Category Books

The Elders of the City: A Study of the Elders-Laws in Deuteronomy »

Authors: Timothy M. Willis
ISBN-13: 9781589834927, ISBN-10: 1589834925
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Society of Biblical Literature
Date Published: January 2001
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Timothy M. Willis

Book Synopsis

	Acknowledgements	ix
	Abbreviations	xi
Chapter 1	"The Elders of the City": Preliminary Considerations	1
	Previous Studies of Israelite Elders	1
	The Present Study: Its Scope and Methodology	6
	Elders in the Hebrew Bible: An Overview	8
	[characters not reproducible] ("City") in the Hebrew Bible	14
	Assumptions Regarding the Social Context of Israel's City Elders	19
	Kinship-Based Communities	19
	Kinship Ideology and Power Struggles in Ancient Israel	27
Chapter 2	The Judicial System of the Deuteronomic Code	33
	Previous Studies	36
	Association with Prior Royal Reform	37
	Association with the Centralization of the Cult	42
	Association with Utopian Ideals	45
	Cross-Cultural Analogies to Israel's Judicial System	50
	Judicial Systems in Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies	51
	Ancient Near Eastern Judicial Systems	67
	Reevaluation of the Judicial System of the D Code	82
	Conclusions	87
Chapter 3	Homicide, Asylum, and City Elders (Deut 19:1-13)	89
	Comparative Evidence	90
	Homicide in Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies	90
	Homicide in Ancient Near Eastern Societies	106
	Homicide in the Hebrew Bible	110
	Redaction of Deut 19:1-13	111
	Traditio-Historical Considerations	118
	Preliminary Conclusions	129
	The Deuteronomic Asylum-Law	131
	Conclusions	143
Chapter 4	Elders and the Purity of the Land (Deut 21:1-9)	145
	Comparative Evidence	146
	Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies	146
	Ancient Near Eastern Societies	147
	Redaction-Critical Matters	149
	Interpretation of the Pre-Deuteronomic Law (21:1a[alpha gamma]b, 2-5a[alpha], 6-8a[alpha]b)	153
	Deuteronom(ist)ic Expansions (21:1a[beta], 5a[beta]b, 8a[beta], 9)	159
	Conclusions	161
Chapter 5	Elders, Parents, and the Rebellious Son (Deut 21:18-21)	163
	Comparative Evidence	164
	Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies	164
	Roman Law	167
	Ancient Near Eastern Societies	168
	Redaction-Critical Matters	169
	Traditio-Historical Considerations	171
	Interpretation of the Pre-Deuteronomic Law (21:18-20a, 21a[alpha])	174
	Deuteronom(ist)ic Expansions (21:20b, 21a[beta]b)	181
	Conclusions	184
Chapter 6	Accusing a Bride of Unchastity (Deut 22:13-21)	187
	Comparative Evidence	188
	Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies	188
	Ancient Near Eastern Societies	193
	Summary	205
	Redaction-Critical Matters	206
	Other Biblical References to Sexual Misconduct	207
	Evidence from Legal Materials	207
	Evidence from Narrative Sources	215
	Evidence from Prophetic and Wisdom Writings	219
	Interpretation of the Pre-Deuteronomic Law (22:13-21a)	222
	Deuteronom(ist)ic Expansion (22:21b)	228
	Conclusions	230
Chapter 7	The Levirate Law (Deut 25:5-10)	235
	Definition of Levirate Marriage	235
	Comparative Evidence	238
	Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies	238
	Ancient Near Eastern Societies	243
	Redaction-Critical Matters	250
	Traditio-Historical Considerations	251
	Genesis 38	253
	Ruth 4:1-17	262
	The Elders in Ruth 4	277
	Preliminary Conclusions	281
	Interpretation of Deut 25:5-10	283
	The Levirate Law and the D Code	301
	Conclusions	302
Chapter 8	General Conclusions	305
	Summary of Findings Regarding City Elders in Deuteronomy	307
	The Elders-Laws and the D Code	308
	Bibliography	313
	Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies	313
	Sociological and Ethnographic Studies	330
	Author Index	341
	Scripture Index	347

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Category Books

The Elders of the City: A Study of the Elders-Laws in Deuteronomy »

Author Biography: Timothy M. Willis

Book Synopsis

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