Old Testament Essays (Sep 2017)
THE MEANING(S) OF MOSES’ LIFE AN ANALYTIC AND COMPARATIVE-PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE
Abstract
Against the backdrop of problem of the meaning of life as constructed in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion, this article asks the question of what the supposed meaning(s) of the biblical character of Moses’ life were assumed to be. By comparing a variety of contemporary philosophical perspectives on life’s meaning with what appears to be related nascent folk-metaphysical presuppositions in the world(s) of the biblical text, the pros and cons of reading with an anachronistic philosophical-theological meta-language are clearly demonstrated. It is concluded that what Moses’ life might have meant cannot be reduced either to a singular purpose or a unified teleology. Given the complex construction of his character’s personal identity over time, the point of it all remains fragmented, plural and elusive.
