Divine Violence and the Character of God
Ebook
There is much violence in the Old Testament, both human and divine. Christians and non-Christians react differently to what they read about the God of the Old Testament. Some people are so affected by the violence found in the Old Testament that they give up on God, stop going to church and reading the Bible, and eventually lose their faith.
Others are offended by divine violence and seek to find an alternative explanation for the violent acts of God in the Old Testament. A popular alternative in the twenty-first century is to return to the second century and adopt some form of Marcionism and make the God of the Old Testament to be a different God from the God revealed by Christ in the New Testament.
The purpose of this book is not a defense of God and his use of violence. The author seeks to understand why God acted the way he did and to understand the reason for divine violence in the Old Testament. Yahweh did use violence in his work of reconciliation. However, the use of violence was necessary when everything else failed. Israel provoked God to anger. When God brought judgment upon his people, he did so with tears in his eyes.
“In this extraordinary book, Mariottini shows how the warrior God of Mount Sinai is consistent with the grace and mercy revealed in Jesus Christ. Instead of avoiding or excusing Old Testament stories of violence and multigenerational suffering, Mariottini explains difficult passages and corrects popular English translations. . . . This volume is a valuable resource to any pastor or teacher wrestling with suffering in the Bible and the world today.”
—William D. Shiell, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary
“A deeply held conviction of the New Testament authors was that the God portrayed in the Old Testament is indeed the ‘God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ I am extremely grateful for this book, in which Mariottini eruditely and convincingly defends this most basic conviction . . . . What you will find here is a bold and faithful demonstration that the Old Testament God and the New Testament God are, indeed, one and the same God.”
—Jerry Shepherd, Taylor Seminary, emeritus
“Mariottini confronts the hermeneutical gymnastics which are so often employed to explain away the God of the Old Testament. With scholarly insight and intellectual integrity, he responds to other interpreters in a way that is helpful to anyone who has ever wrestled with this often-uncomfortable issue. A profoundly helpful book to scholars, pastors, and students of the Bible alike!”
—Charles Moore, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, emeritus
- Title: Divine Violence and the Character of God
- Authors: Claude Mariottini, Scot McKnight
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666725469, 9781666725452, 1666725455, 9781666732122, 1666732125, 1666725463
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666725469
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-12-28T00:38:55Z
Claude F. Mariottini is Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Northern Baptist Seminary. He is the author of Paso a Paso por el Antiguo Testamento (1992); Rereading the Biblical Text (2013); and commentaries on Deuteronomy and Chronicles. He has published more than two hundred articles and book reviews in English, Spanish, and Russian.