Israelite Religion/OT Theology

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ISRAELITE RELIGION /OT THEOLOGY - EXODUS

Theology is a term that has been used to refer to the study of religions whose beliefs revolve around the existence of a god or gods Old Testament Theology is therefore a branch of theology that studies the Old Testament of the Bible under the concepts of religion and divine revelation . In the Old Testament the word revelation is used to refer to the act through which God revealed himself to the tribe of Israel Religion on the other hand

refers to the act through which man responded to this revelation of God . Old Testament Theology is therefore the study of the Biblical Old Testament what the Israelites believed about God and how they responded to this belief . The study sources material from Hebrew scripture (Sailhamer 1995

In Old Testament theology , the whole of the Old Testament can only be understood by getting and interpreting specific texts in the bible This detailed study of specific texts is referred to as exegesis and in biblical theology has been described as the path leading to Old Testament theology while the theology in turn sheds light upon this path . In the history of the Old Testament we have several narratives dating back to the creation story and going on into the period before the coming of Christ . The Exodus story is one such narrative and is the of discussion in this (Sailhamer 1995

THE EXODUS

The Exodus is a very important event in the history of the Jewish people or the Israelites as they were referred to at that time . This is because it is in the course of this dramatic event that the nation of Israel was born . The events described in the exodus had a very important role to play in determining the course that the lives of the Israelites would take in latter generations . It is in the Exodus event that the religious practices that these people would follow were established . The Exodus story that is narrated in the book of Exodus through Deuteronomy covers the journey taken by the Israelites from Egypt to Sinai various events that took place as Sinai and subsequent passage of the Israelites into the land of Moab as swell as the law or testament which was given to the Israelites by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy . Throughout the story , it appears that the Israelites were being prepared for the life that they would live in the Promised Land . The exodus is the most important aspect in the history of the Israelites because it is during this time that the Nation of Israel and its religion are born . In the Exodus event a god who is deeply involved in the history of a people is in action and this god is also capable of liberating the people he has chosen as his own . This god gives a free revelation of his name as Yahweh and through out the book of Exodus , the miraculous...