Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025
Articles published in the latest issue of Studia Biblica Slovaca
In Search of the Feast of the Acclamations: Preliminary Reflections
Jean Roméo NTSAMA
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 163-191
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLETK4413
Abstract
The Feast of the Acclamations appears in the biblical calendars of Leviticus (23:23-25) and Numbers (29:1-6) and is presented as an important sacred occasion. However, unlike other festivals whose “original” setting can be traced back thanks to other OT calendars, the background of this celebration remains quite elusive. Building on previous works and
proposals, this article proposes to understand the celebration as a feast linked to the construction of the second Temple and the reprisal of the sacrificial cult.
Bethel in the Book of Amos
Filip ČAPEK
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 192-213
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLFGW8260
Abstract
Bethel is one of the key places mentioned in the Book of Amos. Despite the relatively low frequency of this toponym, it is important for tracking changes in the composition of the book during its formation and the relationship between Israel and Judah, in which, in addition to the theme of worship, specific social criticism also comes to the fore.
Acts 11:27-30: A Synchronic Interpretation
Július PAVELČÍK
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 214-246
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLFYA2476
Abstract
The synchronic interpretation of Acts 11:27-30, which is the content of this article, examines various relationships between the internal segments of the pericope within the broader context of the Acts of the Apostles, demonstrating its organic position within this New Testament writing. The narration of the material aid from the Antiochian Christians, initiated by a prophetic prediction and addressed to the Jerusalem church, is a precious testimony to the first concrete manifestation of inter-community solidarity of faith between the believing communities of the two largest centres in the earliest history of the Church.
To a Biblical Scholar, Teacher, and Friend of People and Mountains: Celebrating the Sixtieth Birthday of Peter Dubovský SJ
Jozef JANČOVIČ, Blažej ŠTRBA, Jozef TIŇO
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 247-248
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLFZS7553
The Ark Narrative: A Masterpiece of Hidden Transformations of the Cult in Israel and Judah
Filip ČAPEK
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 249-259
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLGNX7282
Abstract
The Ark Narrative (AN) is not only a complex literary composition, but also a testimony to the historical dynamics of changing views on cult and specifically temples in the Northern
Kingdom and then especially in the Kingdom of Judah. In addition to its historical and literary qualities, the AN provides insight into the deliberate theologization of Judean toponyms, in which Jerusalem and its temple come to the fore, albeit in a hidden way, while other places recede into the background or their importance is transformed.
A Warning against Obliteration or a Cautionary Lesson from History: Distinctive Features of the Deuteronomistic Warning against Idolatry and Its Consequences
Blažej ŠTRBA
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 260-285
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLIMS5248
Abstract
This study identifies a single coherent theological motif in the Deuteronomistic historical literature: the theme of idolatry leading to destruction. It examines selected words and phrases related to the sin of idolatry and its subsequent punishment in their immediate contexts, in order to discern how these elements interlink throughout the Deuteronomistic corpus. First, it investigates the description of the crucial transgression denoted by the verb pair “to serve” ( דבע ( and “to worship” ( הוח hishtafel) other gods. Next, it analyses the expression “to mislead into sin” ( אטח hiphil) in the Books of Kings, a phrase that describes the effects of sinful behaviour on the people and underscores the irreversibility of the transgression. Finally, the discussion focuses on the rhetoric of Moses’ and Joshua’s warnings of “destruction” ( דבא ( — the inevitable consequence of idolatry — which was ultimately fulfilled during the Babylonian king’s invasion. This motif of self-destruction as a result of idolatry thus links Joshua’s final warning against idolatry to Manasseh’s polytheistic, idolatrous actions, thereby outlining the theological and relatively straightforward solution.
The Bethelite Hiel and His Two Sons in 1 Kgs 16:34: The Connection between Anthroponyms and Toponyms Considering the Concept of Deuteronomistic Geography in 1–2 Kings
Martina KORYTIAKOVÁ
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 286-306
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLJBL2193
Abstract
The verse 1 Kgs 16:34 represents an intriguing part of Deuteronomistic History for several reasons. It narrates the re-building of Jericho despite God’s prohibition and curse announced
by Joshua upon the city’s destruction in Josh 6:26. Moreover, while recounting the effectiveness of the curse in respect to the re-builder of Jericho the passage identifies not only his geographical provenance (Bethel) but also his personal identity (Hiel) along with those
of his two sons (Abiram, Segub). Scholars have already dealt with the questions about why Jericho was brought to life by a Bethelite and why this event immediately precedes the Elijah–Elisha cycle. Yet, the reasons the rebuilder of Jericho was concretised by name have not been treated yet. To complement the existing investigations, this paper examines interconnections between the personal names of Hiel and his sons, and the place names of Bethel and Jericho within the Deuteronomistic concept of geography. This study argues for
the intentional choice of the anthroponyms of the three literary characters and of the toponym
of their origin to communicate both an ironic conformity of the names’ semantic significance with the act of rebuilding and its consequences.
