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The Journal of Theological Studies Advance Access originally published online on September 2, 2006
The Journal of Theological Studies 2007 58(1):1-25; doi:10.1093/jts/fll036
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

The Character of Yhwh and the Ethics of the Old Testament: is Imitatio Dei Appropriate?

Walter J. Houston

Mansfield College, Oxford

Correspondence: walter.houston{at}mansfield.ox.ac.uk


  Abstract

The aim is to examine the character of the God of the Old Testament, principally in the Pentateuch, to discover whether it provides an appropriate basis for the imitatio dei that a number of writers have argued is prominent in Old Testament ethics. The article begins with a survey of this literature and opposing arguments. Texts then, first, that explicitly recommend the imitation of God are studied, then ones that imply it, mainly concerning distributive justice. It is shown that the moral role of YHWH may reflect one of two roles in human society, as king (of the world) or as patron (of Israel), thus providing models for human beings playing such roles. A discussion of Exod. 34:5–6 shows that forgiveness is for human beings as for God a right rather than an obligation in the Old Testament. It is finally shown that YHWH behaves in the story of the Exodus in ways which, whether justifiable (in the role of king) or not, would be inappropriate for imitation. It is concluded that while YHWH may often be understood as offering a role for imitation, imitatio dei is not the key to all Old Testament ethics.

This paper was presented to a colloquium on the Old Testament and theology at St Andrews in September 2005. I am grateful to Nathan MacDonald and Andrew Mein for giving me the opportunity to present it, and to all the participants for their suggestions and encouragement. An earlier version was read to the Ehrhardt Seminar at the University of Manchester. Translations from the Hebrew are my own, unless otherwise stated.


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