Israel and thereby renew creation itself. Victory over the dark powers, particularly those conjured up by the idolatry which the prophets condemned not only in the pagan nations but also in Israel itself, would come through Israel’s God, the Creator, fulfilling in person the multi-layered vocation of the king, and of Israel itself, and ultimately of true humanity. All that, we may surmise, stands in the background of what John and Paul are saying when they sketch, with tantalising brevity, their picture of Jesus and the ‘powers’.
