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Comparing God Of Old And Dr. Fink's Model Of God

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Throughout the Bible, there are two distinct models of God that tend to appear in different stories. In this course, we have focused on James Kugel’s model of the “God of Old” and Dr. Fink’s model of the “God of the Philosophers,” two versions of God that have similar yet contrasting elements. Kugel’s God of Old characterizes God as humanoid and mythological, while Dr. Fink’s God of the Philosophers characterizes God in a philosophical and theoretical manner. What are the differences that create this distinction between both models of God? Are there any patterns in the text that illustrate this distinction? After examining both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, there are elements that answer the question if there is “a reasonably consistent …show more content…

This model of God is shown to have characteristics such as a human-like personality, emotions, a physical form, and extreme power. There are many occasions within the Hebrew Bible where God’s extreme power is shown, including instances such as wiping out an entire population, destroying cities, and even ordering Abraham to sacrifice his own son. This divine intervention shows the difference between the God of Old’s physical form and his Godly, mythical form in which he creates and alters the world to his image. In addition, this model of God is also seen as a fabled and legendary being, with a few certain individuals shown to have directly spoken with …show more content…

The God of the Philosophers is characterized as philosophical, as this model is depicted more as an idea than a humanlike entity. Unlike previous implications of God, the God of the Philosophers is shown as a symbol of love, shown by Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament. Additionally, there are many instances in the Bible when Jesus or another individual refers to God as the “heavenly father” and to “keep his commands,” emphasizing the transcendence of God as our heavenly Father and the importance of submitting to God's will. This philosophical “idea” of God creates a contrast between the God of the Philosophers and the God of Old. On one hand, one model emphasizes human-like characteristics while another one focuses on non-human characteristics, showing two different perspectives on a universal theological

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