In the Old Testament the god supported and even called for wars and genocides, urged an eye for an eye and constantly tested humanity. The god of the New Testament sent its "son" to teach a message of love and selflessness.
What were the changes in society that forced a change in the god image? Did it have something to do with the times being more peaceful under the Roman Empire?
2006-11-24 03:12:09 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The style prominence and reemergence of the feminine mindset and the regaining of womens political rights from the sixteenth through the twenty first century, you've come a long way baby.
2006-11-24 03:19:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
God did not change from Old Testament to the New. There was a lot of violence in the OT because the enemies of God's chosen people, the Jews, were constantly attacking them. God sanctioned wars against the Jews' enemies in order to protect His chosen people, the people through whom the Messiah would come.
By the way, the most violent act recorded in the Bible is not found in the OT, but in the NT. The Man who knew no sin suffered and died an ignominious death.
And His followers have been suffering and dying for the past 2000 years. Millions and millions of Christians have paid with their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ.
2006-11-24 03:22:52 · answer #2 · answered by David S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ahahha. You've hit on a very good question.
From my stance as an anthro person, I'd say it was a change in the structure of the community. In the Old Testament, we have a primarily tribal people who have to fight in order to live--to keep their land, hunting ground, etc. By the New Testament, civilization as we know it has hit, and wars are for trained soldiers, not anyone who can swing a sword or throw a rock. People were living in more of the modern-day community, things like food and clothing weren't difficult to obtain, and people had some leisure time. War wasn't important anymore--community was.
2006-11-24 03:21:39 · answer #3 · answered by angk 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the cold hearts,but let me teach theology,with the last book in the old testament and the first book in the new testament there was a period of 400 years without GOD's intervention, it means between jeremy and the gospels,this is not the first time the man kind turn back to GOD,but take like a person,stay away from GOD,the suffering comes to him through all the negatives situations,he or she begins to feel the needs of to have a GOD,but guess what GOD will appear at the right moment,
2006-11-24 03:21:04 · answer #4 · answered by ticoguana 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the Old Testaments:
God supports wars only when His chosen people was about to claim the promised land that God gave to them. God choose them His people because they have this loyalty in loving His covenant.
While other human being can`t be influenced to ally with God. The inhabitants worship their local godess and not the True God.
Naturally, evicting the original unbeliever inhabitants, will have to use force by wars and kill the unbelievers or they will influence the chosen people to worship idols.
While in Jesus age, everybody was in place, no need of war and evictions, but the world population was greatly influenced already by evil/dark forces, so dirty and sinners...that it needs a God in form of human (since stronger than prophets) to clean the world, enrich their souls with pure words from the Father, guide human being to direct way towards the Father, and introduce...resurrections (life after death)
...and it is only through Love, Compassion, Humility, Self-sacrifice
that they will conquer the world, win back His peoples` loving spirits to bring back with Him to Heaven.
2006-11-24 03:43:24 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What changed was Jesus.
People had a lot of ideas about a faraway God that they only knew through writings and the unclear glimpses attained by prophets stuck in their humanity. People were expecting a saviour because these long ago prophets had foretold one.
But people's imaginations are limited. The only kind of saviour they could expect was one in the mould of the figures they already knew of... David. Moses. National leaders and deliverers.
Jesus changed all that.
Life in the Roman empire was far more brutal and unpleasant than you make it sound (the Jews would revolt against this brutal empire some forty years later, and again sixty years after that.) And yet, he resolutely refused to seek political power, even though the people were desperate for a David-like champion.
He promised something different. Love. He didn't just talk his promise to turn the other cheek. He lived it. When they came for him, he yelled at Peter, "put down your sword! Those who live by the sword, die by the sword."
Yes, he lived turn the other cheek. And then he died it.
"Dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life," the liturgy goes. And so it was with Jesus message. Unable to be suppressed even by a death he did not resist, it went out to the ends of the Earth.
The Prince of Peace was who he was not because of non-existent "peacefulness" under the Roman empire. He was who he was BECAUSE he was the prince of peace. HE HIMSELF was the revolution in thinking, the change in our broken relationship with God and each other.
We don't all live it yet. But the Christian hope is that someday, we might, and there will be "Peace on Earth, and goodwill to all people."
2006-11-24 03:24:04 · answer #6 · answered by evolver 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
God never changed. He is loving but He is also merciful and JUST and righteous and Holy- He is balanced by all of this and His wrath.
We are under a New Covenant through Jesus Christ which God planned at the beginning of time.
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God" --The word is Jesus Christ!
2006-11-24 03:24:29 · answer #7 · answered by Mandolyn Monkey Munch 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No it is a constant message - in the Old Testament we see how God absolutely hates wickedness, and we see how men try to get to God by works, but in the New Testament we see God is, in fact, the one trying to get to mankind and he would rather come with love instead of a sword. Without Christ and the Holy Spirit, God can only use the sword to punish wickedness, but because of Christ and the Holy Spirit, grace can set apart the righteous in Christ from the wicked and self-righteous.
2006-11-24 03:21:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
maybe but i would argue that God never changes. i was suprised that when i read the Old Testement there are lots of parts that talk about love and caring for others. and there are lots of times in the New Testement where God is more like a war-God as you say. Jesus did come for the lost sheep of Israel and therefore his message was probably to help them first. and then there duty was to help the rest of the world. so it might be a tailored message to the Jews.
2006-11-24 03:20:20 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No. God is the comparable on the instant as He became then and consistently would be. "no longer one tittle of the regulation to get replaced". this is those being stimulated via devil that are making the subject. The devil is the author of bewilderment. this is a Christians duty to appreciate this and to do what all of us recognize is sweet. Gods regulation will by no ability substitute. yet of direction, the devil will attempt and get them to purpose and alter it. And the closer we've been given to the tip of time in the worldwide, the extra serious the devil is going to get at confusing and deceptive people who don't recognize to any extent further useful. And out activity is to purpose - without attempting to tension something down anyones throats - to enlighten human beings to this. If we fail? Then it became meant to fail. plenty are not going to be saved and additionally you ought to comprehend this besides. yet you will get the "factors" for attempting. I surely have observed it transforming into progressively extra worse. yet then, it rather is been written. purely examine Revelations. we are closer to "the excellent Tribulation" than many human beings might prefer to realize. positioned on the armour of God and practice for it.
2016-10-17 11:45:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe it is a mix of things. We no longer had to fear immanet death.
Their was more food, less war, more science to explain things.
So people felt generally happier, happy people want to continue feeling happy. Meaning they would listen to good, safe stories.
Not sure who wrote the bible, but look into when the parts about the peaceful god were written
2006-11-24 03:18:26 · answer #11 · answered by rewrite_h35 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