The quest for a philosophical YHWH (part 3) : towards a philosophy of Old Testament religion

Abstract

This is the third and final article in the series designated 'The Quest for a Philosophical YHWH'. Whereas the first paper introduced the proposal of utilising philosophy of religion in Old Testament studies and the second paper discussed 'philosophical criticism' as a new type of biblical criticism, this paper is concerned with the pioneering of a higher-order discipline called 'philosophy of Old Testament religion'. This approach differs from the exegetical task outlined in the previous discussion in that the scope of philosophical analysis is extended to involve the religious beliefs, concepts and practices of the Old Testament as a totality.