Oudtestamentische Studiën, Old Testament Studies – serie

This volume deals with the poetic framework and material content of the Second and Third Books of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72 and 73-89). It is a continuation of the Psalms Project started in OTS 53 (2006).Formal and thematic devices demonstrate that the psalms are composed of a consistent pattern of cantos (stanzas) and strophes. The formal devices include quantitative balance on the level of cantos in terms of the number of verselines, verbal repetitions and transition markers. A quantitative structural approach also helps to identify the focal message of the poems. Introductions to the design of biblical poetry and the rhetorical centre of the psalms conclude this massive study. The third volume, dealing with the Fourth and Fifth Books of the Psalter (Psalms 90-106 and 107-151), is in preparation.

The wilderness narratives Ex 15:22–17:7 and Num 11:1-20:13 are shaped by striking repetitions as well as breaks in style and content. This study describes the continued interaction between the various text signals and the ‘co-operative reader’ who attempts to achieve a coherent reading. This type of an ideal reader alludes to the concepts of reception theorists W. Iser and U. Eco and is applied here for the benefit of the narratives of the Old Testament. A second main part 4demonstrates systematically the narrative tools of guiding the reader within the wilderness narratives. This approach emphasises the dynamic character of the interpretation of the text. In this way, the author re-evaluates for example text structures, blanks or duplicates by weighing up their significance and relevance for the reading process.Die Wüstenerzählungen Ex. 15:22-17:7 und Num. 11:1-20:13 sind von markanten Wiederholungen wie auch von stilistischen und inhaltlichen Brüchen geprägt. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wird fortlaufend die Interaktion der unterschiedlichen Textsignale mit einem `kooperierenden Leser´ beschrieben, der trotz aller Lesestörungen bemüht ist, eine kohärente Lektüre zu erzielen. Dieser Idealtypus eines Lesers lehnt sich an die rezeptionsästhetischen Entwürfe von W. Iser und U. Eco an und soll für narrative Texte des Alten Testamentes fruchtbar gemacht werden. In einem weiteren Hauptteil werden systematisch die textlichen Mittel der Leserlenkung innerhalb der Wüstenerzählungen dargestellt. Mit dieser Herangehensweise wird der dynamische Charakter einer Textinterpretation betont. So werden beispielsweise Textstrukturen, Leerstellen oder Dubletten neu bewertet, indem ihre Signifikanz und Relevanz für einen Leseprozess abgewogen werden.

Attempts to reconstruct the compositional history of the book of Isaiah confine themselves mainly to chapters 1-12 and 28-39, supposed to shroud the basic core of any early collection of Isaianic texts. Other investigations which verge on the group of prophecies concerning the nations in Isa 13-23 rarely delve into exegetical details to the extent that the reader of Isaiah would feel convinced to stand here on familiar grounds. Even others, overtly restricted to a small pericope inside Isa 13-23, often neglect the significance of this larger context. This book provides a thorough analysis of Isaiah 18-20, concerned with Egypt and Kush, from the earliest stages to their final contextualisation within the developing corpus of the Isaianic prophecies regarding the nations.

In The Antiochene Crisis and Jubilee Theology in Daniel’s Seventy Sevens, Dean R. Ulrich explores the joint interest of Daniel 9:24-27 in the Antiochene crisis of the second century B.C.E. and the jubilee theology conveyed by the prophecy’s structure. This study is necessary because previous scholarship, though recognizing the jubilee structure of the seventy sevens, has not sufficiently made the connection between jubilee and the six objectives of Daniel 9:24. Previous scholarship also has not adequately related the book’s interest in Antiochus IV to the hope of jubilee, which involves the full inheritance that God has promised to his people but that they had lost because of their compromises with Antiochus IV.

In The Present State of Old Testament Studies in the Low Countries fifteen leading scholars from Belgium and the Netherlands give an overview of their work. This collection celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Oudtestamentisch Werkgezelschap brings together the results of high quality research on many fields, from computer-assisted analysis to biblical theology, from the archaeology of Palestine to early rabbinic exegesis, from logotechnical analysis to delimitation criticism. It shows that Old Testament research in Belgium and the Netherlands is multifaceted and innovative.

For some time scholars have debated whether the Song of Songs has connections to the wisdom genre and how this changes our understanding of it. In Wise and Foolish Love in the Song of Songs, Jennifer Andruska shows that the influence of the wisdom genre on the Song is pervasive, running throughout the book, and offers an entirely new understanding of the book’s wisdom message. She demonstrates that the Song has combined elements of the ancient Near Eastern love song and wisdom genres to produce a wisdom literature about romantic love, inspiring readers to pursue a particular type of love relationship, modelled by the lovers throughout the poem, and aiming to transform them, through character formation, into wise lovers themselves.

In Re-Imagining Abraham: A Re-Assessment of the Influence of Deuteronomism in Genesis Megan Warner revisits the tradition that Genesis was edited by editors sympathetic to the theology of the Deuteronomist. On the basis of close, contextual readings of the four passages most commonly attributed to (semi-)Deuteronomistic hands, Warner argues that editorial use of Deuteronomistic language and themes points not to a sympathy with Deuteronomistic theology but rather to a sustained project to review and even subvert that theology. Warner’s ‘re-imagining’ of Abraham demonstrates how Israel’s forebear was ‘re-imagined’ in the post-exilic context for the purpose of offering the returning exiles a way forward at a time when all the old certainties, and even continued relationship with Yahweh, seemed lost.

In Psalm 91 and Demonic Menace Gerrit Vreugdenhil offers a thorough analysis of the text, structure and genre of Psalm 91. Already in its earliest interpretations, Psalm 91 has been associated with the demonic realm. The use of this psalm on ancient amulets and in magic texts calls for an explanation. Examining the psalms images of threat from a cognitive science perspective, Vreugdenhil shows that many of these terms carry associations with sorcery and magic, incantations and curses, diseases and demonic threat. The psalm takes demonic threat seriously, but also draws attention to the protection offered by JHWH. Finally, the author proposes an outline of the situational context in which Psalm 91 might have functioned.

In Violence in the Hebrew Bible scholars reflect on texts of violence in the Hebrew Bible, as well as their often problematic reception history. Authoritative texts and traditions can be rewritten and adapted to new circumstances and insights. Texts are subject to a process of change. The study of the ways in which these (authoritative) biblical texts are produced and/or received in various socio-historical circumstances discloses a range of theological and ideological perspectives. In reflecting on these issues, the central question is how to allow for a given text’s plurality of possible and realised meanings while also retaining the ability to form critical judgments regarding biblical exegesis. This volume highlight that violence in particular is a fruitful area to explore this tension.

This book is the first comprehensive study completely dedicated to all biblical genealogies. It provides a form-critical analysis of these genealogies and defines basic patterns and deviations. Helpful charts guide you towards the distinctive characteristics of these patterns. The last chapter of the book summarises all genealogical information on women in their different roles as daughters, sisters, and wives. The book includes a short comparison to the presence of women in the genealogies in the Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum.

In Visualizing the Vision, the author presents a detailed analysis of Ezekiel’s temple vision from an architectural, linguistic, and historical approach. The study demonstrates that the vision was not meant as a building instruction, but as a sign of hope for the exiles in Babylon, showing the temple as it will be built in a distant future, when it will never again be defiled and the Glory of the Lord will return to His house forever. The author takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the description of the vision’s temple and provides architectural drawings of its possible construction, situating these within the larger framework of Ancient Near Eastern building styles.