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1 - Biblical Paradigms of War in History and Eschatology

from Part I - Classical Foundations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2023

By
John J. Collins
Edited by
Margo Kitts
Margo Kitts
Affiliation:
Hawai'i Pacific University, Honolulu
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Summary

From songs of liberation (Exodus 15) to prescriptions for genocidal violence (Deuteronomy 7:1), the biblical views on war are diverse and complicated. Ritualized preparations and borrowed Near Eastern mythological paradigms for battle have been argued to serve Israelite identity formation rather than to report actual history, but also to support fantasies of violent end-times, moments of therapeutic repose in the face of oppression, and hope for the eventual restoration of righteousness.

Keywords

eschatologyretributionGog and Magogapocalyptic fantasies
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to Religion and War , pp. 35 - 51
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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