'A Sabbath Rest for the People of God' (Heb 4.9): Hebrews and Philo on the Seventh Day of Creation*
This article examines the background of the concept of Sabbath rest (sabbatismos) in Heb 4.1-11. Special attention is given to the relation between God's rest and God's activity, which seemingly are in tension with each other: on the one hand, the author's argument is based on the ass...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
[2018]
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| In: |
New Testament studies
Year: 2018, Volume: 64, Issue: 1, Pages: 94-107 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Hebräerbrief 3,7-4,11
/ Philo, Alexandrinus 25 BC-40
/ Sabbath
/ Creation
/ Rest
/ Activity
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| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament HD Early Judaism NBD Doctrine of Creation NBE Anthropology |
| Further subjects: | B
Hebrews
B Middle Platonism B Creation B Sabbath rest B Philo B Eschatology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article examines the background of the concept of Sabbath rest (sabbatismos) in Heb 4.1-11. Special attention is given to the relation between God's rest and God's activity, which seemingly are in tension with each other: on the one hand, the author's argument is based on the assumption that God entered his rest at the seventh day of creation and stopped working forever (4.10); on the other hand, there is a clear reference to God's works after creation (3.9-10). A comparison with Philo's explanations of the seventh day of creation, however, reveals that for a Jewish Middle Platonist this tension does not appear to be a problem because rest and activity in God are two sides of the same coin. It is argued that this background helps to explain Hebrews' concept of Sabbath rest. A concluding outlook shows that the suggested Middle Platonic understanding of Hebrews 4 fits well the context of the epistle as a whole, as the same coexistence of rest and activity can also be found in Hebrews 7 in relation to Jesus' intercession in the heavenly tabernacle. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-8145 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: New Testament studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S0028688517000261 |