Published: 2016-12-31

Punishing of the Jewish People by God as an Exp ression of Divine Paideia according to the Second Book of Maccabees

Grzegorz M. Baran

Abstract

When studying the historical narrative context of the Second Book of the Maccabees, one can notice many theological topics that were taken upon by the author of this book. One of them is the issue of divine punishment that was imposed on the Jewish people for their infidelity towards the Law, which consisted in practicing Hellenistic customs violating rules of the Torah. Although the infidelity was committed only by a group of the Jewish people, the punishment affected virtually the entire Jewish community in Judea. Therefore, the author of 2 Maccabees tries to explain the nature and the role of the punishment that God has inflicted upon
the entire Jewish community. He strongly emphasized that the punishment which was received by the Jews immediately was educational (pedagogic) in nature (divine paideia), so that the Jewish people would return to God: God, who is faithful to His covenant and has never left His chosen people; even when chastising, He always had in mind the best interests of Israel as His firstborn.

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Baran, G. M. (2016). Punishing of the Jewish People by God as an Exp ression of Divine Paideia according to the Second Book of Maccabees. Silesian Historical and Theological Studies, 49(2), 408–429. https://doi.org/10.31261/SSHT.2016.49.2.08

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Vol. 49 No. 2 (2016)
Published: 2016-12-31


ISSN: 0137-3447
eISSN: 2956-6185

Publisher
Instytut Gość Media/Księgarnia św. Jacka

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