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http://hdl.handle.net/11375/10237
Title: | Finding a New Land: From Canaan to the Resurrection |
Authors: | Bedard, Stephen J. |
Advisor: | Porter, Stanley E. |
Department: | Christian Studies |
Keywords: | Religion;Religion |
Publication Date: | 2007 |
Abstract: | <p>An examination of sources of hope within the Old and New Testaments reveals that the OT focuses on land and the NT focuses on resurrection. This study traces out the development of both land and resurrection within biblical texts and important non-biblical Jewish texts.</p> <p>The idyllic traditions of the OT demonstrate the pivotal role of the Promised Land of Canaan. Texts that describe events before the exile have very little emphasis on resurrection.</p> <p>As Israel faced and experienced exile, they were forced to reflect on how that fit with beliefs in a Promised Land, including themes of judgment and restoration. It was during this exilic period that ideas about the afterlife began to increase.</p> <p>As Judaism developed in the so-called "intertestamental period," the land began to decrease in importance. It was during this formative stage of Judaism that resurrection beliefs began to thrive.</p> <p>By the time of the NT, the role of the land as a source of hope had decreased significantly, becoming an image for a spiritual inheritance. While land as hope had faded in the New Testament, the resurrection had risen in its place.</p> <p>By examining the OT, early Jewish literature, and the NT, a clear trajectory can be traced. As uncertainty in the secure possession of the land increased, a greater emphasis on the resurrection developed in Judaism, setting the stage for the land-Iess and resurrection-focused Christianity.</p> |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/10237 |
Identifier: | opendissertations/5290 6312 2097403 |
Appears in Collections: | Open Access Dissertations and Theses |
Files in This Item:
File | Size | Format | |
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fulltext.pdf | 6.5 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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