Description
Book SynopsisIsraelite festival calendar texts (Exod 23; 34; Lev 23; Num 28–29; Deut 16; and Ezek 45) share many features; however, there are also differences. Some of the most-often-cited differences are the following: festival dates, festival locations, date of the New Year, festival timing, and festival names. Scholars have explored these distinctions, and many have concluded that different sources (authors/redactors) wrote the various calendars at different times in Israelite history. Scholars use these dissimilarities to argue that Lev 23 was written in the exilic or postexilic era. Babcock offers a new translation and analysis of a second-millennium B.C. multimonth ritual calendar text from Emar (Emar 446) to challenge the late dating of Lev 23. Babcock argues that Lev 23 preserves an early (2nd-millennium) West Semitic ritual tradition.
Building on the recent work of Klingbeil and Sparks, this book presents a new comparative methodology for exploring potential textual relationships. Babcock investigates the attributes of sacred ritual through the lens of sacred time, sacred space and movement, sacred objects, ritual participants, and ritual sound. The author begins with a study of ancient Near Eastern festival texts from the 3rd millennium through the 1st millennium. This analysis focuses on festival cycles, common festival attributes, and the role of time and space in ritual. Babcock then moves on to an intertextual study of biblical festival texts before completing a thorough investigation of both Lev 23 and Emar 446. The result is a compelling argument that Lev 23 preserves an early West Semitic festival tradition and does not date to the exilic era—refuting the scholarly consensus.
This illuminating reading stands as a model for future research in the field of ritual and comparative textual studies.
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Introduction
The Comparative Method
Sacred Aspect of Ritual
Research Objectives
Overview of Research
Introduction
Overview of Ritual Development in the Ancient Near East
Overview of Leviticus 23 Research in Light of Related Biblical Texts
Critique of Jan Wagenaar
Summary
Leviticus 23
Introduction to the Study of Leviticus 23
Original Translation and Text-Critical Notes of Leviticus 23
Structure, Outline, and Literary Features
Sacred Time
Sacred Space
Sacred Objects
Ritual Roles of Participants
Ritual Sound
Summary
Emar 446: A Multimonth Ritual Calendar
Introduction to Emar
Translation and Commentary: Emar 446 (Msk. 74280a + 74291a)
Structure, Outline, and Literary Features
Sacred Time in Emar 446
The Emar Yearly Calendar and New Year
Sacred Space
Sacred Objects
Ritual Participants
Ritual Sound
Summary
Appendix
Leviticus 23 in the Context of Emar 446
Introduction
Intrabiblical Findings
History of Transmission
Context, Purpose, and Analytical Genre Structure and Literary Features
Sacred Time
Sacred Space
Sacred Objects
Ritual Roles of Participants
Ritual Sound
Connection between the Texts
Conclusion
Bibliography
Indexes
Index of Authors
Index of Scripture
Index of Other Ancient Sources
Index of Festivals
