The conditional structure of Old Testament concepts of covenant in theological, literary, and religio-historical perspective

我的研究项目仔细研究了旧约中的圣约概念，关于它们的条件结构。它这样做有两个原因。一方面，研究历史表明，条件性问题是解释《圣约》的关键圣经动机的决定性因素--不仅从神学的角度，而且从文学和宗教历史的角度。另一方面，条件性标准本身在很大程度上仍然没有得到研究，几乎是一个盲点。鉴于这种研究状况，本研究计划追求三个主要目标：1.本研究项目分析和制定了《旧约》中所证明的圣约概念的各自条件结构。通过这样做，它对旧约的神学以及五经和前先知文学史的关键问题做出了重大贡献。2.通过澄清实际概念和文本，研究项目还提出了对条件性关键标准的细致入微的评估。到目前为止，还缺乏这样的评估。它也可能在其他研究项目中被证明是有用的(例如，关于末日预言的意图和语用)。在研究历史上，该项目第一次寻找后圣经第二圣殿犹太教中证明的契约诺曼教宗教模式的可能的《旧约全书》史前。通过这样做，该项目对波斯和托勒密时代的宗教史做出了贡献。通过追求这些目标，研究项目的工作将同时为基督徒和犹太人之间的实质性神学交流提供基础和机会。由于这一问题是这两个传统中宗教自我定义的核心问题，这种交流是必要的。从历史上看，上述自我定义的过程不仅涉及身份的建立，而且还涉及选择，包括彻底否认他人，研究项目所追求的对自己观点的方法论和跨忏悔的反思可能有助于当代一神论信仰社区之间的宗教间对话，而不仅仅是学术交流。

My research project scrutinizes the Old Testament concepts of covenant with regard to their conditional structure. It does so for a twofold reason. On the one hand, the history of research shows that the question of conditionality is the decisive factor in interpreting the the key biblical motive of "covenant" – not only in a theological, but also in a literary and religio-historical perspective. On the other hand, the criterion of conditionality itself has remained largely unresearched and almost a blind spot. In view of this state of research, the proposed project pursues three main goals: 1. The research project analyzes and works out the respective conditional structure of the concepts of covenant attested in the Old Testament. In so doing, it makes a major contribution to the theology of the Old Testament as well as to key problems of the literary history of the Pentateuch and Former Prophets. 2. By clarifying actual concepts and texts, the research project also submits a nuanced assessment of the key criterion of conditionality. As yet such an assessment is lacking. It will potentially prove useful in other research projects as well (e.g. with regard to the intention and pragmatics of prophecies of doom).3. For the first time in the history of research, the project searches for the possible Old Testament prehistory of the pattern of religion of covenantal nomism as attested in post-biblical second temple Judaism. In so doing, the project makes a contribution to the history of religion in the Persian and Ptolemaic eras. By pursuing these goals, the work on the research project will at the same time provide the basis and chance for substantial theological exchange between Christians and Jews. As the issue at stake is at the heart of religious self-definition in both traditions, this exchange is but necessary. Insofar as historically the processes of said self-definition involved not only the construction of identity, but also of alterity, including downright disavowal of the other, a methodological and transconfessional reflection of the own point of view as pursued by the research project may contribute, beyond mere academic exchange, to contemporary interreligious dialogue among the monotheistic communities of faith.