Description
Book SynopsisThe Economy of Deuteronomy's Core contributes to the current debate over the date and purpose of the biblical book of Deuteronomy to advance the discussion beyond the Josianic hypothesis of Wilhelm M. L. de Wette that has dominated the field for the last two centuries. It is the first comprehensive analysis and synthesis of the economic issues that the laws of Deuteronomy 12-26. It provides the basis for the identification of the functions of the three institutions upon which a new Israelite identity builds: the local autonomous settlement (your gates), the yearly gathering of all Israel to eat and drink joyfully in front of YHWH (the Place), and a guild-like brotherhood involving Israelite, Edomite and third generation Egyptian associates (qehal-YHWH). Grounded in the text itself, The Economy of Deuteronomy's Core reads Deuteronomy 12-26 in light of what we know about Ancient Near Eastern economies. The results open new horizons regarding the origins of the Deuteronomic laws.
Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: Reading Deuteronomy 12-26 Economically 1. Expenses and Incomes 2. Deuteronomy’s Economic Actors: Beyond a Single People of Brothers 3. Three Institutions and their Interplay: Beyond the Temple of Jerusalem Part II: Focussing on Tithes 4. Yearly Tithes for Whom and How Much? 5. Claiming a Greater Share of Deuteronomic Tithes 6. Outlines of an Older Deuteronomic Core Part III: Probing the History of the Deuteronomic Core 7. Urdeuteronomium After de Wette Conclusion
