The thesis argued for here is that a social-scientific, poetics, and comparative analysis reveals that all the religious phenomena listed in Deuteronomy 1 8.10-11 are bound together in a conceptual unity. The religious practitioners and practices enumerated properly portray various elements characteristic of ANE religious beliefs in conflict with an emerging, world-constructing, and ideologically explicit Yahwistic vision of reality. Furthermore, Deuteronomy presents the Yahwistic prophet, the nābi’ as the preeminent symbol of Yahwistic reality, which seeks to replace all other notions of reality in the Israelite community. This study makes contributions to an interdisciplinary approach to biblical interpretation by using a combination of social-scientific criticism, poetics literary analysis, and comparative analysis of ANE religions and ethnographic field studies. Special significance is given to Meir Sternberg's poetics analysis, Peter Berger's theory of world-construction, Michael Carrither's theory of intersubjectivity, and Douglas Davies' theory of clusters of belief This study also makes contributions to the understanding of the unique role of the Yahwistic prophet as preeminent cultural symbol in Israelite society.

The purpose of the present study is an application of rhetorical analysis to the interpretation of Jeremiah 21-24. Chapter 1 reviews previous studies of the book of Jeremiah in modern scholarship. This thesis claims that there is a need for text-centered and holistic approaches to the interpretation of the book. Chapter 2 proposes that rhetorical analysis will be fruitful as a new hermeneutical method in Jeremiah research. It explains the application of classical rhetorical theory in modern biblical studies. The thesis claims that the application of rhetorical theory helps explain the structure of Jeremiah 21-24, and also the prophetic techniques of persuasion which are used. Chapters 3-7 are the heart of the thesis. Jeremiah 21-24 are divided according to the principle of rhetorical arrangement into five units: Prologue, Proposition, Confirmation, Refutation, and Epilogue. These divisions will be treated in turn in chapters 3-7, which conduct a detailed analysis of Jeremiah 21-24 through a close reading of the text. The argument of Jeremiah 21-24 is that God's salvation plan requires the exile of Judah; the experience of exile will help the people's future understanding of the covenant. The thesis demonstrates that Jeremiah's rhetorical techniques of persuasion are an effective method of communication to address the argument to the audience of Jeremiah 21-24. The rhetorical techniques build up a persuasive argument that the traditional institutions of Israel (the Davidic dynasty, Jerusalem, the land) must be destroyed before there can be a new beginning. God's future plan is for a community that knows him because he has given them a heart to do so. This thesis concludes that Jeremiah 21-24 is a coherent persuasive discourse, which aims to convince its audience that the experience of exile is a necessary condition for the renewed covenant. The contribution of this thesis is in its application of rhetorical theory to Jeremiah 21-24. This theory applies both to the arrangement of the text as a whole, and to the language used in it.

This study investigates the symbolism of the hatta't offering in the priestly literature of the Pentateuch, especially Leviticus. It starts by discussing the relationship between the occasions for bringing hatta't and its basic function, with special reference to J. Milgram's thesis that the hatta't purifies only sancta and not persons. The examination of the relevant texts shows that his view is one-sided. The hatta't deals with both hatta't (sin) and uncleanness; when sancta are purified, so is the offerer (chapters 1-2). A deeper dimension of 'purification' is set out in Lev 17:11 (chapter 4) and is manifested in contagion of the hatta't, viz. setting substitutionary death over against death caused by sin and uncleanness (chapter 5). Exegesis of Lev 10:16-20 (chapters 2-3), a crux interpretum, forms the basis of inquiry into the various types of hatta't ritual, opening up the possibility that behind the variety of atonement ceremonies in Leviticus there is a coherent system. The episode in that section shows the inadequacy of the eighth-day service in the face of Nadab and Abihu's sin and adumbrates the ritual in Lev 16 (chapter 3). Then from Lev 10:17 and other texts it is inferred that the concept of kipper includes 'purification' and 'bearing guilt' (chapter 4). It is argued that the modes of blood manipulation in the hatta't depend on the nature of the occasion, whereas the modes of disposal of the hatta't-flesh hinge on whether the agent of atonement is also its beneficiary (chapter 5). These conclusions provide a rationale for the Azazel-goat ritual (Lev 16). By purifying sancta Aaron bears guilt. Then that guilt is removed from the sanctuary by the Azazel goat when Aaron confesses the sins of all the Israelites over it and sends it away to Azazel (chapter 6).

