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  • From: Banyai AT t-online.de (Banyai)
  • To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: was Michael
  • Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 23:20:33 +0100


Dear List members, dear Dave,

since I don´t want to look like a purim victim I feel being forced to go a
little
more in detail for Deut. 33,1-29

1. Benjamin (Deut. 33,12) appears in an uncanonical position, namely before
Joseph.

2. The citation of "shoulders" (Deut. 33,12) in combination with a probable
reading : "the High GOD surrounds him all day long - the Beloved (GOD)rests
between his shoulders, reminds us of Genesis 48,22, where shoulder is an
allusion
to Sichem-Schechem, place of the main Israelite temple in Ephraim.

3. From 1+2 we may assume that Deut. 33,12 concerned previously Joseph,
Benjamin
is intrusive to the original text, and there was no citation of in the whole
blessing.

4. The same makes true of the southern Dan, by Jaffa, reference being made
only
of the northern Dan "leaping forth from Bashan". (Same makes true for Simeon)

5. We may now read in Deut. 33,7: " O LORD, give heed to Judah, and bring him
to
his people". The case is clear Juda is separated from the rest of the
Amfictiony,
because both Dan as Benjamin have left the former aliance.

6. We read in the Simson story about marriages between the southern Danites
and
Philistine. The reverse occurs at the end of the story about the crime of the
Benjaminites, as they are forced (from now on) to mary Israelite women.
Similar
stances in the Greek lore or Bible explain this custom to reflect the closing
of
a political alliance. That would mean the Danites and Benjaminites have left
the
Israelite amfictiony and closed alliance with the Philistine. The Benjaminite
story is generally placed after Abimelech, because of the change of the main
Temple (from formerly Schechem to Beth-El in the Benjamin story)

7. We read in Deut. 33,5 about a king arousing in Jeshurun: "There arose a
king
in Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people assembled", and being incoronated
in
the plains of Moab (Deut. 33,21):"For where the commander´s allotment was
reserved, came the leaders of the people". This is the ground for the
obviously
wrong attribution to Moses (Moses allotment in Gad).

8. We read in Judges 8,16-23 about a situation arousing at Sukkoth and
Penuel, as
Gideon is offered there the crown of Israel by the Israelites, that is
exactly
where the allotment of the commander (Moses) was.

9. Now the original reference to Schechem (destroyed by Abimelech, Gideons
son)
offers a terminus ante quem. Deut. 33,16 is the exact description of the
ointing
ceremony, prerequisite to the incoronation: "...Let these come on the head of
Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers". We read about the same
incoronation circumstances as of Gideon (being offered the crown in Gad), but
we
have no alternative identification.

10. The text wants originally to be an incoronation blessing for Gideon. If
it is
indeed the original one we may never exactly now. But it must be much much
older
than its attribution to Moses, as it was embodied to the Deuteronomy. Even
the
insertion of Benjamin to this text predates the creation of the Deuteronomy.
It
seems also to predate the period of the kings of Juda, since not the
slightest
reference is made of.

If this should be a fake, than a too intricate one.

Best regards, and funny purim.

Banyai Michael




  • was Michael, Banyai, 03/09/2001

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