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Liminal moments in biblical narrative are moments of transition and change, which are typically fraught with ambivalence. Such new beginnings enshrine both hope and doubt for the future, as in the account of the rebuilding of life after the Flood (Genesis 9). In this subtle analysis, Stahl observes how frequently one component of these liminal moments is law, offering as it does stability and order in a chaotic world but also resonating with the ambiguities inherent in the narrative history. In the Bible, law as well as narrative is multi-voiced.
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JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT SUPPLEMENT SERIES
202
Editors David J.A. Clines Philip R. Davies Executive Editor John Jarick
Editorial Board Robert P. Carroll, Richard J. Coggins, Alan Cooper, J. Cheryl Exum, John Goldingay, Robert P. Gordon, Norman K. Gottwald, Andrew D.H. Mayes, Carol Meyers, Patrick D. Miller
Sheffield Academic Press
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Law and Liminality in the Bible
Nanette Stahl
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series 202
For my parents David and Hannah Stahl in loving memory
Copyright © 1995 Sheffield Academic Press Published by Sheffield Academic Press Ltd Mansion House 19 Kingfield Road Sheffield, Sll 9 AS England
Printed on acid-free paper in Great Britain by Bookcraft Ltd Midsomer Norton, Bath
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 1-85075-561-2
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments Abbreviations
7 9
Chapter 1
DIFFERENCE IN BIBLICAL DISCOURSE
11
Chapter 2 CREATION: MANDATE AND PROHIBITION
27
Chapter 3
THE LAW OF THE FLOOD: BETWEEN DECREATION AND RECREATION
37
Chapter 4 SINAI: LAW AND LANDSCAPE
51
Chapter 5 LAW AND NARRATIVE HISTORY: JACOB AND HIS ASSAILANT
75
Chapter 6 CONCLUSION: LAW AND MEMORY
Bibliography Index of References Index of Authors
91
97 101 103
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book has benefited from the help and support of many people. My debt to Ghana Kronfeld can scarcely be overstated. Her unfailing interest and ongoing involvement helped me see this project through to completion. I will always recall with fondness and pleasure the many hours we spent deep in discussion over the intricacies and nuances of the poetics of law in the Bible. The breadth of her scholarship is an inspiration. I am grateful to Robert Alter for his encouragement and support. His seminars in biblical literature at the University of California at Berkeley inspired me to undertake this study. Daniel Boyarin's insights and suggestions were most helpful and appreciated. There are others to whom I am also indebted: Netta DorShav, without whose support and encouragement I would never have undertaken this project; Howard Eilberg-Schwartz, Wolfgang Heimpel, David Biale, William W. Hallo, J.H. Chajes, F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp, Steven D. Fraade, Orin Gensler and Peter Solomon all shared their thoughts and vast knowledge. Any errors are of course my own. To the Taubman Fellowship of the University of California at Berkeley I am indebted for financial assistance. My nephews Jacob and Daniel gave much love, and provided much needed diversion, throughout this entire undertaking.
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ABBREVIATIONS
AB BDB HTR HUCA JBL JJS JNES PLMA VT
Anchor Bible F. Brown, S.R. Driver and C.A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament Harvard Theological Review Hebrew Union College Annual Journal of Biblical Literature Journal of Jewish Studies Journal of Near Ea