The Origins of P. Literary Profiles and Strata of the Priestly Texts in Genesis 1 – Exodus 40

Dans cette étude, Jürg Hutzli analyse tous les textes sacerdotaux se trouvant dans les livres de la Genèse et de l'Exode. Il évalue les questions cruciales concernant P, à savoir l’histoire rédactionnelle, le profil littéraire, le contexte historique et la relation avec l'« environnement » non-P, séparément pour chaque unité ou section sacerdotale. Un résultat important de l'étude de l'auteur est la conclusion que les textes sacerdotaux forment une strate plus composite et moins homogène qu'on ne le pensait auparavant. Des unités individuelles comme Genèse 1, le récit sacerdotal du déluge et le récit sacerdotal d'Abraham ont leurs propres théologies distinctes qui ne correspondent pas en tous points à celles de la composition sacerdotale globale. En outre, comme le soulignent des études récentes, le profil littéraire de P n'est pas le même dans toutes les sections (il s’agit soit d'une source, soit d'une rédaction). L'auteur évalue ces observations de manière diachronique en vue d'une différenciation interne du volet sacerdotal

Noah's Sons

Genesis 5–10 gives Noah’s three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth great significance by presenting them as the three ancestors of postdiluvian humanity. Within this section two literary units focus on them: the story of Noah’s vineyard and drunkenness in Gen 9:18–27 and the Table of Nations in Gen 10. Whereas the first account describes a hierarchical relationship between the three ancestors (and their respective descendants), the second one, in the form of a segmented genealogy, shows the ancestors’ equal dispersion over the world and their inner differentiation into nations, tribes, and languages. Noah’s sons are furthermore mentioned at the end of the genealogy in Gen 5 and in the flood narrative

David in the role of a second Moses – The revelation of the temple-model (tabnît) in 1 Chronicles 28

The essay aims first to elucidate the diverse activities of King David related to the foundation of the first temple of Jerusalem and its cult. The second part of the paper will consider the question of how David’s striking equation with Moses, Israel’s cult founder par excellence, should be understood. Is he a second Moses? What is the status of the instructions compiled by him in comparison with that of the Torah? This question seems to have attracted only little attention in scholarship. The importance of David in general is often explained with reference to the Chronicler’s hope for a restauration of the Davidic monarchy in the late Persian or early Hellenistic era, or rather as an eschatological messianic expectation. However, if one or the other were the case, why, one should ask, would the author put such emphasis on David’s competence for the conceptualization and the establishment of the Jerusalemite cult. In view of this strong focus, one might imagine another main reason for the great importance assigned to David by the author: it might have less to do with his significance as dynasty founder and bearer of messianic hopes than with the high value given to the Jerusalemite temple and its foundation which necessitated an appropriate founder personality. David’s importance in the Book of Chronicles consists primarily in his role of founder of Israel’s unique sanctuary and the organization of its cult

Role and Significance of Ancestors in the Books of Samuel

Several texts of the books of Samuel hint at the importance of ancestors in ancient Israelite society. Certain motifs like family sacrifices (זבח משׁפחה, 1Sam 20,6.29) and necromancy (1Sam 28:3-25) have attracted the attention of scholars interested in this question (cf. E. Bloch-Smith, K. van der Toorn; R. Hallote ). Besides these two themes there are other motifs related to ancestors that are scattered through the two books: Burials in domestic houses (living area, cf. 1Sam 25,1; 1Kgs 2,34), “Teraphim”-figurines (1Sam 19,13-16), the invocation of the name of a diseased patriarch by his relatives (2Sam 18,18), the record of long genealogical chains (1Sam 1,1; 9,1) and personal names such as possible source of information on ancestor cult. The present contribution aims to summarize the evidence found in the various texts and to describe the role ancestors played in the society of Ancient Israel as it is reflected in 1-2Sam. What was the attitude of the Israelites towards the ancestors? Were they only respected or also consulted and even venerated? The evidence from the texts will be compared with known practices from ancient Israel’s neighboring civilizations