Exile and Suffering. A Selection of Papers Read at the 50th Anniversary Meeting of the Old Testament Society of South Africa OTWSA OTSSA Pretoria August 2007

305 Pages·2009·2 MB·English

by  Bob Becking & Dirk Human

Exile and Suffeׂ ring
Oudtestamentische Studiën
Old Testament Studies
published on behalf of the Societies for
Old Testament Studies in the Netherlands and
Belgium, South Africa, the United Kingdom
and Ireland
Editor
B. Becking
Utrecht
Editorial Board
H.G.M. Williamson
Oxford
H.F. Van Rooy
Potchefstroom
M. Vervenne
Leuven
VOLUME 50
Exile and Suffering
A Selection of Papers
Read at the 50th Anniversary Meeting of the
Old Testament Society of South Africa
OTWSA/OTSSA
Pretoria August 2007
Edited by
Bob Becking and Dirk Human
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2009
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Exile and suffering : a selection of papers read at the 50th anniversary meeting
of the Old Testament Society of South Africa OTWSA/OTSSA Pretoria, August
2007 / edited by Bob Becking and Dirk Human.
p. cm. — (Oudtestamentische studien = Old Testament studies)
Includes index.
ISBN 978-90-04-17104-6 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Bible. O.T.—History of
Biblical events—Congresses. 2. Bible. O.T.—Criticism, interpretation, etc.—
Congresses. 3. Jews—History—586 B.C.-70 A.D.—Congresses. 4. Suffering—
Biblical teaching—Congresses. I. Becking, Bob. II. Human, Dirk J. III. Title.
IV. Series.
BS1197.E95 2008
221.6—dc22
2008033146
ISSN 0169-7226
ISBN 978 90 04 17104 6
Copyright 2009 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing,
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PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
CONTENTS
Preface ......................................................................................... vii
Dirk Human
PENTATEUCH
Sin, Suffering, Sagacity: Genesis 2–3 ......................................... 3
Gerda de Villiers
Suffering and Hope during the Exile ......................................... 19
Jurie Le Roux
Suffering from Formlessness: The Ban on Images in
Exilic Times ............................................................................ 33
Matthias Köckert
PROPHETS
Interrupting God-language: Rethinking the Image of
God as Liberator in Isaiah 42 ................................................ 53
L. Juliana M. Claassens
Myth, Metaphor or Memory? The Allusions to Creation
and Exodus in Isaiah 51:9–11 as a Theological
Response to Suffering during the Exile .................................. 71
Hendrik Bosman
The Assassination of Gedaliah ( Jer. 40:7–41:18) ...................... 83
Eric Peels
Perspective after the Exile: The King, ידבﬠ, ‘My Servant’
in Jeremiah—Some Reflections on MT and LXX ............... 105
Raymond de Hoop
vi contents
Exile in Hosea 9:3–6: Where and for What Purpose? .............. 123
Gert Kwakkel
Perverse Delight: Some Observations on an Unpleasant
Theme in the Old Testament ................................................ 147
Klaas Spronk
Exile and Pain: A Chapter from the Story of God’s Emotions .... 161
Eep Talstra
WRITINGS
Does Exile Equal Suffering? A Fresh Look at Psalm 137 ......... 183
Bob Becking
The Poetics of Exile and Suffering: Memory and Perceptions
a Cognitive-linguistics study of Lamentations ....................... 203
Yehoshua Gitay
The Exile as Sabbath Rest: The Chronicler’s Interpretation
of the Exile ............................................................................. 213
Louis Jonker
ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN AND CONTEXTUAL
PERSPECTIVES
Lamenting the Loss of Lament, the Language for our Times ... 233
Frances Klopper
Interpreting ‘the Exile’ in African Biblical Scholarship: An
Ideo-theological Dilemma in Post-colonial South Africa .... 247
Gerald West
Index ........................................................................................... 269
PREFACE
1. Introduction
The Old Testament Society of South Africa (OTSSA) has celebrated
its fiftieth anniversary in 2007. This society was founded in December
1957 at Stellenbosch. Amongst the scholars present were the well-known
Adrianus van Selms and Barend Gemser.1 This event gave enormous
impetus to Old Testament studies in South Africa. Various books, articles
and theses on the Old Testament have been published since then. This
society has also become an academic home where people could work,
share and develop as Old Testament scholars in South Africa. The
OTSSA has indeed grown into an intellectual force that shaped Old
Testament scholarship and theological thinking in South Africa.
In the fraternity of Old Testament scholarship the Oud-Testamentische
Werkgemeenschap (OTW) of the Netherlands and Belgium has served
as academic companion and discussion partner for the OTSSA and
its members for many years. Throughout the years cultural and aca-
demic relationships between these countries encouraged the bilateral
academic cooperation between individuals, universities and academic
societies. In this regard the OTW and its individual members have
been actively involved in the activities of the OTSSA. This involvement
includes the exchange of colleagues and students, the participation
in congresses, and the execution of combined research projects. The
close relationship between the Afrikaans language of Africa and the
Dutch, and Flemish languages of Europe added special value to this
academic partnership.
Since 1995 both the OTW and OTSSA societies have participated
regularly in combined annual congresses. These meetings took place in
