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Copyright © 2018 Tuck Seon Chung Copyright © 2018 Tuck Seon Chung All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. GOD’S EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH PHINEHAS __________________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Theology __________________ by Tuck Seon Chung May 2018 APPROVAL SHEET GOD’S EVERLASTING COVENANT WITH PHINEHAS Tuck Seon Chung Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Adam Joseph Howell (Chair) Date______________________________ I dedicate this dissertation to my wife, Slavia Fifi. Thank you for the support, encouragement, and sacrifice that made this degree possible. In all these things we do, we are doing it all for the glory of God. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ vii List of Tables and figures ................................................................................................ viii PREFACE .......................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 Hypothesis ...........................................................................................................2 Presupposition .....................................................................................................4 God’s Faithfulness and Fulfillment in Christ ............................................ 4 No Human Obligation Needed in the Covenant ........................................ 4 Methodology .......................................................................................................5 2. SCHOLARSHIP REVIEW ....................................................................................7 View 1: The Phinehasian Covenant Is Abolished ...............................................8 View 2: The Phinehasian covenant Is Irrevocable ............................................10 Why Not the Obsolete View .............................................................................11 Why an Irrevocable View .................................................................................13 Implications of Obsolete View .........................................................................16 Obviating the Role of the Law and the Authority of the Old Testament 17 Neglecting the Specific Role of Israel in the Salvation Plan of God ....... 21 Neglecting the Continuation of the Old Testament Promises ................. 22 3. UNILATERALITY OF THE PHINEHASIAN COVENANT ............................27 Provision in Redemptive History ......................................................................28 Transition in the Priesthood ..................................................................... 29 iv Chapter Page The Meaning of the Everlasting Covenant .............................................. 31 Parallel with the Davidic Covenant...................................................................32 The Covenant of Peace ............................................................................ 33 The Covenant of Salt ............................................................................... 36 Summary ...........................................................................................................38 4. CANONICAL AND ANCIENT READING OF THE PHINEHASIAN COVENANT ........................................................................................................39 Canonical Reading of the Phinehasian Covenant .............................................40 In the Torah .............................................................................................. 40 In the Prophets ......................................................................................... 42 In the Writings ......................................................................................... 53 Ancient Reading of the Phinehasian Covenant .................................................54 In the Apocrypha ..................................................................................... 55 In the Pseudepigrapha .............................................................................. 56 In the Dead Sea Scrolls ............................................................................ 58 Summary ...........................................................................................................60 5. THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATION OF THE PHINEHASIAN COVENANT .....62 The Correspondence of the Phinehasian Covenant ...........................................62 The Priestly Messiah in the Gospels ........................................................ 64 The Escalation of the Phinehasian Priesthood ..................................................71 The Priestly Messiah in the Hebrews ...................................................... 72 Two Messiahs, One Christ ....................................................................... 82 Summary ...........................................................................................................84 Conclusion ........................................................................................................86 Appendix 1. THE BIBLICAL COVENANTS ..........................................................................88 2. THE PROGRESSIVE PRIESTHOOD PLAN OF GOD .....................................89 v Appendix Page 3. THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS ...............................................................................90 4. EXCURSUS TO HEBREWS ...............................................................................92 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................. 98 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abr. Philo, De Abrahamo (On the Life of Abraham) ABD David Noel Freedman, ed., The Anchor Bible Dictionary BA The Biblical Archaeologist NIB Leander E. Keck, ed., The New Interpreter’s Bible in Twelve Volumes NICNT Ned B. Stonehouse, F. F. Bruce, and Gordon D. Fee, eds, The New International Commentary on the New Testament NIDNTT Colin Brown, ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology NIDOTTE Willem A. VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis TDNT Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey William Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament TDOT G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren, and Heinz-Josef Fabry, eds., Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament vii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table Page 1. Major covenants in the Bible ...................................................................................8 2. The equivalent comparison of two covenants in Jeremiah ....................................47 3. The equivalent comparison of two covenants in Ezekiel ......................................49 Figure A1. The biblical covenants ........................................................................................88 A2. The progressive priesthood plan of God .............................................................89 A3. The dissimilarity of the two oaths ......................................................................93 A4. A framework for the change of priesthood order in Hebrews 7 .........................94 viii PREFACE This paper would have not been possible without the love and support from my wife. I must say the same to our daughter, Hannah, for being understanding and patient without demanding more time to be spent with her. I am also very thankful to Dr. Jason Motte and Dr. James Hamilton for their insightful comments made. Finally, I would like to express my deep appreciation to my supervisor, Dr. Adam Howell for his supporting guidance throughout the work. His evaluation together with numerous suggestions has helped me to improve this paper in every way. It has truly been my pleasure to be able to work with him on this thesis. Tuck Seon Chung Louisville, Kentucky May 2018 ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION God’s covenants with Israel feature prominently throughout the Old Testament. Therefore, biblical scholars over the last hundred years examined the covenants extensively debating specifically their lasting significance.1 Most concluded that the Mosaic covenant became obsolete with the arrival of the new covenant in Jesus Christ. Thus, scholars determined that the Levitical priesthood, for example, is irrelevant for contemporary New Testament studies due to its bilateral nature.2 In like manner, they disregarded the Phinehasian covenant as having any eternal consequence. Instead, most scholars maintained that only the Noahic, Abrahamic, and Davidic covenants remain in effect given their unilateral terms. As a result, only certain covenants have garnered scholarly attention. This thesis will suggest that the Phinehasian covenant has been substantially neglected. The Bible reveals that God instituted a lasting priesthood when he granted the 1The origin and significance of the Old Testament covenant traditions became a subject of interest after the publication of Julius Wellhausen’s Prolegomena to the History of Israel in 1885 (English translation)—see Ernest
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