B.

GOD IS REVEALED AS “FATHER” IN SCRIPTURE

1. Yahweh in the Old Testament (CFC 277-279)

The Old Testament presents the inspired story of God forming His own people by establishing a special relationship with
them. This covenant was a call to fuller life and salvation.

The Israelitic Creed

The Israelites perceived history not as a “Chronos” but as a “Kairos,” moment of life and every moment of life is a
moment of God. Throughout the Scripture, the history of Israelites is following the moment of blessing, moment of fall, moment
of punishment, moment of repentance and moment of restoration. This timetable of life is the framework that ran through the
Biblical history. The Israelite people possessed a strong sense of history as a people. For them, the sense of history of people
helped the nation established a strong bond of unity among the race. It is a way of appreciating and living continuously the
authentic traditional values, conviction and commitment as a people. Like any Jew of His time, Jesus considered knowing their
history as extremely important as knowing oneself. In fact, the Israelitic Declaration of Faith contains a brief summary of their
history as found in Deuteronomy 26:5-9.
“My Father was a wandering Aramean, he went down to Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number
and there he became a nation, great mighty and numerous. But the Egyptians maltreated us, afflicted,
imposed forced labor upon us and reduced us to slaves. Then we cried out to the Lord, God of our fathers,
and the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and pains. So the Lord brought us
out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arms, and with great terror and with signs and wonders, He
brought us to this place and has given us this land, “a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Similar to this passage from Deuteronomy can also be found in Psalm 105 and 106. This are brief BIBLICAL
FORMULATION of the Basic Faith statement containing the substance of the Israelites Act of Faith based in their historical
events. This faith declaration expresses that the great events in their people’s history particularly those associated with the
founding of their people, their nation and their religion are part of the Israelites Faith Statement or Creed.

THE FIVE GREAT EVENTS OF THE HISTORY OF ISRAELITES PEOPLE

In order to get hold on the foundation of the Truth of our Faith in God, one needs to go through the pages of the history
of Israelites. If God wished to reveal himself, that is, to communicate his life and love to humanity, He had to start somewhere,
at a definite point in time, with a definite group of people. One of the best routes is to sketch in broad brushstrokes the five great
events of the history of the Israelite people and these are as follows

1. The first great event: GOD ENTERED A COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM

(Gen. 11:27-32, Gen. 12: 1-20, Gen. 15:1-21, Gen, 17:1-26)

The MIGRATION OF ABRAHAM TO CANAAN (before 1900BCE) was the starting point for God’s marvelous
intervention of human history. This event revolved around the story of the covenant that Abraham, a wanderer from Ur of
Chaldea, entered with Yahweh. As a national literature, the Bible wished to address the question of what is the origin of the
race. The authors approached the problem unfolding the saving actions of God in their history. Yahweh promised to
Abraham and his descendants land, descendants, self-rule, and self-identity. Abraham had nothing to give except faith and
obedience to Yahweh. Yahweh’s blessings will never end and whenever there is a descendant of Abraham, there is always
a blessing.
The Authors of the Old Testament interpreted in faith an ordinary and common experience of people migrating from
one place to another as God’s Call to Abraham to begin the story of God’s saving actions. The Scripture recorded that
Yahweh called Abraham and established with him a covenant that includes a descendants (posterity), land (property), self-
rule (power) and self-identity (prosperity) as a people. With all his faith in God, Abraham, with his kinsfolk, left Ur in Aram in
Chaldea and reached in the land called Haran. However, Abraham was searching for a new spirituality and life’s meaning.
He continued the journey with the small bond of the tribe and settled in the land called Canaan. His faith in the word of
Yahweh was blessed with the creation of his family and the giving of land. This is when he was a very old man. As the
story continues, tradition holds that Abraham’s grandson Jacob, later named as Israel, reared a family, called the Hebrews,
north of Canaan. The very colorful story of his 12 sons answered the question of the origin of 12 tribes of Israel. One of his
twelve sons, Joseph, was sold to Egypt as a slave. In Egypt Joseph eventually became the assistant to Pharaoh and in-
charge of the agrarian sector and made Egypt known for its bountiful supply of food in the Ancient Near East.

