Analysis Of The Book The Crucible - 1415 Words

Maddie Franke Ninke English 11 H 16 October 2015 Witch- Hunt Essay: Lynch Mobs in the South Ever since 1692 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts where the idea of â€Å"witch-hunts† originated, several groups across the world have been persecuted because of their race, religion, ethnicity, or other unsupported reasons. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the witch-hunts that took place during Puritan times are specifically targeted and serve as the focus point throughout the course of the story. Aside from the main plot points of the play, Miller also comments on a period in the 1950s during the Cold War when people who were thought to have been communists were persecuted against and deemed guilty without substantial evidence. These so-called â€Å"witch-hunts† stemmed from periods of fear and racism, and people were victimized with no way to prove themselves. Based on the outcome of multiple historical events throughout the course of history, â€Å"witch-hunts† are not justified or nee ded to achieve justice or establish order in society. One prime example of a historical â€Å"witch-hunt† is the Negro Holocaust, a period in the late 1800s and early 1900s where African Americans were lynched by white people based on their skin color. Between 1880 and 1930, a period known as the Lynching Era occurred throughout the United States where thousands of African Americans were discriminated against by white supremacist groups. Black men, women, andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book The Crucible 1598 Words   |  7 Pagesacknowledged by Offred that â€Å"women were not protected† (27) in the pre-Gilead society like they are now. It is interesting to note that much of the culture of Gilead was unoriginal to the society. According to the â€Å"Historical Notes† section of the book, the society’s â€Å"genius was synthesis† (353), with its pioneers taking elements from other civilizations, and applying them to the society they were creat ing. The setting helps to create a haunting cautionary tale, with enough dark humour so not asRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Crucible 1141 Words   |  5 Pagesfriendly company of Gemma, Jared finds a mysteriously alluring, red and gold book. Disobeying the grandmother wishes Jared secretly takes the book and returns home. The next couple of days dealing with high school life, Jared begins to have paranoid thoughts about the book and begins to notice it changing locations in his room. One night, late, after visiting the diner with his friends, Jared decides to cut open the red book s lock and see what is inside. After struggling to open, Jared accidentallyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Crucible 1266 Words   |  6 Pagesthat person’s idea or political beliefs. (Scholastic Reference). In the book, The Crucible, Abigail blames others to get herself out of trouble and try to get John Proctor for her. Thomas Putnam wanted land, and Reverend Hale just wanted to guide others and protect their souls. All of these people were perpetrators of â€Å"The Big Lie†, which led to â€Å"witch hunts†. Was Hitler, in any way, like Abigail, in â€Å"The Crucible?† (Miller). From 1933 onwards, anti-Jewish policy was central to the NaziRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Crucible 1232 Words   |  5 Pagesdifficult to stand against something or someone that many people in society are for. In the book the â€Å"The Crucible† by Arthur Miller, John Proctor struggles against his societies expectations on how he should think and behave but by the end of the novel we see that Proctor has successfully written his own script. He is able to admit to his wrong doings and goes against the beliefs of his own society. In the book â€Å"Heart Of Darkness† by Joseph Conrad, Mr. Kurtz goes against his societies expectations butRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Crucible 1425 Words   |  6 PagesDusting off his cloak, he approached Drea’s door. The moment he stepped up, he heard the loud scrape of the bolt engaging, followed by the heavy clunk of the door bar be ing lowered. Strange, since Drea knew he was to arrive at this time. He knocked. Nothing. He tapped on the door with his knuckles again and again. â€Å"Drea? It’s me.† â€Å"Go away, Gawain. I don’t want to see you ever again. If you want to see Wallace, make arrangements with Nan.