The kingdom of God in the Old Testament

In recent times, the notion of the “kingdom of God” has received much interest by Old Testament scholars. Reformed theology has traditionally attached much theological value to this topic, whereas modern research is questioning the centrality of the theme. It seems as if text material on this topic is relatively limited. In this article contemporary research concerning antiquity, provenance and the development of the notion of God’s kingdom is briefly highlighted, with special emphasis on the study of the YHWH-malak Psalms. It is argued, however, that tradition-critical analysis runs the risk of insufficiently recognising the importance of the theme. The matrix of thoughts and ideas in which the theme is rooted has to be taken into account, both semantically and theologically. In this respect, the notions of creation and covenant are of special interest. Finally, both spatial and temporal characteristics of the kingdom of God in the Old Testament are delineated. The kingship/kingdom of God is still to be considered as a basic and even central notion in the Old Testament

In the sign of Cain. A theological exegesis of Genesis 4

Present day reflection upon the burning questions of evil and violence increasingly dominate the agenda of modern society. Biblical scholarship can contribute meaningfully to this discourse by analysing biblical narratives in which the themes of violence and animosity occur. In this regard it becomes necessary to unmask the mechanisms of violence, and to examine the judgement of violence from a biblical-theological perspective. Violence and animosity are displayed very soon in the Old Testament. Genesis 4 recounts the well-known story of Cain and Abel. The story of the world's first children turns out to be the story of the world's first murder. YHWH's role in this process is of particular interest: his warnings (vss 6-7), his interrogation (vss 9-10), his sentence (vss 11-12) and his promise (vs 15). This article investigates Genesis 4:1-16 and focuses especially on the remarkable promise to Cain, the nature of Cain's mark (vs 15) and the theological significance of YHWH as the keeper of Abel's brother. Genesis 4 turns out to be a chapter with paradigmatic value for today.http://explore.up.ac.za/record=b152516