Rewriting the Torah: Literary Revision in Deuteronomy and the Holiness LegislationJeffrey Stackert explores literary correspondences among the pentateuchal legal corpora and especially the relationships between similar laws in Deuteronomy and the Holiness Legislation (Lev 17-26, the so-called "Holiness Code," as well as significant parts of the Priestly source elsewhere in the Pentateuch). Resemblances between these law collections range from broad structure to fine detail and include treatments of similar legal topics, correlations with regard to sequence of laws, and precise grammatical and lexical correspondences. Yet the nature and basis of these resemblances persist as debated points among biblical scholars. Through an analysis of the pentateuchal laws on asylum, seventh-year release, manumission, and tithes, the author argues that the Holiness Legislation depends upon both the Covenant Collection and Deuteronomy. He also elucidates the compositional logic of the Holiness legislators, showing that these authors do not simply replicate pre-existing legal content. Rather, they employ a method of literary revision in which they reconceptualize source material according to their own ideological biases. In the end, the Holiness Legislation proves to be a "super law" that collects and distills the Priestly and non-Priestly laws that precede it. By accommodating, reformulating, and incorporating various viewpoints from these sources, the Holiness authors create a work that is intended to supersede them all. |
Contents
Acknowledgments V | 1 |
The Urbanization of Asylum Reconceptualizations | 31 |
Revision in the Pentateuchal SeventhYear | 113 |
A Tithe from the Tithe Revision of the Deuteronomic | 165 |
Literary Dependence and Compositional Logic | 209 |
Bibliography | 227 |
247 | |
262 | |
Common terms and phrases
altar asylum Ancient Israel argues asylum city asylum law attested Barmash biblical law blood avenger Canon casuistic chapter Cities of Refuge city asylum composition concept concerning context correspondences Covenant Code Covenant Collection cultic Cuneiform Law Deut Deuteronomic author Deuteronomic law Deuteronomic legislator Deuteronomy direct literary discussion Edited employs example Exod Exodus Fishbane H author Hammurabi Hebrew Bible Heiligkeitsgesetz Hermeneutics high priest History Holiness author Holiness Code Holiness Legislation homicide interpretation Israelite issue Jacob Milgrom Josh 20 killer Knohl land Laws of Hammurabi legal corpora Levinson Levites Leviticus lexical literary dependence literary relationship manslayer manumission manumission laws narrative Note Numbers offer Old Testament parallels pentateuchal pentateuchal legal Priestly source redactional reference refuge city revision Rofé Sabbath Sanctuary of Silence scholars second person Sheffield singular slavery slavery laws source text Studies suggests third person tion tithe laws Torah translation verb verses Weinfeld YHWH יהוה אלהיך לו לך שמה