The rashness of Jephthah's vow comes across very clearly in the narrative,
as does the rashnes of Saul's in 1 Sam. 14. But there is no condemnation by
the author, either overt or implied, of human sacrifice. The same goes for
Saul's intention to sacrifice Jonathan - the people condemn the intention to
sacrifice the hero of the day and redeem him, but nowhere is there
condemnation in principle of human sacrifice. Likewise Gen. 22, the Binding
of Isaac - the angel stops Abraham in the act of sacrifice and a ram is
discovered to take Isaac's place; but nowhere in the narrative is there
condemnation, neither overt nor implied, either by God or by the author of
the very practice of human sacrifice.
---
Jonathan D. Safren
Dept. of Biblical Studies
Beit Berl College
----- Original Message -----
From: "Glenn Blank" <glennblank AT earthlink.net>
To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 2:24 PM
Subject: Re: Monotheism was: "admittedly syncretistic..
> >Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 11:02:12 +0200
----------
>From: "Jonathan D. Safren" <yon_saf AT bezeqint.net>
>To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
>Subject: Re: Monotheism was: "admittedly syncretistic..
>the
> The God who accepts human sacrifice in Jud. 11 is not the same God who
forbids it in >Deuteronomy.
God accepting human sacrifice? No, but a man who made a rash vow, never
intending it to be a human sacrifice, but determined to keep his vow to
> letter. Jud. 11 gives no indication of God's reaction to this sacrifice.
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