Co mają wspólnego Ateny z Jerozolimą? Przesłanie, oryginalność i aktualność Starego Testamentu

Abstract

According to Gerhard von Rad, there are four areas demonstrating the radically new approach of the Old Testament towards neighbouring cultures. These categories include world, history, human being and death. The Old Testament rarely describes those areas as such. They are usually interpreted in relation to God and thus gain full significance. The meaning of the world lies not in the world itself, but in its life-receiving relationship with the Creator. Those areas require redemption however. The unique redemptive event was conducted by Jesus Christ, hence the most appropriate reading of the Old Testament is a Christological and Christocentric interpretation. Faced with the two pillars of European culture – the Bible (Revelation) and Greek philosophy – one may at first have an impression of some incompatibility or feel the need to reconcile those seemingly incongruent realities. In reality, however, the two elements, Athens (philosophy) and Jerusalem (the Bible), harmonize with each other and are mutually indispensable.