reviewing the commentaries of the last three centuries pointed out various levels of scholars' en... more reviewing the commentaries of the last three centuries pointed out various levels of scholars' engagement with the LXX (see his paper in this volume). The presence or the absence of the LXX in the commentaries depends not only on personal interest or the scholars' capacity to deal with complex textual problems, but also on methodologies the commentators adopted. In this paper I investigate rhetorical methodologies and how LXX studies can contribute to rhetorical analysis. The concept of rhetorical analysis varies significantly in scholarly writings. For some scholars, rhetorical analysis is a broad concept corresponding by and large to synchronic analysis. Thus, an analysis of poetics, structure or other literary dynamics of the biblical text can be considered rhetorical analysis. For other scholars, rhetorical analysis is applicable exclusively to discourses, their dynamic and persuasive power. 1 Since in this book narrative analysis and other synchronic methods are treated separately, I will focus on the rhetoric of direct speech in the Bible. By including direct discourse, the biblical writer stopped the narrative flow and forced the reader to listen to words put into the mouth of important heroes. Consequently, in a speech even a small change can make a big difference. An addition or elimination of one word can substantially change the dynamics of a speech and, consequently, its persuasive power and goal. From a rhetorical viewpoint, LXX constitutes a real 'problem' , since, often, it not only varies the words, but also entire passages are placed in different places, changing the sequence of events. Thus, if the biblical scribes let a hero deliver his / her speech employing a rhetorical device, which is absent in LXX, then the rhetoric of the entire speech changes.
This paper analyses the different versions of the Elijah cycle (1 Kgs 17-19) as witnessed, in par... more This paper analyses the different versions of the Elijah cycle (1 Kgs 17-19) as witnessed, in particular, in the Masoretic text (MT), the Codex Vaticanus (G B), the Codex Alexandrinus (G A), and the Antiochian text (G Ant.). The comparison of the manuscripts shows that the MT adds and omits certain words and expressions. The author explored whether the additions and omissions are scribal mistakes or rather an intentional redactional intervention. Arguing for the latter, the author proposes that the MT presents not only the great deeds of the great prophet Elijah but also how Elijah became such a great prophet. Based on this analysis, the author proposes five stages of Elijah's formation process: 1. t he transformation of a man into a listener (1 Kgs 17:2-6); 2. Elijah's transformation into a man of God's word (the Cherith episode and the Zarephath episode in 17:7-16); 3. the transformation from a man of God's word into a man of God (the resuscitation of the dead son in 17:17-24); 4. the transformation from a man of God into a prophet (the Carmel episode 18:1-40); 5. the transformation of a zealous prophet into a man standing before the Lord (19:1-18).
L'examen des inscriptions mésopotamiennes montre que certains thèmes des cérémonies de dédicace d... more L'examen des inscriptions mésopotamiennes montre que certains thèmes des cérémonies de dédicace des temples ne sont pas limités à une seule période mais persistent à travers différentes époques, souvent de la période sumérienne à la période perse. Sur la base de cette comparaison, je soutiens que la description de l'inauguration du temple de Jérusalem par Salomon en 1 Rois 8 suit les étapes typiques d'une cérémonie de dédicace mésopotamienne. Puisque 1 Rois 8 est inséré dans le récit de 1 et 2 Rois qui représente une partie spécifique des écrits historiographiques judéens, cet article examine en premier lieu les récits de dédicace dans les textes historiographiques du Proche-Orient ancien et tire ensuite quelques conclusions quant à l'interprétation de 1 Rois 8.
The aim of this article is to investigate Tiglath-pileser III's campaigns against the Levant ... more The aim of this article is to investigate Tiglath-pileser III's campaigns against the Levant in 734-732 B.C. The campaigns can be divided into three phases. In the first phase, the Assyrians conquered Tyre and the coast. In the second phase, they defeated Syrian troops in battle, conquered Transjordan and made a surprise attack on the Arabian tribes. In the last phase, they conquered Damascus, Galilee and Gezer. In the second part of this article, the author investigates the logistics of these campaigns and at the end the author evaluated the consequences of the Assyrian invasion in terms of human and material losses and the administrative reorganization of the region.
