Abstract:
In this article, the concept of inclusivity in the Old Testament is investigated and the theology
of ‘Otherness’ is discussed broadly. Various authors discuss the ‘Otherness’ in biblical Israel.
These views are critiqued and a conclusion is reached that an inclusive reading in the Old
Testament, specifically of the known exclusive texts in the Hebrew Bible, is a possibility. To
argue for inclusivity in the Old Testament, a view of hospitality is considered and a literary
review of inclusive texts is conducted, namely the Books of Ruth, Jonah, Ecclesiastes, Esther
and some Deuterocanonical texts.
Description:
Carli Fourie is participating in
the research project, ‘Second
Temple Literature and
Qumran’, directed by Dr
Ananda Geyser-Fouche,
Department of Old Testament
Studies, Faculty of Theology,
University of Pretoria.
