J. Richard Middleton

Visão Geral
O que modela com eficácia a vida pública e a sociedade é a submissão generalizada à ciência, à tecnologia e ao crescimento econômico. Na maior parte do tempo o Cristianismo fica de lado e, simplesmente, observa. Uma cosmovisão nunca é meramente uma visão da vida. É sempre uma visão, também, para a vida. Nossa cosmovisão determina nossos valores. Ela nos auxilia a interpretar o mundo ao nosso redor. O desejo dos autores é que haja mudança. Nisso eles vêem a vida, o direcionamento e a esperança de que nossa sociedade tanto precisa.

Top Highlights
“Existe pouca evidência, na maneira como os cristãos vivem, para apoiar nossa alegação de que o reino dos céus está aqui.” (Page 81)

“A industrialização pós-guerra era uma tentativa religiosa de reconquistar o orgulho nacional.” (Page 19)

“O que é um compromisso de fé? É a maneira como respondemos quatro perguntas básicas que afrontam a todos:8 (1) Quem sou eu? Ou, qual é a natureza, a tarefa e o propósito dos seres humanos? (2) Onde estou? Ou, qual é a natureza do mundo e do universo onde vivo? (3) O que está errado? Ou, qual é o problema básico ou o obstáculo que me impede de atingir a satisfação? Em outras palavras, como eu entendo o mal? E, (4) qual é a solução? Ou, como é possível vencer esse impedimento à minha realização? Em outras palavras, como encontro salvação?” (Page 32)

“Uma cosmovisão nunca é meramente uma visão da vida. É sempre uma visão, também, para a vida” (Page 29)

“a todo aquele que vos pedir razão da esperança que há em vós’ (1Pe 3.15)” (Page 82)… (más)

Summary: Challenges the traditional reading of the binding of Isaac that valorizes Abraham’s silence as unquestioning obedience and faith, contending that God wanted more than silent obedience.

Abraham is held up as an exemplar of faith, who believed God and was reckoned righteous. Perhaps nowhere is this view of Abraham held up more than in the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22, known to Jewish readers as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew “to bind.” Abraham’s unquestioning obedience is upheld as a model of faith, that “God would provide the lamb,” that Abraham believed that he and Isaac would return to the servants. and the testimony of Hebrews 11:17-19 that Abraham believed “God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.”

Yet many thoughtful readers find this narrative disturbing. The idea that God would command such a sacrifice, even as a test, disturbs (although it must be noted that God prevents the act, subsequently forbidding all child sacrifice, in contrast to the gods of surrounding peoples.) Yet the images of the bound Isaac, and the raised knife shake us. What also disturbs J. Richard Middleton is the silence of Abraham. The narrative record does not record Abraham saying anything to God. He rises early the next morning (perhaps to avoid Sarah?), packs up the donkey with wood, and leaves with Isaac and two servants. No plea to spare his son for the sake of the promise. No plea to take him rather than the child of the promise. No nothing. Middleton proposes that part of the test is whether Abraham would talk back to God.

Middleton makes the case that there is a strong element running through scripture of “lament with an edge.” This is seen throughout the Psalms where God’s people cry out to God in pain and suffering that it doesn’t seem that God sees or hears, wondering how long he will permit this. Moses challenges God, convincing God to spare Israel despite their idolatry, pleading God’s reputation among the nations. He refuses to settle for less than God’s presence with him. And God accedes to all this and reveals himself as the God of steadfast love and faithfulness.

Much of the book, Part Two, is devoted to the exemplar par excellence of talking back to God–Job. He contends that Job’s vigorous protest is approved by God, in contrast to the counsel of his “comforters.” The fact that God speaks twice indicates he wants Job to speak back

Against this Old Testament backdrop, Middleton contends Abraham stands out in his silence. He acknowledges the scholarship of Walter Moberly and Jon Levenson that rules out criticisms of Abraham because these are external to the text. Middleton credits this precept but contends there are subtle textual cues to suggest that God wanted more than silent obedience. He notes the shift from YHWH to elohim, suggesting the test involved whether Abraham would perceive something different about the God of the covenant from the gods (elohim) of surrounding peoples. He notes the early departure, perhaps to avoid discussion with Sarah, and the three-day silent journey to a location that should have taken a day (Abraham doesn’t want to do this, but says nothing, just drags his feet), And there are the words to Isaac, “God will provide the lamb, my son.” Middleton says we assume the comma but what if this was not in Abraham’s mind? Middleton includes an amusing comic here to make the point.

Perhaps most striking is that afterward, Isaac parts from Abraham, returning only to bury Abraham. Sarah is also recorded as living apart from Abraham. Isaac’ life in many ways is a parenthesis between Abraham and Jacob. Middleton wonders how different this would have been if Abraham advocated for his son. For example in Jacob’s eyes, the God of Abraham is the fear of Isaac. Middleton wonders if the family dysfunctions of this family began at this time.

Middleton proposes that Abraham barely passes the test, maybe a “C”–he obeys–but that God wanted more. He wanted to see if Abraham would actively speak back, to advocate for the son and for the promise. Sadly, he did not, and also failed to see the richness of God’s mercy.

There is much to be said for this proposal. There is a pattern of Abraham’s willingness to put others at jeopardy–Sarah, Ishmael, and Hagar. In each instance God bales them out, as he does with Isaac. The exception seems to be Lot and Sodom, in Genesis 18, where Abraham pleads from fifty to ten righteous to save the city. Middleton notes that even here, he stops, though Lot and his family number less than ten. Fearing to anger God (although God showed no anger with his pleading), he fails discover how far God’s mercy would go. All he sees is the destruction of the cities, not knowing of Lot’s rescue…and he just moves on. Would Abraham go further in pleading for “his only son, the son he loved”? He doesn’t.

