Original scientific paper
"Abraham believed the Lord: and the Lord reckoned it to Him as righteousness" (Gen 15:6)
Adalbert Rebić
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia
Abstract
In this paper, produced following the author’s participation in the biblical
symposium organized by Croat biblical scholars in Sarajevo on the 14 and 15 December 2012, the author analyzes the intriguing and extremely challenging biblical text
Genesis 15 (specifically, Gen 15:6). The author begins by reviewing the rich and abundant
literature dealing with this text. He goes on to analyze the ways in which different
authors have approached Genesis 15 in the last hundred years, from Julius Wellhausen
to Norbert Lohfink, examining their conclusions. In this way he highlights the
differences in approaches to the text and the different conclusions reached. However,
there is broad consensus among the researchers that the first part of the text (Gen 15:
1-5) belongs to the Elohist and the second part (Gen 15:7-22) to the Jahvist tradition,
with some editing additions, corrections and omissions relating to the source tradition.
Genesis 15 was probably written, or at least edited, in the middle of the seventh century
BC. The researchers agree that the text does not constitute a historical narration,
in the strict sense, but is more probably a prophetic collection of salvation oracles.
Using these salvation oracles the inspired author or the redactor emphasizes the exemplar
figure of Abraham in the tradition of the Old Testament. The author proceeds to
analyze the history of the text in light of biblical traditions and examines its place in
these traditions. He then shows the compact and precise nature of the text’s structure:
15:1-5 → 15:6 ← 15:7-22, where 15:6 has the central place and the role of connecting
the two parts in one literal unity. In the main analysis, the author looks in depth at the
sentence “Vĕhe ͗ĕmin baJHVH vayyaḥšĕbehā lô tsĕḏāqāh”, translated as “Abram put
his faith in Yahweh, and he credited it to him as righteousness”. As this sentence is a central
element in the whole of Genesis 15, the author analyzes it as extensively as space
allows. From the semantic perspective, he analyzes the Hebrew terms he ͗ĕmin, ḥāšaḇ
and tsĕḏāqāh. The first Hebrew word he ͗ĕmin is the hiphil form of ͗aman and means
to believe, to put one’s faith in someone. Abram became steadfast in Yahweh. This is the
first time that the word he ͗ĕmin appears in the Bible. The second part of this verse records
Yahweh’s response to Abram’s exercise of faith: he credited it (wayyaḥšĕbehā) to
him as righteousness. The author analyzes the verbs ḥāšaḇ and tsĕḏāqāh and explains
the meaning of ḥāšaḇ and tsĕḏāqāh. At the end of the paper the author explores the
meaning of faith and justice in the framework of the Old Testament.
Keywords
Abram; Abraham; faith; believe; justice; reckon (ḥāšaḇ)
Hrčak ID:
266361
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2013.
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