The Theological Links of God the Creator with God as Lord, Judge, and Savior, Part 3
The Theological Links of God the Creator with God as Lord, Judge, and Savior, Part 3
Second Temple Literature
(avg. read time: 2–5 mins.)
For the third part of this series, we will examine post-biblical Second Temple literature in a briefer fashion. This will involve looking at common themes and motifs rather than each individual text. First, there are cases where the connections are made by the invocations of God in prayer. For example, Jdt 9:12 refers to God as “God of my father, God of the heritage of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King of all your creation” (NRSV). Addition C of Greek Esther makes this point even more directly in Mordecai’s prayer, “O Lord, Lord, you rule as King over all things, for the universe is in your power and there is no one who can oppose you when it is your will to save Israel, for you have made heaven and earth and every wonderful thing under heaven. You are Lord of all, and there is no one who can resist you, the Lord” (13:9–11, NRSV). Other prayers and other texts besides make these links in more succinct fashion akin to Jdt 9:12 (cf. Sib. Or. 3.708; 5.497–500; Jub 12:17–21; 3 Macc 2:2–3, 9; Hel. Syn. Pr. 4:2–4; 11:1; 12:11–12, 56–57; 1QH[a] XIX, 3–14). Baruch’s prayer in 2 Bar. 48:2–9 makes extended appeal to how God is the powerful and wise Creator as the basis for him acting as Savior.
Second, some texts make the direct connection through identifying the God who created the heavens and the earth with the God who has or will provide deliverance. Perhaps the most remarkable example of this connection comes from 2 Maccabees 7 with the links it makes between creation and resurrection. The mother in this story says she does not know how her seven sons came to be in her womb, because she did not make them or give them life, for that was God’s work. This same God, the Creator who made all things, is the God who will give life again to those who are faithful (vv. 22–23). Likewise, when she speaks to her last son, she analogizes the belief in God creating ex nihilo as demonstrating his power to save, even to bring the dead back to life, since he created life from nothing to begin with (vv. 27–29). Other texts make this connection to salvific action more broadly and to resurrection in particular (Jdt 13:18; 4 Ezra 8:4–36; Hel. Syn. Pr. 16:6–7).
Third, some texts rely more on the connection between God being the wise Creator and Sustainer and God being the Lord/King of all creation, as well as the Judge of all, as the basis for hope. That is, the focus is directed to how God sustains creation and governs its functions towards his purpose, keeping it existing and functioning reliably. This is the point in 1 En. 2–5 as it moves from God’s work in directing creation to the hope of God’s judgment and the eschatological benefits of those who live faithfully in acknowledgment of his Lordship. This theme will reappear again in multiple books of 1 Enoch (9:4–11; 41:3–9; 84:2–4) and in other texts (Sib Or. 8.359–377; 4 Ezra 7:30–44; Apoc. Sedr. 3:8; 2 Bar 54:13–15; T. Mos. 12:4, 9). 1QH[a] IX is also related to this link, but it particularly accentuates the wisdom of God exercised in creation and judgment as a basis for seeking enlightenment from him. This text is also especially illustrative of how early Jewish theology of creation was more focused on function, purpose, and governance/direction, and not only on origination (though that was obviously involved to convey that all things owe their existence to God and that God transcends all things).
Fourth, as in Jeremiah, acknowledging God as Lord is linked to acknowledging him as Creator. This link is made in texts such as 2 En. 10:6; Sib. Or. 3.19–33; T. Naph. 3:1–4. Related to this is Apoc. Abr. 7, a text which exists in multiple versions but in each case contrasts the creation that is worshiped with the God who is Creator and rightful Lord. The use of this link in this way fits with a broader tendency of Second Temple literature to articulate critiques of idolatry, a theme we will have to explore in more detail another time. But one point to note is that it is illustrative of how conscious much of this Jewish writing is of this kind of sin, as it was the prime root of exile. As we have noted elsewhere, Jews resisted vociferously (and even violently) attempts to bring idol worship to the holy land, while Jews who lived in the Diaspora often struggled to keep separate from it and these critiques of idolatry served to shore up the solidarity of the community and the dedication to keeping the communal traditions.
Indeed, these various themes show the importance placed on maintaining this basic conviction that God is the Creator. And from that fact of God’s self-revelation as Creator, these other points follow that this same God is the Lord/King over that creation, the Judge to whom all creatures are ultimately accountable, and the Savior who can be relied upon to fulfill promises and repeat patterns of salvation, even as he can be relied upon to govern and sustain the operations of creation. These things were also crucial to emphasize because the Jews knew from their Scripture that the Creator had identified himself as the God of Israel. At once, this also entailed his supremacy over the gods of the nations, as well as that those who apostatized in declaring their allegiance to these false gods would be subject to judgment by the Creator.