J ehu's dynasty (842-747 b.c.e.) overlaps with the first wave of Assyrian expansion. It was the l... more J ehu's dynasty (842-747 b.c.e.) overlaps with the first wave of Assyrian expansion. It was the longest-lasting dynasty in Israel, having five kings who reigned in Samaria for about one hundred years. Under their reign Israel rose from the ashes and started prospering. The northern kingdom not only recovered territories lost to Aram but also conquered Judah. Jehoahaz, however, Jehu's successor, experienced an uneven alternation of Aramean oppression and divine protection. The divine intervention into human history in 2 Kings 13-14 assumes a literary form of the oppression-liberation pattern. This essay focuses on the historical-critical analysis of 2 Kings 13, in particular, the reign of King Jehoahaz (2 Kgs 13:1-9). This analysis points out various types of redactional interventions that are not only neutral additions or reorganizations of the text but bespeak the redactors' political and religious viewpoints. Consequently, the historical-critical analysis allows scholars to advance a hypothesis concerning the development of the Israelite perception of divinity. In the course of textual and comparative analysis, I point out three textual strata in 2 Kings 13. The oldest, pre-Deuteronomistic stratum, comprises vv. 3-5. Comparing these verses with similar ancient Near Eastern texts, I argue that these verses convey an ancient concept of the divinity, which was altered when the Deuteronomistic redactors inserted vv. 3-5 into a Deuteronomistic frame (vv. 2 and 6). Finally, v. 23 in the Antiochian text (LXX Ant. , 4 Kgdms 13:8) suggests that other redactor(s) re-elaborated the Deuteronomistic concept of divinity according to a late postexilic theology. 1. Translations of biblical passages are my own.
reviewing the commentaries of the last three centuries pointed out various levels of scholars' en... more reviewing the commentaries of the last three centuries pointed out various levels of scholars' engagement with the LXX (see his paper in this volume). The presence or the absence of the LXX in the commentaries depends not only on personal interest or the scholars' capacity to deal with complex textual problems, but also on methodologies the commentators adopted. In this paper I investigate rhetorical methodologies and how LXX studies can contribute to rhetorical analysis. The concept of rhetorical analysis varies significantly in scholarly writings. For some scholars, rhetorical analysis is a broad concept corresponding by and large to synchronic analysis. Thus, an analysis of poetics, structure or other literary dynamics of the biblical text can be considered rhetorical analysis. For other scholars, rhetorical analysis is applicable exclusively to discourses, their dynamic and persuasive power. 1 Since in this book narrative analysis and other synchronic methods are treated separately, I will focus on the rhetoric of direct speech in the Bible. By including direct discourse, the biblical writer stopped the narrative flow and forced the reader to listen to words put into the mouth of important heroes. Consequently, in a speech even a small change can make a big difference. An addition or elimination of one word can substantially change the dynamics of a speech and, consequently, its persuasive power and goal. From a rhetorical viewpoint, LXX constitutes a real 'problem' , since, often, it not only varies the words, but also entire passages are placed in different places, changing the sequence of events. Thus, if the biblical scribes let a hero deliver his / her speech employing a rhetorical device, which is absent in LXX, then the rhetoric of the entire speech changes.
This paper analyses the different versions of the Elijah cycle (1 Kgs 17-19) as witnessed, in par... more This paper analyses the different versions of the Elijah cycle (1 Kgs 17-19) as witnessed, in particular, in the Masoretic text (MT), the Codex Vaticanus (G B), the Codex Alexandrinus (G A), and the Antiochian text (G Ant.). The comparison of the manuscripts shows that the MT adds and omits certain words and expressions. The author explored whether the additions and omissions are scribal mistakes or rather an intentional redactional intervention. Arguing for the latter, the author proposes that the MT presents not only the great deeds of the great prophet Elijah but also how Elijah became such a great prophet. Based on this analysis, the author proposes five stages of Elijah's formation process: 1. t he transformation of a man into a listener (1 Kgs 17:2-6); 2. Elijah's transformation into a man of God's word (the Cherith episode and the Zarephath episode in 17:7-16); 3. the transformation from a man of God's word into a man of God (the resuscitation of the dead son in 17:17-24); 4. the transformation from a man of God into a prophet (the Carmel episode 18:1-40); 5. the transformation of a zealous prophet into a man standing before the Lord (19:1-18).
L'examen des inscriptions mésopotamiennes montre que certains thèmes des cérémonies de dédicace d... more L'examen des inscriptions mésopotamiennes montre que certains thèmes des cérémonies de dédicace des temples ne sont pas limités à une seule période mais persistent à travers différentes époques, souvent de la période sumérienne à la période perse. Sur la base de cette comparaison, je soutiens que la description de l'inauguration du temple de Jérusalem par Salomon en 1 Rois 8 suit les étapes typiques d'une cérémonie de dédicace mésopotamienne. Puisque 1 Rois 8 est inséré dans le récit de 1 et 2 Rois qui représente une partie spécifique des écrits historiographiques judéens, cet article examine en premier lieu les récits de dédicace dans les textes historiographiques du Proche-Orient ancien et tire ensuite quelques conclusions quant à l'interprétation de 1 Rois 8.
