Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ray Clendenen" <rclende AT lifeway.com>]

Ray Clendenen@BSSBNOTES
12/21/99 09:23 AM

Ray:
>According
>to the biblical text as it stands, not only was the cult already
>centralized when Lev. 17 was written, but Israel was living at the time
>surrounding the sanctuary.

Ian:
This should of course indicate that Lev. (at least 17) was written in Judea
around the sanctuary at Jerusalem.

Ray:
Not unless you presuppose this contrary to the text, in which the word
"indicate" would not be appropriate.

Ray:
>If this was actually the case, this would
>explain why profane slaughter could be forbidden, since it could all be
>done at the sanctuary. Deuteronomy was written in preparation for entry
>into the land when the tribes would be dispersed.

Ian:
I don't think you would really want to argue this strenuously. Take a look
at the move to centralize the cultus in Deut18:6-8. Clearly we are dealing
with the situation of living in Judea, having the smaller shrines around
Jerusalem and providing a means for the Levites to come to Jerusalem from
the towns with the smaller shrines. This would be well after the
hypothetical entry into the promised land.

Ray:
There is no indication in Deut 18:6-8 that the purpose of the text is "to
centralize the cultus." Nor is any suggestion given of a time frame "well
after the...entry into the promised land."

Ray:
>This is why Deut. would
>change the law for animal slaughter. In the historical context within
which
>the Pentateuch is written, the point of Deut 12 is not the institution of
a
>centralized cult but the maintaining of it in the face of Canaanite
>pressure.

Ian:
And why can't the Deut material be earlier, ie that the other stuff marks
the change?

Ray:
If we discount the historical framework in which the laws are set in the
Pentateuch and substitute an alternative account, then we could set the
Deut material anywhere we want.

Ray