ABSTRACT גרגרגר He Loves the Immigrant”: Deuteronomy’s Theological and Social Vision for the“ The aim of this dissertation is to present a more nuanced and comprehensive immigrant” in the book of Deuteronomy (D), which“ גר understanding of the noun occurrences than any other Old Testament (OT) book. After making a גר contains more case for the translation “immigrant” in most biblical contexts, I then trace predominant approaches to interpreting this noun in the OT: lexico-syntagmatic, sociological, sociohistorical referential, theological and related methods. I seek to employ a variegated approach, one that intersects textual investigation, sociological implications, and other figure and legislation. The primary questions that גר dynamics in order to understand D’s in a given biblical corpus? How do גר have preoccupied researchers are: who is the To what ? גר biblical texts, especially Pentateuchal laws, expect Israelites to treat the into the Israelite community? A history גר extent do biblical texts attempt to integrate the of research demonstrates that scholars have attempted to answer these questions by focusing on, one, historical and social provenance, two, delineating compositional strata, and three, ancient Near Eastern comparisons. This study attempts to remedy certain gaps and conflicts in the secondary literature. The foundation of this study is a systematic analysis of the 12 passages that in D, along with a discussion of Deut 23:2-9, which does not use the noun גר mention the conceptuality. These analyses incorporate germane גר but I argue is central to D’s , גר textual critical inquiries and synchronic interpretive constraints, such as lexical and grammatical data, semantic relationships, terminological usage in D, and determinatives from the immediate context. On the basis of this foundation, I appraise scholarly texts by theme or by distinct historical referents. I then גר endeavors to subdivide D’s and I present a series of , גר proffer a response to the leading views of the ethnicity of D’s s ethnic origins. I then show how D’ גר indicators for my own conclusions on the .uniquely in the legal core (chs. 12-26) and the prologue-epilogue (chs גר represents the 1, 5, 29, 30). The study next investigates two of D’s formulae, “for you were an immigrant the land of Egypt” and “remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt,” and offers a validation for reading these formulae as semantically distinct motivational clauses. According to the data, I seek to nuance our comprehension of the meaning of these clauses, identify parameters for ascertaining their literary origins, and critique a hypothesis on the Pentateuch’s transmission history. This diachronic approach naturally raises questions for other diachronic factors, such as inner-biblical exegesis. I, therefore, laws. After arguing for the גר turn to investigate D’s interpretation of other Tetrateuchal advantages of a relative dating approach to D’s laws over a reconstructive approach, I consider the advances of recent discussions on inner-biblical interpretation, the relationship between D’s laws and other legal corpora, and signs for the direction of laws in Exodus 20-23, but stands גר literary influence. I contend that D revises certain .laws גר lexically and, in most cases, ideationally independent of H’s register of Exploring D’s revision of the Covenant Code and comparing D with H reveals D’s .laws גר redemptive and accommodative tendencies in the drafting of its I culminate the dissertation by exploring sociological, comparative (ancient Near These aspects clarify our . גר Eastern), theological, and missiological aspects of D’s socially and religiously. These גר understanding of D’s vision for Israel to integrate the aspects also provide a framework for discussing the implications of Israel’s election for .who lived in Israel’s towns גר its responsibility toward the DISSERTATION APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation, entitled “He Loves the Immigrant”: גר Deuteronomy’s Theological and Social Vision for the written by Mark Abraham Awabdy and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical Studies has been read and approved by the undersigned members of the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary _______________________________ Dr. Bill T. Arnold, Mentor _______________________________ Dr. John A. Cook, Reader May 2012 “He Loves the Immigrant”: גר Deuteronomy’s Theological and Social Vision for the A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary Wilmore, Kentucky