Journal index

Beside his ministry, administrative tasks and teaching activities, Rvd. Dr. Dezső Bustya (February 2, 1935 – July 29, 2019) held lectures for ministers on various occasions. In the lecture published below, he interprets the narrative of judge Jephthah. He presents a historical, theological and exegetical analysis, followed by a summary of the homiletical aspects of this narrative.

Resurrection is one of the central topics in Christian theology, widely discussed within both christology and anthropology. This idea deriving from the New Testament is deeply rooted in Old Testament texts, or, more precisely, in a particular interpretation of those texts. However, this later approach of the New Testament and contemporary Judaism to Old Testament passages speaking about resurrection raises significant questions for current Christian readers who, on the one hand, are familiar with the historical-critical reading of the Bible, and, on the other, strive to be faithful to their tradition. This paper seeks for answers concerning the discrepancy between a responsible exegetical enterprise and the fidelity towards the ecclesial tradition. It maintains that the current reader needs to distinguish between the statement of Christian theology (“the Lord has risen”) and its argumentation (based on Old Testament references). The statement is primarily rooted in the personal experience of eyewitnesses, while the argumentation bears all signs of contemporary time bound hermeneutics.