UNIVERSALISM AND PARTICULARISM AT SODOM AND GOMORRAH ESSAYS IN MEMORY OF RON PIRSON Edited by Diana Lipton Society of Biblical Literature Atlanta UNIVERSALISM AND PARTICULARISM AT SODOM AND GOMORRAH Essays in Memory of Ron Pirson Copyright © 2012 by the Society of Biblical Literature All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permit- ted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to the Rights and Permissions Offi ce, Society of Biblical Literature, 825 Houston Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30329 USA. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Universalism and particularism at Sodom and Gomorrah : essays in memory of Ron Pirson / edited by Diana Lipton. p. cm. — (Society of Biblical Literature ancient Israel and its literature ; no. 11) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 978-1-58983-650-1 (paper binding : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-58983-651-8 (electronic format) 1. Bible. O.T. Genesis XVIII–XIX—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Sodom (Extinct city) 3. Gomorrah (Extinct city) 4. Universalism. 5. Particularism (Theology) I. Lipton, Diana. II. Pirson, Ron. BS1235.52.U55 2012b 222'.1106—dc22 2012003015 Printed on acid-free, recycled paper conforming to ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) and ISO 9706:1994 standards for paper permanence. Contents Acknowledgments ...........................................................................................vii Abbreviations ................................................................................................. viii Preface ................................................................................................................ix Remembering Ron Pirson, by His Life-Partner Petra Th ijs ...................................................................................................xi Ron Pirson: Memories of a Former Colleague Pierre Van Hecke .......................................................................................xv Ron Pirson: Publications ............................................................................. xvii Section 1: The Ethics of Preference Th e Eternal Liminality of Lot: Paying the Price of Opposing the Particular in the Sodom Narrative William John Lyons .....................................................................................3 Th e Limits of Intercession: Abraham Reads Ezekiel at Sodom and Gomorrah Diana Lipton .............................................................................................25 Changing God’s Mind: Abraham versus Jonah T. A. Perry ..................................................................................................43 Why Did God Choose Abraham? Responses from Medieval Jewish Commentators Amira Meir ................................................................................................53 Section 2: Justice by the Book Outcry, Knowledge, and Judgment in Genesis 18–19 Ellen J. van Wolde .....................................................................................71 vi UNIVERSALISM AND PARTICULARISM Legal and Ethical Refl ections on Genesis 18 and 19 Calum Carmichael ..................................................................................101 Keeping the Way of Yhwh: Righteousness and Justice in Genesis 18–19 Megan Warner.........................................................................................113 Section 3: The Ethics of Hospitality Was Lot a Good Host? Was Lot Saved from Sodom as a Reward for His Hospitality? Yitzhak (Itzik) Peleg ................................................................................129 Hospitality Compared: Abraham and Lot as Hosts Jonathan D. Safren ..................................................................................157 Hospitality and Hostility: Reading Genesis 19 in Light of 2 Samuel 10 (and Vice Versa) Nathan MacDonald ................................................................................179 Beyond Particularity and Universality: Refl ections on Shadal’s Commentary to Genesis 18–19 Harlan J. Wechsler ...................................................................................191 Does Lot Know about Yada‘ ? Ron Pirson ...............................................................................................203 Contributors ...................................................................................................215 Index of Primary Texts .................................................................................219 Index of Modern Authors.............................................................................231.