Prof. Gary A. Anderson is Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Thought at Notre Dame University's Department of Theology. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University, and is the author of Sin: A History (Yale, 2009), Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition (Yale 2013), Christian Doctrine and the Old Testament: Theology in the Service of Biblical Exegesis (Baker, 2017), and most recently, That I May Dwell Among Them: Incarnation and Atonement in the Tabernacle Narrative (Eerdmans, 2023).
Last Updated
February 12, 2024
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The “thirteen attributes” portray YHWH as compassionate and forgiving, yet they are immediately followed by a declaration of divine justice (Exodus 34:6–7). The tension between these two aspects of YHWH’s character is visible in King David’s sin with Bathsheba: Nathan confronts him, he confesses his guilt, but the consequences remain in place. When David’s son Absalom rebels and he flees Jerusalem, David accepts this suffering as the price of his sin. Paradoxically, it is this acceptance that becomes the path to his restoration and return to the throne.
The “thirteen attributes” portray YHWH as compassionate and forgiving, yet they are immediately followed by a declaration of divine justice (Exodus 34:6–7). The tension between these two aspects of YHWH’s character is visible in King David’s sin with Bathsheba: Nathan confronts him, he confesses his guilt, but the consequences remain in place. When David’s son Absalom rebels and he flees Jerusalem, David accepts this suffering as the price of his sin. Paradoxically, it is this acceptance that becomes the path to his restoration and return to the throne.
The curtains and screens for the innermost spaces of the tabernacle are made from expensive materials, and their instructions are described in elevated prose. In contrast, the courtyard enclosure is constructed with more common materials and described in more economical prose.
The curtains and screens for the innermost spaces of the tabernacle are made from expensive materials, and their instructions are described in elevated prose. In contrast, the courtyard enclosure is constructed with more common materials and described in more economical prose.
Hellenistic religion didn’t require charity. In contrast, the biblical command for charity is founded not only on YHWH’s commitment to reward the generous, but on YHWH adopting the voice of the poor, a critical factor in the vibrancy of early Judaism and Christianity.
Hellenistic religion didn’t require charity. In contrast, the biblical command for charity is founded not only on YHWH’s commitment to reward the generous, but on YHWH adopting the voice of the poor, a critical factor in the vibrancy of early Judaism and Christianity.
The Tabernacle is completed on the first of Nisan (Exodus 40) and is consecrated eight days later (Leviticus 9). And yet, the Book of Chronicles, Biblical Antiquities, and the Rabbis read these accounts as describing the same event. Indeed, the Torah’s final editor may have understood the texts as a continuous narrative, but chose to emphasize different themes of the Tabernacle by separating them.
The Tabernacle is completed on the first of Nisan (Exodus 40) and is consecrated eight days later (Leviticus 9). And yet, the Book of Chronicles, Biblical Antiquities, and the Rabbis read these accounts as describing the same event. Indeed, the Torah’s final editor may have understood the texts as a continuous narrative, but chose to emphasize different themes of the Tabernacle by separating them.
