We Become
What We Worship
A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY OF IDOLATRY
G. K. Beale
InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
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2008 by G. K. Beale
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InterVarsity Press is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, a student movement active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, write Public Relations Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, 6400 Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895, or visit the IVCF website at .
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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To my children,
Stephen, Nancy, and Hannah,
and to Eric, my son-in-law:
may they become increasingly conformed
to the image of Christ
ROMANS 8:29
Abbreviations
AB | Anchor Bible |
Abot R. Nat. | Abot de Rabbi Nathan |
AnBib | Analecta Biblica |
ANE | Ancient Near Eastern |
ASTI | Annual of the Swedish Theological Institute |
AUSS | Andrews University Seminary Studies |
BAGD | A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. Edited by F. W. Danker. Chicago: University Press, 2000. |
BECNT | Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament |
Bib | Biblica |
BIS | Biblical Interpretation Series |
BZ | Biblische Zeitschrift |
BZAW | Beihefte Zeitschrift fr die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft |
CBQ | Catholic Biblical Quarterly |
CBQMS | Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series |
CD | Cairo (Genizah text of the) Damascus (Document Rule) |
EBC | The Expositors Bible Commentary |
ECC | Eerdmans Critical Commentary |
EvQ | Evangelical Quarterly |
HNTC | Harpers New Testament Commentary |
HUCA | Hebrew Union College Annual |
ICC | International Critical Commentary |
Interp | Interpretation |
ITC | International Theological Commentary |
IVPNT | InterVarsity Press New Testament Commentary |
JBL | Journal of Biblical Literature |
JEA | Journal of Egyptian Archaeology |
JEH | Journal of Ecclesiastical History |
Jos. and As. | Joseph and Aseneth |
JSNT | Journal for the Study of the New Testament |
JSOT | Journal for the Study of the Old Testament |
JSOTSup | Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series |
JTS | Journal of Theological Studies |
Jub. | Jubilees |
Midr. Rab. | Midrash Rabbah |
MT | Masoretic Text |
NAC | The New American Commentary |
NCBC | New Century Bible Commentary |
NICNT | The New International Commentary on the New Testament |
NIGTC | New International Greek Testament Commentary |
NovT | Novum Testamentum |
NSBT | New Studies in Biblical Theology |
NTS | New Testament Studies |
OTL | Old Testament Library |
Pirqe R. El. | Pirqe Rabbi Eliezer |
RB | Revue biblique |
RTR | Reformed Theological Review |
Sanh. | Sanhedrin |
Sib. Or. | Sibylline Oracles |
Sir | Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus) |
SNTSMS | Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series |
Spec. Leg. | Philo, De Specialibus Legibus |
ST | Studia theologica |
T. Iss. | Testament of Issachar |
T. Jud. | Testament of Judah |
T. Naph. | Testament of Naphthali |
T. Sol. | Testament of Solomon |
T. Zeb. | Testament of Zebulon |
TDNT | Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Edited by Gerard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey W. Bromiley. 10 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964. |
Tg. Ps.-J. | Targum Pseudo-Jonathan |
Tg. Neof. | Targum Neofiti I |
Tg. Onq. | Targum Onqelos Theod. of Dan. Theodotion of Daniel |
TOTC | Tyndale Old Testament Commentary |
VT | Vetus Testamentum |
WBC | Word Biblical Commentary |
WUNT | Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament |
Preface
THIS BOOK HAD ITS BIRTH IN 1983, when I did some research on Isaiah 6. This later became the basis for a sermon that I preached on Isaiah 6 in 1987 at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminarys chapel. In 1991, I decided to work in more depth on Isaiah 6, and this resulted in a publication: Isaiah 6:9-13: A Retributive Taunt Against Idolatry, Vetus Testamentum 41 (1991): 257-78. The article focused on the idea that Isaiah 6:9-13 was about idolatry, particularly a judgment on Israelite idol worshipers in contast to Isaiahs faithfulness. The idea that I formulated for Isaiah 6 was this:
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