Transcript Document 7572547

COVENANT
Covenant- Definition
• Treaty
• Formal agreement between two (or more)
parties
• Mutual benefit
• Mutual responsibility
“Hittite Treaties”
• Usual title.
• Between Hittites (Asia Minor/Turkey) and
Egypt
• Written in Akkadian (language of
Mesopotamia)- the lingua franca of the
period
2 Ancient Near Eastern Types
• Parity treaty- on a par; between equals
(NATO)
• Vassal/suzerainty treaty- between two
unequal parties
Vassal/suzerainty Treaty
• Inferior (vassal) bound by oath to superior
(suzerain- called the “Great King”)
• Mutual obligation- but obedience of vassal
is given greater weight than the opposite.
• Stipulations are laid on the vassal
• Promises to help vassal are promises, not
legal: based on trust/ good-will
Theological Significance
• Israel is related to Yahweh in legal,
covenant terms
• God is Great King
• Israel is vassal
• Important at start of Israelite monarchyJudges 8:23
6 Elements of an ANE Covenant
I. Preamble
• Parties are identified: These are the words
of the Sun, Suppiluliumas, the great king,
the king of the land of the Hittites, the
valiant, the favorite of the Storm-god.
• Exod 20:2a; Deut 1:1-5; Josh 24:2
II. Historical Prologue
• Previous relationships between the parties
• Why should we enter into covenant?
• Previously the king of Egypt and his
cronies were hostile to the Sun…but you
parted from them and joined with me.
• Ex 20:2b; Deut 1:6-4:49; Josh 24:2b-13
III. Stipulations: general and
specific
• He who lives in peace with the Sun lives at
peace with you, but he who is an enemy to
the Sun is an enemy to you.
• No foreign relationships allowed (only 1
covenant) No enemies among vassals
• Respond to call to arms
• Lasting loyalty to the king
Stipulations (continued)
• Ex 20:3ff; Deut 5-26; Josh 24:14-21
IV. Curses and Blessings
• May Ashur, king of the gods, decree for you an
evil, unpropitious fate, and not grant you
fatherhood and old age.
• May Ninurta fell you with his fierce arrow, and
fill the plain with your corpses, give your flesh to
eagles and vultures to feed on.
• May all you teeth fall out except one, and may it
be abscessed.
Curses and Blessings
(Continued)
• Exod 23:20-33; Deut 27-30
• Basis for the message of the prophets
(Deut 27-30 and Amos 4)
V. Deposit or Tablet Clause
• What to do with the finished covenant
document
• Often omitted in ANE
• Deut 31:9-13; Josh 24:26
VI. Witnesses
• Deities who are to bring about the
blessings or curses
• The treaty which he has made binding with
you before Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mercury,
Mars, and Sirius; before Ashur, Enlil, Ea
and Marduk…
Witnesses (Continued)
• Problem for Israel’s covenant with god?
• Deut 30:19; 31:26; Josh 24:22
• Henotheism- each people has own gods
who is responsible for them.
Formal Oath Ceremony
• Covenant not self-standing: has ritual
context in real life
• Not part of Hittite treaty documents
(history as writing more important than
history as event)
• OT- both audio (legal text) and video
(ceremony described)- Exod 24:4--11; Josh
24:25
Abrahamic Covenant- Genesis
15, 17
•
•
•
•
Different form from others
God obligates himself, Abraham not
Rituals (Gen 15) done by God
No future acts for Abraham (circumcision
= sign of, not obligation of covenant)
• Parallels ANE royal grant: an
unconditional gift