The aim of this article is to investigate Tiglath-pileser III's campaigns against the Levant ... more The aim of this article is to investigate Tiglath-pileser III's campaigns against the Levant in 734-732 B.C. The campaigns can be divided into three phases. In the first phase, the Assyrians conquered Tyre and the coast. In the second phase, they defeated Syrian troops in battle, conquered Transjordan and made a surprise attack on the Arabian tribes. In the last phase, they conquered Damascus, Galilee and Gezer. In the second part of this article, the author investigates the logistics of these campaigns and at the end the author evaluated the consequences of the Assyrian invasion in terms of human and material losses and the administrative reorganization of the region.
J ehu's dynasty (842-747 b.c.e.) overlaps with the first wave of Assyrian expansion. It was the l... more J ehu's dynasty (842-747 b.c.e.) overlaps with the first wave of Assyrian expansion. It was the longest-lasting dynasty in Israel, having five kings who reigned in Samaria for about one hundred years. Under their reign Israel rose from the ashes and started prospering. The northern kingdom not only recovered territories lost to Aram but also conquered Judah. Jehoahaz, however, Jehu's successor, experienced an uneven alternation of Aramean oppression and divine protection. The divine intervention into human history in 2 Kings 13-14 assumes a literary form of the oppression-liberation pattern. This essay focuses on the historical-critical analysis of 2 Kings 13, in particular, the reign of King Jehoahaz (2 Kgs 13:1-9). This analysis points out various types of redactional interventions that are not only neutral additions or reorganizations of the text but bespeak the redactors' political and religious viewpoints. Consequently, the historical-critical analysis allows scholars to advance a hypothesis concerning the development of the Israelite perception of divinity. In the course of textual and comparative analysis, I point out three textual strata in 2 Kings 13. The oldest, pre-Deuteronomistic stratum, comprises vv. 3-5. Comparing these verses with similar ancient Near Eastern texts, I argue that these verses convey an ancient concept of the divinity, which was altered when the Deuteronomistic redactors inserted vv. 3-5 into a Deuteronomistic frame (vv. 2 and 6). Finally, v. 23 in the Antiochian text (LXX Ant. , 4 Kgdms 13:8) suggests that other redactor(s) re-elaborated the Deuteronomistic concept of divinity according to a late postexilic theology. 1. Translations of biblical passages are my own.
Roundtable with Cardinal Michael Czerny, Adele Reinhartz (University of Ottawa), John J. Collins ... more Roundtable with Cardinal Michael Czerny, Adele Reinhartz (University of Ottawa), John J. Collins (Yale Divinity School), and Gina Hens-Piazza (Jesuit School of Theology of SCU).
Is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BCE reflected in the five books of Mose... more Is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BCE reflected in the five books of Moses - or can the opposite be demonstrated? In this volume, this controversial question is addressed from multiple perspectives. Experts in Pentateuchal criticism from diverse international backgrounds present a rich panorama of relevant themes, including biblical historiography, contacts with Mesopotamian culture before and during the Babylonian exile, and the issue of cultic discontinuity caused by the destruction and restoration of Jerusalem's temple.
This conference addresses a topic that has been discussed since the birth of humanity. What is th... more This conference addresses a topic that has been discussed since the birth of humanity. What is the profile of an ideal ruler? How did the image of a model king change over the centuries? How was the model of an ideal king instantiated in different cultures? To this end, we will focus our attention on the Hellenistic period (4th-1st c. BCE). Moreover, this conference aims to create space for an interdisciplinary dialogue among scholars. Scribes that wrote in Egyptian, Akkadian, Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew both assimilated traditional paradigms from their cultural milieus and adapted them to new circumstances. Thus, specialists in Egyptology, Assyriology, classics, and the Bible will have an opportunity to compare the results of their research. On the one hand, we hope that this discussion will individuate features of an ideal ruler that cut across different cultural and religious spheres. On the other, we will discuss how the model of an ideal ruler was incarnated in various geographical areas and historical periods. Finally, the hope is that this study, even though it deals with ancient cultures, can also inspire modern leaders.
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