1. Biblical studies as the meeting point of the humanities; 2. Rethinking the relation between 'canon' and 'exegesis'; 3. The problem of innovation within the formative canon; 4. The reworking of the principle of transgenerational punishment: four case studies; 5. The canon as sponsor of innovation; 6. The phenomenon of rewriting within the Hebrew Bible: a bibliographic essay on 'inner-biblical exegesis' in the history of scholarship.
This book examines the problem of divine transgenerational punishment and the writers who confronted it.
Bernard M. Levinson holds the Berman Family Chair of Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible at the University of Minnesota. He is author of Deuteronomy and the Hermeneutics of Legal Innovation (1997), which won the 1999 Salo W. Baron Award for Best First Book in Literature and Thought from the American Academy for Jewish Research. He is coeditor of four volumes, most recently The Pentateuch as Torah: New Models for Understanding Its Promulgation and Acceptance (2007), and the author of The Right Chorale: Studies in Biblical Law and Interpretation (2008). The interdisciplinary significance of his work has been recognized with appointments to both the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton) and the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin/Berlin Institute for Advanced Study.
'This just might be the best book I've read in a long time. It's
challenged my assumptions about the development of the Hebrew Bible
and the role of innovation alongside preservation … I highly
recommend this book to anyone interested in the issues of early
biblical interpretation and the formation of the biblical canon.
Specialists across the board in religious studies and biblical
studies would profit from a closer look at Levinson's book. I'm
recommending it to everyone I know - NT students, rabbinics
experts, early Christian studies people, Hebrew Bible colleagues -
you know who you are - read this book!' Biblia Hebraica blog
'Perhaps I am biased, but it seems to me to be beyond any
reasonable doubt that, behind the final form of the canonical,
biblical text lies evidence of a lively, imaginative, and creative
use of interpretation, reinterpretation, and reapplication of
earlier texts. It is a complex, living, creative achievement which,
for just this reason, invites constant, continuing invention, as
Levinson maintains. I certainly find this book itself a delightful,
informative, and stimulating one to read.' Journal of Theological
Studies
'The bibliographical essay is an excellent overview of research on
what is now often called 'inner-biblical exegesis', and it will
serve as a superb tool for beginners and seasoned researchers
alike. The other essays span a vast array of methodological
problems and exegetical insights and are at the forefront of
current research into legal traditions in the HB. A highly welcome
volume.' Society for Old Testament Study Book List
'The book deserves a wide readership. It would serve well as a text
for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses that deal with
inner-biblical exegesis. One can also hope that scholars in other
fields will read it and take to heart Levinson's argument for the
reintegration of biblical studies into the core of academic work in
the humanities. In addition, there are faith communities that would
be encouraged by Levinson's insight into the nature of canon and
the necessity for ongoing reinterpretation of tradition. The book's
research is thorough, its argument forceful, its writing elegant,
and it is blessedly short. If books can be placed into tribes, may
this one's increase.' Review of Biblical Literature
'The book's most innovative contribution lies in its first … half,
which explores the relation between biblical studies and the
humanities … As [Levinson] notes … [the] deeply rooted separation
of Jerusalem from Athens has been to no one's advantage. His
discussion of the relationship between the concept of ethics in
Kant and in Ezekiel demonstrates how much both disciplines might
gain from such a conversation … The essays that constitute the
first half of this book are the product of more than a decade and a
half of research and deliberation. Their sustained and fluent
reflection on important issues will reward contemplation by
biblical scholars, while the bibliographic essay that makes up the
second half will be a useful tool for those interested in exploring
the growing body of work on inner-biblical exegesis.' Catholic
Biblical Quarterly
'The format of this book … provides a thorough but brief
introduction to inner-biblical exegesis approach, both in method
and in theory. Anyone, scholar or student, who is interested in
learning more about how the theoretical foundations of this
approach as well as how it works will find the text invaluable.
Second, for scholars in particular, the footnotes and the
bibliographic essay are excellent and up-to-date resources of the
field. The bibliographic essay was a particularly delightful read
in that Levinson connected many scholars with whom most readers
will have at least a passing acquaintance in a new way. Third, the
length and style of this text make it very accessible to both
upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students working in
the area of biblical interpretation or looking more generally at
the idea of canon.' Review of Biblical Literature
'With this study Levinson demonstrates again how he masterfully
integrates his own exegetical brilliance into larger theoretical
frameworks beyond the constraints of biblical studies. Especially
helpful to the specialist and colleagues from other fields is a
long essay on the history of research about rewriting processes
inside the Hebrew Bible …' Armin Lange, Journal of Ancient
Judaism
'This would be an excellent addition to any theological library and
it is to be hoped that the publisher will soon release a paperback
version so more students can enjoy the fruits of Levinson's
labours.' Theological Book Review
'Throughout the text, [Levinson's] careful work leads him to exhort
the humanities explicitly to engage in greater interdisciplinary
dialogue. Academic biblical studies have engaged and incorporated
insights from other disciplines into exegesis, but colleagues in
comparative literature, history of religions, and related fields
have not reciprocated to the same degree. 'Unfortunately, many
within the broader academic community are woefully uninformed about
how to read the Bible critically, historically, and intellectually'
(93).' John J. Pilch, Theological Studies
'In his foray into the topic of the Ten Commandments in history and
tradition seen from the vantage point of inner-biblical exegesis,
Bernard Levinson zeroes in on the question of moral agency. It is
hard to think of a more fundamental topic at the interface of law
and theology. Levinson understands Ezekiel 18 to amount to a covert
repudiation of the doctrine of cross-generational transfer of the
consequences of human behavior as it finds expression in the
Decalogue at Exod 20:5-6.1. A brilliant thesis, one I hope receives
a wide hearing.' John Hobbins, Ancient Hebrew Poetry blog
'The book may claim to be about the dynamics of legal (i.e.
halachic) development within the Bible, but the underlying message
deals with the viability of theories of halachic change in the
contemporary Jewish community. That is why it should be required
reading for participants in law committees and students of Jewish
law.' Rabbi Neil Gillman, CJ: Voices of Conservative/Masorti
Judaism (wlcj.org)
'… this exhaustive book recognizes the need for a more innovative
and intuitive debate within the wider humanities about canonicity,
textual authority and authorship … I was inspired by Levinson's
theories and would certainly recommend this book to scholars
interested in the textual construction of scripture …' Benjamin
Bury, Reviews in Religion and Theology
'Levinson's book is a gem and deserves a wide readership.' Megan
Warner, Australian Biblical Review
'The author, Bernard Levinson, sets himself apart from most other
inner-biblical exegetes in two ways. The first is his desire to
engage in dialogue with disciplines outside of biblical studies.
The second is the scrupulous attention he pays to ancient Near
Eastern legal texts as sources for illuminating biblical law.
Levinson is to be applauded for this fine volume, which
demonstrates his preferred methodology clearly and concisely for a
broad academic audience.' Sidnie White Crawford, Biblical Theology
Bulletin: A Journal of Bible and Theology
'This is a path-breaking book that recasts totally the traditional
dichotomy between (timeless) divine revelation and (historical,
contingent, fallible) human reception and expression of the former
within scripture, by showing the techniques of revision, involving
even contradiction and repudiation of supposedly unchangeable
'divine' legal commands by scribes adapting the latter to altered
historical circumstances, and this not in an external gloss or
commentary, but operating repeatedly within scripture itself.'
Patrick Madigan, The Heythrop Journal
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