Folia Theologica et Canonica 10. 32/24 (2021)
Sacra theologia
38 ATTILA THORDAY manifestations in history and, above all, through his promises to the individual. The following are two typical examples of promises made within the Old Testament framework, namely the religious experience of Abraham and Moses. III. The promise received in faith Genesis 15 belongs to the so-called ‘promise narratives’ (see also Gen 18:1-15; 21:1-21). Literary criticism clearly shows that the editor of the book juxtaposes two narratives with the common theme of promises to Abraham. As regards the subject of the promise, 15:1-6 deals with a child or a large number of descendants, and 15:7-21 with the promise of the land. The structure of the two narratives placed together shows a close correspondence: right after the word or promise of the Lord, we read in both cases Abraham’s objections, in which he challenges his own ability to fulfil the Lord’s conditions, followed by the divine sign and its explanation. The self-understanding of the chosen people is based on a “covenant relationship”. Its primary element is God’s sovereign act of choosing and addressing Abraham: calling him to be the first witness to his promises. God invites the patriarch to leave the security of his land and his family ties (i.e. Gen 12:1) in order to open up new horizons for his benefit. God’s initiative finds an answer in the human heart, for “Abram has set out, as the Lord commanded him” (Gen 12:4). In this summary statement, we observe that the relationship is thus established, and continues to unfold. Here, for the first time in the Bible, we find the motif of faith, embodied in the person of Abraham through his decision. The first point in the content of the promise was about the land, and Abraham could see it. The promise of the land had already been partly fulfilled in his lifetime, and was even more so centuries later, in the time of Joshua, when the twelve tribes settled in search of a homeland.3 The other divine promise was for Abraham’s descendants and their multiplication, saying “I will make you a great nation and bless you” (Gen 12:2). The fulfilment of this was experienced a few centuries later during the sojourn of Jacob’s sons in Egypt.4 3 From a Christian point of view, we cannot claim that the promise was fulfilled once and for all, since the promise was fulfilled only in its literal sense by entering and settling in the land of Canaan, and its full sense (sensus plenior) can only be the kingdom of heaven promised by Christ. It is worth knowing that even Christians are pilgrims to a “better home” (Heb 11:16); they are heading for it, following the example of Abraham, “by faith and perseverance” (Heb 6:12,15). 4 Already here we can observe that the divine promise is always fulfilled, but most of the time not immediately, since God is the Lord of time and history, that is, as the Psalmist confesses, “to him a thousand years are as a moment” (Psalm 90:4), or as the philosopher says of man’s life, “for everything there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