The Fragrance of Lebanon in the Book of Hosea and the Fragrance of the Beloved Woman in the Song of Songs
Miroslav VARŠO
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 307-325
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLKPC9393
Abstract
The closing section of the Book of Hosea (14:5-9) offers a one-sided yet unconditional declaration of God’s love for His people. It is conveyed as a promise and articulated through a series of vivid metaphors. Three of these images – the water lily, the fruit-bearing tree, and the sitting in the shade of the tree – also appear in the Song of Songs (2:1-3) as symbols of mutual affection between a man and a woman. These two Old Testament passages can thus be read as unique expressions of love that illuminate one another: the theological message of Hosea, voicing God’s address to Israel, intertwines with the poetic dialogue of the Song of Songs, portraying the intimate exchange of lovers. This interplay invites readers to interpret both texts in close connection with each other.
Down the Steep Bank: Verticality in Mark 5:1-20
Juraj FENÍK
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 326-337
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLKZD1950
Abstract
Mark’s Gospel abounds in spatial references which situate Jesus and other characters in various venues. Spatiality plays an important role in the episode of the Gerasene demoniac (5:1-20), and scholars have especially noted the evangelist’s employment of horizontal movements, as Mark periodically moves his characters on horizontal lines. This is to be seen chiefly in the entrances and the exits of various characters, especially the demoniac. This essay aims to unearth the vertical dimension of movement in the story, arguably less noticeable than the horizontal one. It shows that in several verses of the story Mark moves his characters on a vertical line from above to below in order to convey their subjection to Jesus. This use of verticality underlines his christological message – Jesus’ victory over the demons.
The Mystery of Water and Wine at Cana of Galilee: An Exegetical Reading of Sedulius’ Carmen Paschale III, 1–11
Róbert HORKA
Pavol FARKAŠ
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 338-351
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLLBY2188
Abstract
In his Easter Song, Sedulius, alongside numerous other miracles, also offers a description of the sign in which Jesus transformed water into wine at Cana in Galilee. At first glance, it may seem that the modest scope of eleven verses can hardly provide a sufficiently precise account of the Lord’s sign. The opposite, however, proves to be the case. This brilliant epyllion does not aim merely to render the Gospel prose into poetic form, but within what at first sight appears to be a casual poetic variation of terms designating wine, it also conveys a striking exegesis of the miraculous drink offered at the wedding. This leads us to the conclusion that biblical epic has certainly not yet disclosed all its secrets to the modern reader, and therefore deserves to be regarded as a relevant – though often still undiscovered – source for the study of the history of the exegesis of individual biblical pericopes.
Liber Annuus LXXII (2022)
Vavrinec Radoslav MITRO, OP
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 352-358
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLPJW3484
Kalimi, Isaac: The Book of Esther between Judaism and Christianity. The Biblical Story, Self-Identification, and Antisemitic Interpretation. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, 2023. 430 s. ISBN 978-1-009-26612-3.
Jozef TIŇO
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 359-363
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLLCE7202
Muraoka, Takamitsu: The Wisdom of Solomon in the Septuagint (Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis 304), Leuven et al.: Peeters, 2024. 228 s. ISBN 978-90-429-5086-0. Open access.
Lionel GOH YEH CHENG
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 364-365
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLMAV3905
Wyckoff, Eric John: John 4:1–42 among the Biblical Well Encounters: Pentateuchal and Johannine Narrative Reconsidered (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, 2. Reihe 542), Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020. 327 s. ISBN 976-3-16-159614-8.
Blažej ŠTRBA
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 366-369
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLMQK6566
IOSOT International Conference. August 11-15, 2025, Berlin, Germany
Anna MÁTIKOVÁ
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 370-371
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLMWJ5949
In memoriam of Sister Gabriela Ivana Vlková, OP (*1964 – ♱2025)
Benedikt Róbert HAJAS
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 372-373
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLNRF6046
Biblical perspectives on the legitimacy and de-escalation of war and armed conflicts in contributions by participants at the international conference in Nitra (November 12-13, 2025)
Jozef JANČOVIČ
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 374-377
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLNVD1482
Fathers in the Bible. Stories and inspirations. November 28-30, 2025, Donovaly
Blažej ŠTRBA
Volume 17, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 378-379
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsLOLP3708