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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.70240 |
| Date | January 1991 |
| Creators | Slater, Susan |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Faculty of Religious Studies.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001257707, proquestno: AAINN72213, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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