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Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Community Volume 13, No. 2 March 29, 1998 Question BoxQ. What is the difference between a covenant and a promise? A. Most of the following information was drawn from the Dictionary of Judaism. In early times, before written documents were common, the spoken word between individuals and groups (such as neighboring nomads or warring tribes) was given a ritual solemnity and could not be retracted or annulled. According to the Dictionary, "The covenant was such a solemn ritual agreement which served the function of a written contract. The covenanting parties bound themselves by a ritual agreement which included terrible imprecations upon the party that should violate the covenant." Covenants tended to follow a set form, and this form was modified over the course of centuries, so that it is possible to identify specific styles with particular cultures and eras. A common sequence was historical prologue, call on witnesses, stipulations, oath of fidelity, and curses. Often the ritual included actions such as those described in Genesis (15:10) and Exodus (24:3-8), such as sacrificing an animal, dividing it in two, and walking between the two halves, or sprinkling blood on two sides. Numerous covenants between parties are mentioned in the Old Testament. Yahweh used the familiar formula of the covenant to define his relationship with Abraham (and Isaac). In the covenants described in the Old Testament, Yahweh imposes certain duties on Israel and promises in return to be their God, to assist them and deliver them. The Israelites were to worship no other God but Yahweh, and if they break the covenant Yahweh will withdraw his favor. The covenant Yahweh made with Abraham was the original basis of the Hebrews' relationship with Yahweh, but it was distinct from the covenant with Israel as a people that God made at Sinai with Moses. In this later covenant, the Israelites became Yahweh's special possession from among all the peoples of the earth. Through this relationship God made himself known to the Jews in a special way, and he prepared for himself a people from whom the Savior would come. In the New Testament, Jesus's shedding of his blood is spoken of as forming a new covenant. "As the blood of the old covenant united the partners in one relationship, so the blood of Jesus is now the bond of union between the covenant parties, God the Father and the Christian.... The old covenant is not annulled; the new covenant is a continuation of the original covenant made to Abraham." Covenants therefore are much more solemn than promises, and they differ in that both parties have responsibilities, with severe penalties being enacted for failure to respect the terms. With a promise, only one of the parties agrees to do something, and often the agreement is informal. Q. Did God have a covenant with Hagar through Ishmael just as he had with Abraham through Isaac? A. No, God did not form a covenant with Hagar through Ishmael, although he did promise to be with them. Gen 17:20-21 makes it clear that even though God blesses Ishmael and says he will be the father of 12 chieftains (named in Gen 25:13) he (God) says "But my covenant I will maintain with Isaac." Interestingly, even though Abraham had six later sons (Gen 21:2), verse 25:9 mentions only Isaac and Ishmael as having buried their father Abraham in the cave of Machpelah. It would seem that even though Sarah attempted to drive Ishmael from his father's family, after her death Ishmael did maintain ties with Abraham. Q. God promised Abraham that Ishmael also would become a great nation. We would like background for this. Is Ishmael's nation still prominent today? A. "Nation" in this sense does not mean a particular state or country but rather a people, the descendants of Ishmael in general. The "nation" descended from Ishmael has traditionally been considered the Arab people conversely, the "nation" descended from Isaac is the Jewish people, which came to be known as the Israelites after Isaac's son Jacob, whom God renamed Israel (Gen 35:10). "Ishmaelites" are referred to in several places in the Bible (Gen 25:18, Gen 37:27, 28; Gen 39:1; 2 Sam 17:25; 1 Chr 2: 17, 27:30; Judg 8:24), including as the men of the caravan who bought Joseph when his brothers sold him into Egypt. The Arabs have a long and impressive history and are prominent in the Middle East. They form a significant part of the population of Saudi Arabia, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and parts of North Africa. Most Arabs are now Muslim, although some are Christian. The continued hostilities between the modern state of Israel and its Arab neighbors is viewed by many as rooted in the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. Q. Did Zipporah, Moses's wife, have Egyptian or Jewish roots? We would like more background because of Miriam's and Aaron's concern about Moses's marriage. A. Not much is known for certain about the family of Moses's wife, but they were neither Egyptian nor Jewish. In Numbers 12:1 they are called Cushite (Ethiopian). Zipporah is described as a daughter of Jethro, a priest of Midian. The Midianites also were descendants of Abraham, through his second wife Keturah (Gen 25:2). As descendants of Abraham they may have been Yahweh worshippers, not pagans, but at this time in history there was not yet a "Jewish" people. Rather the ancestors of the Jews were nomadic Semites of different tribal groups that had not yet been united as the people of Yahweh's covenant with Moses at Sinai. The complaint by Miriam and Aaron against Zipporah is thought by many commentators to be mainly a pretext, with their real bone of contention being desire for equal authority with Moses. Q. Moses is said to be the first child of the Levite parents yet the story of Pharaoh's daughter finding baby Moses in a basket in the Nile puts an older sister on the scene, who calls the birth mother (hers) to nurse the baby for Pharaoh's daughter. How can he have an older sister if he is the firstborn and only 3 months old? Same for Aaron, who is said to be 3 years older than his brother Moses (Ex 7:7). Could they have been cousins? Or can this be a typographical error? A. Several things need to be remembered about Scripture: (1) neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament is intended to be an exact historical record; (2) in many cases the events described were recorded in writing decades or centuries after they occurred; (3 ) the writers frequently used common story-telling devices, such as following a typical pattern for birth stories; and (4) often there is significant use of understatement, with a few plain words used to describe momentous events and anything not crucial to the story left out. With these things in mind, it can be seen that Ex 2:2 is quite accurate as far as it goes; the Levite parents did marry and did have a son, even if the child was born a number of years after their marriage and was not their first child. Nowhere is it specifically stated that Moses is actually a firstborn child. Verse 2:2 is a type of literary device, part of a typical birth story; similar wording ("and she conceived and bore a son") being found in numerous other birth stories in the Old and New Testaments. This part of the Old Testament is primarily about Moses, and therefore what was handed down focuses especially on him, at times ignoring the presence of other protagonists, such as Miriam and Aaron. (The foregoing responses were prepared by Cathy Fix and reviewed by Fr. Frank.)
MIRIAM'S SONGBecause it is only a half verse long and repeats part of Moses's Song of the Sea (Ex 15:1-9), scholars have long suspected that the Song of Miriam (Ex 15:2 1 b) \vas originally much longer. One of the intriguing finds among the Dead Sea scrolls was fragment that may contain a portion of the missing words. In addition, a closer look at some parts of the Old Testament may reveal a distinct genre for women's songs, characterized by (1) a celebration of God's victories, and (2) a recognition that this comes about by a surprising reversal that would not normally be expected to happen (e.g., victory is brought about through the weak and downtrodden, God's victory is shame for the proud, the arrogant, and the mighty, and victory belongs to the powerless). The Song of Judith (Judith 16:1--1 7), Hannah's Song (1 Sam 2:1-10), and Mary's Magnificat in the New Testament (Luke 1:46-55) also have these same motifs. More detail on this topic is found in the May/June 1994 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (see Cathy Fix if you are interested in a copy of the article).
Barbara Bank Becomes CoordinatorWe are enriched to have Barbara Bank join the team of Coordinators for the OLMC Bible Study program. Barbara has been involved in Scripture study since its beginnings in our parish and has been a facilitator for several years. We know her special gifts will benefit us in many ways and welcome her to this ministry
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