By Julius Ndishua
+2348143421649/+237677491537
ndishuajulius@gmail.com
Ph.D. Candidate, The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary,
ABSTRACT
This research has used an intertextual approach to study 2 Chronicles 35:13; Exodus 12:8-9 and Deuteronomy 16:7. Intertextual approach is one of the hermeneutical methods in biblical scholarship that examines the interdependence of texts. This approach to hermeneutics remains a bone of contention among scholars. Some scholars suggest that intertextual analysis allows for a plurality of interpretations since no text is a self-contained system. On the one hand, some opine intertextual study negates structuralism and is linked to post-structuralism, deconstructionism and postmodern views. This suggests that scholars may have diverse opinions on intertextual research depending on how they treat it. However, an intertextual study is perhaps an integral approach that demands careful analysis of interdependent texts. This researcher argues that the form and meaning of the Passover feast progress from Exodus 12:8-9; Deuteronomy 16:7 to 2 Chronicles 35:13. The findings reveal that there is a progression of the meaning of the word Passover feast in Exodus 12:8-9; Deuteronomy 16:7 and 2 Chronicles 35:13. It also reveals that the texts (Exod. 12:8-9; Deut. 16:7 and 2Chron. 35:13) have different contexts and these differences in contexts suggest that the meanings of the texts are affected or modified according to the historical setting. This article posits that the texts mentioned above-used וַֽיְבַשְּׁל֥וּ ‘ ‘to be roasted’ and בִּשְּׁל֗וּ ‘they boiled’ to redefine how the Passover feast was initially intended in Exodus 12:8-9 is a progression as observed in Deuteronomy 16:7 and 2 Chronicles 35:13. The point is that the meaning of the Passover feast did not change, but the form was modified to suit the different occasions. This suggests that theological educators should handle scripture with care, teach it, and exemplify the word of God.
Keywords: Intertextual Study, Passover Feast, Progression, and Form
