The Book of the Covenant

The Book of the Covenant is widely considered the earliest collection of biblical law, with origins going back to the period of the monarchy. However, scholars are divided on many questions, such as whether the Book of the Covenant comprises all of Exodus 20:22–24:1 or only discrete sections of this block; the degree of the Book of the Covenant’s literary unity; and the purpose of the original collection and its social and historical setting. This chapter provides an overview of the problems, and discusses directions for future research.

Aufsummierte Tora

This article studies how the word Torah is used in the Pentateuch to designate a collection of laws. In Deuteronomy – originally an independent composition – “Torah” is used for the first time as a designation of a substantial collection of laws. When Deuteronomy was integrated into the Pentateuch this deuteronomic signification of “Torah” changed: According to Exod 24:12, God gives on Mt. Sinai to Moses. Based on the key terms and , the adressees of the Pentateuch could only understand this Sinai-Torah as refering to Exod 25:1–31:17; Lev 1–27; Deut 5:1b–26:16; the blessings and curses of Deut 28; and the song of Deut 32. The Torah containing these passages forms the basis of the covenant in Moab (Deuteronomy 29–30) and is written down by Moses according to Deut 31:9, 24. This “Moabite” Torah Book is placed in the Pentateuch next to the “Book of the Covenant” which is written down by Moses as well (Exod 24:7) and which provides the basis for the covenant formed on Mt. Sinai.

Seeing is Believing: On the Relative Priority of Visual and Verbal Perception of the Divine

In comparing the modes of perception of the divine in the Bible, one finds a clear preference for hearing the word of God. The idea of seeing God in a variety of different manifestations is noticeably present, but is generally seen as less important than auditory perception. In theophany narratives this is often expressed in the order of events—a visual manifestation is followed by some spoken word of God. However, in a number of cases where seeing and hearing are both present, seeing is presented as the preferable mode. This dynamic is explored in three texts. In Exod. 24:1-11 seeing is contrasted with the reading of the Book of the Covenant to the people in order to bring out the superior nature of the experience of Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders. In Num. 22 Balaam first hears from God twice in night auditions, but seeing the angel of the Lord in a daytime manifestation brings home the message to him in a way that the spoken word did not. In a somewhat different fashion, Job's ideas about seeing God are contrasted with the attitude of the friends toward direct revelation. This distinction points to the significance of his statement in 42:5 about the superiority of seeing God to hearing. Job's statement here is not intended to describe a vision of God, but rather an appreciation of the perspective of the divine which Job did not possess prior to the whirlwind theophany.