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an introduction to the pentateuch:

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an introduction to the pentateuch:

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    1. An Introduction to the Pentateuch: ATPS-BIB509

    2. Hebrew Canon hrwt - Torah ~yaybn - Nebi’im ~ybwtkw - Kethubim

    3. Torah in General ". . . for both Christians and Jews, Scripture begins with the Torah. For Judaism we could remove the article and say that "Scripture begins and ends with Torah," inasmuch as the rest of the Hebrew Bible – especially the prophetic books, but also to some extent the "writings" – can be understood as interpretive extensions of the Torah, rather than as portions of equal weight.“ [Levinson]

    4. Torah in General “The Law (Torah) or Pentateuch was ascribed to Moses and was regarded by all branches and groups within early Judaism (including Christianity) as the most complete revelation and authoritative religious document handed down from ancient Israel.” [John van Seters, The Pentateuch: A Social-Science Commentary, 15]

    5. Terminology “. . . already in the post-exilic period, in the later books of the OT, there are references to "the Book of Moses" (Ezra 6.18; Neh 13.1; 2 Chr 25.4), but it is not clear whether the entire Pentateuch is intended or only the legal sections.” [Childs, IOTS]

    6. Terminology Chumash – Hebrew word for five “Subsequent Jewish tradition coined the technical term "the five-fifths of the law" (yvmwx hvmx hrwt) to describe the division of the Pentateuch into five parts.” [Childs] The term pentateuchus is the Latin rendering of the Greek hv Penta,teucoj, meaning the fivefold book."

    7. Content of the Pentateuch 1. "The OT Pentateuch, or Torah, combines narratives and legal materials with occasional poetic sections.” “The narrative material tells the story of human history from Adam to Abraham, then recounts the fate of Abraham and his descendants (primarily the ancestors of Israel) until the period just before the conquest of the territory west of the Jordan River.”

    8. Content of the Pentateuch “The legal material primarily appears as two large blocks: the revelations given while the people are encamped at Mt. Sinai (Ex 19-40; Lev; Num 1.1-10.10) and Moses' proclamation of the laws in Moab just before the conquest (Num 22-36 and Deut). At other places, laws, commands, and legal ordinances appear (see Gen 1.28-29; 9.1-7; 17.9-15 and throughout the journeys recorded in Num 10.10-21.35)." [Hayes, An Introduction to OT Study, 157-8]

    9. Content of the Pentateuch 2. The Pentateuch... has six major parts: [Friedman, "Pentateuch," ABD] (1) The primeval history Gen 1-11 (2) The patriarchs Gen 12-50 (3) The liberation from Egypt Exod1.1-15.21 (interim: 15.22-16.36) (4) The stay at Sinai/Horeb Exod 17-40; Lev (5) The journey Num (6) Moses' farewell Deut

    10. The Canonical Form & Function The Five as Separate Gen – the “genealogy” formula structures the book and ends at the death of Jacob. While Exod 1.1-5 must “recapitulate” the material of Gene 46.8ff. Exod – ends with the Tabernacle and summarizes it future role and thereby making a rough transition to Leviticus. Lev – Milgrom argues that Leviticus is thematically independent. Num – Numbers focuses on laws of the camp when in military order. Deut – A clear intro & conclusion, establishes Deut's independence. [Childs, IOTS]

    11. The Canonical Form & Function The Five as One The plot begins in Genesis and flows logically through to the end of Deuteronomy. Threads, e.g.: 1) land promise in Gen is carried through as a agenda for fulfilment in Exod-Deut; 2) Deliverance in the first half of Exod and the subsequent journey toward Canaan in Exod-Num, with the journey's end in Deut in Moab. Adjacent books are “normally linked closely together”, e.g.: 1) Jacob's bones (Gen 50.25) and fulfilment (Exod 13.19); 2) Priests set apart in Exod 29 are appointed in Lev 9; 3) Num 20.12 anticipates the death of Mose in Deut 34. [See: T. D. Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Main Themes of the Pentateuch]

    12. Authorship Issues 1. The Pentateuch/Torah as an anonymous work: “The view long traditional in both Judaism and Christianity is that Moses authored the entire Pentateuch. Here and there in the Pentateuch Moses is said to have written certain things, including laws (Ex 24:4) and the vow to extirpate the Amalekites (Ex 17:14), but nowhere is it affirmed that the Pentateuch was authored by Moses, or indeed by anyone else. One would therefore think that what calls for an explanation is not why most people stopped believing in the dogma of Mosaic authorship, but rather why anyone believed it in the first place.” [Joseph Blenkinsopp, The Pentateuch: An Introduction to the first five books of the Bible, 1]

    13. Authorship Issues 2. Mosaic Authorship: 2.1 Judaism & Christianity accepted a Mosaic authorship without question for centuries: Ben-Sira, Philo, Josephus, the Mishnah, Talmud, etc. 2.2 OT: the book of the law of Moses (Neh 8.1); the book of Moses (Neh 13.1; 2 Chr 25.4, 35.12); the law of Moses the servant of God (Dan 9.11; cf. Mal 4.4); the book of the law of Moses (Josh 8.31, 23.6; 2 Kgs 14.6), etc. 2.3 NT: the book of Moses (Mk 12.26; the law of Moses (Lk 2.22; Jn 7.23), etc.

