Abstract
Many people perceive the Book of Deuteronomy as “the second law,” following its etymology. It has been misunderstood because of the mistaken rendering of the Septuagint as “this second law;” should have been correctly translated as “a copy of this law,” instead. This may also be precisely the reason of our indifferent feeling towards Deuteronomy as somewhat a “collection” of dry ordinances and testimonies that have little relation to the life of the spirit, justification by faith, and perfection of freedom. This paper presents, in a qualitative manner, the inseparability and indissolubility of the theologico-historico-sociological dimension of Israel as a nation and as a believer – on how the faith-struggle of the people of Israel, during and after their entry into the Promised Land, is intertwined in their history and recollection of the past. Through the lens of Bildung Tradition, and F.P. Demeterio’s “Dialogical Hermeneutics” Framework, this paper will try to analyze and show the central theme of the Book – the call towards an interpersonal relationship between God and Israel – from a humanist-constructivist point-of-view. Situating Deuteronomy in its proper and actual setting in history, defining the unique character of Israel as “God’s chosen people,” it also aims to magnify the impact of the message of Deuteronomy in contemporary times – that our faith (generically, “belief in the Divine”) cannot be divorced from our common life. Thus, this paper hopes to contribute to the renewed appreciation and intellectualization of the Scriptures in the Philippines, relevant to the K-12 Program.
Author Information
Julio Ramillo Mercurio, Dalubhasaan Ng Lungsod Ng Lucena, The Philippines
Paper Information
Conference: ACERP2018
Stream: Philosophy - Philosophy and Education
This paper is part of the ACERP2018 Conference Proceedings (View)
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