Division of the Book of Exodus Into Fundamental Literary Units According to the Thought of Its Final Writer-Redactor Presentation of the Research Method Sequence
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Division of the Book of Exodus into fundamental literary units according to the thought of its final writer-redactor Presentation of the research method sequence Wojciech Kosek Abstract. The present paper shows subsequent methodological steps to discover the division of the Book of Exodus into basic literary units according to the thought of its final writer- redactor, the one who arranged the text under to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. In the first step, one ought to make a list of the more essential means of dividing this book, which occurred from the very beginning to our times. It concerns, of course, the version in the Hebrew language, and also its translations into different languages, including the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate. One must take into account also the contribution of the contemporary biblicists done through their translations and scientific discussions and analyses resulting in books or articles in specialized magazines. The comparative material collected in this way will answer the question about the criterion for the division of the text: is there visible an original logic in the contemporary editions of the Bible according to which the last editor-writer finally shaped this holy text? What is this original logic? Can this be discovered with scientific credibility? The second step of the methodological looking for the original division of the Book of Exodus will be a through-out reading of the Hebrew text. For providing the fulfillment of the requirement to read the text profoundly, one will involve the principle of theocentrism as the essential criterion for this task. Namely, to understand the sacred text, one should look especially for those places where God of Israel appears as the subject (dynamic center) of acts and simultaneously the grammatical – יְהוָה – subject of the biblical sentence. As a result of such reading, one will discover the six-element literary structure of Ex 1-18 as the first main part of the Book of Exodus; its second part – Ex 19-40 – will not be analyzed in the present publication. This paper is the translation of the first chapter of the doctoral dissertation: W. Kosek, Pierwotny ryt Paschy w świetle schematu literackiego Księgi Wyjścia 1-18 (The original rite of the Passover in the light of the literary scheme of the Book of Exodus 1-18), Kraków 2008, p. 53-198. See also: • Introduction: https://www.academia.edu/40341712/ • Chapter II, part I: https://www.academia.edu/39467954/ • Chapter II, part II: https://www.academia.edu/39591656/ https://www.adoracja.bielsko.opoka.org.pl/Kosek_mainWeb_UK.html 1 Table of contents: 1.1. Introduction. 1.2. Presentation of previously discovered means of dividing the Book of Exodus. 1.2.1. Division of Ex 1-18 in Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, and Biblia Tysiąclecia. 1.2.2. Editorial titles dividing the text Ex 1-18 in contemporary editions of Holy Scripture and modern commentaries. 1.3. Looking for a new criterion of dividing the Book of Exodus 1-18. 1.3.1. Introduction. 1.3.2. Exegesis of Ex 3:19. 1.3.3. Exegesis of Ex 4:21. 1.3.3.1. Presentation of various translations of Ex 4:21. רְ אֵ ה Explanation of the meaning of the word .1.3.3.2 1.3.3.3. Explanation of the meaning of the sequence: (ב + suffix + infinitivus constructus) + (ל + infinitivus constructus) 1.3.3.4. Summary of Ex 4:21 studies. 1.3.4. Exegesis of the Book of Exodus 1:1-7:7. 1.3.4.1. The first part of God’s revelation outside Egypt: at Horeb (3:1-4:17). 1.3.4.2. The second part of God’s revelation outside Egypt: in Midian (4:19-23). 1.3.4.3. The third part of God’s revelation outside Egypt: on the way to Egypt (4:24-26). 1.3.4.4. The execution of the first two stages of God’s plan revealed near Horeb (4:27-31 and 5:1-6:1). 1.3.4.5. The first (6:2-9) and the second (6:10-12) parts of God’s revelation in Egypt. 1.3.4.6. Genealogy of Moses and Aaron (6:13-27) and the third part of God’s revelation in Egypt (6:28-7:5). 1.3.4.7. The fundamental conclusions from the analyses of Ex 1:1-7:7. 1.4. Looking for the main pericopes in Ex 1-18. 1.4.1. Ex 11:9-10 as an editorial summary of the miracle stage and the entire pericope 6:2- 11:10. 1.4.1.1. Ex 11:9. 1.4.1.2. Ex 11:10. 1.4.1.3. Final analyses. Summary of analyses. 