Reinhard Feldmeier

a biblical theology

God of the living

The present volume is devoted to the theme of Divine Father in Second Temple Jewish and early Christian tradition and in its ancient pagan contexts. It brings together proceedings of a conference under the same title, held in Gottingen in September 2011. Selected articles by well-known scholars focus on religious and philosophical concepts of divine parenthood in antiquity, from the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism (the Dead Sea Scrolls, Targums, Philo and Josephus) to the field of the New Testament. In addition, the volume deals with the designation of deity as father or mother from the broad spectrum of ancient Egypt and classical antiquity (Homer, Hesiod, Plato, and its reception) to late antiquity (Plotinus and Porphyry)."

Religious and Philosophical Concepts of Divine Parenthood in Antiquity

The Divine Father

Hermann Spieckermann

"Surveys the various ways Scripture depicts the mediation of the divine to humanity, situating the Christian doctrine of incarnation at the center of God's will for reconciliation and for full human flourishing"--

Incarnation in the Christian Bible

God Becoming Human

The incarnation--the act of God assuming mortal flesh through Jesus Christ--reveals God's radical love for a world marked by the rebellion of the created against their creator. God becomes human to create life and restore the disrupted divine-human relationship. This doctrine is thus the theme of the Christian faith par excellence. However, the incarnation does not begin with its ultimate realization in Jesus Christ; that single event is preceded by a long history of a God who continually reunites with his people to lead them from death to life, from bondage to freedom. God Becoming Human pursues the astonishing arc of the incarnation, chronicling the varying ways Scripture recounts the divide between God and the creatures of his likeness as well as the diverse expressions the text gives regarding the desire for reconciliation. As the expectations of an existing intermediary that can somehow bridge this gap between God and humans dwindle throughout the Old Testament, hope is increasingly placed on new forms of closeness to God. The closeness made possible by Jesus Christ receives a wide range of interpretations by New Testament witnesses and is continued by a rich chorus that culminates in the early church with the theology of the incarnation. Reinhard Feldmeier and Hermann Spieckermann invite readers to see that the doctrine of the incarnation, the pinnacle of the scriptural saga of redemption, reveals that God's ultimate purpose in dealing with creation was to become human. As narrated in the story of the fall, if paradise was lost because humanity wanted to emulate God, the one reconciled with God through Christ is now given the opportunity--and challenge--to become a child of God. In accordance with the One who descended from the heavenly throne, one must precisely lower oneself and thus fully embrace one's created humanness. It is through the flesh that the created and their creator are joined; there is no other path to unity.

Biblical Pneumatology in Its Religious-Historical Context

The Spirit of God

Felix Albrecht

The present volume is devoted to religious and philosophical concepts in relation to divine parenthood on the basis of biblical tradition, its reception, and ancient context. Extending from classical to late antiquity, the articles focus on the designation of God as "Father".

English summary: This study deals with the origin and meaning of rebirth, reincarnation and transformation in theology, history of religion and culture. German description: Das drastische Bild der Wiedergeburt findet sich im Neuen Testament, um die radikale Erneuerung des Lebens durch Christus auszudrucken. Anders als in den USA spielte die Rede von der Wiedergeburt in der deutschen Theologie des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts kaum noch eine Rolle mehr. Die (religiose) Sehnsucht einer Daseinserneuerung ist jedoch auch noch in Europa lebendig und verschafft sich eigenstandig Gehor, z.B. in Gattungen wie Science Fiction oder in der Philosophie. Theologen und Nichttheologen gehen dem Ursprung und der gegenwartigen Bedeutung dieser vergessenen bzw. verdrangten Metapher nach und bieten so eine umfassende, differenzierte, informative und sogar unterhaltsame Studie zum Thema.

Wiedergeburt

A renowned Biblical scholar provides an important new commentary

Reinhard Feldmeier

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