The Connection Between God's Praise and God's Presence – a Biblical Study
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The connection between God’s praise and God’s presence – a Biblical study Gabriele G. Braun orcid.org/0000-0002-2830-2399 Thesis submitted for the degree Philosophiae Doctor in New Testament at the North-West University in co-operation with Greenwich School of Theology Promoter: Prof Dr AS Santrac Co-promoter: Prof Dr FP Viljoen Graduation October 2017 Student number: 24846848 ABSTRACT The main aim of this study is to provide an answer to the question whether there is a connection between God’s people’s praise and God’s presence. The central argument of this thesis is that Scripture in both Testaments testifies to a reciprocal correlation between human praise and divine presence. This hypothesis will be investigated in the light of contemporary Christian worship culture and the corresponding need for biblical studies, which represent the background for this study. The study achieves the above aim by employing the discipline of biblical theology and a canonical and intertextual method to meet five specific objectives. First, the study verifies the need for further biblical studies by testing existing approaches to a biblical theology of worship with regard to an interaction between human praise and divine presence. Second, the study establishes that biblical theology as a distinct discipline, and a canonical approach combined with an intertextual model, serve the purpose of this thesis, which is to investigate texts from both Testaments regarding a correlation of human praise and divine presence. Third, narratives from the Old Testament corroborate the study’s central argument: God’s glory filling his new temple prompts his people’s praise, and vice versa (1 Kgs 8 and 2 Chr 5 – 7), and God’s people’s praise instigates manifestations of divine presence (Josh 6 and 2 Chr 20; 1 Sam 16 and 2 Kgs 2). Fourth, texts from the New Testament verify the argument: God’s Holy Spirit filling his new people prompts their praise (Acts 2 and Acts 10/11), and God’s people’s praise instigates their refilling with Holy Spirit and/or other manifestations of divine presence (Acts 4 and Acts 16; Eph 5). Fifth, support is offered for these results from a biblical theology perspective, which reveals three intertextual themes: the connection between divine presence and human praise, the divine indwelling, and the divine-human covenant relationship. iii KEY WORDS biblical theology, canonical, covenant, divine presence, glory, indwelling, intertextual, Holy Spirit, human praise, temple. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Sincere thanks and acknowledgement are due to the following mentors, who have provided valuable assistance during the course of this research: Professor Dr Aleksandar Santrac and Professor Dr Francois Viljoen at North-West University for their encouraging guidance and helpful comments throughout the study as well as Professor Dr Herrie van Rooy for his helpful suggestions. Thanks is also due to Dr Stuart Rochester for polishing the writer’s language and thesis. Sincere thanks also to Mrs Tienie Buys, Mrs Hester Lombard and the staff at North-West University, and Mrs Peg Evans and the staff at Greenwich School of Theology, who guaranteed prompt communication and reliable help. Acknowledgement is due to Professor Dr Max Turner and Professor Dr Steve Walton, both formerly at London School of Theology, who provided valuable interaction, sharpening mind and topic at the start. Thanks is due to Tyndale House, Cambridge, UK, and their staff for providing an atmosphere stimulating fruitful research. Thanks is also due to the municipal library at Lauf, Germany, for helping with interlibrary loans. I owe gratitude to unnamed friends for their support in prayer and encouragement throughout the entire process. Finally, I think with gratitude of my parents, Matthäus Braun (+ 1972) and Ruth Braun (+ 1999) for having invested into my life in so many ways, which enabled me to walk this path. Soli Deo gloria! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 2.0 GOD’S PEOPLE’S PRAISE – APPROACHES TOWARDS A THEOLOGY OF WORSHIP .............................................................. 9 2.1 Hudson: “Worship: Singing a New Song in a Strange Land” ........ 10 2.1.1 The Characteristics of ‘Pentecostal Worship’ ...................................... 10 2.1.2 Strengths and Weaknesses of this Praise ........................................... 11 2.1.3 Summary .............................................................................................. 11 2.2 Steven: "Worship in the Spirit: Charismatic Worship in the Church of England" .................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Method ................................................................................................ 12 2.2.2 Case Studies on Charismatic Worship ................................................ 12 2.2.3 Influence of Modern Pop Culture on Charismatic Worship .................. 13 2.2.4 Theological Reflection ......................................................................... 13 2.2.5 Summary ............................................................................................. 14 2.3 Greenslade: "Worship in the Best of Both Worlds " ...................... 14 2.3.1 Greenslade’s Thesis of 'Integrated Worship' ....................................... 15 2.3.2 Polarities and Integrated Worship ....................................................... 15 2.3.3 Summary ............................................................................................. 17 2.4 Marshall: "How Far did the Early Christians Worship God?" and "Worshipping Biblically" .............................................................. 18 2.4.1 What do Christians do when they meet? ............................................. 19 2.4.2 Terminology of Worship in the New Testament .................................. 20 2.4.3 Christian Group Activities in the New Testament ................................ 22 2.4.4 The Nature of the Church and the Ministry ......................................... 22 2.4.5 Summary ............................................................................................. 23 2.5 Peterson: "Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship" . 24 2.5.1 General Remarks ................................................................................ 24 2.5.2 What are Basis and Essence of Christian Worship? ........................... 24 2.5.3 How do Divine Presence, Spirit and Worship Connect? ..................... 25 2.5.4 How do Temple and Covenant Relate to Christian Worship? ............. 25 2.5.5 Summary ............................................................................................. 26 2.6 Wick: "Die urchristlichen Gottesdienste" (Worship Services of the Early Church) ................................................................................ 27 2.6.1 General Remarks ................................................................................ 27 2.6.2 Terminology of Worship Services ....................................................... 28 v 2.6.3 Function of Ancient Israelite Worship Service ..................................... 29 2.6.4 Temple, House & Synagogue Worship Service in the First Century ... 30 2.6.5 Pauline Metaphors in Church Context ................................................ 31 2.6.6 Luke and other Biblical Material .......................................................... 33 2.6.7 Summary ............................................................................................. 35 2.7 Block: "For the Glory of God: Recovering a Biblical Theology of Worship" ........................................................................................ 36 2.7.1 General Remarks ................................................................................ 36 2.7.2 God as the Object of Worship and We as Subject .............................. 36 2.7.3 Worship in Life and Liturgy .................................................................. 38 2.7.4 Summary ............................................................................................. 39 2.8 Davis: "Worship and the Reality of God: An Evangelical Theology of Real Presence" .......................................................................... 40 2.8.1 General Remarks ................................................................................ 40 2.8.2 A Biblical Renewal of Evangelical Worship ......................................... 41 2.8.3 Summary ............................................................................................. 44 2.9 Summary ............................................................................................ 45 3.0 BIBLICAL THEOLOGY: DISTINCT DISCIPLINE AND METHODS ... 48 3.1 Biblical Theology: Development and Debate ................................. 48 3.1.1 Debate on Historical-Critical versus Theological Approaches ............. 49 3.1.2 Outlook on Ongoing Debate ................................................................ 51 3.2 Brevard Childs: A Canonical Approach .......................................... 54 3.2.1 Canon and Authority ........................................................................... 54 3.2.2 Witnesses versus Sources .................................................................. 55 3.2.3 Hermeneutical Implications for Biblical Theology ................................ 56 3.2.4 Summary ............................................................................................