    14. Authorship Issues 3. Mosaic and Single Authorship Challenged: 3.1 Anachronisms 3.2 Multiple accounts of the same event 3.3 Disagreements between narratives 3.4 Differences in the Laws 3.5 God’s name Yahweh 3.6 Differences in style and conception of God

    15. Authorship Issues 4. The Point of Moses’ Authorship: [Childs] 4.1 “Mosaic authorship was thought crucial in supporting the historicity of Bible . . . .” 4.2 “. . . Moses’ writing activity is closely tied to his mediatorial role in receiving the divine law at Sinai.” 4.3 Deuteronomy 31 4.4 “. . .laws attributed to Moses were deemed authoritative, and conversely authoritative laws were attributed to Moses.”

    16. Authorship Issues 5. Korea & Japan: For the development in Korea see: Joo-sam Yang in Kim, Jung-woo Kim “The Historical-Critical Method and 20th Century Old Testament Studies in Korea.” Theology and Religion. 2 (1999): 33-43. For the development in Japan see: Sacon, Kiyoshi K. “Biblical Scholarship, Japanese, OT Scholarship.” Anchor Bible Dictionary. CD-Rom Edition. New York: Doubleday, 1997.

    17. Further Reading of Note: Noll, Mark. Between Faith and Criticism: Evangelicals, Scholarship, and the Bible in America. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1986. Rogerson, J. W. Old Testament Criticism in the Nineteenth Century. London: Fortress Press, 1984. Reventlow, Henning Graf. The Authority of the Bible and the Rise of the Modern World. London: Fortress Press, 1984.

    18. Matin Noth’s – Major Themes of the Pentateuch 1. Guidance out of Egypt 2. Guidance into the Arable Land 3. Promise to the Patriarchs 4. Guidance in the Wilderness 5. Revelation at Sinai

    19. Noth’s Narrative Fill 1. The Egyptian Plagues and the Celebration of the Passover 2. Episodes Connected with the Occupation 3. Baal Peor and Balaam 4. Jacob at Shechem 5. Jacob in East Jordan 6. Isaac and Abraham

    20. Noth’s Narrative Fill 7. Thirst, Hunger, and Enemies in the Wilderness 8. The Murmuring of the People 9. Caleb in Hebron 10. The Mountain of God and the Midianites 11. Covenant and Apostasy at Sinai

    21. Pentateuchal Theme "The theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment - which implies also the partial non-fulfillment - of the promise to or blessing of the patriarchs. The promise or blessing is both the divine initiative in a word where human initiatives always lead to disaster, and a re-affirmation of the primal divine intentions for man. The promise has three elements: posterity, divine-human relationship, and land. The posterity–element of the promise is dominant in Genesis 12-50, the relationship–element in Exodus and Leviticus, and the land-element in Numbers and Deuteronomy.” [Clines, The Theme of the Pentateuch, 29]

    22. Pentateuchal Theme The theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment - which implies also the partial non-fulfillment - of the promise to or blessing of the patriarchs.

    23. Pentateuchal Theme The promise has three elements: posterity, divine-human relationship, and land.

    24. Pentateuchal Theme The posterity–element of the promise is dominant in Genesis 12-50, the relationship–element in Exodus and Leviticus, and the land-element in Numbers and Deuteronomy.

    25. Clines: Promises in Genesis 1. "In thematic terms, Genesis 12-50 is primarily concerned with the fulfillment (or, perhaps, non-fulfillment) of the posterity - element in the divine promises to the patriarchs." [Clines, The Theme of the Pentateuch, 45]

    26. Clines: Promises in Genesis 2. "...it is only within Exodus that the multiplication of the patriarchal family attains significant dimensions (Ex 1.7, 9, 12, 20). Genesis ends with the patriarchal family consisting essentially of Jacob and his twelve sons. The promise has begun to take effect, but is still largely unrealized." [Clines, 46]

    27. Clines: Promises in Genesis 3. "The thematic elements of the land and of the divine relationship also appear in Genesis, but in a subsidiary role." [Clines, 46]

    28. Clines: Promises in Genesis 4. "As for the promise of the divine relationship, its formulation in Genesis remains somewhat cryptic and its outworking variable and provisional." [Clines, 46]

    29. Clines: Promises in Genesis 5. "In brief, within Genesis it is by no means established in set terms what the nature of the divine-human relationship is to be. The promise has begun to take effect, but the shape it will adopt is as yet uncertain." [Clines, 47]

