Review article<\/p>\n
| Full text: english PDF<\/a><\/td>\n | page 179-194<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n The Church in the New Testament is described with various images, and this article argues that one image that is implicitly present in the New Testament is the Church as a \u201ccourt\u201d or a \u201ccommunity of trial.\u201d First, this can be argued because the God of the Bible \u2013 YHWH – is Creator, King, and Judge. That means that YHWH\u2019s community is responsible, per YHWH\u2019s revelation, to maintain the purity of its members in all aspects of life. Second, in the New Testament, we find examples where the Church functions as a court. However, the question is, does the biblical requirement for \u201ctwo or three witnesses\u201d also support the claim that the Church should function as a court? The purpose of this article is to identify places where the biblical command about \u201ctwo or three witnesses appear,\u201d to trace its development and to see what role and place it plays in the Church. By doing so, we would demonstrate that the presence of this stipulation in the New Testament is additional proof that we should sometimes view the Church as a \u201ccourt.\u201d The first part of the article explains that the context for the concept of witness is the Mosaic covenant and underlying assumption that governs the command about \u201ctwo and three witnesses.\u201d The second part analyzes the appearance of \u201ctwo or three witnesses\u201d in the Old Testament. In the third part, we will argue that the Church is truly a community of trial. We will so argue by observing selected examples from the New Testament where the Church functions as a court, and by tracking the development of the requirement about \u201ctwo or three witnesses\u201d in the New Testament. Based on this research, we will end by offering a reflection and a conclusion.<\/p>\n Keywords<\/strong><\/p>\n Church, court, \u201ctwo or three witnesses\u201d, judgment, revelation, theocracy<\/p>\n Hr\u010dak ID:<\/strong><\/p>\n 266774<\/p>\n |