What evidence is there that God as father was a common concept for Jesus's first century Jewish audience?
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[Many Christians](https://chicagobible.org/why-was-god-never-called-father-in-the-old-testament-he-is-called-father-in-the-new-testament-kenya/) believe that Jesus' teaching about the Fatherhood of God was new and even revolutionary. Previously, Jews thought of God as "Lord" but not as Father. However, we can indeed find evidence in the Hebrew Bible for the fatherhood of God. For example the prophet Nathan, speaking for God of King Solomon, said:
> He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of
> his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son.
> (2 Sam. 7:13-14)
And Psalm 103:13 says:
> As a father pities his children,
> so the Lord pities those who fear him.
So was Jesus' teaching of God as our Father already well known to his Jewish audience? Were the OT references to God's parenthood common knowledge, or was Jesus' teaching a major new revelation of God's nature?
Asked by Dan Fefferman
(7370 rep)
Aug 31, 2022, 03:00 PM
Last activity: Mar 17, 2024, 04:24 AM
Last activity: Mar 17, 2024, 04:24 AM