구약성서 속 작은 자 배려와 그 적용 = On the Consideration for the Little Ones in the Old Testament and its Application

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In the face of the limitations of the pastoral strategy established on the growth paradigm that the Korean churches have stuck to, discussions and analyses of small churches and small faith communities began in Korea and abroad and various attempts to discover and present the theological basis in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, persisted. In the meantime, in relation to the Old Testament, only the semantic relevance of some terms is mentioned, but the principles of the small faith community suggested by the Old Testament have not been fully examined. This phenomenon came from three causes as follow: methodological limitations of Old Testament studies as a department of theoretical theology; historical tendency to confine the emergence of the church only to the New Testament era; and the characteristics of the religious institutions in the Old Testament period. In particular, the bias of the studies could seem inevitable due to the difference between the form of sacrifice performed in Jerusalem temple and the one of worship of the New Testament church. In addition, the Old Testament could have been misinterpreted as being inadequate for the discussion related to the small churches, by the fact that Jerusalem Temple was characterized by the only legitimate place for worship and a royal institution.
But the Old Testament testifies to the changes in the cultic institutions and religious reformations of which Jerusalem temple was also a process in the history of Israel. In other words, the Old Testament describes the changes or coexistence of various forms of institutions, such as the tabernacle, the high places, the temple, and the synagogue. Despite their differences, the Old Testament can be assumed to presuppose common elements all their institutional diversity. At the same time, the institutional diversity suggests various theological positions that cannot be expressed in a single unified form of cult, Jerusalem temple.
In this regard, the purpose of this thesis is to analyze self-understanding of Israel reflected in her history, laws and the major terms, qāhāl and ˁēdāh. In contrast to God’s future-oriented promises, the Old Testament repeatedly includes a small number of texts depicting Israel as small (e.g. Deut. 7:7). God is also introduced as the God of Hebrews who were slaves in Egypt. The care of the little ones shown by the God of Israel has been closely linked to the Exodus, and the relationship continues to appear in the laws and commandments for Israel thereafter. The laws and commandments are based on the recollection of the self-understanding of Israel, especially the Hebrews, strangers, and slaves-like little ones. In conclusion, this paper has revealed the following facts. Israel is not just a group(ˁēdāh), but a qāhāl that follows God’s commandments and laws and maintains her identity as little ones.
The Old Testament presents a humble self-understanding of being little ones in front of God and the nations. This self-understanding is a desirable attitude to be maintained over the various realities of the church. It is clear that the fulfillment of the biblical church with the ultimate goal of fulfilling God`s desired life, not the attitude of the church obsessed with quantitative growth, is the mission required today for us through the Old Testament.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 서론
• Ⅱ. 이스라엘의 자기 이해
• Ⅲ. 작은 자에 대한 배려
• Ⅳ. 이스라엘 공동체에 반영된 자기 이해
• Ⅴ. 결론
• Abstracts