There is also the fallout of the binding in the fracturing of the family, and the likely trauma to Isaac. God works redemptively over the generations, but was this what God intended? Middleton raises profound questions that make us look afresh at this narrative.

Yet I find Middleton unconvincing on several counts. There are Abraham’s utterances to Isaac and the servants. Middleton treats these as brave but unbelieving when in fact they prove out. There is the specific approbation of the angel of the Lord and the restatement of the promise of blessing. Middleton notes subtleties in the language that in his mind qualify this approbation. I found them unconvincing.

I also looked for a discussion of Hebrews 11:17-19 in the text. Christians “valorize” (to use Middleton’s term) Abraham at least in part because of this text, taking our cue for how we read the story from the inspired writer of Hebrews. Middleton’s discussion was not to be found in the text but only in a footnote (59) on page 213-214. He writes:

“The New Testament also seems to validate Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice Isaac. In Heb. 11:17-19, Abraham is praised for his faith in the resurrection (he believed God could raise Isaac), which is the reason why he went ahead with the sacrifice of his son. Beyond noting that the explicit doctrine of the resurrection did not arise until after the exile. I would point to Heb. 11:32, which list none other than Jephthah as a hero of faith (in contrast to his portrayal as an unsavory character in Judg. 11). This is clearly based on extra-biblical tradition and not on the biblical text itself.“

Middleton’s argument is to find one questionable element (Jephthah) in the Hebrews 11 account to throw shade on the account of Abraham. This, to me is not an adequate argument for why Christians should not heed the testimony of Hebrews 11 concerning Abraham, and placing such an argument in a footnote reflects to me a reluctance to address evidence that contradicts his argument.

What Middleton does for me is make me look afresh at this challenging text. Along with him, I find myself wondering at Abraham’s silence toward God. I’m less certain than Middleton that Abraham barely passed the test but I do find myself wondering “what if?” I find myself wondering about the “cost” of this test to Abraham’s family. Yes, God did provide the sacrifice but Abraham, at least in a relational sense, lost a son (and, it seems, Sarah as well). What Middleton does is offer a challenge to address these costs for traditional views that valorize Abraham. He also offers the examples of vigorous prayers that take God seriously enough to lament and to contend with God. Whatever my questions about his reading of Abraham, this is a contribution I can wholeheartedly affirm.… (más)

Richard Middleton, the co-author of The Transforming Vision and author of The Liberating Image, has produced a fascinating, insightful and brilliant book dealing with eschatology. He wrote it because he saw that the 'time was ripe for a clearly articulated Christian eschatology that is rooted in responsible exegesis of Scripture and also attuned to the theological claims and ethical implications of the Bible's vision of salvation'. He has done exactly that. He clarifies how eschatology is consistent with a holistic worldview.
We have sadly lost the biblical vision of eschatology. For far too many Christians the aim is to escape the earth and to be in heaven with God, worshiping him - they envisage heaven as an eternal church service. For many Christians who have swallowed this escapist nonsense it will come as a shock to see that this vision of heaven is Platonic rather than biblical. It's not helped, as Middleton points out, by some of the hymns that we sing; for example: Wesley's Love Divine: 'Changed from glory into glory/ till in heaven we take our place' or even the Christmas carol 'Away in a Manger': 'And fit us for heaven to live with thee there'! As Middleton shows this idea of a transcendent non-earthy realm goes back not to the Scriptures but to Plato.

Middleton draws upon second temple Judaism, Greek philosophers, church fathers, the Apocrypha, the Dead Sea scrolls, Little Red Riding Hood, Reggae music, the film the Princess Bride, Narnia as well as primarily the scriptures to show how this holistic view of eschatology is firmly rooted in the scriptures. When it comes to a biblical view of heaven it seems we have lost the plot, but Middleton by looking at the plot of the biblical story shows us what a more biblical, holistic and integrated eschatology looks like.
In his examination of four key NT texts (Acts 3:17-21; Eph 1:7-10; Col 1:16-20; Rom 8:19-23; 2 Pet 3:10-13) he concludes that salvation is restorative and comprehensive and holistic. It is a repairing of what went wrong and a redeeming of all things - not just our 'souls'. The garden in Genesis 1 is to be fulfilled in Revelation 21-22. He rightly emphasises that 'the human contribution to the the new Jerusalem is not to be downplayed' and that salvation 'does not erase cultural differences'. Heaven is not just an eternal church service or worship meeting! He suggests that cultural development may even need to take place on the new earth.

Not being afraid of look at the apparently contrary data in scriptures, Middleton examines these in close detail. Several texts suggest a cosmic destruction and other-worldly destiny rather than an holistic renewal - these include the Olivet Discourse, Revelation 6, 2 Peter 3 and Hebrews 12. After a close examination of these passages he concludes 'the Bible envisages nothing less than the eschatological transformation of heaven and earth'; a transformation not an annihilation.

He briefly looks at personal eschatology and concludes that there is little evidence for an intermediate state in the Scriptures.

The final chapters examine the important question 'So What?' The gospel of the kingdom is good news as it addresses Jesus' hearers with 'full-bodied concrete earthly needs', and it breaks down the opposition between the Jews and gentiles; it is open to the outcasts and outsiders. This perspective is in stark contrast to the new form of dualism Middleton claims is making inroads into the North American church: an in group/ out group dualism.

He makes an excellent case for the need not to separate eschatology and ethics. The kingdom of God is not the church, or a set of cultural ideas, it is nothing less than 'God's restorative rule over the entire earth'.

The book is extremely well documented - about 25% of it is references and this shows the depth of research Middelton has done and engaged with.

This book is a must-read for all Christians.… (más)