The present thesis offers a reading of the book of Exodus as a literary artifact. This is accomplished through the investigation of its main literary characters Yhwh, Moses and Israel. The text is understood to be part of a communicative situation between author and reader. This hermeneutical claim and the nature of Exodus itself entail certain consequences with regard to the method of enquiry. The method applied is a modified form of rhetorical criticism, which is understood to provide an interpretive perspective on the text. The particular focus is on the functional aspects of the text which direct the reading process and thus guide the reader. Given the difficulties in determining the circumstances of the origin of Exodus and the paucity of secured knowledge about early Israelite history, the `implied reader' is introduced as a key-term. It is assumed that this implied reader informed the inventio and dispositio of the book. Because of the book's central themes - identity and relationship -a careful investigation of the characters is a worthy avenue to pursue. Three characters have been chosen on account of their continuous involvement in the plot. The introduction of each character into the plot receives special attention. The developing portrayal of each character is closely linked to its paradigmatic qualities and to its influence on the reader. First, the portrait of God is discussed, especially in relation to the contributions of the narrative, poetic and legal parts of Exodus. The very important but often neglected legal characterisation of Yhwh in Exodus is a topic of special interest. Although the legal collections say much about their recipients, they also reveal deep insights into the law-giver's nature and concerns. Yhwh is identified as the king who justly claims obedience and service. A further focus is the possibility of the relationship between Israel and their king, Yhwh. Second, with regard to Moses there is a significant difference between his first appearance in Exod 2-5 and his later development. This remarkable tension in the Mosaic portrayal reveals interesting insights into the implied reader's preconceptions. Here we trace closely the argumentative strategy of the author in his attempts to convince this reader. Furthermore, it is necessary to discuss the paradigmatic qualities of the character Moses. Third, reader-identification is at the heart of the construction of Israel. Here the historical gulf between the Israel of the narrative and the one of the implied reader is bridged. The complexity of Israel is a central aspect of Exodus' rhetoric, urging its readers to comply with the ideal which the author sought to communicate in his book. The results of this study provide insights into the specific poetics of Exodus and its management of the reading process. Because of the proposed unity of form and content, it is possible to specify the message of the entire book by taking into account its intriguing mixture of different genres. An abstraction from modern reading-conventions in the encounter of ancient Hebrew texts is shown, and the possibility of reading the text on its own terms is explored.

This thesis aims to give an account of Amos' specific contribution to the Old Testament's theology of land. It seeks to explore the theme of land as a key aspect of the background to Amos' prophecy, and also of the book's overall theology of the relationship between YHWH, Israel, and the world. In Amos, the language about land is extensive, including terms and ideas such as Zion, Carmel, YHWH's bringing of Israel into the land, references to various sanctuaries and places, harvest and famine, other geographical indications, the relationship between the northern kingdom and Judah, and references to the land of other nations. The topic of land, however, has often been studied incidentally to other themes, but less often as a theological topic in its own right. This thesis shows how deeply embedded the topic of land is in Amos, and argues this by showing its relation to other theological themes, including Zion, the covenant-election tradition, Israel, creation, salvation, Sabbath, justice, and eschatology. That is, the study of land in Amos has wider dimensions. The study is therefore set in a wide context in the Old Testament, and raises questions about the relation of Amos to other important theological traditions about land. The study is essentially theological analysis. The argument will follow an essentially synchronic reading. It will also employ textual, literary and historical criticism, and the thesis analyzes carefully the text of Amos 7-9 for its literary coherence and inner relationships. It attempts to demonstrate what theological assumptions are made about the land in each section in Amos 7-9, and the relationship of Amos' land-theology to other Old Testament theological traditions. While the findings are set in the context of the book as a whole, the study focuses on this one section of the book, chapters 7-9, in order to explore the topic in close detail.

The Song of Moses is acknowledged to be one of the most difficult texts to interpret within the book of Deuteronomy. Substantial effort has been put in to determine the Song's origin in terms of its dating and reason for composition. But more scholars are now seeing the need to relate the Song to its immediate context. However, the recent contributions to this topic show the need for a closer examination of the Song's narrative function, not only in Deuteronomy but also in its larger context in Genesis-Kings. Understanding the Song's function in this large corpus necessitates the way in which it relates to Deuteronomic themes such as the YHWHIsrael relationship, Torah, worship, and kingship. This thesis examines the theological and hermeneutical function of the Song in Deuteronomy and GenesisKings in their final forms. As a prophetic criticism of Israel, it focuses its audiences' attention on the central command of the Torah, the moral issue of covenant-keeping, and Israel's vocation as witness to the nations, resulting in a theology of history for all nations. With reference to Deuteronomy, the Song expresses the heart of the book. With reference to Genesis-Kings, it gives us a sense of beginning and closure to the history of the people of YHWH in terms of Israel's primeval past and future hope respectively.