2. The second great event: GOD PRESERVED THE FAMILY OF JACOB

(Gen. 46:1-24, 47:5-12, 50:15-26, Ex. 1:1-7)
Why the Hebrews reached Egypt and became slaves? The Bible recorded that there was famine that hit the Ancient
Near East. Like any other inhabitants in the Ancient Near East, the family of Jacob wished to preserve the clan. They
journeyed into the northeastern part of Egypt called Goshen. Jacob’s family’s stay in Egypt was just temporary. It was in
that manner that the authors of Genesis viewed this event. However, as years went by, Hebrews increased in number and
 became a real power in Egypt. They composed the working class. It was the Hebrews who made Egypt more prosperous,
abundant and a wealthy nation. The Land of Egypt became powerful. Yahweh has blessed the Hebrews in the foreign land.
As they grew in number, the descendants of Abraham became objects of fear for the Egyptians. Thus, Egyptians
persecuted the tribe: lands were confiscated, privileges as foreigners were recalled, cruel family planning were imposed to
them, forced labor were laid upon them and most of all, baby boys were killed upon birth. This long period of great
oppression and slavery is calculated around 500 to 600 years.
3. The third great event: GOD LIBERATED THE TWELVE TRIBES FROM SLAVERY (around 1280 BBCE),
(Ex. 1:8-14, 2:1-25, 3:1-10, 7:1-11:10, 12:37-42)

The Sacred Scripture tells us how the Hebrews struggled against the oppressions of the Egyptian and helps us
understand why they took refuge in the desert of Sinai. The Biblical story began with the heroic life of Moses. The Liberator,
Moses, entered into the history of Israelites as a warrior, teacher and leader. As a warrior, he defended the lowly Hebrews
from violation of human rights that was why he killed an Egyptian supervisor (Ex. 2:11-14). As a teacher, he raised the
awareness of simple Hebrew slave of their oppressive social situation and unfolded to them the covenantal promises of
God to their Fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This raising of level of awareness among the slaves was symbolically told
in the ten plagues story (Ex. 7:1 - 11:10). And as a leader, Moses designed a plan and organized the systematic escape
from the hands of the cruel Egyptians. The escape was so systematic that Egyptians just woke up one day that the Hebrew
slaves were no longer in their claw (Ex. 12:1 – 14:31). The Biblical authors narrated this event as a magnificent work of
Yahweh through Moses, “He brought us ought of Egypt with his strong hands and outstretched arm, with terrifying power,
with signs and wonders.” (Deut. 26:8)
The escape from the hands of the cruel Egyptians was only possible because of the matured awareness of Hebrew
masses of their social situation as the ten plagues symbolically interpreted it. The Hebrews escaped in small groups and
hid themselves in the mountainous region of the Sinai Desert. This was the great event in their history to which all
subsequent generations looked back under the leadership of a defender, liberator and prophet, Moses. This incredible
event of the Hebrews was unparalleled in human history that this simple people are freed from shackles of slavery and was
given a new lease of life. It was indeed Salvation, Liberation and Redemption for them. All these were great saving actions
of God.

4. The fourth great event: GOD MADE THE TWELVE TRIBES INTO ONE COMMUNITY AT SINAI, (around 1250B.C.E.)
(Ex. 15:22 until 17:7, 19:1-8, 20:1-21)

The Biblical narrative unfolds the life of 12 tribes in the desert of Sinai turned to be a community. The mission of Moses
to the Hebrews did not end after the systematic and successful escape. He was to unite the twelve tribes into one single
community, the Qahal Yahweh. This is the very essence of their covenant with Yahweh, to be one People. Mt Sinai was the
most suitable place for the twelve tribes to shape into a community. Moses went around Sinai and was able to gather the
twelve tribes into a people’s confederation based on two pillars: the belief in ONE GOD (Yahweh) and subscription to ONE
RELIGION (Yahwism). This religious assembly made them into a covenanted people of Yahweh, the so-called Community
of Yahweh (Qahal Yahweh). The Qahal Yahweh upheld the spirit of solidarity within the community. They strongly believed
that God is present in the unity of the community. Yahwism further believed the principle that God is the center of the whole
system of a community. God is the supreme ruler, the Kings and priests were just the representatives of God. This is what
we called as Theocratic form of society (Theocracy).
The common faith reflection strengthened the spirit of a community. As Religious people now, they called themselves,
Israelites in honor of the great father of the twelve tribes, Jacobwhose name was changed to Israel. The story of the Ten
Commandments was part of that process of this confederation. The Ten Commandments are products of this relationship
with their God. The very core of the Ten Commandments is justice, faithfulness and compassion as concrete expression of
the love of God and the love of neighbor. These are sets of guidelines in order to maintain living a life of one single
Community, living the faith in Yahweh and subscribing to the Religion (Yahwism) that was born out from their struggles,
pains, affliction to the experience of freedom in the hands of Yahweh.
5. The fifth great event: GOD GAVE BACK THE LAND OF CANAAN TO THE ISRAELITES

