Preface
1 PRELIMINARY REMARKS
2 INTRODUCTION
2.1 From what context do we consider the Old Testament?
2.2 What is the status of the Old Testament writings?
2.3 What are our aims in interpreting the ancient traditions?
3 A SKETCH OF THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF ISRAEL
3.1 Family and Clan
3.2 Village and small town
3.3 Tribal alliances
3.4 The monarchical state
3.5 Confessional and parochial communities
4 THE DEITY IN THE CIRCLE OF FAMILY AND CLAN
4.1 The horizon of faith
4.2 Cultic actions
4.3 Ideas for God
4.4 The ethic of family and clan
4.5 Theology from the family ย theology of the individual
5 DEITIES OF THE VILLAGE (SMALL-TOWN) COMMUNITY
5.1 The social history of Palestine
5.2 Village structures
5.3 Rituals and cults
5.4 Ethics and the administration of justice
5.5 The theology of the settled community
6 GOD AND GODDESS INTHE TRIBAL ALLIANCE
6.1 The biblical picture of the tribal system
6.2 The origin of Israel
6.3 The structure of the tribes
6.4 Cultic actions
6.5 Ideas of God
6.6 Faith and ethics
6.7 Ideologies of war? Liberation theology?
6.8 How were larger societies organized?
7 KINGDOM THEOLOGIES IN ISRAEL
7.1 The sources
7.2 Internal organization
7.3 Foreign policy
7.4 Theology of king and state
7.5 The opposition from peripheral groups (prophecy)
7.6 Were there special features in the northern kingdom of Israel?
7.7 The theology of the southern kingdom after David (Jerusalem theology)
7.8 Popular belief
7.9 National religious?
8 THE FAITH COMMUNITY OF 'ISRAEL' AFTER THE DEPORTATIONS
8.1 The political and social situation: internal structures
8.2 The origin of the holy scriptures
8.3 Yahweh, the only God
8.4 The cult: temple and synagogue
8.5 Popular belief
8.6 The ethic of the Yahweh community
8.7 What remains?
9 POLYTHEISM, SYNCRETISM AND THE ONE GOD
9.1 Conceptual clarifications
9.2 Changes: the accumulation and interdependence of images of God
9.3 Tensions between the theologies of ancient Israel
10 EFFECTS AND CONTROVERSIES
10.1 Christian perspectives?
10.2 The ecumenicity of our theology
10.3 The autonomous human being
10.4 The unjust, unredeemed world
10.5 God: personal or impersonal?
10.6 The liberating God
10.7 An ethic of responsibility
10.8 Images of God today
10.9 Parallel theologies (pluralism)?
10.10 Relativity, absoluteness, globalization
10.11 Monism and dualism
10.12 Anthropology
10.13 History and eschaton
10.14 Our God today
10.15 God for all
APPENDIX: GOD IN OUR TIME
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index of Biblical References
Index of Modern Authors
