WILDERNESS TRADITIONS IN THE HEBREW BIBLE, SECOND TEMPLE LITERATURE AND THE NEW TESTAMENT

This thesis is an analysis of the wilderness traditions. In this thesis, I investigate how the different strands of the wilderness motif wend their way through the Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Literature, and the New Testament. Also, I trace the development of the wilderness traditions on the basis of their treatment of various biblical and extra-biblical traditions: how the older traditions are interpreted and applied by future generations. I try to communicate the diverse ways represented in each text how the wilderness captured the imagination of people and served different theological purposes throughout time. By means of this study, I hope to demonstrate that the wilderness traditions are influential for a better understanding of the unity in the various parts of the Protestant Bible.