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THE ISRAELITE KING - AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL KEY OF THE RELATION BETWEEN GOD AND MAN IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURE

C. Vatamanu

First published: 2019https://doi.org/10.5593/SWS.ISCSS.2019.3/S06.008View metrics

Abstract

Unlike the Torah, which is given by God from Heaven, royalty belongs to public political life and teaches about order, power and justice. The Israelite kingship is not a purely historical institution, but also a divine one (Ps 89, 28-37). Peace, prosperity, well-being, authority of the Israelite king are images of how God communicates with the people of Israel. The obedience of the Jewish King to the revealed Word of God, the Torah, cancels the monarchic absolutism (Deut. 17:16-17): when the king David stands himself above the Law, he is taken out of the divine covenant relationship (2 Sam. 12, 9-10). The davidic King, although understood as a divine son (2 Sam. 7:14), he is not a special person; he lives under the same conditions as the whole people of God. The king is responsible for the full functioning of creation, the fertility of the earth and of the people, and for the fulfilment of social justice (Psalm 72, 1-4, 12-14, Psalm 101, I Kings 18, 5-6). Judging the poor and the one in distress are also divine attributes of the king.

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Publication details

Title
THE ISRAELITE KING - AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL KEY OF THE RELATION BETWEEN GOD AND MAN IN THE HEBREW SCRIPTURE
Authors
C. Vatamanu
Proceedings
6th SWS International Scientific Conference on Social Sciences ISCSS 2019
Publisher
STEF92 Technology
Year
2019
Pages
59-66
SWS Citekey
Vatamanu201965966
ISSN
2682-9959
ISBN
978-619-7408-93-5
Language
en
Publication type
Proceedings Paper
Keywords
AntropologyTheologyCreationConvenantScripture
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