The Promise to the Patriarchs

241 Pages·2013·1.451 MB·English

by  Joel S. Baden

The Promise to the Patriarchs
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The Promise to
the Patriarchs
z
JOEL S. BADEN
1
3

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baden, Joel S., 1977–
The promise to the patriarchs / Joel S. Baden.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and indexes.
ISBN 978–0–19–989824–4 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Bible. O.T. Pentateuch—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Abraham (Biblical patriarch)
3. Covenants—Biblical teaching. 4. God—Promises—Biblical teaching. I. Title.
BS1225.52.B334 2013
222′.106—dc23
2012030144

ISBN 978–0–19–989824–4
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
For Zara and Iris
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1. The Promise in Its Canonical Setting 7
2. The Promise as Secondary 26
3. Restoring the Promise 57
4. The Promise According to the Sources 101
5. Returning the Promise to Its Canonical Setting 127
Conclusion 158
Notes 163
Bibliography 203
Index of Scholars Cited 213
Index of Biblical Citations 217
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Acknowledgments
as with all projects of a certain length, this book would not have been
possible without the help of numerous friends and colleagues.
As always, my colleagues at Yale Divinity School have been the perfect
models of collegial support, creating and sustaining an environment for
teaching, research, and writing that could hardly be improved on. I am
particularly thankful to my new Yale colleague Hindy Najman, who has
been both generous with her time and support and a source of much valu-
able intellectual stimulation.
I continue to be grateful to my coauthor and friend, Professor Candida
Moss, whose work ethic is impressive, whose successes are thoroughly
deserved, and who nevertheless has the time to be a constant source of
support during the writing process.
Over the course of this book’s gestation from a conference paper to an
article (never written) and eventually to a monograph, many people have
provided input that has made its way into the book, including the anony-
mous readers at OUP. Two colleagues stand out as particularly worthy of
mention. First, Baruch Schwartz, whose teachings—not merely the conclu-
sions, but far more importantly the means of reaching them—are always
on my mind. Second, my student Liane Marquis, who let me try out with
her most of this book, both orally and in writing; whose keen eye spared me
many a foolish mistake; and whose equally keen mind contributed to, and
at times changed for the better, my own ideas. To both I am grateful.
At times this book required long days and long evenings of work, and
I am thankful to Gillian for never begrudging me the time I felt I needed.
This book is dedicated to my daughters, Zara and Iris. The unmiti-
gated happiness they bring me every single day is worth more than all the
promises any deity could ever make.