God and Earthly Power: An Old Testament Political Theology

by J. Gordon McConville

Publisher:

T&T Clark

, 2006

Overview

In God and Earthly Power, J. G. McConville considers the nature of human power in the light of belief in God. The Bible, and especially the Old Testament, is relevant to the question, not least because perceptions about the use of power in relation to God are often derived correctly or incorrectly from it. This book thus aims to address a world in which God’s power is often invoked, from quite different quarters, in order to justify political and military action.

McConville’s interpretation of the Old Testament focuses on Deuteronomy and the narrative in which it is set, because these are especially fruitful for political thinking. His case is argued for both exegetically and in relation to the actual use of the Old Testament in the history of political thought. McConville’s core argument is that divine power, mediated through Torah, results in human freedom and a mandate for the political responsibility of citizens. Indeed, it is even the best guarantee of these.

Table of Contents:

• The Problem of God in Human Policy
• The Old Testament in Biblical Theology and Ethics
• Mediations of Power in the Old Testament
• An Old Testament Political Theology
• Old Testament Political Theology and Christian Political Thought
• Conclusions

Contents

Top Highlights

“Deuteronomy is the ideological centre of a canonizing programme that is nothing other than ‘history written by the winners’.” (Page 18)

“the location of the law-giving is outside the promised land and prior to the formation of permanent institutions.” (Page 69)

“here was an order in the world that embraced nature, law, ethics and politics” (Page 32)

“is primaeval triumph over the forces of Chaos, now in the political sphere.” (Page 26)

“Moses the Hebrew is the personification of confrontation and antagonism” (Page 13)

Product Details

• Title: God and Earthly Power: An Old Testament Political Theology
• Author: J. G. McConville
• Publisher: T & T Clark
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 224

About J. Gordon McConville

J. Gordon McConville (PhD, Queen’s University, Belfast) is professor of Old Testament theology at the University of Gloucestershire, where he has taught for more than twenty years. Prior to coming to Gloucestershire, he held positions at Tyndale House, Trinity College Bristol, and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He has authored or edited many books, including the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets and commentaries on Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. McConville is the general editor of the Exploring the Old Testament series and coauthored the Prophets and Historical Books volumes in the series.