Reading the Law: Studies in Honour of Gordon J. Wenham PDF
Preview Reading the Law: Studies in Honour of Gordon J. Wenham
LIBRARY OF HEBREW BIBLE/ OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES 461 Formerly Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series Editors Claudia V. Camp, Texas Christian University Andrew Mein, Westcott House, Cambridge Founding Editors David J. A. Clines, Philip R. Davies and David M. Gunn Editorial Board Richard J. Coggins, Alan Cooper, John Goldingay, Robert P. Gordon, Norman K. Gottwald, Gina Hens-Piazza, John Jarick, Andrew D. H. Mayes, Carol Meyers, Patrick D. Miller, Yvonne Sherwood This page intentionally left blank READING THE LAW Studies in Honour of Gordon J. Wenham edited by J. G. McConville and Karl Moller t&tclark NEW YORK • LONDON Copyright © 2007 by J. G. McConville and Karl Möller All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, T & T Clark International. T & T Clark International, 80 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038 T & T Clark International, The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX T & T Clark International is a Continuum imprint. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McConville, J. G. (J. Gordon) Reading the law : studies in honour of Gordon J. Wenham / J.G. McConville and Karl Möller. p. cm. - (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies, 461) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-567-02642-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-567-02642-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Bible. O.T.--Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Wenham, Gordon J. II. Möller, Karl, 1966- III. Title. IV. Series. BS511.3.M3332007 221.6~dc22 2007036011 Printed in Great Britain by Biddies Ltd, King's Lynn, Norfolk CONTENTS Preface ix Abbreviations xi Introduction xv Part I READING PENTATEUCHAL LAW BEING A MAN IN THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT David J. A. Clines 3 "FELLOW CITIZENS": ISRAEL AND HUMANITY IN LEVITICUS J. G. McConville 10 COMMANDING AN IMPOSSIBILITY? REFLECTIONS ON THE GOLDEN RULE IN LEVITICUS 19:18B Nobuyoshi Kiuchi 33 THE CASE FOR THE PRE-EXILIC AND EXILIC PROVENANCE OF THE BOOKS OF EXODUS, LEVITICUS AND NUMBERS Jacob Milgrom 48 Part II READING THE LAW IN THE PROPHETS THE MEANING OF mm IN ISAIAH 1-39 Ronald E. Clements 59 TORAH IN THE MINOR PROPHETS Thomas Renz 73 THE TRIAL OF JEREMIAH Raymond Westbrook 95 vi Reading the Law Part III READING THE LAW IN THE WRITINGS READING, SINGING AND PRAYING THE LAW: AN EXPLORATION OF THE PERFORMATIVE, SELF-INVOLVING, COMMISSIVE LANGUAGE OF PSALM 101 KarlMöller 111 THE ETHICS OF LAMENT: LAMENTATIONS 1 AS A CASE STUDY Robin Parry 138 THE TORAH AND HISTORY IN PRESENTATIONS OF RESTORATION IN EZRA-NEHEMIAH H. G. M. Williamson 156 Part IV READING THE LAW FOR THEOLOGY THE THEOLOGY OF PLACE IN GENESIS 1-3 Craig G. Bartholomew 173 THE REGAL DIMENSION OF THE npirTTn'nn: RECOVERING THE LITERARY CONTEXT OF GENESIS 37-50 T. Desmond Alexander 196 ON LEARNING SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: A READING OF EXODUS 16 R. W. L. Moberly 213 THE WEEK THAT MADE THE WORLD: REFLECTIONS ON THE FIRST PAGES OF THE BIBLE Robert P. Gordon 228 PartV READING THE LAW AND HISTORY GOING DOWN TO SHEOL: A PLACE NAME AND ITS WEST SEMITIC BACKGROUND Richard S. Hess 245 THE TABLETS IN THE ARK Alan Millard 254 Contents vii MEMORY, WITNESSES AND GENOCIDE IN THE BOOK OF JOSHUA Pekka Pitkänen 267 TOWARDS A COMMUNICATIVE THEOLOGY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT J. W. Rogerson 283 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE WRITINGS OF GORDON J. WENHAM 297 Index of References 303 Index of Authors 314 This page intentionally left blank PREFACE It is an honour and pleasure for both of us to have the opportunity to edit this collection of essays for Gordon Wenham. Together with six of the other contributors to this volume, we are among the large number who have had their introduction to Old Testament research from him. We cover a large span of his career, at Queen's University, Belfast, where McConville was his first PhD student, to the University of Gloucester- shire, where Möller did his work in the 90s. Both of us became in time his colleagues, and experienced the energy, vision and commitment that went into making him so successful a leader in the promotion of good biblical scholarship. His example as a scholar has been immensely important to both of us, not only in laying the foundations of our work, but as we try to build on them. As students and colleagues we have also been privileged to know him as a friend, who unfailingly gave us loyal support and encouragement. In joining with colleagues to honour Gordon Wenham, we are not only paying tribute to a fine scholar, but also to one for whom scholarship is a matter of Christian vocation and service. The meticulous scholarship is soli deo gloria, and part of a life of discipleship. In pursuit of this, he has never been afraid of controversy, yet his integrity and unselfishness have ensured his wide esteem, as the present volume attests. It may be added that a large number of others might have contributed to this volume, and some who would have liked to were prevented from doing so for reasons beyond their control. Gordon Wenham's mature work was carried on at the University of Gloucestershire (under its several successive names), where he was the first both to accept a research student (Kiuchi), and to hold a Chair. His leadership in research made an incalculable contribution to the develop- ment of a research culture at Gloucestershire, and thus to its achievement of university status. Since this volume was conceived, he has retired, a little earlier than your editors had quite anticipated. It is, it seems, less a retirement than a refocusing of energy, for Gordon's surprising youthfulness has always been a topic of comment. The volume nevertheless marks a significant
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