Subject: Theology of OT

Topic: J.L. McKenzie

Submitted to: Rev.chitti babu sir

Submitted by: bhargav

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Introduction

The development of the Old Testament Theology has taken a long way to develop itself.
Nevertheless, so far the experience has been worth the journey. Old Testament Theology has
in various ways enriched, uncover, given a deeper meaning to the Text. At the same time doing
Old Testament Theology has given a way to develop a reader friendly relation with the Text,
by introducing to various ways for one to adopt to make the Text intimate. However, the
journey has been challenging for the Biblical scholars who have ventured in establishing Old
Testament Theology. Sometimes, facing harsh critics and sometimes receiving huge appraisal.
One such biblical scholar is John L. McKenzie. McKenzie, trotted an unusual way in and
making unusual claims in formulating his OT Theology. He once said,

“Almost every key theological word of the New Testament is derived from some Hebrew word
that had a long history of use and development in the Old Testament”1

Therefore, this paper shall deal with McKenzie’s contribution, evaluation, reflection and study
of his methodology towards building OT Theology.

1. Background of His Life

J.L.McKenzie (1910 - 1991) was born in Brazil. He is an ordained Roman Catholic priest. He
entered the Jesuit order after high school and earned his doctorate in theology in 1942. He
taught Old Testament at the Jesuit seminary in West Baden, Indiana for 18 years. He is well
known for his scholarly work in the Biblical studies. 2 Although, dogmatic or systematic
theology was popularly used by the Catholic theologians during his time, yet, McKenzie did
not follow the popular trend instead he challenged the systematic or dogmatic theology. 3

World War II which became one of the reason behind shaping the Old Testament Theology in
the twentieth century. During this time people were going back to the faith concern as well as
their commitment to the Bible. McKenzie was also affected in the same way. 4

1
J.L.McKenzie, “ Aspects of Ot Thought,” The Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall,
1968), 767.
2
________, “Rev. John L. McKenzie, 80, Dies; Leader in Catholic Bible Research in
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/06/obituaries/rev-john-l-mckenzie-80-dies-leader-in-catholic-bible-
research.html accessed on 21/07/18.
3
John L. McKenzie, “Cult” in The Flowering of Old Testament Theology A Reader in Twentieth – Century Old
Testament Theology, 1930 -1990eds Ben C. Ollenburger, Elmer A. Martens and Gerhard F. Hasel (Eisenbrauns:
Indiana, 1992), 169.
4
________, “Rev. John L. McKenzie, 80, Dies; Leader in Catholic Bible Research.

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2. Background of His Theology and Critique

McKenzie criticised the very foundation in the formulation of biblical theology for two
reasons- the biblical writers are forced to adopt the already established structures and also
…5McKenzie supports of J.P.Gabler who insisted that biblical theology should not follow the
either the structure nor the conclusion of dogmatic theology. He urges biblical theology should
be independent.

McKenzie goes on to critique the danger of following the structures which are already
established such as dogmatic and systematic theology. He stated, if one tries to follow either
dogmatic or systematic theology that would then, reducethe doctrines of Christianity to a
system. Historically, philosophy has been used widely to explain theology even by theologians.
For instance, Augustine who is the most prolific theologian of the patristic period never wrote
a systematic theology. He simply used category of philosophy to set his doctrine. By twelve
century people began to study theology using the Bible yet, it was studied not as biblical
theology. For instance, the theological questions from the Bible were solved by philosophy and
not by the Scriptures.6

McKenzie highlighted the failure of Walther Eichrodt who tried to explain biblical theology
using “cross section” method wherein he chose the “covenant of Israel with Yahweh” as
subject. However, it was a failure because the belief of the Old Testament theology is not
consistent or to put it in simple words, covenant does not occur everywhere to be the center
theme in the Old Testament.7

His criticism on von Rad’s theology was based on von Rad’s “extremely casual attitude
towards the history of the Old Testament.” This is because for von Rad what was most
important was a question of “diverse theologies within the Old Testament than single
theology.’’8Hence, McKenzie’s biblical theology becomes all the more important because he
did not incline to any of his forbearers.

