Hebrew Bible: Deuteronomy

09/28/2011

Deuteronomy

Timeline:

1. 1250-1000 BCE:  Emergence of Israel in Canaan
2. 1000-922 BCE:  Israelite Monarchy
3. 922 BCE:  Kingdom Splits (Judah in the South and Israel in the North)
4. 722 BCE:  Assyrian Invasion upon Israel
5. ca. 621 BCE:  King Josiah's Reform (Judah Kingdom)
1. see 2 Kings 22:1-5
2. the Book of the Law was found, which focused on centralizing worship
6. 586 BCE:  Babylonian Invasion upon Judah
1. Jerusalem Temple destroyed
2. large amounts of people were taken into Babylon
7. 539 BCE:  Persian King Cyrus allows fugitives to return to home country

Documentary Hypothesis Sources (Review):

• (J) and (E) -- written during the Monarchy:  Genesis--first 1/2 of Exodus
• (P) -- written during and after the Babylonian Exile:  second 1/2 of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers
• (D) -- written (possibly) during Josiah's Reform:  Deuteronomy--Kings

Deuteronomy

• King Josiah portrayed as a hero
• written possibly during or after his reign
• centralization of religion/worship
• **(P) and (D) seemed to be unaware of each other, making it difficult to determine which preceded the other.**
• Name:  
• from "Second telling of the Law" -- Greek
• "Devarim" -- Hebrew, meaning "These are the words..."
• Structure
• chapters 1-11:  Preamble
• also motivational speeches
• chapter 6 is central text; lays out requirements for putting the law on foreheads (Tefillin) and door frames (Mezuzah)
• 12-26:  The Law 
• corpus of the second telling of the Law
• some discrepancies exist between the first and second law (e.g. Ex. 21 and Deut. 15:12-14)
• 27-28:  Blessings and Curses
• based on behavior/obedience
• blessings:  land, children, victory, etc.
• curses:  reversal of blessings; plagues, disasters, etc.
• see similarities with the VTE (the Vassal Treaty of Esarhaddon) 
• 29-34:  Appendices
• seemingly added on later
• probably the work of (P) or (R)
• The treaty laid out in Deuteronomy may possibly be a counter-treaty of the one the Israelites signed with Assyria, asserting primary and steadfast allegiance to YHWH.