Retelling the Law: Genesis, Exodus-Numbers, and Samuel-Kings as Sequential Hypertextual Reworkings of Deuteronomy

379 Pages·2012·1.873 MB·English

by  Bartosz Adamczewski

Retelling the Law
European Studies in Theology,
Philosophy and History of Religions
Edited by Bartosz Adamczewski
Vol. 1
PETER LANG
Frankfurt am Main · Berlin · Bern · Bruxelles · NewY ork · Oxford · Warszawa · Wien
Bartosz Adamczewski
Retelling the Law
Genesis, Exodus-Numbers, and Samuel-Kings
as Sequential Hypertextual Reworkings
of Deuteronomy
PETER LANG
Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche
Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the
Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is
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This publication is funded by the Ministry of Science
and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland
as part of the National Programme for the Development
of the Humanities (project no. 31H 11 0083 80).
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and the Ministry cannot be held responsible for any use
which may be made of the information contained therein.
ISSN2192-1857

ISBN 978-3-631-63034-1
© Peter Lang GmbH
Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Frankfurt am Main 2012
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Acknowledgments
I thank my dear Mother, Jolanta Adamczewska, MSc; my Diocese of War-
szawa-Praga; and the community of the Catholic Parish of St Mark in Warsaw
for their encouragement and spiritual support during my writing this book.
I would also like to thank my students in the Faculty of Theology at the
Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, who by their thought-
provoking questions helped me to clarify some of the ideas which are contained
in this book.
My thanks also go to the staff of the Tübingen University Library for their
help during my summer bibliographical research.
Last but not least, I want to thank Mr. Łukasz Gałecki and the members of
the staff of the Publisher who helped turn the electronic version of the text into a
book.
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Contents
Introduction.........................................................................................................17
Chapter 1: Deuteronomy as an Israelite sequential hypertextual reworking of
Ezekiel.........................................................................................................25
1.1 Yahweh’s words to the one ‘born’ (Deut 1:1-5; cf. Ezek 1-3).............26
1.2 Israel’s ‘original sin’ and the forty-year-long exile of the sinful
Israelites in the wilderness (Deut 1:6-2:1; cf. Ezek 4-24)..................27
1.3 Israel’s return to Canaan, and its being more numerous and more
powerful than its neighbours (Deut 2:2-23; cf. Ezek 25-36)..............28
1.4 New, innocent generation of one, powerful, militant Israel (Deut
2:24-3:22; cf. Ezek 37-39)..................................................................28
1.5 Vision of Canaan, its temple, and its theocratic laws (Deut 3:23-
32:52; cf. Ezek 40:1-47:12)................................................................29
1.6 Ideal Israel consisting of twelve tribes (Deut 33-34; cf. Ezek 47:13-
48:35)..................................................................................................31
1.7 Conclusion.............................................................................................32
Chapter 2: Genesis as an Israelite sequential hypertextual reworking of Deu-
teronomy......................................................................................................35
2.1 Initial entry to the land which was regarded by God as good, and not
being alone (Gen 1-2; cf. Deut 1:1-25)...............................................36
2.2 The original sin of wanting to ‘know good and evil’ and the pun-
ishment of expulsion from the paradisiacal land (Gen 3; cf. Deut
1:26-2:1)..............................................................................................44
2.3 The weaker brother and mighty predecessors (Gen 4; cf. Deut
2:2-12).................................................................................................50
2.4 New, righteous humanity taking the place of the completely de-
stroyed, sinful humans (Gen 5:1-8:19; cf. Deut 2:13-3:11)................54
2.5 Covenant with the ancestors, division of the earth, and the punish-
ment of scattering for making an idolatrous object (Gen 8:20-
11:32; cf. Deut 3:12-5:33)...................................................................61
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2.6 Yahweh leading the believer to the Promised Land (Gen 12:1-8; cf.
Deut 6:1-19)........................................................................................66
2.7 Being in a miraculous way freed from Pharaoh’s rule in Egypt (Gen