3. McKenzie’s Approach to the Old Testament Theology

For McKenzie, in order to understand the Old Testament Theology one must return to the
etymology of “theology” which means “God-Talk.” According to him, if all the “God-talk” in
the Old Testament is collected, this in totality will represent the belief of the Israelite, which in
itself is sufficient for self-explanatory. According to McKenzie, the task of the Old Testament
Theology will become easier and successful if one is mindful to deal with the subject not as
exegesis, religion or history of the Israelite but study it as theology. Therefore, the interest of
the theologian would lie in documents of the Old Testament or rather the “totality of utterance,”
emerging from the totality and not from single utterance. 9 McKenzie is very clear about the
fact that the “God-talk” may be ranging from one form to another yet, his main concern was

5
John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament (Garden City: Doubleday & Company, INC, 1974),15.
6
John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament …, 16.
7
John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament …, 19.
8
John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament …, 20.
9
John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament …,20 -21.

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Israel’s experience of Yahweh. This was foundational in his outlook as well as to his
methodology.

4. McKenzie’s Brief Theological Methodology of the Old Testament

McKenzie, by all means wanted to make sure that in doing Old Testament Theology one should
consciously remind itself that it is not an exegesis of the text, or study of the history or the
religion but it is the experience of Yahweh in the lives of the People of God. Unlike Roman
Catholic theology He did not view “messianic” interpretations as interpretation of the Old
Testament. In fact, he wanted to devoid the Old Testament from New Testament’s imposition
of its interpretation on it. 10Elmer A. Martens, remarks on McKenzie’s methodology of doing
the Old Testament Theology saying, “McKenzie wrote as though the New Testament did not
exist.”11He goes on to say that OT relationship with NT is not a “major problem in doing OT
Theology.” This in fact was a sharp contrast to the Historical critical approach to the
OT.12Hence, McKenzie wanted to establish that Old Testament can stand on its own even
without the New Testament.

McKenzie is of the view our theology should not be static but have a room for question and
answer pertaining to the present times. When this is allowed, there will be a room for new
theologies to develop to answer and meet the need of the time. He stated,

“… the fact that principles, methods, and style of theology change, and usually change later
than they ought. The change comes because the world and the church are asking questions
which theology is not answering or even hearing… theology keeps reforming its principles and
its contents from the course of the human adventure. This gives the theologian the new
questions. It is also one of the things, and perhaps the most important, which distinguishes
theology from the history of religion”13

In his method of doing theology McKenzie focused on the cult, revelation, history, nature,
wisdom, political and social institutions and the future of Israel. One criteria of selection set by
McKenzie is the amount of coverage these topic receive in the Old Testament and in the
“totality of the experience of Israel in addition to their profundity” 14

Yahweh is the focus and the foundational key in Israel’s experience of Him. Therefore,
McKenzie stressed on the experience of the people. McKenzie states,

“what emerges in the Old Testament is not a rational system but a basic personal realityYahweh,
who is consistent as a person is, not a rational system. No particular problem is solved without
reference to Yahweh, who is not a rational principle”15

10
John H. Hayes and Fredrick Prussner, Old Testament Theology: Its History and Development (New York:
Westminster John Knox Press, 1984), 142- 143.
11
Elmer A. Martens, “The Flowering and Floundering of Old Testament Theology” in Direction 26/2 (1997),
65.
12
Gerhard F. Hasel, Old Testament Theology Basic Issues …, 47.
13
John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament …, 25.
14
John H. Hayes and Fredrick Prussner, Old Testament Theology … 253.
15
John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament …, 23.