In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical Studies Dissertation Committee: Dr. Bill T. Arnold, Mentor Dr. John A. Cook, Reader By Mark Abraham Awabdy May 2012 Copyright 2012 Mark Abraham Awabdy All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction in the Old Testament גר Investigative Methods on the .1.1 1.1.1. Lexico-Syntagmatic Approach 1.1.2. Sociological Approach 1.1.3. Sociohistorical Referential Approach 1.1.4. Theological and Related Approaches 1.2. This Study’s Aim and Structure: Incentives of a Composite Hermeneutic in Deuteronomy גר Chapter 2: Studies on the 2.1. Historical and Social Provenance 2.1.1. Seventh Century Israelites 2.1.2. Seventh Century Judahites 2.1.3. Derivative and Divergent Views 2.1.4. Eighth or Ninth Century Israelites 2.2. Delineating Compositional Strata 2.2.1. A Generous Redactor 2.2.2. Three Strata: Pre-D, Pre-exilic D and Post-exilic D 2.2.3. Two Strata: Deuteronomic Reforms and Exilic/Post-exilic Cultus 2.3. Ancient Near Eastern Comparisons 2.3.1. Formulating the Deuteronomic Triad 2.3.2. Motivations for Social Action: Near Eastern or Distinctly Israelite? 2.4. Prospect for this Study iii Chapter 3: Establishing and Analyzing the Texts 3.1. Synchronic Interpretive Boundaries 3.1.1. Deut 1:16-17 3.1.2. Deut 5:13-15 3.1.3. Deut 10:17-19 3.1.4. Deut 14:21 3.1.5. Deut 14:28-29 3.1.6. Deut 16:10-14 3.1.7. Deut 23:2-9 3.1.7.1. Introductory Issues ?in 23:2-9 קהל יהוה What is .3.1.7.2 3.1.7.3. Who are the non-Israelites in 23:4-9? 3.1.8. Deut 24:14-22 3.1.9. Deut 26:10-13 3.1.10. Deut 27:19 3.1.11. Deut 28:43-44 3.1.12. Deut 29:8-12 3.1.13. Deut 31:10-13 Continuity and Pluriformity : גר Deuteronomy’s .3.2 3.2.1. Exploring Thematic Subdivisions 3.2.2. Investigating the Possibility of Historical Referents 3.2.3. Detecting Ethnicity: Israelite, Judahite, or Non-Israelite/Non-Judahite iv 3.3. Conclusions: Rhetoric of a New Status Chapter 4: Immigrant-in-Egypt and Slave-in-Egypt Formulae: Demarcations, Import, and Origins 4.1. Introducing the Formulae Egypt: Evidence of a Semantic Distinction- עבד Egypt and- גר .4.2 activity in Exod 1:9-14:31 עבד activity in Gen 45-Exod 1:5 and גור .4.2.1 4.2.2. Israel-in-Egypt texts in D 4.2.3. Historical précis: Gen 15:13 and Deut 26:5-6 Experience גור Genesis 45-50: Jacob’s sojourn as Israel’s .4.3 4.4. Semantic Distinction within D in Egypt גר .4.4.1 in Egypt עבד .4.4.2 Egypt Formulae- עבד Egypt and- גר Positing the Origins of D’s .4.5 4.6. Revisiting the überlieferungsgeschichtliche Problem: Interfacing a Growing Egypt Traditions- עבד Egypt and- גר Consensus with D’s 4.7. Conclusions and Torah: D’s Interpretation of the Covenant Code and Distinction גר Chapter 5: The from H 5.1. Deuteronomy and Inner-Biblical Interpretation: Methodological Developments 5.1.1. Deuteronomy’s Laws: Reconstructive versus Relative Dating 5.1.2. D, H and Exodus 20-23: Debates on Inner-Biblical Textuality laws גר Inner-Biblical Exegesis and D’s .5.1.3 v 5.1.4. Indicators of the Direction of Literary Influence laws from D’s גר The Independence of H’s .5.1.5 Regulations and contrasts with H גר D’s Revision of Exodus 20-23’s .5.2 5.2.1. A Vicarious Redemption (and the Sabbath (Exod 20:8-11; Deut 5:12-15 גר .5.2.1.1 (and Festive Meals (Exod 12:21-23, 24-27; 23:14-19; Deut 16:1-17 גר .5.2.1.2 5.2.2. A Kind Tôrâ (and Tithes and Sacrifices (Exod 20:24; Deut 12:11-19;14:22-29 גר .5.2.2.1 (and Carcass Consumption (Lev 17:15; Deut 14:21 גר .5.2.2.2 5.3. Conclusions Chapter 6: Social and Religious Integration in the Deuteronomic Code גר Social Integration: The Ancient Near East and the .6.1 6.1.1. Non-Indigenous Residents in a Selection of Ancient Near Eastern Laws s Social Integration in the Deuteronomic Code’ גר Defining the .6.1.2 in Deuteronomy’s Prologue and Epilogue גר Religious Integration: The .6.2 ?Incipient Mission to Non-Israelites : גר Israel’s Election and Deuteronomy’s .6.3 Chapter 7: Conclusions vi ABBREVIATIONS G Old Greek (a majority of Septuagint mss) GA Codex Alexandrinus GAmb Codex Ambrosianus GC Codex Coisliniarus GB Codex Vaticanus GS Codex Sinaiticus GL Lucianic Recension G848 Old Greek fragment, Rahlf’s no. 848 (first century BCE) MT Masoretic Text MT L Leningrad Codex of the Masoretic Text Q Qumran Smr Samaritan Pentateuch S Syriac T Targums (major Targums) TJ Targum Jonathan TN Targum Neofiti TO Targum Onkelos TPJ Targum Pseudo-Jonathan V Latin Vulgate vii PREFACE The seedbed for this project was cultivated in 2007, when my masters’ program advisor, David Livermore, insisted I read Christopher Wright’s The Mission of God .