Toward a Hermeneutic of Shalom: Reading texts of teleological terror in peace perspective

To interpret in a responsible manner depictions of divine violence in the Bible, including New Testament texts of teleological terror, this article commends the implementation of a hermeneutic of shalom. Various challenges associated with biblical portrayals of divine violence are identified, after which differences in Matthew and Luke's presentations of Jesus' eschatological expectations are explored. The study concludes by outlining a hermeneutic of shalom, in which eschatological expectation is appraised in light of the moral tenor of the historic mission of Jesus, which raises the question of the nature of divine judgment.