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The Holiness Composition in the Book of Exodus

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The Holiness Composition in the Book of Exodus You Shall Know that I am YHWH: The Holiness Composition in the Book of Exodus A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary Wilmore, Kentucky In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor in Philosophy in Biblical Studies Dissertation Committee: Dr. Bill T. Arnold, Mentor Dr. John A. Cook, Reader By Paavo Tucker August 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction to the Question of the Priestly Literature in the Pentateuch Chapter 2: History of Research on the Priestly Literature and the Holiness Code 2.1. H, PG, and PS in the History of Research on the Priestly Material 2.1.1. The Priestly Materials from de Wette to Wellhausen 2.1.2. Martin Noth, Karl Elliger, and the Search for the End of PG 2.1.3. PG ending in the Sinai Pericope 2.1.4. H as a post-P Redaction or Supplement 2.1.5. The Holiness Code as an Integral Part of the Priestly Literature 2.2. Conclusions and Proposal on the History of Research Chapter 3: Objections against the continuity of the Priestly Narrative and H 3. State of the Question 3.1. Different views of Land Ownership 3.2. The identity of Israel as the People of YHWH or Slaves of YHWH 3.3. Conceptions of the Covenant 3.4. Presence of Deuteronomistic Terminology 3.5. The Question of Profane vs. Sacred Slaughter 3.6. Passover Instructions in Exod 12 and Lev 23 3.7. Theological Differences Chapter 4: Genesis 1:1–2:4a as "Holiness Preamble": Analysis of Genesis 1:1–2:4a Chapter 5: The Holiness Composition in Exod 1-14: You shall know that I am YHWH i 5.1. Introduction to the Priestly texts in Exod 1-14 5.2. The Priestly Base-layer in Exodus 1-14 5.2.1. Exodus 1-2 5.2.2. Exodus 6:2–7:7 5.2.3. Exodus 12 5.2.4. Exodus 14 5.3. The Function of the Priestly Material in its Context 5.4. The Holiness Code in Exod 1-14* Chapter 6: The Holiness Composition in Exod 16-40: Keep my Sabbaths and Revere my Sanctuary 6.1. Defining the Priestly texts in Exod 16-40 6.2. Exodus 16 6.2.1. The Function of the Priestly Manna-Sabbath Narrative 6.2.2. The Function of Exodus 16 as Part of the Holiness Code 6.3. Exodus 19-40: The Holiness Code and the Sinai Texts Exodus 19-40 6.3.1. The Base Priestly Narrative in the Sinai Tabernacle Account 6.3.2. Exodus 24:15b-18a 6.3.3. Exodus 25:1-2, 8; 29:45-46 6.3.4. The Conclusion of the Tabernacle Account Exod 39:32, 43; 40:17, 33-34 ii 6.3.5. The Sabbath texts of Exod 31:12-17; 35:1-3 as part of the Priestly Narrative 6.3.5.1. On the Unity of Exod 31:12-17; 35:1-3 6.3.5.2. Exodus 31:12-17//35:1-3 as part of the Priestly Tabernacle Narrative 6.4. The Priestly base-layer in the Tabernacle account 6.5. The Base Priestly Narrative of the Sinai Tabernacle Account and its Function as Part of the Holiness Code 7. Conclusion iii ABBREVIATIONS * Indicates that the verses marked with an asterisk may exclude a few verses or parts of verses within the range listed (e.g. 6:2–7:7* may exclude a few verses or portions of a verse from within this range) H Holiness Code (Lev 17-26) or material related to the Holiness Code PG Priestly Grundschrift narrative PS Later supplements to the Priestly narrative LXX Septuagint MT Masoretic Text RP Final Redactor of the Pentateuch iv Chapter 1 1.Introduction Since the classic identification of the Priestly writings in the Pentateuch by Theodore Nöldeke,1 debate has ensued over the extent and purpose of these Priestly writings. According to the view popularized in the 19th century by August Kloster- mann, Abraham Kuenen, and Julius Wellhausen, the Holiness Code (H = Lev 17-26) was the earliest Priestly literature, followed by the Priestly narrative PG (Grund- schrift), to which various laws were added as supplements labeled PS.2 This view was reversed in the 20th century by Karl Elliger, Israel Knohl, and Jacob Milgrom, who argued that the Holiness Code post-dates the Priestly narrative.3 Still other scholars, following David Hoffmann and Bernardus Eerdmans from the 19th century, reject the distinctions between H, PG, and PS, and contend for a unified understanding of the Priestly literature, as proposed recently by Erhard Blum and Andreas Ruwe.4 These different understandings of the Priestly literature revolve around a few unresolved questions. There is no agreement as to what constitutes the purpose and ending of the Priestly narrative PG, especially whether its goal is the establishment of 1 Theodore Nöldeke, Untersuchungen zur Kritik des Alten Testaments (Kiel: Schwers, 1869), 143-44. 