Edgar Conrad’s monograph on the “fear not” passages of the Old Testament concludes that they “represented stereotypical language used to encourage a warrior before battle.”
In Isaiah, there are two such “War Oracles” addressed to kings: Ahaz in chapter 7 and Hezekiah in chapter 37. But Conrad also claims that there are “War Oracles” addressed to the entire nation: “Yahweh addresses the community directly with War Oracles (10.24-27; 41.8-13; 41.14-16; 43.1-4; 43.5-6; 44.1-5). The use of the language stereotypical of royalty suggests that Yahweh is addressing the community as a king.”
Conrad’s study illumines Jesus’ constant refrain, “Fear Not,” showing that Jesus, like Yahweh, is assuring His disciples in the face of the quasi-military threats that they will face in their ministry (principalities and powers), and that He is treating them as a group of kings heading out to battle.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Moral Certitude and the Iran War
The current military engagement with Iran calls renewed attention to just war theory in the Catholic tradition.…
The Slow Death of England: New and Notable Books
The fate of England is much in the news as popular resistance to mass immigration grows, limits…
Ethics of Rhetoric in Times of War
What we say matters. And the way we say it matters. This is especially true in times…