† â€Å"What are you talking about? Drea, this is madness. You’reRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book With God In The Crucible911 Words   |  4 PagesMaddy Walsh BIB101 With God in the Crucible In the book, â€Å"With God in the Crucible†, author, Peter Storey, gives his personal account of his involvement in ending the apartheid in South Africa. As a minister during this time period of hardship, Storey believed that he was called by God to offer a message of justice and reconciliation to the stubborn land of South Africa. He felt as though God had sent him to influence the people against the apartheid, and to offer strength and peace to those beingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Crucible By F. Scott Fitzgerald1407 Words   |  6 PagesWhen Booker arrived at the dorm room, he found Tom curled up on his mattress, his face protectively covered by his arm. A heavy ache throbbed in the dark-haired officer’s heart and closing the door, he walked over to the side of Tom’s bed and sat down. His hand hovered over Hanson’s trembling body, unsure whether to offer comfort or let sleeping dogs lie. Tom was wary of contact, and he did not want to caus e him more pain than he already had. Seconds ticked slowly past, and eventually his heartRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Crucible By F. Scott Fitzgerald2159 Words   |  9 Pages Turns out they share similar taste in their music. She commented on the group playing on the iPod as her favorite and giving him a little history of the band. She also checked out the meal he’d prepared and made some mention of his cooking skills. They talked about her work and how it was progressing. She mentioned the article she was writing, and he brought up the topic of what happened to his older brother. A topic which he especially didn’t talk too much about, even after all this timeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Crucible By Dawson Cole And Amanda Collier1425 Words   |  6 Pages18-19, but this is what the book is about, the lustful glances, and the love floating between them. Which as the reader I could physically feel. Right at this moment is where the final pieces to this book kinda fell into place, it sets up the plot for you, to me it actually kinda screamed it out on the top of its lungs. The good thing about that is it prepares you for what is c oming next, so maybe your heart will survive...only if you could warn the characters in the book to RUN before they get toRead MoreGravimetric Analysis of a Soluble Sulfate1690 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Gravimetric analysis describes the methods for finding the chemical constituent of analyte in a solution through analytical chemistry. This method uses the mass of solid SO42-, with an unknown quantity and quality, to qualitatively determine the makeup of the solid SO3-. Two separate experiments with the initial compounds of BaCl2 and SO42- were put into solution to allow for the BaSO4 precipitate to form. Through filtration and ignition of precipitate containing ashless papers

Shakespeares Macbeth and Hamlet as Tragic Heroes Essay

Macbeth and Hamlet as Tragic Heroes William Shakespeare has written many literary works - from his sonnets to his plays, each has its own individual characteristics. One popular characteristic that comes from his plays is the tragic hero. The audience can always relate to the tragic hero and the many trials he faces. Macbeth and Hamlet are just two of Shakespeares plays that involve the tragic hero. Through their nobility, tragic flaws, and dignity Macbeth and Hamlet prove to be tragic heroes. Macbeths nobility begins with the title, thane of Glamis (1.3.74). After the original thane of Cawdor (1.3.110) dies, Macbeth gains this title as well. Once the witches reveal the prophecy that Macbeth would be†¦show more content†¦Every tragic hero has a tragic flaw. Macbeths tragic flaw is his ambition. There is no other reason for the evil he does besides his vaulting ambition, which oer leaps itself (1.7.27). Macbeth has such a strong desire to be king; he would kill his friends and loved ones to succeed in his task. Macbeth would not have been inclined to take action in murdering without the help of the witches and Lady Macbeth. These women push Macbeth to the idea of becoming king, but because of his tragic flaw, ambition, Macbeth proceeds with the plan on his own, which leads to corruption. Hamlets tragic flaw is his indecisiveness. He promises his father he will sweep to [his] revenge (1.5.31) with wings as swift/ as meditation, (1.5.30) but does not kill Cl audius till the end of the play. This lack of action shows he is incapable of acting on his word even though his father was the one who was murdered. Hamlet consistently makes excuses to avoid dealing with his promise. Even when he had the chance to kill Claudius while he was praying, his indecision kept him from doing so. Also, Hamlet avoided revenge by not trusting the ghost and scheduling the play. Macbeths and Hamlets tragic flaws led them to their utter destruction. For the tragic hero, dignity comes too late for salvation. Macbeth and Hamlet make a change in character too late in the play to have an impact on their fate. MacbethShow MoreRelatedThe Heroes Of A Hero1082 Words   |  5 Pagesdifferent heroes today. There are the heroes you read about in books and watch in movies such as The Avengers and X-Men, and there are the everyday heroes such as doctors, police, and soldiers. There are also tragic heroes. Shakespeare is famous for his tragedies and tragic heroes in them. The traits that make a character a hero in today’s society is, someone who is brave and courageous, strong and fearless selfless, and always wanting to help someone else in need. Today in modern society, heroes are shapedRead More