Vol 96 (2015)

Jeremiah 28* and 36* bear signs of having been composed during the prophet's lifetime. These stories depict incidents that had the potential to severely damage the prophet's reputation among the Judean public: clashes with powerful opponents from which Jeremiah seemed to have emerged as the losing party. These early narratives served apologetic ends, providing Jeremiah's followers with an account of the incidents that stressed YHWH's support for his true prophet. The investigation confirms the theory that conflict on a broad variety of topics played a significant role in stimulating the growth of prophetic literature.

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Psalm 118 was recited in the time of Nehemiah. The speaker in the first person singular passages is Israel's representative. The psalm, a communal song of thankfulness, belongs to a group of texts related to Succoth (Psalms 65; 66; 67; 98; 107; 124; 129; Isaiah 12; 25,1-5). These texts, dating from the later post-exilic period, do not constitute a welldelineated literary genre. Psalm 118 and Isaiah 12; 25,1-5, however, constitute a special category. Psalm 118,24 refers to Succoth as the time when YHWH judges the world and decides on the nation's well-being (v. 25) for the year to come.

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This paper re-examines the relation between the Gilgamesh tradition and Qohelet. It presents formerly recognized analogies between the two texts, along with a newly identified parallel. Analysis of the data indicates that Gilgamesh is the only currently known ancient text that can be considered a direct literary source of Qohelet. The paper then discusses the nature of the Gilgamesh epic used by Qohelet's author. It shows that this version is not identical with any Gilgamesh recension known to us. Consequently, an attempt is made to describe this unique Gilgamesh version, and to locate it within Qohelet's historical and intellectual context.

The present study attempts to clarify the theological meaning of dia, in 1 Cor 8,6. Traditionally the preposition is understood as an indication of a contrast between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus' role is described as either instrumental or analogous to the role of Jewish Wisdom. The present study questions these interpretations on the basis of the analysis of the structure of the verse. In this author's opinion, dia, here indicates the unique functions of Jesus Christ which make him the co-worker of God the Father in both creation and salvation.

That intertextuality has come into vogue in Hebrew Bible scholarship is hardly surprising given some general trends in the field. In fact, the reconstruction of redactional activity and 'Fortschreibung' as well as inner-biblical interpretation are heavily dependent on the perception of intertextual relationships. But therein lies the problem. Has the perceived relationship indeed been established by the author of one of the biblical texts in question (aesthetics of production), or does it merely lie in the eye of the beholder (aesthetics of reception)? Two competing claims regarding an intertextual relationship of Joshua 2 are singled out for discussion.

The Kingdom of God does not play a central role in the Gospel of John. John sees it as a transcendent reality promised to humans by a 'rebirth' or a 'birth from above' (John 3,3.5). The 'Kingdom' of Jesus is not of political nature, but consists in Jesus' testimony to the truth (John 18,33-37). Besides the texts which speak expressly of the 'Kingdom' of 'God' or of 'Jesus', there are others in the Gospel of John which describe the reality of the Kingdom of God using some basic terms like peace, joy and the Holy Spirit. The roots of this tradition can be traced back to the Gospel of Luke (24,36-49) and even to the Old Testament and the Ancient Near East with its royal ideology: the ruler as bringer of justice, peace and joy.