Table Of ContentLIBRARY OF HEBREW BIBLE/
OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES
461
Formerly Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series
Editors
Claudia V. Camp, Texas Christian University
Andrew Mein, Westcott House, Cambridge
Founding Editors
David J. A. Clines, Philip R. Davies and David M. Gunn
Editorial Board
Richard J. Coggins, Alan Cooper, John Goldingay, Robert P. Gordon,
Norman K. Gottwald, Gina Hens-Piazza, John Jarick, Andrew D. H. Mayes,
Carol Meyers, Patrick D. Miller, Yvonne Sherwood
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READING THE LAW
Studies in Honour of Gordon J. Wenham
edited by
J. G. McConville
and
Karl Moller
t&tclark
NEW YORK • LONDON
Copyright © 2007 by J. G. McConville and Karl Möller
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, T & T Clark
International.
T & T Clark International, 80 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038
T & T Clark International, The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX
T & T Clark International is a Continuum imprint.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McConville, J. G. (J. Gordon)
Reading the law : studies in honour of Gordon J. Wenham / J.G. McConville and Karl
Möller.
p. cm. - (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies, 461)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-567-02642-2 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-567-02642-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Bible. O.T.--Criticism,
interpretation, etc. I. Wenham, Gordon J. II. Möller, Karl, 1966- III. Title. IV. Series.
BS511.3.M3332007
221.6~dc22
2007036011
Printed in Great Britain by Biddies Ltd, King's Lynn, Norfolk
CONTENTS
Preface ix
Abbreviations xi
Introduction xv
Part I
READING PENTATEUCHAL LAW
BEING A MAN IN THE BOOK OF THE COVENANT
David J. A. Clines 3
"FELLOW CITIZENS": ISRAEL AND HUMANITY IN LEVITICUS
J. G. McConville 10
COMMANDING AN IMPOSSIBILITY? REFLECTIONS
ON THE GOLDEN RULE IN LEVITICUS 19:18B
Nobuyoshi Kiuchi 33
THE CASE FOR THE PRE-EXILIC AND EXILIC PROVENANCE
OF THE BOOKS OF EXODUS, LEVITICUS AND NUMBERS
Jacob Milgrom 48
Part II
READING THE LAW IN THE PROPHETS
THE MEANING OF mm IN ISAIAH 1-39
Ronald E. Clements 59
TORAH IN THE MINOR PROPHETS
Thomas Renz 73
THE TRIAL OF JEREMIAH
Raymond Westbrook 95
vi Reading the Law
Part III
READING THE LAW IN THE WRITINGS
READING, SINGING AND PRAYING THE LAW: AN EXPLORATION
OF THE PERFORMATIVE, SELF-INVOLVING, COMMISSIVE LANGUAGE
OF PSALM 101
KarlMöller 111
THE ETHICS OF LAMENT: LAMENTATIONS 1 AS A CASE STUDY
Robin Parry 138
THE TORAH AND HISTORY IN PRESENTATIONS OF RESTORATION
IN EZRA-NEHEMIAH
H. G. M. Williamson 156
Part IV
READING THE LAW FOR THEOLOGY
THE THEOLOGY OF PLACE IN GENESIS 1-3
Craig G. Bartholomew 173
THE REGAL DIMENSION OF THE npirTTn'nn:
RECOVERING THE LITERARY CONTEXT OF GENESIS 37-50
T. Desmond Alexander 196
ON LEARNING SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES:
A READING OF EXODUS 16
R. W. L. Moberly 213
THE WEEK THAT MADE THE WORLD:
REFLECTIONS ON THE FIRST PAGES OF THE BIBLE
Robert P. Gordon 228
PartV
READING THE LAW AND HISTORY
GOING DOWN TO SHEOL: A PLACE NAME
AND ITS WEST SEMITIC BACKGROUND
Richard S. Hess 245
THE TABLETS IN THE ARK
Alan Millard 254
Contents vii
MEMORY, WITNESSES AND GENOCIDE IN THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
Pekka Pitkänen 267
TOWARDS A COMMUNICATIVE THEOLOGY
OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
J. W. Rogerson 283
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE WRITINGS OF GORDON J. WENHAM 297
Index of References 303
Index of Authors 314
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PREFACE
It is an honour and pleasure for both of us to have the opportunity to edit
this collection of essays for Gordon Wenham. Together with six of the
other contributors to this volume, we are among the large number who
have had their introduction to Old Testament research from him. We
cover a large span of his career, at Queen's University, Belfast, where
McConville was his first PhD student, to the University of Gloucester-
shire, where Möller did his work in the 90s. Both of us became in time
his colleagues, and experienced the energy, vision and commitment that
went into making him so successful a leader in the promotion of good
biblical scholarship. His example as a scholar has been immensely
important to both of us, not only in laying the foundations of our work,
but as we try to build on them. As students and colleagues we have also
been privileged to know him as a friend, who unfailingly gave us loyal
support and encouragement.
In joining with colleagues to honour Gordon Wenham, we are not only
paying tribute to a fine scholar, but also to one for whom scholarship is a
matter of Christian vocation and service. The meticulous scholarship is
soli deo gloria, and part of a life of discipleship. In pursuit of this, he has
never been afraid of controversy, yet his integrity and unselfishness have
ensured his wide esteem, as the present volume attests. It may be added
that a large number of others might have contributed to this volume, and
some who would have liked to were prevented from doing so for reasons
beyond their control.
Gordon Wenham's mature work was carried on at the University of
Gloucestershire (under its several successive names), where he was the
first both to accept a research student (Kiuchi), and to hold a Chair. His
leadership in research made an incalculable contribution to the develop-
ment of a research culture at Gloucestershire, and thus to its achievement
of university status.
Since this volume was conceived, he has retired, a little earlier than
your editors had quite anticipated. It is, it seems, less a retirement than a
refocusing of energy, for Gordon's surprising youthfulness has always
been a topic of comment. The volume nevertheless marks a significant
