Date of Award

7-1-1983

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Theology (ThD)

Department

Systematic Theology

First Advisor

Horace Hummel

Scripture References in this Resource (separated by semi-colons)

Isaiah 27:1; Exodus 15:1-21; Exodus 3:15; Genesis 12:10-20; Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 20:1-18; Genesis 22:17-18; Genesis 26:1-5; Genesis 26:6,41; Genesis 28:13-14; Isaiah 51:9-11; Job 7:12; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 27:2; Psalm 28:8; Psalm 74:13; Psalm 91:5;

Abstract

The conflicts of Krishna cannot be understood simply as stories or interpreted as isolated events. They have to be understood within the framework of Vaishaava theology as exemplified in the Puranic literature. Viewed from this perspective, one will find that they have profound theological significance. In the Old Testament also we find the motif “Yahweh as Warrior." The question arises whether a comparative study of the conflicts of Krishna and the battles of Yahweh is feasible, and what is the distinctiveness of the Old Testament message. Therefore, an attempt is made in this paper to analyze the conflicts of Krishna in the Puranas and the battles of Yahweh, to elucidate the fundamental theologies underlying the battles in the respective documents, and to highlight the distinctiveness of Old Testament message with specific reference to the themes of the meaning of history and salvation, and their relevance to human life.

No attempt is made in this paper to explain the different schools of Vaishnavism. Only the general development of the theme of Krishna/Vishnu pertaining to the texts of this study will be observed. For the purpose of the study of the texts of Hindu literature, only the English translations of the original, and in some cases summaries made by eminent scholars will be used.

Hinduism and Old Testament developed in entirely different cultural settings. But the Ugaritic literature which developed within a cultural and historical context similar to those of the Old Testaments shares some commonality with the Puranas, namely, conflicts among the deities, Therefore, a brief analysis of the conflict motif in the Ugaritic literature will be made for the sake of comparisons and to elucidate the distinctiveness of the Biblical message. To attempt any new proposals regarding Ugaritic texts is beyond the scope of this paper. Translations of Ugaritic texts will be consulted for this purpose.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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