THE OCCUPATION IN THE LAND OF CANAAN (around 1200 BCE), unfolds the plight of the life of the covenanted
community when they capture the land of Canaan. The desire, however, for greener pastures and the strong conviction of
the people and their leader to look for the Promised Land made the people move from the desert place to another. Till,
finally, after many adventures, suffering and many years, they arrived at the borders of Canaan that is known to them
through tradition as the land given by Yahweh to Abraham, to Isaac and thus given to Jacob. “At long last we are in the
land promised to us by Yahweh.” This event is organized as follows:
a. The Capture of Canaan

Yahweh’s creation of the 12 Tribes into one single community in Mt. Sinai, the Israelites, His sustenance to
them by the way of protection, care and love, and the Israelites’ responses to Yahweh’s loving intervention in their
history are the features of a unique covenant with them. Joshua dramatically led the Israelites into the land of
Canaanites. Together with the Tribal Chiefs or the charismatic leaders, the Judges, the Israelites settled in the
mountainsides with their cattle, sheep and goats. It was from these locations that they gradually captured Canaan
 villages and absorbed the people residing in Canaan. It was in the land that Israelites were able to experience the
fullness of the promises of Yahweh: land, descendants, self-rule and self-identity. The one single community
experienced abundance of the blessings of life. They considered this as the spirit of Yahweh present in the
community.
b. Creation of Monarchy (C-1020 B.C.E.)

One of the strongest features of covenant with Yahweh was the establishment of an Israelite nation when they
occupied the land. After many ordeals, the Israelites nation wished to become a kingdom. Under the leadership of
kings Saul, David and Solomon, Israel garnered as one of the best-organized and wealthiest countries in Ancient Near
East. They considered this period as the golden age of the Chosen People of God. But if the community has two
strong Pillars: belief in Yahweh and subscription to Yahwism, then, Kingdom has three pillars: Wealth, Power and
Fame. Opposite to a community, the structure of the Kingdom is a habitat of idolatry and injustices. The kings were
men of God and they are meant to lead the people on behalf of God. However, the kings failed of what is expected of
them. They ended their reign sinning people and God. Saul committed sin and David also followed his steps. Solomon
was not able to manage his power and wealth and was not able to maintain the Golden Age of Israelites’ might and
power. Solomon imposed higher taxes and forced labor because of his infrastructure project, the building of the
Temple.
c. The Division of the Kingdom of Israel

The people greatly felt oppression and injustices under the hands of the king. The people of Israel reflected in
faith that the putting up of kingdom was not willed by Yahweh. Instead it is a violation of the covenant they entered
with Yahweh in the desert. However some Israelites were not able to realize this reflection. After Solomon’s death,
conflicts confused the leadership and the political power of Israelites slid downhill. There were those who believe the
leadership of a king but there were also who believe that kings should not replace God in their hearts. The kingdom
was divided in two, the Northern Kingdom was called Israel and the Southern Kingdom was called Judah. The might
and glory of the once united nation vanished. Israel and Judah were weakened because of the separation. These two
tiny nations became the prey of the superpowers of those days, Assyria and Babylon.

d. The Fall of the Northern Kingdom to the Assyrians (722 B.C. E.)

Assyria in about 722 B.C.E captured the Northern Kingdom, Israel. Most of its people were settled in
Mesopotamia, where the Assyrians absorbed them. The crippled, the blind, the sick and the elderly and a few who
were able to hide were left. From Assyria came migrants who mingled with those who were left behind in the north.
In time, these group intermarriage and their descendants became known as the Impure Jews ( in the Gospels, they
are known as SAMARITANS). These descendants settled in their chief city of the region known as Samaria in the
New Testament. During this time of strife and dissolution, Yahweh sent messengers to interpret in faith the event to
the despairing Israelites. They always reminded the people that Yahweh will always be with them as He promised
them in Mt. Sinai. The prophets appeared in the ministry as voices of hope to the dispersed Israelites. The message
of the prophets centered on the twin sins of society: Idolatry and Injustices.
e. The Fall of Southern Kingdom and Exile in Babylon (587-537 B.C.E.)

What happened to the north, Israel, happened also to the south, Judah. At around 587 B.C.E, the other
superpower nation, Babylon, led by Nebuchadnezzar, captured Judah and also deported most of the people as
captives of war to Babylon. The Israelites were allowed to maintain their religion and to keep separate ethnic identity
as Israelites. Despite the difficulties, the fifty long years as captives of war in Babylon was just a very short period of
deep encounter with God. The prophets continued to give them hope that Yahweh will gather the scattered people of
Israel. They shaped among the hearts of the Israelites the moment of restoration, the moment of God. Biblical authors
interpreted this event as a great spiritual retreat.
f. The Return, Rebuilding of the Temple and Renewal (537-428 B.C.E.)

