Time&Eternity

Biblical and Theological Conceptions of Time 67
which, together with other factors, led to the eschatologization of historical
thought by the prophets. 33 Even if the concept of eschatology is ambiguous
here, von Rad’s thesis nevertheless drew attention to two important components
of prophetic proclamation, namely, its relatedness to secular history
and its claim that the new historical acts are superseding everything that has
happened in the past. This then completes a turn toward the future, within
whose horizon the cosmic expansion of the tradition of the Day of Yahweh
needs to be considered.
In his account, von Rad emphasizes the unique quality of the Israelite
conceptions of time, which, in his opinion, are in contrast to an ancient
oriental worldview shaped by a mythical-cyclical way of thinking that resulted
in a sacred and essentially nonhistorical understanding of the world.
In this cyclical concept of the world, there is no room for the uniqueness of
the inner-historical divine acts of God. Nevertheless, in his desire to distinguish
Israel as totally other and unique, von Rad rushed prematurely to the
view that Israel’s linear concept was unequaled. It was surely no “ugly ditch”
that separated Israel’s understanding of time from that of its neighbors, 34 as
can be seen, for example, in Siegfried Morenz’s account of the Egyptian understanding
of time. Morenz states that in Egypt there were certainly distinctions
among different times, both terminologically 35 and in terms of
consciousness; in fact, the timeline of human beings is geometrically located
on a straight line, whereas natural phenomena and cult are assigned to a
circle. 36 The circle of periodicity has its actual point of reference in the
recurrence of the Nile flood and vegetation. The straight line running into
in-finity is oriented toward the goal-directed existence of the individual,
which can be illustrated by the official career track of Egyptians and their
striving for eternity that finds its highest expression in the symbol of the
mummy. 37
Even the quality of “being filled,” which von Rad develops as a feature
of the Israelite concept of time, is actually related to Egyptian thought, for,
according to Morenz, Egyptians “did not envisage it [time] as an absolute
quantity, or at least only as this, but related it to something else and thereby
gave it quality.” 38 “Time becomes a receptacle for a fulfilled present.” 39 Corresponding
to the Greek kairos, things always have their assigned opportune
moment. Morenz presents numerous examples from Egyptian literature for
the motto “For everything there is a time,” which reminds one of Eccles.
3:1ff., just as the sentence “The years are in his hand,” 40 from a hymn to
Amun-Re, causes one to think of Ps. 31:16 and of Klepper’s “You who hold
time in your hands.” 41 Egyptians also were familiar with the notion of time
planned down to the last detail 42 —“all have their nourishment, and their
days are numbered.” 43