2 August Klostermann,"Ezechiel und das Heiligkeitsgesetz," ZLTK 38 (1877): 401-445; Abraham Kuenen, Historisch-Kritisch Onderzoek naar het ontstaan en de verzameling van de Boeken des Ouden Verbonds (3 vols.; Leiden: 1861-65; English translation: An Historico-Critical Inquiry into the Origin and Composition of the Hexateuch [vol. 1, 2nd ed., trans. P. Wicksteed; London: MacMillan, 1886]); Julius Wellhausen, Die Composition des Hexateuchs und der historischen Bücher des Alten Testaments (4th ed.; Berlin: de Gruyter, 1963); Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels (2nd ed.; Berlin: G. Reimer, 1883). 3 Karl Elliger, Leviticus (HAT 4; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1966), 14-20; Israel Knohl, The Sanctuary of Silence (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1995); Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus 1-16 (AB 3A; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998), 13-15, 61-63; Leviticus 17-22 (AB 3B; New York: Doubleday, 2000), 1349-55. 4 David Hoffmann, Das Buch Leviticus (vol 2.; Berlin: M. Poppelauer, 1906), 1-8; Bernardus Eerdmans, Alttestamentliche Studien IV: Das Buch Leviticus (Giessen: Töpelmann, 1912), 84-86; Erhard Blum, Studien zur Komposition des Pentateuch (BZAW 189; Berlin: de Gruyter, 1990); Andreas Ruwe, 'Heiligkeitsgesetz' und 'Priesterschrift' (FAT 26; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1999). 1 the cult at Sinai, or the occupation of the promised land.5 Correspondingly, how much legislative material is retained in the original PG is also a matter of debate that de- pends on how the purpose of the narrative is viewed. With regards to the Holiness Code, the question of the internal development of the laws of Lev 17-26 and how these laws relate to the Priestly narratives and texts outside of Lev 17-26 such as Exod 6:2-8; 29:43-46 that evince the same style and theology as Lev 17-26 remains a mat- ter of debate. Was Lev 17-26 an originally independent law code inserted into the Priestly Sinai narrative as Wellhausen argued?6 Or is it a redactional supplement me- diating the laws of the Book of the Covenant, Deuteronomy, and other Priestly laws?7 Are the texts outside of Lev 17-26 that evince the formal and theological characteris- tics of Lev 17-26, such as Exod 6:2-8; 29:43-46, to be considered H texts,8 or are these P texts that H has imitated in Lev 17-26? What are valid criteria for determining what is H material outside of Lev 17-26? This study will consider these problems through an analysis of the Priestly texts in Exodus and how they relate to the Holiness Code in Lev 17-26. It has long been noted that key Priestly texts in Exodus such as the revelation of the name YHWH and the covenant promises in Exod 6:2-8 and its continuation in the establish- ment of the tabernacle and the presence of God promised in 29:43-46 evince linguistic and theological parallels to the Holiness Code in Lev 17-26. Particularly these texts 5 Suggestions for the end of PG range from Exod 29:45-46; 40; Lev 8-9, 16, to Deut 34 and Joshua. For an overview of recent proposals, see Christian Frevel, Mit Blick auf das Land die Schöpfung Erinnern: Zum Ende der Priestergrundschrift (HBS 23; Freiburg: Herder, 2000), and Erich Zenger, "Das priesters(schrift)liche Werk (P)," in Einleitung in das Alte Testament (ed. E. Zenger u.a.; 8th ed.; Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 2008): 193-209. 6 So recently Klaus Grünwaldt, Das Heiligkeitsgesetz Leviticus 17-26: Ursprüngliche Gestalt, Tradition, und Theologie (BZAW 271; Berlin: de Gruyter, 1999). 7 Recently Eckart Otto, "Innerbiblische Exegese im Heiligkeitsgesetz Levitikus 17-26," in Levitikus als Buch (ed. H-J. Fabry and H-W. Jüngling, BBB 119; Berlin: Philo, 1999), 125-196; Theologische Ethik des Alten Testaments (ThW 3/2; Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1994), 233-256; Christophe Nihan, From Priestly Torah to Pentateuch (FAT 25; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007). 8 So Knohl, Sanctuary of Silence, 104-105; Milgrom, Leviticus 17-22, 1337-1344. 2 are closely linked to the characteristic features of H: divine address in first person, the refrain "I am YHWH," the covenant promise of YHWH and the identification of Is- rael as the people of YHWH, the Exodus formula, the presence of YHWH dwelling among Israel, demand for holiness, and continuation of the promises and blessings initiated in the Priestly creation account.9 This characteristic H material in Lev 17-26 structures the legislation into a law code, and situates the H legislation into the setting of the Priestly narratives at Sinai between the Exodus and entrance into the promised land, where it functions as the parenetic conclusion to the Sinai Torah.10 As I will ar- gue as the thesis of this study, the foundational Priestly texts in Exod 6:2-8; 29:43-46, and along with them the remaining Priestly narratives in Exodus that are considered as belonging to this same narrative sequence and typically assigned to PG are of the same H strata as the characteristic H material in Lev 17-26, and thus the main Priestly narrative texts in Exodus are to be assigned to H.
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