12:9-20; cf. Deut 6:20-25)..................................................................70
2.8 Fighting a just war and establishing peace with the Gentiles in Ca-
naan (Gen 13-15; cf. Deut 7)..............................................................72
2.9 Yahweh testing his believers and caring for them in the wilderness
(Gen 16; cf. Deut 8)............................................................................80
2.10 Yahweh’s theophany and the covenant of circumcision (Gen 17;
cf. Deut 9-10)......................................................................................82
2.11 Israel’s intercession for Gentile sinners, God’s providence in the
wilderness, and Israel’s possession and prosperity in the Promised
Land (Gen 18-21; cf. Deut 11:1-25)...................................................86
2.12 The mountain of sacrificial worship and of testing the Israelites’
love for Yahweh (Gen 22:1-19; cf. Deut 11:26-13:19)......................93
2.13 Being a holy people, burial outside Canaan proper, Yahweh’s gift
of a new generation, and observing dietary taboos (Gen 22:20-
28:9; cf. Deut 14:1-21)......................................................................100
2.14 Meeting God in the place of giving a tithe (Gen 28:10-22; cf.
Deut 14:22-29)..................................................................................106
2.15 Remission of debts in the seventh year, resulting in freedom from
slavery and a departure gift of flocks (Gen 29:1-31:42; cf.
Deut 15).............................................................................................110
2.16 Settling a legal dispute in a priestly realm (Gen 31:43-54; cf.
Deut 16-19).......................................................................................117
2.17 The aid of Yahweh and the name of Israel in an encounter with
Israel’s enemy (Gen 32:1-33:17; cf. Deut 20:1-9)............................120
2.18 Dealing with a Canaanite city in the aftermath of a rape of a virgin
in the open field (Gen 33:18-34:31; cf. Deut 20:10-22:29)..............125
2.19 Fulfilling vows, taking the wife of one’s father, and accepting the
Edomites (Gen 35-36; cf. Deut 23:1-24)..........................................131
2.20 Not returning home after being hated there and being sent away
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from there, and selling an Israelite into slavery (Gen 37; cf. Deut
23:25-24:22)..............................................................................138
2.21 Being publicly but not excessively ashamed for not fulfilling lev-
irate obligations (Gen 38; cf. Deut 25:1-10).....................................141
2.22 Coming to Egypt alone, bringing first fruits and tithes, blessing
and cursing, and being set above the Gentiles (Gen 39:1-41:46;
cf. Deut 25:11-28:7)..........................................................................145
2.23 Yahweh blessing his believers, which results in their having full
storehouses, being fruitful, and lending to many nations (Gen
41:47-57; cf. Deut 28:8-14)..............................................................149
2.24 The unfaithful Israelites’ cursed coming in and going out (Gen 42;
cf. Deut 28:15-22).............................................................................152
2.25 Being blind at noon and oppressed, longing to see the exiled sons,
and being brought to the foreign land of Egypt (Gen 43:1-47:12;
cf. Deut 28:23-42).............................................................................154
2.26 Plague of a very severe famine in the land of Egypt, a residing
alien rising to power, being removed from the land, and becoming
slaves (Gen 47:13-26; cf. Deut 28:43-29:28)...................................158
2.27 Multiplication and long life in the land of God’s providence, and
a future return to Canaan (Gen 47:27-31; cf. Deut 30:1-31:2).........161
2.28 Israel’s succession in the particularly chosen tribe of Ephraim
(Gen 48; cf. Deut 31:2-32:52)...........................................................163
2.29 Blessings for the sons and tribes of Israel (Gen 49:1-28; cf.
Deut 33).............................................................................................167
2.30 Death and burial of the main heroes, obedience to testamentary
words, and establishing the line of spiritual succession (Gen
49:29-50:26; cf. Deut 34)..................................................................171
2.31 Conclusions.......................................................................................175
Chapter 3: Exodus-Numbers as an Israelite sequential hypertextual rework-
ing of Deuteronomy..................................................................................183
3.1 God-given power and protection of Israel against mighty Gentiles
(Exod 1:1-2:10; cf. Deut 1:1-40)......................................................183
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