THE HOLY HUSH OF ANCIENT SACRIFICE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE LEGITIMACY OF THE NON-CENTRALIZED CULT IN IRON AGE ISRAEL by ERIC MERLE CARLSON (Under the Direction of David S. Williams) ABSTRACT The present study looks at various cult practices within Iron Age Israel that took place outside the environs of the Temple in Jerusalem. The focus will be on rituals not characterized by syncretism, but which on the whole lie within the parameters of Israelite orthodoxy. Chapters one and two give an overview of the problem and provide a synopsis of the history of research into the Deuteronomist, the biblical writer/editor most responsible for a negative view of the high places. Chapters three through six examine typical non-centralized rites, starting at the domestic setting and moving inward through township and regional practices to those cultic ceremonies performed just outside the Temple precincts. Chapters seven through ten outline the origins of the dominant priestly line and the tensions between that priesthood and the Davidic dynasty, the northern cult, and the Writing Prophets, arising from differences concerning faithfulness to the covenant with YHWH. INDEX WORDS: Cult, Ritual, Purification, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Broken- Necked Heifer, High Places, Red Heifer, Zadokites, Jeroboam I, Josiah’s Reform, Centralization, Prophetic Critique THE HOLY HUSH OF ANCIENT SACRIFICE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE LEGITIMACY OF THE NON-CENTRALIZED CULT IN IRON AGE ISRAEL by ERIC MERLE CARLSON A. A., Black Hawk College, 1978 B. A., Carthage College, 1980 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2004 © 2004 Eric Merle Carlson All Rights Reserved THE HOLY HUSH OF ANCIENT SACRIFICE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE LEGITIMACY OF THE NON-CENTRALIZED CULT IN IRON AGE ISRAEL by ERIC MERLE CARLSON Approved: Major Professor: David S. Williams Committee: Theodore J. Lewis Carolyn J. Medine William L. Power Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2004 iv Complacencies of the peignoir, and late Coffee and oranges in a sunny chair And the green freedom of a cockatoo Upon a rug mingle to dissipate The holy hush of ancient sacrifice. She dreams a little, and she feels the dark Encroachment of that old catastrophe As a calm darkens among water-lights. The pungent oranges and bright, green wings Seem things in some procession of the dead Winding across wide water, without sound. The day is like wide water, without sound. Stilled for the passing of her dreaming feet Over the seas, to silent Palestine… from Sunday Morning— by Wallace Stevens v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Perfunctory expressions of thanks have always come easily to me. Unless I miss my guess, most of us have a more difficult time paying our respects to those whom we owe deeper debts. While growing up in Illinois, I was surrounded by a truly wonderful family: sharp, fun-loving, and compassionate. We were much more than siblings; we were the closest of friends. We still are to this day. My proudest thoughts center on being my mother’s child, the son of my late father. Throughout my years of schooling, I have been blessed with talented, dedicated, caring teachers who have allowed me to share their vision if but for a little while. And oh, what friends I have had! May God bless every single one of them; they have made my life a cherished possession I clutch close to my heart. I am thankful for the beautifully eccentric community of people at my house church who ask the tough questions, never settle for settled answers, and love unconditionally. (If Peabody Hall ever caught on how many from such a minute assemblage have graced its classrooms, some kind of award would need to be established in our honor!) I thank you all for an atmosphere that provides fresh air in my lungs week after week. I am thankful to those who read all or portions of my thesis, providing essential insight and correction: Betsy, Ben, Wayne, Keith, and Keith. You made my job so much easier! Also, to Charlise, Matt, and Ryan, who offered to help, I am deeply grateful. I am thankful to the graduate students who went through the program at the same time as I: my fellow-religionists Christi, Matthew, and Jon, as well as the philosophers vi Dan, Chad, and Larry. And thanks to the many gracious and teachable students who sat under my instruction. I am thankful to Zinetta and Janine, who—as everyone is aware—run the Religion Department. Competence and zeal personified! Thank you. I am thankful to the faculty: to Dr. Slater, for his collegial attitudes, infectious sense of humor, and sincere encouragement; to Dr. Honerkamp, for his tender heart for the world and his patience with me; to Dr. Medine, for her incisive mind and helpful personality; to Dr. Power, for his warmth and his command of his field; and to Dr. Williams, for his incredible teaching ability. I will remember “not to be a salmon” but to swim with the current. Leaving the deepest debts for last, I am thankful to Dr. Ted Lewis, who directed this thesis. For your precipitous standards and for the firm confidence that your students can actually attain those heights, I thank you. Not that I have reached them, mind you. But I can now envision reaching them. You are a man of faith and of integrity, whom I will be proud to attempt to emulate. To my best friend, my girlfriend, Elizabeth Winans: thanks for your loyal prayers, your abiding respect, and your diligent efforts on my behalf (typing, proofreading, emailing). Thanks for sharing with me the wonder that you are. I treasure you! And finally, let me say what an awesome privilege it is for me to study the Hebrew Bible. Religion is much more than an academic pursuit for me: This is the conduit through which my whole life pours. It is a sacramental task to learn from the living God, to pursue his truths. I cannot imagine doing anything else. Soli Deo Gloria! vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................1 The Structure of the Present Study...................................................................2 The Deuteronomist’s Agenda...........................................................................4 The Home Front: Domestic and Village Practices...........................................7 Regional Rites: Altars and High Places ...........................................................7 Just Outside the Temple: Purification Rituals..................................................9 Issues of Validity: The Priority of Jerusalem.................................................10 Critics of the Non-Centralized Cult................................................................11 Critics of the Central Cult ..............................................................................12 2 HISTORY OF RESEARCH ...........................................................................14 The Göttingen School.....................................................................................16 Back to One Editor.........................................................................................17 The Dual Redaction Hypothesis.....................................................................18 The Hezekiah Edition.....................................................................................20 3 THE PASSOVER AND UNLEAVENED BREAD.......................................22 Ancient Israel’s Economy: Pastoral or Agricultural?.....................................24 Harvest Festivals ............................................................................................25 Passover and Calendars..................................................................................26 The Rise of “Unleavened Bread” ...................................................................27 The Impact of Passover ..................................................................................30 viii Questioned Origins.........................................................................................31 The Merging of Traditions .............................................................................33 Analysis..........................................................................................................35 4 THE BROKEN-NECKED HEIFER...............................................................38 The Mere Presence of Priests .........................................................................39 The Town Elders ............................................................................................41 A Borrowed Rite?...........................................................................................43 A Sacred Space?.............................................................................................45 Repenting of Spilled Blood ............................................................................45 Ritual Purification with Water .......................................................................47 Theoretical Implications.................................................................................48 5 THE LEGITIMACY OF ISRAELITE HIGH PLACES.................................52 Etymology of bāmâ ........................................................................................54 Home of the Gods—Mountains and