KS Studies, 2024 (vol. 1), issue 1

Editorial

Rudolf Svoboda

KS Studies 2024, 1(1):3-4  

Dividing the Blame: Saul's Curse and Jonathan's Breaking of It in 1 Samuel 14:24-45

Eveline van Staalduine-Sulman

KS Studies 2024, 1(1):5-14  

The narrative of 1 Samuel 13-14 tells how Saul and Jonathan begin to free Israel from the power of the Philistines (cf. 1 Sm 9:16). The narrative concludes, however, with the remark that ‘Saul withdrew from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place’ (14:46). The victory over the Philistines was not big enough to keep them from coming back again and again. Who is to blame for this? Early Jewish and Christian sources tend to blame either Saul or Jonathan, although some look at the hesitant attitude of Saul's army. The sources are read in their historical environment: each environment triggers another way of reading...

‘Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for parents’ – Deuteronomy 24:16 and the Ideas of Individual Responsibility and Vicarious Punishment in Philo and Josephus

Eberhard Bons

KS Studies 2024, 1(1):15-25  

The aim of this article is to study the legal provision of Deuteronomy 24:16 and its inter-pretation by Philo and Josephus. Dt 24:16 is a legal provision that underlines the idea of individual re¬sponsibility. Children should not be put to death for the guilt of their parents and, conversely, parents not for the guilt of their children. The first part of the article focuses on the context of the provision in the Hebrew Bible, namely Dt 5:9; 2 Kgs 14:5-6; Ez 18:1-3. The second part is devoted to the relectures of the legal provision in Philo, De specialibus legibus 3.153, 168, and Josephus, Antiquitates iudaicae 4.289.

Moral Character of the Book of Deuteronomy in the Exegetical Theory of Ambrose of Milan

David Vopřada

KS Studies 2024, 1(1):26-38  

This paper examines Ambrose of Milan’s exegetical treatment of the Book of Deuteronomy within the broader context of his biblical interpretation and pastoral theology. Ambrose perceives Deuteronomy as a cornerstone of moral instruction within the Pentateuch, shaping human life according to divine law. His analysis incorporates classical philosophical traditions, notably the Delphic maxim ‘know thyself’, to build a Christian understanding of self-knowledge and moral responsibility. The study focuses on Ambrose’s interpretation of two passages, Deuteronomy 4:9 and 4:24, highlighting his use of allegory, moral exhortation, and...

Deuteronomy 21:1–9 LXX: a Synchronic Interpretation

Július Pavelčík

KS Studies 2024, 1(1):39-53  

In terms of its content, the passage of Deuteronomy 21:1-9 is entirely unique within the entire Old Testament. It describes a procedure that must be carried out upon finding the corpse of a person murdered by an unknown individual outside any city in the land given by God. The article presents a purely synchronic interpretation of the Greek Septuagint version of this difficult text, meaning its explanation only within the context of the Greek Deuteronomy, or the Pentateuch, without considering the original Hebrew text. The goal is to determine how an ancient Greek reader could perceive and understand the unusual ritual described in this biblical text....