Volume 13, Issue 2, 2021
Articles published in the latest issue of Studia Biblica Slovaca
The Interpretation of the Term “Azazel” in the Scapegoat Ritual of Lev 16 and Its Later Reception
Miroslav HOSŤOVECKÝ
volume 13, issue 2, 2021, pages 155-179
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsCJTE7165Published
Abstract
The description of the rites of the Day of Atonement in Lev 16 also contains the problematic term Azazel. Uncertainties arise from the translation of this term in LXX or other textual versions. The contribution exposes an overview of possible interpretations of the term Azazel. Originally, it was probably the name of a demon, as evidenced by several nonbiblical sources. It could be the demonized pagan god Azizos, whose cult was not completely eliminated due to its great popularity. Azizos became a fallen angel, and under the name Lucifer he takes on the attributes of the devil in Christianity as well. In the priestly ritual of the Book of Leviticus, however, he is no more a demon, but simply a designation of the place where the sins of the people are sent. The goat for Azazel is a simple vehicle that takes these sins into the desert, to a place of disorder and chaos. With Christianity, the scapegoat becomes a symbol of Christ, and the ceremony of the sending away of scapegoat becomes a type of atonement performed by him.
The Administration of the Postexilic Sanctuary in the Line of the Chronicles Traditions, the Governor, the Priest, and Cyrus, and the Charismatic Contestation
Bernard GOSSE
volume 13, issue 2, 2021, pages 180-195
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsCKGC9439Published
Abstract
After returning from exile, the construction of a new temple necessitated a new organization and a new division of authority since the king was responsible for the temple at the time of the first temple. The legitimacy of the construction of the new temple is dependent on the continuation of the traditions and genealogies of the Books of Chronicles about the people mentioned in the texts. We can also understand the mention of a crown at the time of the return through a reference to the Book of Ezekiel concerning the temple. The authority of the governor and the high priest is challenged by a charismatic contestation. The solution is presented in the Book of Numbers in presenting the succession of the diarchy between Moses and Aaron by Joshua and Eleazar, with Joshua receiving the spirit. Moses’ and Aaron’s diarchy also plays a vital role in the Fourth book of the Psalter, substituting David after his dynasty’s end (Ps 89).
The Portrayal of Gad in 1 Chr 21
Mykhaylyna KĽUSKOVÁ
volume 13, issue 2, 2021, pages 196-214
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsCLAX3796Published
Abstract
Gad is one of the first prophets connected with the Israelite monarchy. The Old Testament informs about him in the Books of Samuel (1 Sam 22:5; 2 Sam 24:11.13.14.18.19) and in the Books of Chronicles (1 Chr 21:9.11.13.18.19; 29:29; 2 Chr 29:25). The paper aims to present the portrayal of Gad in the light of 1 Chr 21, that contains the longest tradition about Gad in Chronicles. The first part of the contribution gives a short presentation of 1 Chr 21 and explains its specifics in the Chronistic work. The second part introduces the information about Gad from 1 Chr 21. The last part of the paper compares Gad’s portrayal from 1 Chr 21 with the Chronicler’s general tendencies in presentation of the prophetic phenomenon.
The Semi-Figurative Meaning of σκάνδαλα in Jdt 5:1: An Interpretation from the Perspective of an Ancient Warfare Defence
Martina KORYTIAKOVÁ
volume 13, issue 2, 2021, pages 215-235
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsCLZY3755Published
Abstract
The aim of the paper is to offer a new and alternative interpretation of σκάνδαλα in the phrase ἔθηκαν ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις σκάνδαλα (Jdt 5:1). Usually, the Greek word is explained as an indication of either the physical barriers or traps which were laid in the fields for the enemy. According to our analysis, the term σκάνδαλα refers rather to the conditions of the fields after the harvest, concretely to no crops being found in the fields by the enemy. Our semifigurative interpretation of the word is supported by the arguments from the Judith narrative as well as from other biblical and non-biblical writings. By transferring the harvested crops from the fields and storing them in safe places in the mountains, the Israelites foraged provisions for the war as they were instructed (4:5). By doing so, however, they cut off the enemy from the supplies which he counted upon and from the opportunity to endanger the Israelites by pillaging their crops, creating thus an unexpected obstacle for him. The so-called “evacuation” of the crops was one of the effective defensive methods in the ancient world to hinder the march of the enemy or to terminate a siege.
A Poem on the Pursuit of Wisdom (Sir 6:16-37). A Semantic and Poetic Analysis
Pavel PRIHATNÝ
volume 13, issue 2, 2021, pages 236-265
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsCQBJ9928Published
Abstract
Semantic and poetic analysis of the poem “on endeavour for wisdom” (6:18-37) in the Book of Ben Sira reveals thorough and solicitous effort of its author in his attempt to persuade an aspirant for wisdom that his endeavour and difficulties related to the ways of wisdom are worth undergoing and he will reach its goal. The way to the wisdom requires of aspirant disposition to various attitudes, especially to listening to the elders who have already had a share in some wisdom. Wisdom itself, after all, is a gift from the Most High, who will bring Studia Biblica Slovaca Pavel Prihatný 265 the candidate to its obtaining. The Poem itself is a beautiful composition, structurally well premeditated and interwoven with some rich poetic techniques.
Elijah in the Message of Paul the Apostle: Typology of the Elijah Figure in Paul’s Missionary Zeal for the Gospel
František ÁBEL
volume 13, issue 2, 2021, pages 266-295
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsCQOB1871Published
Abstract
The biblical stories about Elijah (1 Kgs 17:1–2 Kgs 2:18), pitting Yahweh’s devotees against Baal’s idolaters in an intensifying struggle, constitute the first radical endeavor to purify the religious cult of the Northern Kingdom of biblical Israel. In this regard, Elijah becomes a predecessor of the prophetic movement that includes figures such as Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and at the same time the prototype of religious zealousness: an important component of the Jewish Second Temple messianic notions focusing on the eschatological restoration of Israel, including a “remnant” theology. The goal of this paper is to research and evaluate the Elijah typology in Paul’s message in Romans 11, in the context of his mission among the non-Jewish nations (ethnē).
To Love the Stranger: About the Commandment in Deuteronomy 10:19
Georg BRAULIK, OSB
volume 13, issue 2, 2021, pages 296-304
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsCRRH7183Published
Liber Annuus LXIX (2019)
Vavrinec Radoslav MITRO, OP
volume 13, issue 2, 2021, pages 305-311
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsCRTL4985Published
Prudký, Martin et al.: Difficult Passages of Biblical Poetry and Wisdom, Kostelní Vydří: Karmelitánské nakladatelství, 2020. 427 pp. ISBN 978-80-7566-058-9.
Adrian KACIAN
volume 13, issue 2, 2021, pages 312-317
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsCRYD3909Published
New Publication in the Studia Biblica Slovaca – Supplementum Series
Martina KORYTIAKOVÁ
volume 13, issue 2, 2021, pages 318
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsCWBW1267Published