Shakespeare - Tragic Heros Essay625 Words   |  3 Pages The name amp;quot;tragic heroamp;quot;, which has become synonymous with Shakespearean dramas, was developed before Hamlet, Macbeth or any of Shakespeare’s well-known plays were written. The literary term was actually discovered around 330 BC by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Through his theory of catharsis, Aristotle debated that the great plays of Sophicles, Euripides, and other Greek playwrights contained tragic heroes similar to each other, which all portrayed four basic characteristicsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet And Macbeth1015 Words   |  5 Pages In Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth, the ghost imitates the feelings of the protagonists for the audience as well. Shakespeare’s tragedies include supernatural in order to catch interest of a reader which consists heroes with desires of the supernatural ending up in a tragedy. Through their use of ghost and the supernatural, we can see the similarities and differences of the plays that will help effectively for a wider understanding of the plays and its themes. Shakespeare starts Macbeth with aRead MoreCompare/Contrast Shakespeare and Marlowe1029 Words   |  5 Pagescharacters and plot line were similar in Shakespeare’s Richard the second, Richard the third and Merchant of Venice were notably similar to Marlowe’s Edward the second and the Jew of Malta. In some of Shakespeare’s works he even quotes Marlowe’s Hero and Leander directly as he uses the line â€Å"Whoever loved that, loved not at first sight?† in his As You Like It. Shakespeare’s direct mimicking of Marlowe’s works clearly shows the influence that Marlowe had on Shakespeare’s works. The comparison of MarloweRead MoreWomens Role in Shakespearean Tragedy1742 Words   |  7 PagesIn Shakespeares tragedies and his plays in general, we can come across several types of female characters. Their influence with other characters and their purpose or role, often underestimated like women themselves, will be this essays main subject. Women in Shakespearean plays have always had important roles, sometimes even the leading role. Whether they create the main conflicts and base of the plays, or bring up interesting moral and cultural questions, they have always been put in challengingRead MoreRomeo And Juliet Literary Analysis1388 Words   |  6 Pages One may think Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story, while others may think the play was written as a warning to Queen Elizabeth (Bearman). One can understand William Shakespeare’s ideas for his plays by exploring his influences for Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth, and Hamlet. Shakespeare wrote many plays, one of his more famous one being Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare used many sources to create his famous play Romeo and Juliet, one source being a poem named titled Romeus andRead MoreAnalysis Of Shakespeare s King Lear, Hamlet, Othello And Macbeth1206 Words   |  5 Pagesplays I have chosen to analyse are; King Lear, Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth. I chose these plays specifically because they all have universal themes which depict human emotions. They contain very important messages about internal and external conflict within characters and how this conflict can lead to terrible things, such as their death. One reason as to why they all could be tragedies are because they all have endings unclear regarding their tragic implications. An example of this could be the endingRead More The Role of Women in Shakespeares Tragedies Essay1700 Words   |  7 PagesThe Role of Women in Shakespeares Tragedies In Shakespeare’s tragedies and his plays in general, we can come across several types of female characters. Their influence with other characters and their purpose or role, often underestimated like women themselves, will be this essay’s main subject. Women in Shakespearean plays have always had important roles, sometimes even the leading role. Whether they create the main conflicts and base of the plays, or bring up interesting moral and culturalRead MoreDoes Othello Meet The Standards Of A Tragic Hero?2171 Words   |  9 Pagesof a Tragic Hero? William Shakespeare is considered one of the greatest play writers who ever lived. Students throughout the United States continue to read his sonnets and plays today. His style of writing and his use of metaphors are what truly make him a great writer. Shakespeare wrote many comedies such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado about Nothing, and The Taming of the Shrew. Shakespeare also wrote many tragedies such as Macbeth, Hamlet, and Romeo and Juliet. Many of Shakespeare’s tragediesRead More A Christian Reading of Hamlet Essay1379 Words   |  6 PagesA Christian Reading of Hamlet      Ã‚   In a famous article, The Christian Tragic Hero, Poet W. H. Auden defines a Christian tragic hero according to the Judeo-Christian view that all people are moral agents and own responsibility for their actions. One of his examples is Macbeth, who listens to the witches and is tempted to commit a crime that he knows is wrong. Auden says that the audiences response to Macbeths fall is, What a pity it was this way when it might have been otherwise. This

