Do-do-connection

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The doing-doing-connection is a term from biblical studies that the Protestant theologian Klaus Koch coined in 1955. It refers to the assumption that can be found in the Old Testament that God is the guarantor that those in this life will fare well who do his will and those who harm themselves who do not do it ( i.e. sin ). Koch opposed this term to the widespread anti-Judaic notion that the Jewish YHWH was, in contrast to the “good God” of the New Testament, an ungracious, avenging God.

The doing-doing-connection in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, this well-being or self-harm is described very materially, for example through the length of life, the number of children and the size of the herds. A reward or punishment after death was out of the question, since the idea of eternal life had not yet established itself. In order to avert the consequence of negative deeds, above all prayers and repentance are necessary, for rare unintentional sins sacrifices were also necessary, in the times of the temple. The connection is not named by name, but in pictures of "seed and harvest", "seeds and fruit" and the like. Ä. Described.

The doing-doing-connection is not to be understood as an unconditional immutability, but is embedded in God's “saving justice” and broken through by his forgiving action. Without prejudice to the evil deeds of human beings, God acts for the salvation of individuals and of humanity.

In the wisdom literature in particular , the relationship between doing and doing is discussed. While Kohelet utterly denies it and falls into despair about it ( Koh 4.1–2  EU ), the numerous affirmations of the relationship between doing and doing in the Book of Proverbs (e.g. Prov 10.3  EU or Prov 11.31) show  EU ) that his readers could no longer take it for granted. In the book of Job , however, this connection is initially canceled and it becomes clear that it is not always given for the author of the book of Job.

Do-do-connection in the New Testament

In several places in the New Testament, Jesus of Nazareth explicitly denied that there was a relationship between doing and doing in this world . After the collapse of a tower near the pool of Siloam , in which 18 people were killed, he declared that they were no more guilty than any other inhabitant of Jerusalem, who was called to repent as a result ( Lk 13.5  EU ). The Sermon on the Mount points in the same direction , where Jesus says of God: “He makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and he makes it rain on the just and the unjust” ( Mt 5:45  EU ). In the story of poor Lazarus ( Lk 16 : 19–31  EU ), for example, Jesus only announces a reward or punishment for the time after death. Even when healing a man born blind , Jesus denies any connection between any sins of the blind man or his parents and blindness. Rather, this has the meaning that “the work of God should be revealed in him” ( John 9 : 1-2  EU ). The Passion of Jesus , in which the innocent Son of God is flogged and crucified , radically counteracts the idea that what a person does is reflected in a recognizable way in what happens to him.

See also

literature

  • Georg Freuling: "Whoever digs a pit ..." The relationship between doing and doing and its change in Old Testament wisdom literature. Neukirchener Verlag, Neukirchen-Vluyn 2004, ISBN 3-7887-2007-7 ( Scientific monographs on the Old and New Testament 102), (At the same time: Bonn, Univ., Diss., 2003).
  • Klaus Koch : Is there a dogma of retaliation in the Old Testament? In: Klaus Koch: Collected essays. Edited by Bernd Janowski and Martin Krause. Volume 1: Traces of Hebrew Thought. Contributions to Old Testament theology. Neukirchener Verlag, Neukirchen-Vluyn 1991, ISBN 3-7887-1343-7 , pp. 65-103 (first published in 1955).
  • Bernd Janowski: The crime returns to the perpetrator. Open questions related to the “doing-doing-connection”. In: Journal for Theology and Church. 91st Vol. 3, 1994, ISSN  0044-3549 , pp. 247-291.

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