The Poetic Priestly Source

by Jason M. H. Gaines

Overview

Much of scholarly research on the Pentateuch has revolved around the question of sources and how they might be identified by differences in vocabulary, theme, and characterization. Jason M. H. Gaines brings a different perspective to the delineation of the Priestly source (P) by applying specific criteria for the identification of biblical Hebrew poetry. These criteria allow him to distinguish a nearly complete poetic P stratum (“Poetic P”), coherent in literary, narrative, and ideological terms, from a later prose redaction (“Prosaic P”), which is fragmentary, supplemental (filling out mundane details including names dates, ages, places, numbers, and so on), and distinct in thematic presentation and apparent theological concern. Gaines describes the whole of the “Poetic P” source and offers a Hebrew reconstruction of the document. He also outlines the different emphases of the two strata, including differences in the characterization of patriarchs and of God’s treatment of a disobedient Israel. The result is a coherent and dramatically innovative understanding of the history of the Priestly composition that is sure to draw keen interest and to open up new vistas in the study of the Pentateuch.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506400464
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	12/15/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	546
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Jason M. H. Gaines is affiliate faculty in the department of religious studies at Fairfield University, Connecticut, and has previously taught at College of the Holy Cross and in the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College. He received his PhD in Near Eastern and Judaic studies from Brandeis University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xi

Sigla xiii

Abbreviations xv

Introduction 1

Methodological Approach 2

Select Examples 7

The Scope of This Study 11

Plausibility 12

The Israelites Composed Poetic Historical Narratives 12

Prose Supplements Often Intrude on Biblical Poetry 15

Composition Layers Exist in the Priestly Source 17

P's Language and Style Are Carefully Crafted 17

Beginning a Discussion 18

Chapter 1 Identifying Poetic Features in Biblical Texts 21

Terminology 23

Introduction to Parallelism 28

1 Literary Study 31

Linguistic Parallelism 36

2 Grammatical Study 37

3 Lexical Study 43

Special Types of Lexical Parallelism 47

4 Phonological Study 49

Structural Devices 52

5 Chiasmus 52

6 Inclusio Structure 57

7 Word Order 60

Stylistic Concerns 63

8 Diction 63

Terseness 63

Marked Phrasing 65

Acrostics 66

Archaisms and Archaizing 67

Refrains 69

Rhetorical Devices: Metaphor and Simile 69

Other Rhetorical Devices 72

9 Rhythm 73

Meter 74

Balance 77

Prose versus Poetry 79

Prosaic versus Poetic 83

Summary 84

Chapter 2 Differentiating Poetic and Prosaic Texts 89

Poetic Sub-Features 90

Poetic Texts 91

Prosaic Texts 96

Proposing a Four-Part System to Differentiate Prosaic and Poetic Texts 99

1 Count Sub-features 100

2 Weigh the Strength of the Sub-features 102

The Usefulness of Weak and Unranked Poetic Sub-features 109

3 Consider Context 110

4 Determine Poetic Dominance 111

Poetic Lines Inset in Prose 112

Chapter 3 Poetic Elements in Priestly Narrative 121

Case Study: Poetic Features in Gen. 17:1-14 125

The Number and Strength of the Poetic Sub-features 133

The Context of the Poetic Lines 141

The Dominance of the Poetic Features 142

Emerging Trends in the Poetic and Prosaic Material 144

Excursus 1 Theories Concerning Prosaic Supplementations in Gen. 17:1-14 149

Excursus 2 Wiederaufnahmen 149

Summary 151

Chapter 4 Poetic and Prosaic Strata in Genesis 6-9 153

Poetic Material in Genesis 6-9 158

Scholarship on Genesis 6-9, Briefly Noted 160

On MT in Genesis 6-9 162

Previewing Poetic-P 163

Case Study: Genesis 6-9 167

Introducing Noah: 6:9-10 168

Earths Evil: 6:11-13 172

Building the Ark: 6:14-16 179

Excursus 3 P, Non-P, and Mesopotamian Flood Traditions 183

Before the Flood: 6:17-22 186

The Flood Begins #1: 7:6, 8-9 195

The Flood Begins #2:7:11 200

Entering the Ark: 7:13-16a 202

The Flood: 7:18-22, 24 206

The Flood Subsides #1: 8:1-2a 211

The Flood Subsides #2: 8:3b-5,7,13a, 14 213

Leaving the Ark: 8:15-19 216

Blessings and Responsibilities; 9:1-7 223

A New Covenant: 9:8-17 236

Poetic Features in the Yahwistic (Non-P) Source 243

Summary 246

Chapter 5 The Priestly Source in Scholarship 257

Critical Theories of Pentateuchal Development 257

The Classical Documentary Hypothesis 260

The Jerusalem School 263

Abandoning the Documentary Hypothesis 266

The Neo-Documentary Hypothesis 271

Critical Theories Concerning P 273

P's Completeness 273

P's Strata 276

P's Ending 282

An Understanding of P's Compositional History 284

Identifying P's Strata Anew 286

Chapter 6 Preliminary Divisions between Poetic and Prosaic Priestly Strata 288

An Overview of Poetic-P and Prosaic-P 289

Poetic Features in Poetic-P 298

The Nine Primary Poetic Features 298

Prosaic Features in Poetic-P 302

Poetic Cola, Lines, and Stanzas 303

Preliminary Trends in Prosaic-P's Supplementations 305

A Preliminary Stratification of Poetic-P and Prosaic-P 308

Creation: Gen. 1:1-2:3 310

Generations: Gen. 2:4a; 5:1-28,30-32 317

Noah; Gen. 6:9-22; 7:6, 8-9,11,13-16a, 18-22,24; 8:l-2a,3b-5,7,13a, 14-19; 9:1-17 320