The View of Scholar on the Kingdom of God Free Essays

by David W. Baker. It is posted with permission from the author. We will write a custom essay sample on The View of Scholar on the Kingdom of God or any similar topic only for you Order Now I. Introduction The Kingdom of God has been one of the dominant topics of New Testament study in this century. The reason is obvious. Many scholars, both conservative and critical, regard the kingdom of God as â€Å"the central theme† of Jesus’ public proclamation. 1 In fact, a plethora of monographs has poured forth since Johannes Weiss and Albert Schweitzer made the case that Jesus’ teaching was profoundly Jewish, drenched in intense eschatological hope. This new view contended against nineteenth century views, which moralized the kingdom and made it palatable to modern taste by arguing it was merely an expression of ethical sensitivity raised up in the hearts of men. In contrast, Weiss and Schweitzer argued that Jesus’ claim for the kingdom anticipated God’s stark intervention in the very near future that would reshape the creation. The view became known as â€Å"consistent,† â€Å"thorough-going† or â€Å"imminent† eschatol ogy. For Weiss, the kingdom was purely religious, not ethical; purely future, not present in any way. The Kingdom would be God’s final miracle with Jesus functioning in his current ministry as Messias designatus. 3 For Weiss, Jesus believed that he would one day become the Son of Man. At first, Jesus believed that this would occur during his lifetime, and later in his ministry, he anticipated it to come shortly after His death. 4 It is a heritage that Jesus believed he possessed, though he had not yet entered into it. For Schweitzer, Jesus expected the end to come at first in his ministry. As he sent out the twelve in mission (Matthew 10:23), he believed that before they finished their tour of the cities of Israel, the Son of Man would come and bring the kingdom. Its appearance would mean the end of the present age, and he would be transformed into the Son of Man. When the disciples returned from their mission without this taking place, Jesus’ hopes of the end changed. It would take suffering, his own suffering, for the Kingdom to come. His death would bring the Kingdom. Though very different than Schweitzer, the oldest dispensationalists also stressed the Jewish roots of kingdom hope and placed its ultimate expression, as originally expressed through the hope of Israel’s scriptures, strictly in the future, what they referred to as the â€Å"kingdom of heaven. † Whatever relationship Jesus’ work in the present had to the kingdom, it was part of a previously unrevealed à ¢â‚¬Å"mystery† that made its current expression something istinct from what had been promised to Israel and distinct from what was to come one day in fulfillment. This distinction between what would happen for Israel one day and what happens to the church today was a major element in the traditional dispensational distinction between Israel and the church in the plan of God. However, in the middle of this century, that clear distinction was somewhat blurred, though how it worked precisely was never agreed to or clearly set forth as four separate views were espoused. Unlike Schweitzer, these dispensationalists, saw no â€Å"error† or â€Å"change† in Jesus’ understanding, but like him they regarded the promise of the future to be so rooted in Jewish hope and so grand in its scale that nothing Jesus did currently could be seen as the fulfillment of that great promise of old. For both classical and revised dispensationalists, the mystery introduced into the k ingdom program, conceived in various ways in this century, represented an â€Å"intercalation† in the kingdom program of God, distinct from the hope given to Israel. So throughout this century, the idea that kingdom hope was richly Jewish and pointed strongly, if not exclusively, to the future has been prominent in New Testament theology, whether conservative or not. 7 As we shall see, this emphasis on the future form of the kingdom is well grounded in biblical hope. Other views also have emerged in this century. Two approaches were like the nineteenth century â€Å"romanticized† efforts to redefine the kingdom in ways moderns could embrace. So efforts were made to demyhtologize Jesus’ image of the apocalyptic Kingdom into either an existential claim for a crisis decision (Bultmann) or to turn kingdom language into a mere metaphorical symbol of hope and transformation (Wilder and the later Perrin). 8 Both of these attempts, representing more liberal readings of Scripture, tried to redeem the kingdom concept by redefining it. However, two other approaches seriously sought to engage the biblical text and assess the model Weiss and Schweitzer introduced. These two other main views of the kingdom in this century have reacted to the â€Å"strictly future† model of the kingdom in two very diverse ways. One view, associated with C. H. Dodd, opted for a reading that the Kingdom hope was totally realized in Jesus’ ministry. 