Reading Law: The Rhetorical Shaping of the PentateuchA&C Black, 1999 M06 1 - 192 pages Watts here argues that conventions of oral rhetoric were adapted to shape the literary form and contents of the Pentateuch. The large-scale structure-stories introducing lists of laws that conclude with divine sanctions-reproduces a common ancient strategy for persuasion. The laws' use of direct address, historical motivations and frequent repetitions serve rhetorical ends, and even the legal contradictions seem designed to appeal to competing constituencies. The instructional speeches of God and Moses reinforce the persuasive appeal by characterizing God as a just ruler and Moses as a faithful scribe. The Pentateuch was designed to persuade Persian-period Judaeans that this Torah should define their identity as Israel. |
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Page 15
... Ezra dedicates several days to such public readings of law . Other allusions to the uses of laws and legal collections do not describe the activities in as much detail as do accounts of public law readings . The latter seem to have been ...
... Ezra dedicates several days to such public readings of law . Other allusions to the uses of laws and legal collections do not describe the activities in as much detail as do accounts of public law readings . The latter seem to have been ...
Page 19
... Ezra's Law Book Like Josiah , Ezra reads the law to ' all the people ' ( Neh . 8.1 , 3 , 5 ; this inclusive assembly included men , women and children old enough to understand , according to 8.2 , 3 ) .10 The accounts of Ezra's reading ...
... Ezra's Law Book Like Josiah , Ezra reads the law to ' all the people ' ( Neh . 8.1 , 3 , 5 ; this inclusive assembly included men , women and children old enough to understand , according to 8.2 , 3 ) .10 The accounts of Ezra's reading ...
Page 20
... Ezra's law book and the historicity of this episode.12 Despite the document's size , Ezra's law book still serves as a script for oral proclamation and teaching . The depiction of its public reading obviously intends to evoke comparison ...
... Ezra's law book and the historicity of this episode.12 Despite the document's size , Ezra's law book still serves as a script for oral proclamation and teaching . The depiction of its public reading obviously intends to evoke comparison ...
Page 25
... Ezra's reading of the law became the model upon which accounts of earlier covenant renewal ceremonies were based . In that case , public readings would still have developed only after much of the law was already written and edited ...
... Ezra's reading of the law became the model upon which accounts of earlier covenant renewal ceremonies were based . In that case , public readings would still have developed only after much of the law was already written and edited ...
Page 26
... Ezra's law reading clearly presupposes the older deuteronomic tradition , these new elements distinguish his ' book of the law ' as a large and complicated document — a description that fits Pentateuchal law more closely than that given ...
... Ezra's law reading clearly presupposes the older deuteronomic tradition , these new elements distinguish his ' book of the law ' as a large and complicated document — a description that fits Pentateuchal law more closely than that given ...
Contents
7 | |
8 | |
11 | |
15 | |
32 | |
Chapter 3 INSTRUCTION | 61 |
Chapter 4 COMMANDMENT | 89 |
Chapter 5 LAW | 131 |
Postscript on Rhetorical Ethics | 162 |
Bibliography | 168 |
Index of References | 179 |
Index of Authors | 185 |
Index of Selected Topics | 188 |
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ancient Near Eastern apodictic argued audience authority biblical law Blenkinsopp blessings and curses Blum Chapter characterization commandments context Covenant Code Crüsemann cult cultic Cuneiform Law Decalogue depicts describe Deut Deuteronomistic History Deuteronomy divine sanctions emphasizes Exod Exodus Ezra Genesis genre God's Hebrew Bible historical Holiness Code imperial inscription instructions Israel Israel's law Israelite Joshua JSOT JSOTSup Judean king law and narrative law codes law collections law-giver legal collections legislation Letoon Levinson Leviticus list and divine list and story literary literature mediation Mesopotamian Moab Moses motive clauses narrator O'Banion obedience Old Testament oral Patrick Penta Pentateuch's rhetoric Pentateuchal law Persian persuasive priestly prophetic public law readings public reading redaction religious repetition Rhetoric of Motives rhetorical analysis rhetorical strategy rhetorical theory ritual decalogue role royal Second Temple shaped Sheffield Sinai speaker speech structure Studien Temple texts Theology tion Torah tradition treaties voice words YHWH YHWH's