Generations, Continued: Gen. 9:28-29; 10:1-7, 20, 22-23,31-32; 11:11-26 325

Abraham's Introduction: Gen, 11:27-32; 12:4b-5; 13:6, llb-12ba; 16:1a,3,15-16 327

Abrahams Circumcision Covenant: Gen. 17:1-27 329

Cities Destroyed, Lot Spared: Gen. 19:29 337

Isaac's Birth: Gen. 21:1b, 2b-5 338

Sarah's Death and Burial: Gen. 23:1-20 338

Abraham's Death and Burial: Gen. 25:7-1 la 341

Ishmaels Genealogy: Gen. 25:12-18 341

Isaac's Progeny: Gen. 25:19-20, <…>, 26b 342

Jacob (and Esau) Take Wives: Gen. 26:34-35; 27:46; 28:1-9 343

Jacob Returns to Canaan: Gen. 31:18; 35:6, 9-15 345

Jacob's Sons & Isaac's Death: Gen. 35:22b-29 346

Esau's Genealogy: Gen. 36:1-8 347

Esau's Genealogy, Continued: Gen. 36:9-43 348

Jacob's Sons: Gen. 37:1-2; <…>; 41:46a; <…>; 46:6-7 349

Jacob's Genealogy: Gen. 46:8-27 353

Jacob Before Pharaoh: Gen. 47:5*, 5b-6a, 7-11,27b-28 353

Jacob Blesses Joseph: Gen. 48:3-6 355

Jacob's Burial: Gen. 49:1a, 28b-33; 50:12-13 355

Israel's Sons: Exod. 1:1-5, 7 359

The Israelites in Slavery: Exod. 1:13-14; 2:23aβ-25 360

Moses's Calling: Exod. 6:2-13 362

Moses's Genealogy: Exod. 6:14-27 364

Moses's Calling, Continued: Exod. 6:28-7:7 365

The Serpent Sign: Exod. 7:8-13 366

The Plagues: Blood (Exod. 7:19, 20aaa, 21b-22); Frogs (8:1-3); Gnats (8:12-15); and Boils (9:8-12) 367

The Pesach Sacrifice: Exod. 12:1-14 370

The Matzah Festival: Exod. 12:15-20,28 374

Leaving Egypt: Exod. 12:40-41; 13:20; 12:42 375

The Pesach Festival: Exod. 12:43-51 376

Pillar of Cloud and Fire: Exod. 13:21-22 377

The Sea Sign: Exod. 14:1-4,8-9, 10bβ, 15-18,21aα, 21b-23, 26-27aα, 28-29 377

Wilderness Itinerary: Exod. 15:22a, 27; 16:1 380

Manna: Exod. 16:2-3,6-13,16-2la, 22-26,31-36 380

Sinai Theophany: Exod. 17:la-bα; 19:1-2, 18; 24:15b-18a 386

Overview of Exodus 25-31 387

Tabernacle-Material: Exod. 25:1-9 390

Tabernacle-The Ark: Exod. 25:10-22 391

Tabernacle-The Table: Exod. 25:23-30 392

Tabernacle-The Lampstand: Exod. 25:31-40 393

Tabernacle-The Curtain: Exod. 26:1-14 393

Tabernacle-The Structure: Exod. 26:15-30 394

Tabernacle-The Interior: Exod. 26:31-37 395

Tabernacle-The Altar: Exod. 27:1-8 396

Tabernacle-The Courtyard: Exod. 27:9-19 397

Tabernacle-The Oil: Exod. 27:20-21 397

Priestly Vestments: Exod. 28:1-43 398

Excursus 4 Literary Parallelism in Poetic-P, Reiterated & Expanded 401

Ordination Ritual: Exod. 29:1-46 403

Tabernacle-The Incense Altar: Exod. 30:1-10 408

Census and Tax: Exod. 30:11-16 409

Tabernacle-The Bronze Basin: Exod. 30:17-21 410

Tabernacle-Spices: Exod. 30:22-38 410

Tabernacle-Bezalel and Oholiab: Exod. 31:1-11 412

Shabbat Observance: Exod. 31:12-17 413

Moses's Shining Face: Exod. 34:29-35 414

Building the Tabernacle: Exod. 35:1-40:33a 415

God Inhabits the Tabernacle: Exod. 40:33b-38 415

Overview of Leviticus 416

Theophany: Lev. 9:22-24 417

Alien Fire: Lev. 10:1-11 418

Wilderness Census: Num. 1:1-46 419

The Levites: Num. 1:47-4:49 420

The Nazirite: Num. 6:1-21 423

The Priestly Blessing: Num. 6:22-27 424

Stocking the Tabernacle: Num. 7:1-89 424

Levites Offered to YHWH: Num. 8:5-26 426

The Israelites Depart: Num. 9:23-10:28 427

The Scouts: Num. 13:1-15,25-26, 32; 14:1-3,5-10,26-39 428

The Korah Rebellion: Num. 16:1a, 2aβ-11, 15-24,27a, 35-17:28 431

The Waters of Meribah: Num. 20:1-13 436

Aaron's Death: Num. 20:22-29 438

Phineas: Num. 22:1; 25:6-18 439

Joshua as Leader: Num. 27:12-23 440

Settling Transjordan: Num. 32:2,4, 5aβ, 13,16-24,28-32 442

Instructions for Dispossessing the Canaanites: Num. 33:50-56 444

Moses Dies and Joshua Begins: Deut. 34:1 a, 7-9 445

Chapter 7 Conclusion 448

Possible Implications 452

Speculation on Authors and Dating 458

Future Research 462

Appendix: The Nine Primary Poetic Features 464

Bibliography 468

Index of Ancient Texts 508

Index of Selected Authors and Subjects 519