9 This became known as â€Å"realized† eschatology. The other, rooted in the work of Werner Kummel, R. H. Fuller, and Joachim Jeremias, argued that the view of the kingdom had both present and future elements. 10 This became known as the â€Å"already/not yet† view of the kingdom or eschatology in the process of realization. † In fact, Jeremias in his conclusion to his volume on the parables closes this way, â€Å"In attempting to recover the original significance of the parables, one thing above all becomes evident: it is that all the parables of Jesus compel his hearers to come to a decision about his person and mission. For they all are full of ‘the secret of the Kingdom of Go d’ (Mark 4. 11), that is to say, the recognition of ‘an eschatology in the process of realization. The hour of fulfillment is come, that is the urgent note that sounds through them all. †11 This view was made famous in evangelical circles by George Ladd. 12 It is probably the most prominent view currently in New Testament circles at large, both conservative and critical. It is known as â€Å"inaugurated† eschatology. 13 The kingdom was inaugurated or was dawning in Jesus’ words and deeds, but its consummation was yet future. As we shall see, there are also good reasons why this view is held. I lay out this â€Å"map† of views at the start, because the issue of what the kingdom is, when it begins, and how it proceeds have been the key questions in this century. But treating the theology of the kingdom involves far more than these questions, as we hope to show and survey. In fact, I hope to consider a series of issues tied to the kingdom. They include: (1) Linguistics and the Kingdom in Jewish Expectation: A Static or Tensive Symbol; (2) Kingdom as Apocalyptic (Imminence; Remaking of This World Into The Age to Come or Renewing This World in This History or Both); (3) Kingdom: Present, Future, or Both? (4) Defining the Kingdom: â€Å"Dynamic†Ã¢â‚¬â€œGod’s Powerful Presence in Rule (God in Strength) or â€Å"Realm† (Church, Israel, World, or â€Å"Eschatological†) or All the Above; (5) The Kingdom and Ethics; (6) Beyond the Term Kingdom (Messiah, Spirit, Son of Man, Salvation, Gospel, Overcoming Satan and Sin); (7) Kingdom outside the Gospe ls (Why Is The Term Less Prevalent? ); and (8) So What? : The Kingdom and Today. So not only is the kingdom theme an important New Testament concept generating a rich history of discussion, it is also one of the most complex topics in Scripture. II. The Kingdom, Jesus, the Hebrew Scriptures, and Second Temple Jewish Kingdom Hope: A Static or Tensive Symbol? When Jesus used the expression â€Å"kingdom of God,† how much of its meaning can we assume he and his audience shared? This becomes an important question because the expression itself, surprisingly, is totally absent in the Hebrew Scriptures. 14 Here is a case where the study of an idea has to move past a study of the set phrase to get anywhere. The idea, however, is more frequent. 15 Yahweh is King (1 Sam 12:12; Ps. 24:10; Is. 33:22; Zeph. 3:15; Zech. 14:16-17). He rules over Israel (Exod. 15:18; Num. 23:21; Deut. 33:5; Is. 43:15). He rules over the earth or the creation (2 Kings 19:15; Is. 6:5; Jer. 46:18; Ps. 29:10; 47:2; 93; 96:10; 145:11, 13). He possesses a royal throne (Ps. 9:4; 45:6; 47:8; Is. 6:1; 66:1; Ezek 1:26). His reign is ongoing (Ps. 10:16; 146:10; Is. 24:23). Rule or kingship is His (Ps. 22:28). It is primarily God’s special relationship to Israel that is in view here as the Son of David is said to sit on Yahweh’s throne (1 Chron 17:14; 28:5; 29:23; 2 Chron 9:8; 13:8). When Israel was overrun by the nations, a longing existed that one day God would reestablish his rule on behalf of his people and show his comprehensive sovereignty to all humanity. After all, God had committed himself to David concerning a dynasty of duration (2 Sam. 7:13). It is here that the hope of a future kingdom of God, made not with hands, came to be contrasted with the kingdoms of men in Daniel 2 and 7. It is in the context of such expectation that Jesus used the term â€Å"kingdom of God. † What was hoped for was something that had existed in the past, but only as a mere glimpse of what had been promised–a rule to come involving total peace for God’s people. In sum, Kingdom hope by the time of the Babylonian captivity is driven forward by the vision of the fullness of God’s rule showing up one day. It was to this hope that Jesus preached. Such a hope had been nurtured in some circles of second temple Judaism. 