This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G
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This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: • This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. • A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. • This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. • The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. • When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. THE DEATH OF JACOB NARRATIVE CONVENTIONS IN GENESIS 47.28-50.26 BY KERRY D. LEE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCE IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH 2013 ABSTRACT Regarding the structural logic behind Jacob’s death-bed story (Gen 47.28-50.26), biblical scholars historically have seen its enigmatic features as evidence of diachronic development. Those who treat it as an intentionally composed whole typically either simply assume that intention or else argue for it using only basic logical structures (chiasm, parallel). The story’s composition is better explained, however, through the lens of conventional structures, especially that of a Hebrew death-bed type-scene. In the first chapter I overview approaches to the passage in biblical scholarship and evaluate recent synchronic approaches. Structuralist readings of other biblical texts are considered and mostly dismissed as a precedent, though Propp’s method is similar. I then state my reasons for beginning with 47.28, rather than 47.27. In chapter two, I investigate the first of the four Episodes that make up Jacob’s death-bed story: 47.28-31. Specific issues addressed include: evidence of competing chronologies, phrasal similarities with the chosen-line genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11, and the characterization of Joseph as a Worthy Successor, one of four tale-roles taken by characters in death-bed stories. Chapter three deals with 48.1-22, giving special attention to the similarity of verses 3-12 to covenant-initiation forms, the issue of adoption, the conventional characterization of Joseph and his sons as Worthy Successors, and the grammar of verses 13-20. In chapter four I focus on the climactic aspects of the language of verse 28 and the characterization of all twelve sons as Worthy Co-Successors. Chapter five treats the Preparation and Testament sections (49.29-33) of the fourth and final Episode. Certain words and phrases are best understood in a legal register. In chapter six I turn to the extended conclusion of the fourth Episode, or the Epilogue, which encompasses the three short stories in 50.1-26. All three deal with conventional concerns typically addressed in death-bed stories. Furthermore, 50.22-26 is a conventional death-bed story in its own right. This investigation of conventional structures in Jacob’s death-bed story opens up new and more objective ways of understanding long-recognized problems in the passage as intentional elements, regardless of the process of the text’s composition and transmission. I, Kerry D. Lee, declare that I have written this thesis, that it is entirely my own work, and that it has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Signed: ___________________________ Date: ___________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ix Abbreviations .........................................................................................................xi 1 The Study of Conventions in Genesis 47–50 ..................................................1 1.0 Setting the Stage .....................................................................................1 1.1 The Scholarly Context ...........................................................................5 1.1.1 Biblical Studies ..........................................................................5 1.1.2 The Strengths and Weaknesses of Synchronic Approaches ....14 1.1.3 Literary Criticism, Folklore, and Vladimir Propp ....................17 1.1.4 Similarities and Differences With Propp .................................21 1.1.5 Summary ..................................................................................24 1.2 The Starting Point for Jacob’s Death-Bed Story ..................................25 1.3 The Plan for What Follows ..................................................................29 1.3.1 Death-Bed Story Episodes .......................................................29 1.3.2 Preview of the Following Chapters ..........................................31 1.4 Conclusion ...........................................................................................34 2 The Burial Request to Joseph ........................................................................35 2.0 Text and Preliminary Remarks .............................................................35 2.1 The Preparation (Genesis 47.28–29a) ..................................................36 2.2 The Testament (Genesis 47.29b–31a) ..................................................45 2.2.1 Joseph as Worthy Successor ....................................................48 2.3 The Denouement (Genesis 47.31b) ......................................................54 2.4 Conclusion ...........................................................................................61 3 The Blessing of Joseph ..................................................................................63 3.0 Text and Preliminary Remarks .............................................................63 3.1 The Preparation (Genesis 48.1–2) ........................................................68 3.1.1 ‘Jacob’ and ‘Israel’ ...................................................................74 3.2 Testament A: The Adoption (Genesis 48.3–12) ..................................81 3.2.1 An Historical Prologue .............................................................82 3.2.2 Genesis 48.3–7 Among the Priestly Promise Texts .................85 3.2.2.1 Priestly Texts? ..............................................................86 3.2.2.2 The Motifs of the El-Šadday Promise Texts ................89 3.2.3 The Intention to Adopt and its Justification .............................94 3.2.4 The Adoption (Genesis 48.8–12) ...........................................102 viii Table of Contents 3.2.4.1 The Confirming Dialogue (Genesis 48.8–9a) ............104 3.2.4.2 The Confirming Event (Genesis 48.9b–12) ...............114 3.2.4.3 Adoption in Ancient Israel .........................................124 3.2.5 The Worthy Successor and the Portrayal of Joseph’s Sons ...132 3.2.6 Summary of 3.2 ......................................................................134 3.3 Testament B: The Blessing of Joseph and His Sons (Genesis 48.13–20) .............................................................................................................135 3.3.1 The Integrity of Genesis 48.15–16 .........................................138 3.3.2 The Two Blessings of Genesis 48.15–16 and 48.20 ..............141 3.4 Testament C: The Individual Blessing of Joseph (Genesis 48.21–22) .............................................................................................................144 3.5 Conclusion .........................................................................................149 4 The Blessing of the Twelve .........................................................................151 4.0 Text and Preliminary Remarks ...........................................................151 4.1 The Summoning of the Twelve (Genesis 49.1a) ................................152 4.2 Genesis 49.28 as a Climax and Changes in Narrative Tempo ...........156 4.3 The Characterization of the Twelve as Worthy Successors ...............160 4.4 Conclusion .........................................................................................165 5 The Burial Request to the Twelve ...............................................................167 5.0 Text and Preliminary Remarks ...........................................................167 5.1 The Preparation (Genesis 49.29a) ......................................................169 5.2 The Testament (Genesis 49.29b–32) .................................................171 5.3 The Denouement (Genesis 49.33) ......................................................174 5.4 Conclusion .........................................................................................177 6 The Epilogue ................................................................................................179 6.0 Text and Preliminary Remarks ...........................................................179 6.1 Death-Bed Epilogues .........................................................................181 6.2 Jacob’s Burial (50.1–14) ....................................................................184 6.3 The Survival of Jacob’s Legacy (50.15–21) ......................................194 6.4 Joseph’s Death as Epilogue (50.22–26) .............................................197