THE ABSENCE AND PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE BOOK OF EXODUS AS THEOLOGICAL SYNTHESIS

This article argues that divine presence and absence plays an important role in the narratives of the book of Exodus. A dialectic between divine presence and absence is indicated by the use of the expression the “fear of God/the Lord” in Exodus. The article argues that “the fear of the Lord/God” provides a window into the process of establishing theological coherence in the book of Exodus where contending theological traditions were brought together as an initial overture towards the eventual canonisation of the Torah, Prophets and the Writings.