16 The kingdom became linked (sometimes) to the messianic hope, but (always) to judgment of the nations, and vindication of the saints. Some Jewish documents, content with the current arrangement, do not reflect any such hope. The concept is expressed with some variety, but central to its expression is that God will assert his comprehensive rule (1 Enoch 9:4-5; 12:3; 25; 27:3; 81:3). God’s powerful presence will involve the removal of Satan’s influence (Assumption of Moses 7–10). He will destroy his enemies and free his people. These enemies are described in both earthly terms, like the Romans in Psalms of Solomon 17–18 and 2 Baruch 36-40, and in spiritual terms, where Belial stands among the evil forces who will be defeated (1QS 3–4). Often the coming of the kingdom was seen as preceded by a period of intense upheaval and tribulation (Sib. Or. 3:796-808; 2 Bar. 70:2-8; 4 Ezra 6:24; 9:1-12; 13:29-31; 1QM 12:9; 19:1-2). The cry of the prayer of 2 Macc. :24-29 summarizes well the hope of deliverance. The call was for God to deliver and vindicate his people. The text of Psalms of Solomon 17–18 gives the most detailed expression of messianic hope in all the texts, though the idea of kingdom in this period of Judaism did not always entail a messianic hope. 17 In fact, sometimes the Messiah is seen in very earthly terms as in t he Psalms of Solomon, while in other texts, he clearly possesses a more transcendent power (1 Enoch 37–71) or has a seeming mix of the two (4 Ezra 7:28-29; 12:32-34; 13:26). Thus, associated with the consistent idea of God’s coming comprehensive and vindicating rule for his people is a complex and varying array of sub-themes tied to the kingdom’s coming. In Judaism, there was no unified view of the kingdom beyond the hope of God’s powerful coming and vindication. It is important to appreciate that it is into this somewhat confused backdrop that Jesus preached this hope. This complex background raises the question could Jesus use the phrase and really be understood? More importantly, in presenting his understanding of the idea represented in the kingdom could he assume an understanding of the term by his audience? Given the paucity of Old Testament use of the phrase and the variety of details attached to the hope within Judaism, Jesus needed to explain his usage in order to be clear. It is this complexity that raises the issue of whether Jesus’ use of the term was â€Å"static† (steno) or â€Å"tensive. † 18 Norman Perrin posed two options. Did Jesus use the term one way all the time with a fixed referent (steno)? Or was his use of the term something that he used with symbolic force but that could not be contained in one referent alone (tensive)? We opt for a third possibility, did Jesus’ use operate within a fixed parameter, which he filled with a variety of detail because of the richness of the base concept he was defining and detailing (tensive yet with a steno-like base)? 19 How one approaches Jesus’ terminology will impact how one reads it. Four factors favor this third option. First, the number of and variety within the gospel kingdom sayings placed alongside the paucity of older references in the Hebrew Scriptures suggests that Jesus is developing the concept along additional lines from what the Old Testament taught. However, Jesus’ respect for that revelation means that he is not altering the concept, but developing and complementing it. We hope to show the variety within his teaching that validates this point. Second, the very consistency of the fundamental image within Judaism means that a basic understanding of kingdom did exist on which Jesus could build. It is God’s kingdom and rule that is presented as the hope. The sheer number of texts that discuss judgment and vindication under this theme both in Scripture and in later Judaism show that Jesus works with a given understanding at its base. Reflection taking place within Second Temple Judaism represented attempts to put the hope of Scripture together in terms of the details. Jesus both accepts and rejects elements of these reflections. Third, this idea that Jesus works with a rarely used Old Testament term and yet develops it using larger categories of scriptural teaching has precedent elsewhere in his own use. Jesus does the same type of thing with the Son of Man concept. That description of a human invested with eschatological authority appears in Daniel 7 (note the conceptual overlap with the kingdom theme–Dan. is a key kingdom text). Jesus takes this one image and uses it as a collection point for his christology. In the same way, Jesus takes the kingdom concept and uses it as a collection point for both soteriology and eschatology. 20 Fourth, the very confusion of detail within Judaism of Jesus’ time demanded that he take this type of approach to the concept. Here was a phrase that basically did not e xist in the Old Testament. However, by Jesus’ time, multiple concepts swirled around it, even though its basic meaning was well established. The phrase clearly sought to summarize a major strand of Jewish hope, yet it needed defining. Its absence in the Old Testament gave Jesus room to make it a helpful synthesizing concept. Its familiarity and importance within Judaism, because of the hope it encapsulated, made it a key term to nail down. The very diversity in its contemporary usage required that Jesus explain and develop the term. Thus, as we turn to Jesus’ use, we can expect that on the one hand he was referring to a hope his audience understood in its most basic terms, but something that also needed more detail and development. How to cite The View of Scholar on the Kingdom of God, Essay examples