The "God of the Old Testament"

The Hebrew Bible isn't about God. It's about us. Everyone craves a glimpse into Jesus' eyes; no one wishes an encounter with the god of the Old Testament. I say "god" and not "God," for the true deity of the Old Testament is not Yahweh or Baal or Asherah. It's us. We always get what we want. We destroy the world. We gather sticks in the Sabbath. We murder our brother. We eat honey from a lion's carcass. We eat our children. We put the Ark on a cart. And we get away with it. Sure, there are consequences: sometimes death, sometimes life. But we still do the deed and no one--not even God--stops us. The Hebrew Bible is the story of this raw, godlike humanity. And no one wants to see that. That's why we blame God for the womb-ripping and sex slavery and child murders. Everyone condemns, "How could God command the slaughter of Canaanite babies?" No one questions, "How could Joshua stab a writhing, helpless infant?" It's much easier to glare at the heavens than to glance down at one's own bloodstained shirt.

But the Hebrew Bible, when not explained away, when not apologized for, when not mocked, is a living mirror with remorseless hands. It forces us--nay, grabs us by the head and twists our neck--to look at ourselves. My job as a scholar is to direct people's gaze into this shimmering, shattered mirror that is the Hebrew Bible. Cruel slivers of glass, brilliantly polished shards, spiderweb cracks, and--most terrifying and beautiful--fleeting glimpses of oneself. Learning about Jesus is nice, but any fool can do that. The way to meet Jesus is at night, at a funeral, in a cemetery, on a cross. Jesus can only be God to people who recognize they're humans. Maybe that's the point of the Hebrew Bible.