The present study assesses how Lamentations 1-3 synthetically presents its theology. It accomplishes this task by assessing the poetry through the aesthetic analysis of Italian semiotician Umberto Eco to discover how, in terms of genre, structure, and poetics, theology is presented for the model reader of Lamentations 1-3. Chapter I introduces the problem of theology in Lamentations and the difficulties and possibility of focussing the present research upon Lamentations 1-3. Within this discussion, these chapters are set in their historical context. Chapter I concludes by suggesting that interpretation of theology remains a complex task and employs the metaphors of horizons "behind," "within" and "in front of' the text as theoretical tools by which different approaches could be categorised. Chapter 2 surveys past research using the metaphors of "behind," "Within," and "in front of' the text as a heuristic framework. Each horizon is assessed in tum: historical paradigms of Gottwald, Albrektson, Westermann, and Brandscheidt (world "behind" the text); literary paradigm of Renkema (world "within" the text); and the feminist approaches of Seidman, Guest, and O'Connor (world "in fromt of' the text). Finally, Chapter 2 adopts an "integrated" approach, typified by Dobbs-Allsopp, that takes seriously all three horizons in interpreting Lamentations 1-3. Chapter 3 provides an entree into the theory of Umberto Eco. His theory is useful because it coheres with the integrated approach adopted in the study, it provides a helpful means to assess aesthetic texts, such as Lamentations, and it enables distinctions between kinds of texts-how texts are designed differently to elicit different responses from model readers (open and closed). In light of the theological ambiguity in Lamentations, the open/closed distinction is shown to be useful. Finally, Eco employs the concept of the cultural encyclopaedia, a theoretical device that describes the cumulative amount of cultural data available to the producer of a text at the time of its production. Chapter 4 frames the borders of encyclopaedic content for research into Lamentations 1-3. It presents the possible genres, structures, and poetics suggested for Lamentations research in the past. The analysis shows that Lamentations cannot be reduced to one genre but rather exploits different genres to advance its theology. As to structure, analysis reveals that the acrostic is the most evident structuring device in the book. And finally, a number of poetic devices activated in the encyclopaedic world of Lamentations 1-3 are explored, including repetition, wordplay and enjambment, imagery, speaking voices, and allusion. This discussion frames the exegesis of Lamentations 1-3, accomplished in Chapters 5-7. Chapters 5-7 assess Lamentations 1-3 using Eco's aesthetic theory. Each chapter presents an introduction to the structure, genre, speaking voices, and strophic divisions of Lamentations 1-3, follows with detailed exegesis of the chapters, and then concludes with a catalogue of the ways in which structure, genre, and poetics impinge upon theological portrayal in the poetry. Analysis shows Lamentations 1-3 tends towards "open" rather than "closed" textual strategies for their model readers. Recognition and cataloguing of the persistent poetic use of repetition proves to be an area that the present study adds to scholarly discussion, as well as how repetition impinges upon theological presentation in the book. There are two primary functions of repetition: intensification (upon suffering, sin, judgment) or combination (to recast previously held understandings or to provide interpretative depth). Repetition provides a variety of interpretative horizons for the reader in regards to the book's theology. Chapter 8 concludes with a summary of results, an initial discussion of Lamentations 4 and 5, and the possible purpose of poetry and theology in Lamentations 1-3. The study concludes that the theology varies, but this is part of the function of the poetry. The poetry is designed to bring the reader on an interpretative journey through its contents rather than to teach a particular perspective. Despite the various ways in which the relationships can be configured, the poetry persistently drives the reader to address YHWH in prayer: each of the poems includes, and concludes with, prayer to the deity concerning various sources of pain. That the poetry highlights prayer to YHWH-even when he is the cause of pain-reveals this interpretative journey has a destination. The poetry of Lamentations 1-3 is designed to enable the reader to address God in light of the perspectives adopted and sufferings endured through the reading process.