1.4.2. Ex 12:1-13:16 as the third pericope. 1.4.2.1. Introduction. לַיהוָה Analysis of sentences with .1.4.2.2 הַלַיְלָה הַזֶּה Analysis of the words-predecessors in the emphatic sequence of the .1.4.2.3 type. 1.4.2.4. Analysis of sentences containing legislative vocabulary. 1.4.2.5. The structure and fundamental vocabulary of the haggadah about starting the way out (12:29-42) in light of the vocabulary of the pericope 12:1-13:16. 1.4.2.6. Structure of the pericope 12:1-13:16. 1.4.2.7. Conclusions. Summary of the study of the pericope 12:1-13:16. 1.4.3. Ex 13:17-14:31 as the fourth pericope. 1.4.4. Ex 15:1-21 as the fifth pericope. 1.4.5. Ex 15:22-18:27 as the sixth pericope. 1.4.5.1. Division of the sixth pericope into smaller units. 1.4.5.2. Thematic unity of pericope 15:22-18:27. 1.5. List of main pericopes in Ex 1-18. 1.5.1. The first and last pericope as a literary inclusion for Ex 1-18. .reveals Himself – the basic message of the second pericope יְהוָה .1.5.2 2 אֲנִי יְהוָה reveals Himself through the sequence יְהוָה .1.5.2.1 .through sequences ending the descriptions of miracles יְהוָה The revelation of .1.5.2.2 .reveals Himself by showing His power over the place and time of the sign יְהוָה .1.5.2.3 .reveals Himself as the ruler-guardian of Israel יְהוָ ה .1.5.2.4 1.5.2.5. Summary. 1.5.3. The third, fourth, and fifth pericopes in Ex 1-18. 1.5.3.1. The third pericope (12:1-13:16). 1.5.3.2. The fourth pericope (13:16-14:31). 1.5.3.3. The fifth pericope (15:1-22). 1.6. The summary of the first chapter of the dissertation. 1.1. Introduction. The Book of Exodus, like the whole Old Testament, has a very long history of creation. Composed of smaller literary texts from various periods of Israel, beginning with the time of Moses (around the 15th century BC1), it probably received its final shape in Babylonian captivity (around the 6th century BC). Just as a house can be built of bricks from earlier buildings, so this book was built of literary material that came into being in a variety of circumstances, probably as parts of some larger literary wholes. Traces of belonging to these ancient wholes could have remained, in many cases trying in some details to lead the researcher to a part once connected to it but now no longer existing. Such a complex reality requires caution from anyone who does not want to get lost in an abundance of observations when trying to discover the text details. One should remember that many of these details should be omitted not only as unimportant for the meaning of the new, final work 2 , but also as elements that make it difficult or impossible to read this New. Therefore, the fundamental question that one should still ask in the course of the research is the following sentence: Who is the hero of the presented events? Do the analyzed details concern Him or preferably someone/something less important? 1 Cf. T. A. BRYAN, The New Compact Bible Dictionary, Michigan 1967, p. 376 (Moses). 2 Cf. J. F. CRAGHAN, Księga Wyjścia [Book of Exodus], [in:] W. R. FARMER (ed.); S. MCEVENUE, A. J. LEVORATTI, D. L. DUNGAN (co-editors); W. CHROSTOWSKI (scientific editor of Polish edition), T. MIESZKOWSKI, P. PACHCIAREK (co-editors), Międzynarodowy komentarz do Pisma Świętego: komentarz katolicki i ekumeniczny na XXI wiek [International Commentary on Holy Scripture: Catholic and Ecumenical Commentary on the 21st Century], Warszawa 2000, p. 324: the author discusses here B. S. Childs’ concept, contained in his book The Book of Exodus. A Critical Theological Commentary, Philadelphia 1974: Childs focused on the final form of the text, emphasizing that this text is more than the sum of its various components. See also: Z. PAWŁOWSKI, Recenzja książki: B. S. Childs, Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context, London 1985 [Book Review: B. S. Childs, Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context, London 1985], “Ateneum Kapłańskie” 471 (1987), pp. 433-436. One should note that the efforts of many biblical scholars of the last century were focused on discovering the place and time of origin of the bricks from which the new building, the Book of Exodus, was finally built. So far, however, no one has given a convincing form to the research criteria, and many concepts have already been abandoned or significantly transformed. It seems that it is currently not possible to carry out the study truly rational in this area. Eminent biblical scholars note the emergence of new difficulties in the source hypothesis, but this is not a problem for some: cf.