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"I have set the land before you": a study of the rhetoric of Deuteronomy 1-3

This dissertation inquires into the introductory character of Deuteronomy 1-3 through a study of its rhetoric. A brief review of relevant scholarship provides an initial orientation to the question. Features of the text that emerge as rhetorically significant include the relation of the text to its biblical parallels, the positioning of the reader vis a vis the people, and the shaping of the reader's sense of time and distance. These features are arranged in the text so as to encourage a sense of identity with the community addressed in Deuteronomy 1-3 while, at the same time, reminding the reader of genuine distance from the events of Moses' speech. Identification with this community positions the reader to hear the law addressed to its members in Deuteronomy. Reminders of distance from the circumstances of Moses' speech encourage the reader to understand that this law is addressed to her within the actual circumstances of her life.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.70240
Date January 1991
CreatorsSlater, Susan
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageDoctor of Philosophy (Faculty of Religious Studies.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 001257707, proquestno: AAINN72213, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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