Jesus' invitation to rest in Matthew 11:28-30 is part of the evangelist's special material, inserted between the pronouncement that only the Son fully knows the Father and possesses the unique prerogative to reveal him (11:25-27) and the only two sabbath stories in this Gospel (12:1-14). This dissertation explores the significance of such a juxtaposition. Since the use of the Jewish Scriptures is pervasive in Matthew’s Gospel, the dissertation studies the use of the evangelist’s term for rest (a0na/pausiv) throughout the LXX. As a result of this analysis, it proposes that there are three main potential backgrounds for the concept of rest in this two-fold pericope and these can be summarized under the categories of "sabbath rest", "peaceful inheritance" and "wisdom's repose." These categories then provide the resources for a fresh evaluation of the significance of Jesus' offer of rest in its Matthean narrative context. In addition, the examination of Matthew’s theology of rest and Sabbath in 11:25-12:14 in light of the major themes of law, eschatology and Christology in this Gospel suggests that Matthew’s approach to interpreting Sabbath law and his eschatological perspective are primarily based on his beliefs about Jesus. Jesus is the Mosaic-Davidic eschatological agent prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures and through him has been inaugurated a new era of Christ-centered law interpretation along with a present realization of the eschatological expectations of the sabbath rest of the messianic age that is to be consummated at his parousia. This Christological conviction has placed the Matthean community at odds with the leaders of its own religious society, who have rejected its belief about the identity and mission of Jesus, including its proposal that the sabbath commandment’s rest from now on points to the eschatological reality of rest that is centered in Jesus.

This thesis suggests that Deuteronomy's Kingship Law (Deut 17: 14-20) may have functioned as the paradigm for the placement of kingship psalms alongside torah psalms at key junctures in the final form of the Psalter. It argues that there is a general background in deuteronomic theology found in the torah-kingship psalm groupings (Pss 1-2; 18-21 and 118-119) and that the theological emphases of these psalms reflect, more particularly, the theology of the Law of the King. This study adopts a canonical approach to the analysis of the Psalter. That is, it suggests that the ordering of the psalms within the book Z:. ZD reflects deliberate and systematic editorial activity, and that-by considering the positioning4_ ý of psalms within the final form of the Psalter-the reader may tentatively observe the theological concerns of the book's redactors. This study draws upon recent developments in psalms studies, where there has been a move over the last fifteen years towards canonical readings of the Psalms, and suggests further developments in this approach both in terms of method and exegetical understanding of the texts in question. It is the conclusion of this thesis that the juxtaposition of kingship and torah psalms may have been the result of deliberate editorial activity in order to reflect the theology of the Kingship Law in the Psalter. It is further proposed that the reasons for this redaction were: (1) to shape the psalmic view of the eschatological king, emphasising that the expected Davidic monarch should reflect the ideal, rather than the historical examples, of kingship; and, (2) to endorse and encourage a torah-based piety, reflected in the practices expected of the king in the Kingship Law, amongst the readers and hearers of the Psalms.

This thesis investigates the theology of Deuteronomy, and argues that at the heart of Deuteronomic theology is the supremacy of Yahweh, which is to be expressed by all generations of Israelites through adherence to Torah. This study maintains that the ideas of centralization, secularization, and demythologization as commonly understood fail to account adequately for the data of the text. In this view, the book of Deuteronomy is radical in its demands and vision, but not in the ways that it is usually understood. In its deliberate rejection of ANE models of kingship and institutional permanence, its emphasis on the holiness of all life lived out before Yahweh, and its elevation of the supremacy of Yahweh and his Torah, Deuteronomy reveals itself to be a truly revolutionary and counter-cultural text. In the introductory chapter, the structure and ideology of the book are examined. The present study is set into the context of Deuteronomic study, and it is argued that the book of Deuteronomy reflects an ideology that seeks to highlight the supremacy of Yahweh and the centrality of Torah. Chapter One then examines some of the ways in which the theology of Deuteronomy has been understood, namely in terms of centralization, secularization, and demythologization. I argue that centralization, secularization, and demythologization as usually understood fail to adequately account for the data of the text, and that an alternative conception should be sought. Chapters Two through Five evaluate key texts that are used to support the idea that centralization, secularization, and demythologization are at the heart of the theology of Deuteronomy. An alternative reading of the texts is presented that highlights the supremacy of Yahweh and Torah. The final chapter investigates the theological and ideological implications of this alternative reading of key texts. Deuteronomy is seen to be radical, and even revolutionary, but in a much different way from the way it is usually understood.