Stručni rad

Various Meanings of the Hebrew Term Berit and Its Ambiguity in The Second Book of Kings

Karlo Višaticki ; Katolički bogoslovni fakultet u Đakovu Sveučilišta Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku, Đakovo, Hrvatska

Sažetak

Covenant, in Hebrew berit, is one of the central notions of the Old Testament and can be found in all the Old Testament's Biblical books. In this article, after a brief introduction with general reference to the covenant - a notion that has a wide range of meanings and can mean a private covenant, treaty between two (equal) people, a treaty between two kings or countries, the covenant between God and the Israelites - the author first speaks of the etymological notion berit, which however, is not a sufficient explanation and so the author presents examples of translations of this notion in ancient translations (Targum, Septuaginta, Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, Vulgata, Vetus Latina), as well as older Croatian translations by Matija Petar Katančić, Ivan Matija Skarić, Bartol Kašić, Valentin Čebusnik, Antun Sović, Ivan Evandelist Sarić. The author then speaks of the meaning of the notion berit within the Hebrew Bible. We find this notion in the sacral as well as the profane context. With reference to the profane context, the author notes the examples of David and Jonathan, Solomon and King Hiram, Gibeonites who make a false covenant with Joshua. When referring to the sacral context then this is the covenant between God and people, Yahweh and Israel. Here the author mentions the covenant with Noah, later the covenant with Abraham and the most significant covenant made on Sinai where Moses has the role of a mediator between Yahweh and Israel. The author then analyses individual sections in the 2nd Book of Kings - twelve in all. As the author claims exegesis on the most agree that the 2nd Book of Kings refers to more recent levels of the Old Testament which emerge when the notion berit, was used in sacral spheres and was a synonym for the Torah. Even though only 12 sections are treated they too are quite varied. In 2 K 11:4 Jehoada plans a revolution in the temple, here berit is an ordinary agreement. In the next act (2 K 11:17), once again Jehoada is in the role of a mediator in making a pact between Yahweh on the one side and the king and people on the other. In the conflict between Israel and Aramea the Israelites lost some cities but Yahweh was merciful because of his covenant and the Israeli king - King Joash manages to return these cities to the ownership of the Israelites. Here berit is a synonym for the Hebrew term hesed. In 2K 17:15 there is reference to the Israelites unfaithfulness who abandoned berit, here this is a synonym for God's law. Texts in 2 K 17:35 and 2 K 17:38 speak about the covenant that is known to the people and exists in writing and signifies the fundamental relationship of the Israeli people as a whole towards God. The covenant in that context is a synonym for the Decalogue, i.e. above all keeping God's first commandments. The text 2 K 18:12 relates to the invasion of Samaria by the Assyrian king Salmanasar and the theological reason that the author cites lies in the fact that the people did not listen to Yahweh's voice because they »violated his covenant« and so God punished them. Finally, 2 K 23: 2-3 and 2 K 23:21 speak about the positive king, King Josiah who found the Book of the Covenant while working in the temple in Jerusalem. He then renewed the covenant with God and celebrated the Passover in Jerusalem together with his people as written in the Book of the Covenant. The renewal of the covenant here means remembering the event on Sinai and renewing the obligations to follow only Yahweh and to abandon other gods.
Surmising we can say that in 2 K berit can mean an agreement between two parties on the one hand or relations between God and Israel on the other. The context of berit in the latter case is a synonym for the Decalogue in general or specifically a synonym for God's First Commandment.

Ključne riječi

Historical Books; Second Book of Kings; berit; covenant; Torah in later writings

Hrčak ID:

50850

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/50850

Datum izdavanja:

14.4.2010.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

Posjeta: 5.466 *