    30. Clines: Promises in Exod & Lev 1. "At the two focal points of these books, the exodus event and the Sinai revelation, it becomes plain what the promise meant by its word, "I will bless you," "I will make my covenant between me and you," "I will be you God." Thus in the book Exodus the narrative of the exodus from Egypt is initiated by acts that spring from the divine-human relationship...." [Clines, 47]

    31. Clines: Promises in Exod & Lev 2. ". . . Leviticus, its function, within the scheme of the promise and its fulfillments, is to spell out in detail the means by regulation of ritual worship is its almost exclusive interest; its presuppositions are that men will wish to offer gifts to God, will sin against God, will want to know the will of God for everyday life. That is to say, Leviticus depicts a community exploring its relationship with God." [Clines, 50]

    32. Clines: Promises in Exod & Lev 3. ". . . it is striking that the promise of progeny is subordinated to the promise of the relationship, the primary theme of these two books: Yahweh will "remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God" (26.45)." [Clines, 52]

    33. Clines: Promises in Exod & Lev 5. "The promise of the land, though more prominent, nevertheless appears only in scattered allusions throughout Exodus and Leviticus, compared with the dominant role it will assume in Numbers and Deuteronomy." [Clines, 52]

    34. Clines: Promises in Num & Deut 1. "The promise of the land, though more prominent, nevertheless appears only in scattered allusions throughout Exodus and Leviticus, compared with the dominant role it will assume in Numbers and Deuteronomy." [Clines, 53]

    35. Clines: Promises in Num & Deut 2. "In Numbers the idea of the movement toward the land appears at the very beginning of the book in the census of the people . . . . Just as we have seen in both Genesis and Exodus, no sooner does the promise begin to come into effect than it is beset by questions and negations." [Clines, 53-55]

    36. Clines: Promises in Num & Deut 3. "As far as Deuteronomy is concerned, it goes without saying that everything focuses upon the land. Among its most characteristic phrases are "the land you are to possess" which occurs (with variations) 22 time, and "the land (or, ground, gates, cites, etc.) which Yahweh your (or, our, etc.) God gives you (or, us)", which occurs 34 times." [Clines, 58]

    37. Clines: Promises in Num & Deut 4. "Deuteronomy, therefore, is oriented to the land that yet remains to be entered, and regards the entry into the land as essentially a fulfillment of the patriarchal promises. In no part of the Pentateuch is our thesis better sustained that its theme is the partial and yet awaited fulfillment of the patriarchal promise." [Clines, 58]

    38. Structural Issues 1. Division: 1.1 Chapters by Stephen Langton (1150-1228) in the Vulgate 1.2 Verses are found as early as the Talmudic period, but not numbered.

    39. Structural Issues 1.3 Verse numbering was by Robert Estienne (1550 Greek N.T.; 3 years later the whole French bible)

    40. Structural Issues 1.4 The Masoretic Bible was divided into liturgical readings.

    41. Structural Issues 2. Book Division: 2.1 “Whatever the reason for the division, we can hardly assume that it was done in a purely mechanical way according to length. Exodus and Numbers, the second and fourth of the five, are almost exactly equal in length (16,713 and 16,413 words respectively) while Leviticus, the middle book, is by far the shortest (11,950 words), not much more than half the length of Genesis.” [Blenkinsopp]

    42. Structural Issues 2.2 “The fivefold arrangement highlights Leviticus as the central panel of the Pentateuch, containing as it does the prescriptions identifying the reconstituted Israel of the Second Commonwealth as a holy community distinct from the nations of the world. If this is so, the structure of the foundational narrative, now severed from the history of events subsequent to the death of Moses, encodes an essential clue to its meaning." [Blenkinsopp]

    43. LITERARY QUALITIES Ambiguities: "The Pentateuchal narrative is filled with ambiguities, seemingly intended, which have been fodder for a rich variety of interpretation over centuries.... such literary ambiguities, which do not have appearance of inexpert composition but, quite the contrary, beckon for decipherment and interpretation." [Friedman, "Torah (Pentateuch)," ABD, CD-Rom Edition]

    44. LITERARY QUALITIES Irony = "The narrative is characterized by frequent occurrences of irony, particularly in the Jacob and Joseph sequences." [Friedman]

    45. LITERARY QUALITIES Character Development = "There appear to be two classes of character development in the Torah. Most persons, both major and minor figures in the work, are essentially constant personalities. Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Aaron, and the Pharaoh do not grow and change dramatically from their first appearances in the narrative to their last. However, three figures in the Torah are pictured as changing through the course of events of their lives: Jacob, Joseph, and Moses." [Friedman]

    46. LITERARY QUALITIES Paronomasia = "Paronomasia is common, especially in J and E, though occasionally in other sources as well." [Friedman]

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