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One way of understanding this “basic personality reality” with Yahweh is through the cult. 16
According to McKenzie “Cult” is the most important since it is the relationship between the
people and Yahweh. And “The future of Israel” was the least important 17asthe same God of
Nazareth has already appeared as the Messiah of Israel in the Old Testament (Karl Barth), 18for
instance in Isaiah 9:1-7 which contains an oracle about the future king. Many critics are of the
belief that the king addressed to here is king Hezekiah.19

5. “Cult” According to McKenzie

McKenzie subscribes to the definition of cult given by G. van der Leeuw, cult means “Social
worship through ritual performance; anything less than this is not cult.” 20 McKenzie adds
stating,

“The essential nature of cult as the rites by which the believing community recognizes and
professes its identity and proclaims what it believes about the deity it worships and the relation
between the deity and the worshipers.”21

Therefore, according to McKenzie cult is the base of their identity and it is foundational in the
expression of their faith because it involves the devotion of human to the divine. He included
various component of cult which are used as an expression.

5.1. Elements of Cultic Worship22

5.1.1. Festivals:McKenzie gives an example of Aubrey R. Johnson who believes that the
covenant festival is a mark of the “sovereignty of Yahweh, which was celebrated in creation
and in the saving deeds by which Yahweh delivered Israel.”

5.1.2. Sacrifice: This is one of the major cultic experience of the Israelite. The sacrifice cult
has no direct relation to repentance or sin, rather it is an expression of thanksgiving and joy
rather than other sentiments.

5.1.3. Temple and Sanctuary: The temple or the holy place is pervasive even in Israel region.
These religious places were especially important because in the ancient times the temple was
not built for people to gather in the outer courts but the temple was a place of god, and it was
in this place h/her holiness was protected. Therefore, these holy places were the point of contact
for the humans with the divine (Gen. 11:4, Gen.28:12, Gen. 28:17).

16
Ben C. Ollenburger, Old Testament Theology: Flowering …, 57.
17The Future of Israel is the least important because McKenzie pays more attention to the historical experiences
and the encounter with God in Elmer A. Martens, “The Flowering and Floundering of Old Testament Theology.
18
KondasinguJesurathnam, Biblical Hermeneutics Rediscovered 3 Old Testament Theology History, Issues, ans
Perspectives (New Delhi: Christian World Imprints, 2016), 69.
19
For more details check John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament …, 267-317.
20
John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament…, 37.
21
John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament …,63.
22
John .L. McKenzie, A Theology of the Old Testament …, 38 – 63.

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5.1.4. Priesthood: The priests are important in Israel Cultic worship because they form the
bone connection of the divine and the worshipper. The priest at the same time gives oracles
and instruction in the torah to the people.

5.1.5. The Holy: Holiness is seen as something that is very important because God himself
said, be holy as I am holy. Holiness is derived from Yahweh alone and all those belonging to
Yahweh are called holy. Hence, McKenzie says, “The entire area of cult symbolizes the holy.”

6. Critique by Theologians on McKenzie

Gerhard F. Hasel, in his book Old Testament Theology Basic Issues in the Current Debate
stated about no accord on any of the major problems in the OT theology. Hence, he draws a
comparison between McKenzie, Fohrer and Walter Zimmerli on their similarities and
differences in their approach. 23 The similarity between these three scholars is their adoption of
“Topical Method” 24 in doing Biblical theology. 25 Georg Fohrer, however, totally opposes
McKenzie’s methodology because for Fohrer, it is not the cult which should be given the first
place but OT Theology should center around “dual concept” consisting the “rule of God and
the communion between God and man.”26W. Zimmerli who is another giant of Old Testament
scholarship also does not subscribe to the methodology of McKenzie. For Zimmerlithe OT
Theology should be conceived as a descriptive one and it should be coherent throughout. By
this Zimmerli meant that the continuity in the “… sameness of the God …Yahweh” in the OT. 27

Hasel, critiques McKenzie pointing out his lack of coherence in his methodology. This is
because according to Hasel, McKenzie, is not organize in his approach to the OT’s principles,
instead his principles were based purely on his personal studies and interest. 28

7. Reflection and Conclusion

McKenzie’s theology reflects the importance of the scriptures written down which consist of
information and essence of worship. McKenzie’s methodology contributes to the deeper
understanding of the liberation theologians who examines the OT text. For instance, his

“focus on the totality of experience reflects many of the ways that Black theologians view the
interactions between their people and YHWH. Black theology, for example, recognizes every
experience is not as profound as the next; however, they recognize that the whole of these
experiences shape the way the group defines their relationship to YHWH.”29

