responsibility and

commitment. In Mt. Sinai Moses received the CovenantCode, a complete law code both civil and religious (Ex 20-23)that begins with the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:2-17).When the book of the covenant was read out by Moses, theHebrew people responded: "All that the Lord has spoken wewill do." Moses ratified it by sprinkling the blood of manybulls on them (24:3-8).

Recent biblical studies reveal that the Sinaitic covenantfollows very closely the literary form and structure of theinternational treaty of the ancient Near East between asuzerain and his vassals. The structure of the suzerain-vassal treaty corresponds to the Sinai covenant (Ex 20:1-17):

(1) Preamble (identifies the author and his title):


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-"I am the Yahweh, your God."(2) Historical Prologue (recounting the past beneficent

deeds of the suzerain to the vassal; the deeds are thegrounds for the vassal's gratitude and future loyalty and

obedience):-"who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of

the house of slavery" (v. 2b).(3) Stipulations or terms consisting of:

(a) the basic demand for allegiance andfaithfulness: "You shall have no other gods beforeme (20:3).

(b) specific stipulations (vv. 4-17)

(4) Provision for the deposition of the document in atemple and be read publicly at regular intervals (tabletscontaining vv. 1-17 were placed in the ark of the covenant;Dt 10:1-5; 31:10-13).

(5) Curses and blessings (invoked upon the vassal forbreaking or keeping the covenant): Dt 28:1-14 (blessings),vv. 15-68 (curses).

The Ten Commandments were never intended to be asystem of legal observances, but rather the stipulations of acovenant relationship rooted and anchored in grace. Thecovenant stipulations are also the source of his wrath andrejection should the people fail to keep them.

The subsequent history of Israel manifested how theIsraelites vacillated their vocation. God would chastise themto purify their faith. He sent prophets to remind them oftheir covenant obligations, to call them to repentance. Theforty years of pilgrimage in the wilderness was for Israel atime of preparation, purification and unification before Godallowed them to enter into the Promised Land. It was a time


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to grow in faith and confidence in him who rescued themfrom slavery. God's people would always be assured thatYHWH is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, andabounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping

steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgivinginiquity and transgression and sin..." (Ex 34:6-7).

Today, among the Jews, the Covenant theme iscelebrated during the Feast of Tabernacles sometime inSeptember-October and also at Pentecost around the monthof May.

Suggested Readings: Ex 19:4-6; Ex 20-23; 2 Chr 34

Summary

Justice is the minimum of love and love is themaximum of justice. Justice is the minimum of lovebecause no person is capable of loving withoutrespecting the rights, dignity and honor of the other.This is the start of the whole drama of the Old Testament.God liberated them, give them the rights to be free andeventually define their identity as People of God. Eachperson who belongs to be the liberated People of God isendowed with freedom, dignity, honor and rights. This isbeautifully captured in the phrase, made in the image andlikeness of God. What makes a person a person is his rightto be free.

The OT is presenting the different types of justice:attributive, cumutative, contributive, distributive andsocial. What is common to these types of justice is thecapacity to respect the right and agreements of any givenrelationship, be it yourself or others.


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The center of the Old Testament drama is the Exodus

event. It is also the model of all types of liberation. Why isExodus, the core of the OT?

It is because one could see in Exodus the movementof the Israelites from being a slave to being free Peopleof God. When they were slaves, they were nobody. But assoon as they escape from Egypt, they become somebody,and that is having an identity who they are- the People ofGod.

The freedom they earned from the Exodus experience

allows them to make an agreement with God that from nowon they will become His people. This is known as thecovenant. In their faith, covenant was sealed. From now on,they are going to commit their lives to defend such freedom.Laws were also made to protect one another from thepossible harm and abuses of others.

Exodus is the reference point to any form of oppression

later on. Is it not that God liberated them from the hands oftheir tormentors? Why are they becoming one of them now?

Salvation and liberation in the Old Testament is notjust spiritual. It is most of all a total experience. The searchfor being truly human here is important. One should notspiritualize things by resorting to escapism, and notconfront the issues that relate to their well-being. Salvation

calls for a wholistic approach to life where love if self, others,environment and God are integrated.

Love is the maximum of justice for in loving one is goingbeyond respect. It is taking the risk to sacrifice, and beready for any pains and sufferings that will come along the


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way for a given relationship. In loving, one is set to enjoymore fully what life means,

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Baybay, Monina. (1984). Discovering Together Gods Word.Pasay: St Pauls Publications.

Belmonte, Charles and Socias James. (1995). Handbookof Prayers. Manila:

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Claretian Publication.

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Comfort, Philip Wesley. (1992). The Origin of the Bible.Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

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Testament. Makati: Salesiana Publications.

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Perkins, Pheme. (1972). Reading theNew Testament(2nded.). New York: Paulist Press.

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_______________. History as the Revelation of God in thePentateuch in Chicago Studies 17/1 (Spring 1978)pp. 29-43.

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Unpublished Notes Used by the author:

Synthesis Notes on Scriptures ofJamesLoretoC.Piscos(1995) for the Comprehensive Examinations ofScriptures at the Maryhill School of Theology.

seminar notes 3

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