Biblical Passover

The problem of the origins of Passover has been a subject of considerable interest in variety of academic disciplines. Biblical scholars, historians of religion, anthropologists and archaeologists all gave their contribution to the discussion. Most studies on the origins of Passover, however, were done before the new trend in explaining the origins of the Israelites and thus respectively the origins of their religion became prevalent. Their conclusions were based on the traditional interpretation of the ethno-cultural origins of the early Israelites as nomads or semi-nomads before their settlement in Canaan and in line with this view, the Yahwistic Passover was seen as an amalgam made of two distinct festivals, one typical of the Israelites with nomadic-pastoral features and the other typical of the Canaanites and their sedentary way of life and agricultural customs. The period of using the unleavened bread was usually taken to represent the agricultural feast, 1 while the ritual performed on its preliminary day with the characteristic animal sacrifice 2 was explained as a heritage from the nomadic-pastoral past of the Israelites. Certainly today with more and more scholars pertaining to the idea that the Israelites were not of a different ethnic and cultural background from the Canaanites, it seems that we may as well abandon attempts to identify peculiar Israelite features in the festival and claim that it originated from just one culture, that of the Canaanites. That, however, still does not provide an answer whether it was a single festival from the beginning or

This book explores the theme of divine absence through the Song of Songs and Esther. It addressed three main questions: What is the nature of God as revealed in texts that don't use his name? How do we think of God when he is perceived to be absent? What should we do when God is silent or hidden? The experience of God's absence or silence is an important part of the human condition. By exploring the distinct themes and perspectives of Song of Songs and Esther, as well as how they've been received in Jewish and Christian history, I intend to demonstrate how both books serve as counter texts to the depiction of God and his work in the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. Thus, both contribute to a fuller picture of who God is and what it means to know him.