23
Gerhard F. Hasel, Old Testament Theology Basic Issues in the Current Debate Fourth Edition ( Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 27.
24
“Topical Method is distinguished from the dogmatic – didactic method in its refusal to let outside categories
be superimposed as a grid through which the OT materials and themes are read, ordered and systematised. It
also steers away from the cross-section method and its synthesis of the OT world of thought.” In 60.
25
Gerhard F. Hasel, Old Testament Theology Basic Issues …, 60.
26Gerhard F. Hasel, Old Testament Theology Basic Issues …, 63.
27
W. Zimmerli, GottesOffenbarung. GesammelteAufsatzezumAT(TBu, 19: Munich, 1963) in Gerhard F. Hasel,
Old Testament Theology Basic Issues …, 67.
28Gerhard F. Hasel, Old Testament Theology Basic Issues …, 4.
29 ______, “John L. McKenzie – Old Testament Theologian” in Archive for the “Old Testament” Category in

https://kingdomcruciformity.wordpress.com/category/old-testament/page/7/ accessed on 20/07/18.

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McKenzie’s theology also makes room for fresh and vibrant perspective rather than confining
itself to the traditional theologies. By giving importance to the cult which is the way of life for
the Israelites McKenzie was able to allow the text to speak for itself. 30

McKenzie’s new perspective of doing OT Theology has also enriched our understanding to
know the importance of the experience(s) of the people and God in doing theology. Like any
scholar, McKenzie has also been criticized by other scholars in his approach to OT. His
methodology however, has paved way for more creativity and freedom in doing theology which
is close to the heart, rather than sticking to the old traditions. He opted to move out of his
comfort zone to bring about new way of understanding who and what Yahweh is for the people
instead of adopting the already existing traditional theological trends of that time. He stood for
his belief and conviction in validating the independent nature of the Old Testament. Therefore,
his scholarship has been valuable, unique and irreplaceable even today. Nevertheless,
McKenzie have faced criticism and different challenges to reach to this conclusion.

As we are part of the process in developing theology that is progressing. There, therefore lies
the challengefor every biblical student in our approach of doing biblical theology to make the
subject simpler and meaningful to the people.

30 ______, “John L. McKenzie – Old Testament Theologian” in Archive for the “Old Testament”.

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Bibliography

Hasel, Gerhard F. Old Testament Theology Basic Issues in the Current Debate Fourth
Edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Hayes, John H. and Fredrick Prussner, Old Testament Theology: Its History and
Development. New York: Westminster John Knox Press, 1984.
Hess, Richard S. Make Old Testament Live From Curriculum to Classroom

(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 52.

Jesurathnam, Kondasingu. Biblical Hermeneutics Rediscovered 3 Old Testament

Theology History, Issues, and Perspectives. New Delhi: Christian World
Imprints, 2016.
McKenzie, J.L. “ Aspects of Ot Thought,” The Jerome Biblical Commentary
(Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1968), 767 – 770.
McKenzie, John .L. A Theology of the Old Testament .Garden City: Doubleday &
Company, INC, 1974.
McKenzie, John L. “Cult” in The Flowering of Old Testament Theology A Reader in
Twentieth – Century Old Testament Theology, 1930 -1990eds Ben C.
Ollenburger, Elmer A. Martens and Gerhard F. Hasel .Eisenbrauns: Indiana, 1992.

Articles/Journals
• Martens, Elmer A. “The Flowering and Floundering of Old Testament Theology” in
Direction 26/2 (1997): 61- 79.

Webilography

• ________, “Rev. John L. McKenzie, 80, Dies; Leader in Catholic Bible Research in
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/06/obituaries/rev-john-l-mckenzie-80-dies-leader-
in-catholic-bible-research.html accessed on 21/07/18.
• ______, “John L. McKenzie – Old Testament Theologian” in Archive for the “Old
Testament” Category in https://kingdomcruciformity.wordpress.com/category/old-
testament/page/7/ accessed on 20/07/18.

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