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A Theological Study on the Conceptual Change of 'Sabbath' in the History of Ancient Israel

Lee Keung Jae 1

1목원대학교

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ABSTRACT

The most important day of religious significance in the Old Testament is ‘Sabbath’. But it is impossible to define this Hebrew word as just a word ‘Sabbath’. Because the fall of the kingdom of Israel and the Jewish experience of the Babylonian captivity brought about a decisive change in understanding ‘Sabbath’. First, this word is derived from the word ‘šapattu’ in Akkadian, which means the 15th day of the lunar calendar(=the full moon). Above mentioned "the full moon" was in Mesopotamia a celebration day for the family and a day to sacrifice for divinity. This tradition influenced the understanding of the ‘Sabbath’ in the time of the kingdom of Israel. After the fall of the kingdom, the concept of ‘Sabbath;’ has changed from the meaning of ‘the full moon’ to the ‘Sabbath’. The Sabbath here was a day of rest on the seventh day and a holy day of worshiping YHWH. This fact is reflected in the documents that were recorded after the Babylonian exile. First, The three prophecies emphasize keeping the Sabbath day holy. ‘Sabbath’ in these prophecies was an eternal sign and eternal covenant between God and Israel. On the other hand, in the Priestly source ‘Sabbath’ was later associated with Creation Theology and Decalogue. But the concept of the Sabbath ‘eternal sign’ and ‘eternal covenant’ emphasized in the three prophecies is also mentioned here. The main concern of Chronicler's History was the Sabbath Order and the offerings that were held on the Sabbath in Jerusalem's temple. But Sabbath Laws, such as forbidding all work on the Sabbath, have been made after considerable time, perhaps in the Maccabean period. Most importantly, the Sabbath was one of the most important concepts representing the identity of the Jews, such as ‘circumcision’ or ‘Passover’.

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