Vox Evangelica Volume 8 (1973) now on-line

The following articles are now available in PDF:

Donald J. Wiseman, "Law and Order in Old Testament Times," Vox Evangelica 8 (1973): 5-21.

Leslie C. Allen, "Micah's Social Concern," Vox Evangelica 8 (1973): 22-32.

Arthur E. Cundall, "The United Monarchy: Fact or Fiction?" Vox Evangelica 8 (1973): 33-39.

Arthur Cundall, who wrote the Tyndale OT Commentary on Judges, always has something insightful to say about the period of the Judges and the Monarchy and this article is no exception. He concludes:

We conclude our study with a few brief observations concerning the differences in organisation between Judah and Israel at this point. The accession of Rehoboam in Judah appears to have been automatic, with the principle of dynastic rule through the Davidic covenant being firmly accepted. This did not obtain in the north, however. Rehoboam presented himself at Shechem, subsequently the first capital of Jeroboam’s kingdom and already a vitally important covenantal centre (cf. Deut. 27; Josh. 24; Judg. 9:6), for the acceptance of the northern tribes, possibly by acclamation (cf. 1 Sam. 10:24; 2 Kgs. 11:12). That he regarded it, mistakenly, as a mere formality, is incidental; what is important is that his accession involved a negotiated convenantal agreement with ‘the assembly of Israel’, a constituted body which still functioned in spite of almost eighty years of ‘united monarchy’ under David and Solomon (cf. the negotiations of 2 Sam. 3:17-21; 5:3 which reveal a similar pattern). Constitutionally, there were still two kingdoms, not one, and the renewed cry of 1 Kgs. 12:16 (cf. 2 Sam. 20:1) shows how deep­-seated was the hostility and desire for independence of the northern tribes. There was a ‘united monarchy’ in the sense that one king ruled over Israel as well as Judah, but any essential unity was conspicuously lacking.

Donald Guthrie, "The New Testament Approach to Social Responsibility," Vox Evangelica 8 (1973): 40-59.

Derek J. Tidball, "Some Contemporary Evangelicals and Social Thinking," Vox Evangelica 8 (1973): 60-79.

The final two articles are particularly relevant today with the recent release of the film Amazing Grace about the campaign of William Wilberforce to abolish slavery.

Volume 9 is scheduled to appear about mid April. For the next few weeks I will be republishing (among others) a series of articles from Evangelical Quarterly by F.F. Bruce, Richard Bauckham and John Oswalt.