Making Sense of Old Testament Genocide: Christian Interpretations of Herem Passages

Cover......Page 1
Making Sense of Old Testament Genocide: Christian Interpretations of Herem Passages......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Acknowledgements......Page 8
Contents......Page 10
1: Introduction......Page 12
 GENOCIDAL TEXTS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT......Page 14
 THE THEOLOGICAL AND HERMENEUTICAL CHALLENGE......Page 20
 THE METHOD: RECEPTION HISTORY......Page 21
  Biblical Reception History from Antiquity to the Enlightenment......Page 22
  The Recent Resurgence of Reception History......Page 24
  Whose Interpretations Were Included, and Why?......Page 25
  The Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception......Page 28
  Rüdiger Schmitt......Page 29
  Louis Feldman......Page 30
  Other Pertinent Recent Works......Page 31
  THE STRUCTURE OF THE PRESENT WORK......Page 32
2: Pre-Critical Readings......Page 33
 RECEPTION WITHIN THE HB, OT, AND APOCRYPHA......Page 34
  Luke–Acts......Page 36
  Hebrews......Page 37
 PHILO......Page 39
  ‘Defensive’ versus ‘Positive’ Allegoresis......Page 40
  Passing over Problematic Texts in Silence......Page 42
  Uncritical Readings Combined with ‘Toning Down’......Page 45
  Allegorical Readings......Page 46
 THE EPISTLE OF BARNABAS......Page 48
 JUSTIN MARTYR......Page 50
3: Dissenting Readings......Page 53
 THE GOD OF THE JEWISH SCRIPTURES IS NOT GOOD: MARCION AND THE MARCIONITES......Page 54
  The Role of Warfare in Marcion’s Polemic against the Jewish Scriptures......Page 55
  Marcion’s Rejection of Allegory......Page 57
  Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora......Page 59
  The Didascalia Apostolorum......Page 62
  The Pseudo-Clementines......Page 63
 THE ENTIRE BIBLE IS NOT HOLY: PAGAN CRITICS......Page 65
 ORIGEN......Page 68
  Origen on the Goodness of God and the Truth of Scripture......Page 69
   The Setting......Page 71
   The Challenges and Dangers of Reading Joshua ‘according to the Naked Letter’......Page 72
   The Christological Lens......Page 74
   Joshua’s Wars as Types of the SpiritualWarfare of the Christian......Page 75
   Herem as Eradication of the Vices......Page 81
   Variations on Herem as Eradication of the Vices......Page 85
   Other Pertinent Readings......Page 88
   Summary of Origen’s Hermeneutics in HomJos......Page 89
  Contra Celsum......Page 90
  Origen on 1 Samuel 15......Page 96
 PRUDENTIUS......Page 98
 JOHN CASSIAN......Page 100
 GREGORY THE GREAT......Page 104
 ISIDORE OF SEVILLE......Page 105
 GLOSSA ORDINARIA......Page 108
  Glossa ordinaria on Deuteronomy......Page 109
  Glossa ordinaria on Joshua......Page 112
  Glossa ordinaria on 1 Sam 15......Page 115
 BERTHOLD OF REGENSBURG......Page 116
5: Divine Command Theory Readings......Page 120
 AUGUSTINE......Page 121
  The Polemical Contexts......Page 123
  Augustine’s Substantive Response......Page 125
   God’s Axiomatic Justice and Human Obedience......Page 126
   What Makes Actions Good or Bad......Page 129
   Attempts at Understanding How God’s Herem Commands Are Just......Page 131
   The Coherence of the OT and the NT......Page 135
   Augustine’s Spiritual Readings of Herem......Page 141
   Summary......Page 146
  John Chrysostom......Page 147
  Theodoret of Cyr......Page 149
 THOMAS AQUINAS......Page 150
  On the Judicial Precepts regarding Foreigners (ST I.II, qu. 105)......Page 151
  On Communion with Unbelievers (ST II.II, qu. 10)......Page 153
  On Homicide (ST II.II, qu. 64)......Page 154
  On Vengeance (ST II.II, qu. 108)......Page 156
 JOHN CALVIN......Page 159
  Linguistic Comments......Page 160
  Divine Command Theory......Page 161
  Reasons for God’s Judgement......Page 162
  One Judgement Remains Mysterious......Page 163
  Herem and the Law of Nations......Page 164
  The Israelites’ Reluctance to Carry Out Herem......Page 166
  How Contemporary Christians Should Respond to Herem Narratives......Page 167
  Annihilation in War as a Concession to Israelite Hardness of Heart?......Page 168
6: Violent Readings......Page 171
 CHRISTIANITY AND WAR: THE BEGINNINGS......Page 172
  Ambrose of Milan......Page 173
  Augustine......Page 176
  What Were the Crusades?......Page 178
  The Crusades and the Old Testament......Page 179
  The Jerusalem Massacre 1099......Page 181
   Framing the Crusades: Urban II at Clermont 1095......Page 182
   The Circumambulation of Jerusalem......Page 185
   The Massacre......Page 187
   Conclusion......Page 192
   Latin Songs......Page 193
    Songs from the First Crusade......Page 194
    Songs from the Second Crusade......Page 195
    Songs Related to the Fall of Jerusalem in 1187......Page 196
   Middle High German Songs and Epics......Page 197
   Old French Songs......Page 198
   Crusading Songs: Conclusion......Page 199
   Eudes of Châteauroux, Sermons against the Muslims of Lucera (1268/9)......Page 200
   Bertrand de la Tour, a Model Crusade Sermon (Early Fourteenth Century)......Page 203
 THE MEDIEVAL INQUISITION......Page 205
 THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF THE NEW WORLD (1492–1600)......Page 208
  Henry Bullinger......Page 212
  William Allen......Page 215
  William Gouge......Page 216
  Thomas Barnes......Page 221
  The Practice of ‘Christian Holy War’ in Colonial North America......Page 222
7: Reading Herem from the Dawn of the Enlightenment until Today......Page 225
 UNCRITICAL READINGS......Page 226
 DISSENTING READINGS......Page 230
 DIVINE COMMAND THEORY READINGS......Page 236
  Hubert Junker......Page 237
  Eleonore Stump......Page 240
 FIGURATIVE READINGS......Page 243
  Typological Readings......Page 244
  Mythical Readings......Page 245
  Metaphorical Readings......Page 247
  Hyperbolic Readings......Page 250
 READING HEREM IN LIGHT OF HISTORICAL CRITICISM......Page 251
 VIOLENT READINGS......Page 255
8: Summary and Conclusion......Page 258
 Sources predating AD 500......Page 264
 Sources AD 500–AD 1500......Page 267
 Sources AD 1500–AD 1800......Page 269
 Sources and Secondary Literature, AD 1800–present......Page 270
General Index......Page 284
Index of Biblical References......Page 290