Leiden (1995) and Pretoria (1999; 2007). In 2007 a combined congress
between the OTW and OTSSA took place at the University of Pretoria
from 22–24 August. Several African, South American, and European
congregants also participated in the event. The selected peer-reviewed
contributions of this volume celebrate the outcome of the congress and
the precious cooperation between the two Old Testament societies.
1 J.H. le Roux, A Story of two Ways, Pretoria 1993, 174–190.
viii preface
The overall theme for this 50th anniversary conference was ‘Exile
and Suffering’. This theme is not only relevant in the contemporary
history of the South African landscape, but it contemplates one of the
world’s most severe problems from an Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
perspective. Contributions in the volume touch upon the congress theme
from the angles of the threefold sections of the Tenach, namely, the
Pentateuch, the Prophets and the Writings. A few presentations are
generally stronger embedded in Ancient Near Eastern or contextual
perspectives.
2. Pentateuch
‘Exile and Suffering’ is inter alia debated in relation to the Pentateuch.
Gerda de Villiers focuses on Genesis 2–3 with the theme of Sin, Suffering
and Sagacity. Traditionally Genesis 2–3 narrates and is interpreted as
the creation story and the fall of humankind. This nar rative is generally
acknowledged as myth. What is myth, however? On the one hand, myth
may be regarded as a naive interpretation of inexplicable phenomena.
On the other hand, ancient Near Eastern myths sparked the creative
minds of biblical authors. These gifted scribes appropriated common tra-
ditions in startling and innovative ways to give a distinctive thrust to the
narrative of Genesis 2–3. However, these traditions are often overlooked.
This contribution focuses on the garden and especially the role of
the trees and the snake. It is argued that the garden narrative is con-
nected to the Sinai Covenant and the Mosaic Laws, as well as to the
wisdom traditions in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Eventually con clusions
are drawn about ‘living in exile’. It is possible to draw direct links to the
reasons for the exile and consequent suffering. On the other hand, the
Genesis 2–3 narrative may also be a philosophical guideline about how
to live in exile. Exile does not necessarily imply physical, geographical
alienation; it may also be a psychological experience amongst friends,
family and colleagues. This is suffering at its worst. Survival in miser-
able circumstances calls desperately for wisdom, for knowledge. The
Genesis 2–3 narrative challenges every reader to reinvent para dise with
sagacity and insight, and to cope with real life out there.
From the start of the OTSSA there was this stimulating intellectual
tension amongst scholars about a diachronic and a synchronic under-
standing of a text and these discussions stimulated Old Testament
scholarship in South Africa immensely. Jurie le Roux was always a
preface ix
constant adherent of the historical-critical approaches in the South
African context. In his contribution Le Roux followed a diachronic line
in an attempt to understand the suffering in the exile. To accomplish
this aim he works with a specific view of history by stressing the notion
of history as a re-enactment of the past in the mind.
When people relive history and re-enact each event in the mind the
past suddenly becomes alive. At times one can even unexpectedly touch
something of times gone by. This also happened to the exiles when they
relived, amidst their bleak conditions, an early period of Israel’s history.
It appears as if they were once again standing with Moses at Horeb,
while hearing his voice explaining Deuteronomy. This explanation was
expressing a feeling of oneness with the exiles, with an experience of
forgiveness and the joy of a new hope. To have unexpectedly such an
encounter with the past and understand something that lies beyond
linguistic grasp is a breathtaking moment. Hereby they were encour-
aged to hope for a new future.
Throughout the Ancient Near East the cultic statue was regarded
as the ‘body of the deity’ and represents its presence in the temple.
Formlessness (Gestaltlosigkeit) was therefore an unhappy experience and
an expression of divine anger. The deity leaves the earthly body and
retreats to the heavenly sphere. Hereby the city is exposed to the mercy
of its enemies. When this earthly body was destroyed or taken away
to a foreign land a period of misery begins. The country then suffers
from mourning and affliction. The Bible, however, seems to depart
from this common pattern. In deviation from its Ancient Near Eastern
environment, formlessness seems to be the trademark of the God of
Israel. Matthias Köckert investigates this formlessness and the ban on
images in exilic times.
The second commandment of the Decalogue (Bilderverbot)—the
prohibition of any graven image—is an Israelite peculiarity that dis-
tinguishes Ancient Israel from its Ancient Near Eastern neighbours.
Questions on the ban of images and the emergence of the second
commandment remain controversial. One view explains the ban as the
result of an evolutionary development from an aniconism typical for
the Yhwh religion, while another regards the prohibition of images as
a revolutionary break with traditional cultic practice. Deuteronomy 4
plays an important role in understanding some reasons for the ban of
cultic images of Yhwh in Israel.
Köckert identifies certain connections between Deuteronomy 4 and
the image of the sun-disk found at Sippar. There are reasons for the