King Cyrus of Persia took over Babylon around 538 B.C. E. Cyrus allowed the captured people to return to
their homelands to reconstruct and develop their land in favor of might of Persia that is to expand the territory of
Persia, to make Persia richer and powerful. For the captives who decided to return to their homelands must enter into
a treaty to pay tribute to Persia and to serve the Persian Army. The Israelites who maintained love and fidelity for their
homeland returned and was called as the “ Rest of Israel” or the Jews. What those who returned to their land found
was empty, devastated and alien land of Palestine. Yet their deep faith in Yahweh and their adherence to one
Religion had given them renewed life. Apparently, this gave them the courage they needed to rebuild their country
and they did it.
However a large number probably remained along the area near Tigris and Euphrates rivers because the soil was
more fertile there. Today, they are often times referred to as “DIASPORA” or the wandering Jews.Under the
leadership of Zerubbabel and the prophets: Haggai and Zechariah, the temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem but their city
was still in ruins. Under Nehemiah the city was rebuilt. Priests, scribes and Ezra restored the renewal of ancient
religion. There was relative peace in Palestine under the rule of Persians which lasted couple of hundred of years.
g. Tribulations under Greeks (332-175 B.C.E.)

The country was captured again by the fast growing superpower from the west, Greece. The dashing
Alexander, the Great, conquered Palestine. In a short period of his life, Alexander the great brought to Palestine
Greek culture and thought.
The Jews experienced the cruelest occupations by the foreign nations. Alexander, the Great’s successors,
the Ptolemies, exiled a large number of Jews to Egypt. The Greeks tried to replace the Jewish strong belief in one
God with their own museum of gods and goddesses. The worst of these rulers was Antiochus IV who came to hate
the Jews as dangerous enemies. He attacked Jerusalem on the Sabbath; he ordered the worship of the Greek gods
and goddesses. The Jews were forbidden to observe the Sabbath. They were not allowed to practice circumcision
(the sign of the covenant with Abraham). Copies of the Hebrew Scripture were destroyed. In December of 163
B.C.E, sinful heathen rites were performed in the Temple courts and the worst of all in the Jewish standpoint, a pig
was sacrificed on the altar.
h. The Maccabean Revolt and the Hasmonean Rule

The oppression under the Greeks was too much. The Jews were not able to bear the oppression brought by
foreign domination. It was when the religious freedom was curtailed that they could not tolerate anymore. Antiochus
IV attacked their religion with cruel actions to the Jews. The last recourse that the Jews can do is Revolution. The
family of Maccabees organized and led this bloody protest against the Greeks. The Jews had to establish ally with
Hasmoneans in order to topple down the Greeks. Eventually, the revolt brought them relative peace and
independence together with their ally nation, the Hasmoneans for almost a century. This was a period of political
instability both in the warding off the pangs of Greek influence and quasi-self-rule of the Jews.

However, Hasmoneans were influenced by the Hellenistic culture. They too, like the Greeks did injustices and
oppression to the culture and religious tradition of the faithful Jews. They committed abomination to the worship of
One God among the Jews. The temple priests were scandalized by what the Hasmoneans had done to the Temple.
This abuse led the Temple priests to leave their positions in the temple and hid away from the Temple but professed
religiosity which is of the priests like the spirit of one single community, celibate and monogamous relationship.
Recent studies believed that this group of priest was the origin of the religious group called the Essenes in the New
Testament period.

i. Roman Rule:

Jewish self-rule did not mature. It ended when the Roman General Pompey captured Jerusalem in 63 B.C.E.
The Romans controlled the area of Palestine for centuries after Pompey’s victory. Many Jewish leaders were happy to
be rid of pangs of the cruel Greeks. The Jewish leaders welcomed the Romans and tried to get as many privileges as
possible by collaborating with the occupying power. The common Jewish masses suffered much because of the high
taxes imposed by the Romans and the corrupt Jewish collaborators.
The people experienced intense difficulties from one oppressor to another. Evil abounded, strife and dissolution
hovered in every corner of Jewish faith and life, terror and wailing lacerated the throats of women and children.
Leaders became blood thirsty like lion searching for someone to devour. The people and the land are shouting, “Lord,
when will Your Kingdom come?” Now is the time for a great longing for restoration of the covenantal promises of
Yahweh. It was during this socio-political and cultural milieu that Jesus, the Christ was born.