Numbers 32, the story of the apportionment of the Transjordan to the Reubenites and Gadites, has generally been understood as a composite text containing both priestly and non-priestly elements. 1 Despite this broad consensus, there is virtually no agreement among scholars concerning the precise
Benjamin Ziemer
(Saale), Germany Abstract The „demographic“ figures in Numbers are explained as an integral part of a numerical system, which keeps together the Pentateuchal composition. The figure of 79 explicitly named fathers of tribes and clans in Israel in Num 26 is crucial for this approach. Furthermore, one has to
The Rings of the Lord
Assessing Symmetric Structuring in Numbers and Judges
Serge Frolov
marvelously controlled and complex compositions.” 1 One of her showcase examples is the biblical Book of Numbers: contrary to the tendency of modern scholarship to treat it, explicitly or implicitly, as an amorphous collection of materials that did not find their place elsewhere, Douglas maintains that it is
Series:
Timothy Pettipiece
Discovered in 1929, the Manichaean
Kephalaia have opened up an important window on the early development of Manichaean doctrine. This study identifies a significant redactional tendency whereby the compilers of the text sought to clarify ambiguities in “canonical” Manichaean tradition by means of five-part numerical series. This discovery challenges the conventional wisdom of Manichaean scholarship, which has long maintained that, since Mani recorded his own teachings in a series of what later became canonical writings, Manichaean doctrines were transmitted relatively unchanged from the master to successive generations of disciples. Since this assumption is now called into question, it now becomes necessary to re-evaluate received notions about the shape of both the Manichaean “canon” and “tradition.”
Verbs and Numbers
A Study of the Frequencies of the Hebrew Verbal Tense Forms in the Books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles
Series:
Verhey
Unlike earlier investigations on the changes Biblical Hebrew underwent over the ages, this study does not attempt to draw a broad picture encompassing various kinds of linguistic phenomena. The work stresses the need for a well-founded statistical and form-oriented methodology for the description of historical linguistic change in the Hebrew Bible.
With the aid of computer techniques the book concentrates on one major aspect of Biblical Hebrew, viz. the verbal tense forms. It examines the absolute and relative frequencies of these data in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles in a comprehensive manner. In this way some of the established opinions concerning increase or decrease in the use of certain tense forms are confirmed, others contradicted, and new evidence is adduced.
In addition to the statistical analyses, Verbs & Numbers contains a complete inventory of the parallel passages where Chronicles has another tense form than the Vorlage. This makes it a valuable source of information for the interpretation of the book of Chronicles.
With the aid of computer techniques the book concentrates on one major aspect of Biblical Hebrew, viz. the verbal tense forms. It examines the absolute and relative frequencies of these data in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles in a comprehensive manner. In this way some of the established opinions concerning increase or decrease in the use of certain tense forms are confirmed, others contradicted, and new evidence is adduced.
In addition to the statistical analyses, Verbs & Numbers contains a complete inventory of the parallel passages where Chronicles has another tense form than the Vorlage. This makes it a valuable source of information for the interpretation of the book of Chronicles.
Joel S. Baden
Numbers 15 has long been seen in scholarship as a vaguely haphazard collection of disparate legal elements, with few obvious connections between them. 1 Although some attempts have been made to find a thematic thread linking the various parts of the chapter, there has been little consensus on
Pamela Tamarkin Reis
1 A. Berlin, Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative (She ffi eld, 1983), p. 112. 2 B. Sommer, “Re fl ecting on Moses: The Redaction of Numbers 11,” JBL 118 (1999), pp. 601-624. Sommer’s thorough article cites the arguments of other source- critics who have analyzed this chapter, of
Legislating the Lips
Revisiting Vows and Oaths in the Temple Scroll and the Damascus Document
Paul Cizek
motivations, but not necessarily incongruence. The author of the Temple Scroll aims to create a coherent juxtaposition of Numbers 30 alongside the related Deuteronomic legislation, and to create greater clarity and consistency within the material from Numbers 30, ultimately to create a more readable, livable
Horst Seebass
“HOLY” LAND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: NUMBERS AND JOSHUA 1 by HORST SEEBASS 2 Ladbergen, Germany In honour of Ed Noort at his 60 th birthday May 14, 2004, at Groningen University Most exegetes would agree that Numbers is a mixture of some old traditions and many later elements, mostly in Priestly
Mit Israel auf dem Weg durch die Wüste
Eine leserorientierte Exegese der Rebellionstexte in Exodus 15:22-17:7 und Numeri 11:1-20:13
Series:
Christian Daniel Kupfer
The wilderness narratives Ex 15:22–17:7 and Num 11:1-20:13 are shaped by striking repetitions as well as breaks in style and content. This study describes the continued interaction between the various text signals and the ‘co-operative reader’ who attempts to achieve a coherent reading. This type of an ideal reader alludes to the concepts of reception theorists W. Iser and U. Eco and is applied here for the benefit of the narratives of the Old Testament. A second main part 4demonstrates systematically the narrative tools of guiding the reader within the wilderness narratives. This approach emphasises the dynamic character of the interpretation of the text. In this way, the author re-evaluates for example text structures, blanks or duplicates by weighing up their significance and relevance for the reading process.
Die Wüstenerzählungen Ex. 15:22-17:7 und Num. 11:1-20:13 sind von markanten Wiederholungen wie auch von stilistischen und inhaltlichen Brüchen geprägt. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wird fortlaufend die Interaktion der unterschiedlichen Textsignale mit einem `kooperierenden Leser´ beschrieben, der trotz aller Lesestörungen bemüht ist, eine kohärente Lektüre zu erzielen. Dieser Idealtypus eines Lesers lehnt sich an die rezeptionsästhetischen Entwürfe von W. Iser und U. Eco an und soll für narrative Texte des Alten Testamentes fruchtbar gemacht werden. In einem weiteren Hauptteil werden systematisch die textlichen Mittel der Leserlenkung innerhalb der Wüstenerzählungen dargestellt. Mit dieser Herangehensweise wird der dynamische Charakter einer Textinterpretation betont. So werden beispielsweise Textstrukturen, Leerstellen oder Dubletten neu bewertet, indem ihre Signifikanz und Relevanz für einen Leseprozess abgewogen werden.
Die Wüstenerzählungen Ex. 15:22-17:7 und Num. 11:1-20:13 sind von markanten Wiederholungen wie auch von stilistischen und inhaltlichen Brüchen geprägt. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wird fortlaufend die Interaktion der unterschiedlichen Textsignale mit einem `kooperierenden Leser´ beschrieben, der trotz aller Lesestörungen bemüht ist, eine kohärente Lektüre zu erzielen. Dieser Idealtypus eines Lesers lehnt sich an die rezeptionsästhetischen Entwürfe von W. Iser und U. Eco an und soll für narrative Texte des Alten Testamentes fruchtbar gemacht werden. In einem weiteren Hauptteil werden systematisch die textlichen Mittel der Leserlenkung innerhalb der Wüstenerzählungen dargestellt. Mit dieser Herangehensweise wird der dynamische Charakter einer Textinterpretation betont. So werden beispielsweise Textstrukturen, Leerstellen oder Dubletten neu bewertet, indem ihre Signifikanz und Relevanz für einen Leseprozess abgewogen werden.