Traditions at Odds: The Reception of the Pentateuch in Biblical and Second Temple Period Literature

289 Pages·2010·2.367 MB·English

by  John H. Choi

LIBRARY OF HEBREW BIBLE/
OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES

518

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
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TRADITIONS AT ODDS

The Reception of the Pentateuch in Biblical and
Second Temple Period Literature

John H. Choi
Copyright © 2010 by John H. Choi

Published by T & T Clark International
A Continuum imprint
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The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX

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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.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN: 978-0-567-26524-1 (hardback)

Typeset and copy-edited by Forthcoming Publications Ltd. (www.forthpub.com)
Printed in the United States of America by Thomson-Shore, Inc
CONTENTS

Preface vii
Abbreviations ix

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PURPOSE 1

Chapter 2
METHODOLOGY 15
1. A Critique of the Linear Model of Composition 15
2. Alternatives to a Linear Model 23
3. Methodological Approach 28
a. Ideological Content 29
b. When Is the Same Not the Same? 32
c. Lack of Awareness and the Issue of Relevance 33
d. A Resistant Reading 34
4. A Note About Second Temple Period Literature 35

Chapter 3
FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYS 47
1. A Theory of Ritual 47
2. Festivals and Holidays in the Bible 58
a. Pesach and Matsoth 58
b. Sukkoth 80
c. Sabbath 87
3. Festivals and Holidays in the Second Temple Period 92
a. Expansions of Biblical Law 94
b. Amalgamation of Biblical Laws 95
c. Retrojection of Biblical Holidays 95
4. Conclusion 103

Chapter 4
NON-PENTATEUCHAL HISTORICAL RETROSPECTIVES 105
1. The Bible and Historiography 105
2. Non-Pentateuchal Historiographic Texts 117
a. Psalm 78 117
b. Psalm 105 122
c. The Plagues in Psalms 78 and 105 124
vi Traditions at Odds
d. Psalm 106 127
e. Joshua 24 131
f. Ezekiel 20 136
g. Nehemiah 9 143
h. Historiography in the Second Temple Period 146
i. The Genesis Apocryphon 147
j. The Liber antiquitatum biblicarum of Pseudo-Philo 150
(1) The Eternal Covenant 152
(2) Idolatry 154
k. “Competitive Historiography” of Jewish-Hellenistic
Historians 157
l. The Book of Jubilees 166
(1) The Heptadic Chronological System 168
(2) The Transcendence of God 170
(3) Separation from Foreigners/Endogamous Marriage 171
(4) Emphasis on Antiquity 174
3. Conclusion 180

Chapter 5
THE PENTATEUCH AS TORAH 182
1. The Role of Literacy in the Ancient World 186
2. “Direct” Citations of “Instruction” 192
a. “Instruction” in the Deuteronomistic History 192
b. “Instruction” in Prophetic Literature 198
(1) Jeremiah 7:21–26 198
(2) Ezekiel 20:25–26—Laws that Were Not Good 202
c. “Instruction” in Post-Exilic Historiographic Texts
(Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles) 206
3. “Instruction” in the Psalms and Wisdom Literature 214
4. Competing Conceptions of “Instruction”
in the Second Temple Period 221
5. Conclusion 236

Chapter 6
CONCLUSIONS: A LOOK AHEAD 238

Bibliography 245
Index of References 264
Index of Authors 274
PREFACE

The roots of this project lie in, what appeared to be at the time of its
inception, a simple task. During a seminar on the book of Exodus, I was
assigned to compare the prophetic treatments of the exodus event with
the narrative in Exod 1–12. While not expecting any detailed or lengthy
accounts within the prophetic texts, I proceeded with the assumption that
there would be a signi(cid:2)cant amount of direct borrowing from Exodus.
But almost as soon as I began, I was surprised at the scarcity of refer-
ences to the departure from Egypt, to the sojourn in the wilderness, even
to Moses and Aaron. The few that did occur appeared to contain details
that either had no connection to Exodus at all, or appeared contradict it
outright. Based on these observations, I began a more in-depth study of
the echo of pentateuchal elements in non-pentateuchal texts, with the
results mirroring what I had found in the prophetic literature—namely,
that there appears to be far less adherence to the Pentateuch in the Bible
than is commonly assumed. These data then established a basic founda-
tion for this project.
I owe tremendous thanks to the many friends, colleagues, and teachers,
all of whom have helped to make this project possible. Special thanks go
to Dr. Bill T. Arnold of Asbury Theological Seminary. It was his
Introduction to Old Testament course that (cid:2)rst sparked my passion for
study. He is a learned scholar, a trusted mentor, and a dear friend. Much
thanks also to Dr. Richard Sarason, a learned scholar and a critical reader
of the highest order. His broad wealth of knowledge, and his expertise as
a writer proved to be critical in shaping and improving this work. My
debt and gratitude to Dr. David H. Aaron are inexpressible. Through his
seminars at Hebrew Union College, and through much individual teach-
ing, he has challenged me to develop as a critical and thoughtful reader.
At nearly every stage of this project, through its completion as a doctoral
dissertation and its revision into the current form, Dr. Aaron has pro-
vided invaluable guidance. My development as a scholar would not have
been possible without him.
I am very grateful to the LHBOTS series editors, Drs. Claudia Camp
and Andrew Mein, for their guidance throughout this process, as well as
viii Traditions at Odds
to Mr. Burke Gerstenschlager and Ms. Katie Gallof at T&T Clark Inter-
national, and Dr. Duncan Burns for his editorial expertise.
I cannot fail to mention the love and encouragement of family. My
parents and sisters, Jeana and Naomi, have supported me with uncon-
ditional love for so long. My aspirations for a career as a writer and
scholar would not be possible without them. I owe the most to my wife
Sylvia and my children Sophia and Ethan. The time it took to complete
this book was (cid:2)lled with unexpected changes, but in their youthful
exuberance my children taught me how to be joyful in the moment.
Sylvia’s unending sacri(cid:2)ce allowed me to focus, almost self-centeredly,
on academic interests. She is my con(cid:2)dant and the love of my life.

“Oh, bienamada, yo no te amaría! En tu abrazo yo abrazo lo que existe”
—Pablo Neruda
1
ABBREVIATIONS

ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by D. N. Freedman. 6 vols.
New York, 1992
BDB Brown, F., S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs. A Hebrew and
English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford, 1907
BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin
CANE Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. Edited by J. Sasson. 4
vols. New York, 1995
CBQ Catholic Bible Quarterly
DSD Dead Sea Discoveries
GKC Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E. Kautzsch. Translated
by A. E. Cowley. 2d ed. Oxford, 1910
HTR Harvard Theological Review
HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
JJS Journal of Jewish Studies
JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies
JPS Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures: The New JPS Translation
According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Philadelphia, 1985
JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament
JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
OTP Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Edited by J. H. Charlesworth.
2 vols. New York, 1983
OtSt Oudtestamentische Studiën
RevQ Revue de Qumran
SJOT Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament
VT Vetus Testamentum
ZAW Zeitschrift für Altentestamentlich Wissenschaft