Obedience, commonly understood, arises not so much out of the desire of the individual, but in relationship to an outside force or will. In other words, it entails a relationship of authority and response, which may in fact give rise to a sense of distance in the individual towards the concrete expression of obedience. A so-called Hebrew "Tora-piety" garners the undeserved reputation of promoting extrinsic obedience. Although the concepts of freedom and obedience were not topics of interest to Old Testament theology as they are today, the struggle of the prophet Jonah demonstrates what can be understood as a proper Old Testament theology of freedom and obedience. The Prophet does not exemplify blind obedience to the will of God perceived as extrinsic to himself. Indeed, Jonah discovers that returning to God with a willing heart after flight and inner fight, mediation and discernment, is much more than commonly understood obedience. The story of Jonah poses the question whether "obedience" is an adequate expression for the divine/human relationship able to articulate love and devotedness, or whether it is an impoverished theological term which ultimately undermines the perception of God`s will to call people qua persons. Quite apart from a consideration of what historical or cultural baggage encumbers the term, one need consider whether the structure of obedience itself implies either distance or other extrinsic connotations when applied theologically to the relationship between God and his people.

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Serie / Reihe: Kerygma und Dogma

Personen: Wirth, Mathias Hofheinz, Marco Mathias Wirth

Schlagwörter: Freiheit Altes Testament Biblische Theologie Gehorsam Jona

Interessenkreis: Theologie