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Coogan - The Pentateuch

As chapter three of Coogan's "The Old Testament" unfolds, the audience becomes better aware of his writing style. For instance, Coogan establishes brief background of the Pentateuch, also known as the Torah. This example of a canon composed of the first 5 books of the bible begin with the creation of the Earth. Coogan points out how many people think of the phrase "In the beginning..." as the start of the book of Genesis. However, he continues to write how that is wrong in regards to the Torah. Instead, it should read "God created..." rather than the former phrase. This represents the correct grammatical translation from the Hebrew language. As the chapter continues, Coogin reveals further misconceptions and utilizes similar writings for use of comparisison including the Enuma Elish.

Wife-Sister Narratives

According to "The Three Wife-Sister Tales of Genesis," the author elaborates on the comparison between the three tales and folklore. The stories overlap in a manner so that they share the plot but expand on each other none the less. The question is raised as to who the audience is intended to be and who would benefit most from the morals stemmed in these stories of deception. The validity of the story is also questioned die to a lack of historical proof not associated with the bible. This poses a debate regarding whether the tales of the wife-sisters are true historic events or rather tales used to convey a particular message regarding deception, adultery and more.

(Niditch, Susan. 1987. Underdogs and tricksters: a prelude to biblical folklore, Pages 23-50. San Francisco: Harper & Row.)

George E. Mendenhall - Covenants of Israel

                           Covenant Outline: George E. Mendenhall

-Relationship between God and Man is established by a covenant

-implies that a form of action which originated in legal custom transferred to the field of religion

-Israelite History

-descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

-covenant idea must have been formed in later years based of religious thought

-Theory

-Covenant relationship between Israel and Yahweh was based on an actual event which had a definite historical setting.

-OR the start began with Moses and his ventures leading to the his guidance in freeing those enslaved in Egypt

-Yahweh  God of Israel

-problem of Israelite monotheism in contrast to the polytheisms of ancient cultures

-It is suggested that there is a type of covenant preserved in ancient oriental sources

-Oaths: promises followed by performance (beginnings of law most closely connected with religion.

-appeal to the gods to punish the promise if he defaults

-covenants upheld by oath as binding form

-Source material for studying international covenants only from the Hittite Empire

-invaluable since contemporary with the beginnings of Israel

-Abraham and Jacob described as Hebrews “outsiders” with no legal status; with covenant relationships with the city-states of Palestine

-Hittite Covenants analyzed by Korosec

-classified as suzerainty treaties or as “pa treaties”

-primary purpose of suzerainty treaty: establish a firm relationship of mutual support between two parties

M. Weinfeld - Covenants of Israel

                  Covenant Outline: M. Weinfeld 

-Claim: two types of covenants occur in the Old Testament

a. “the obligatory type reflected in the Sinai covenant”

b. “the promissory type reflected in the covenants with Abraham and David”

-Covenant between Yahweh and Israel is based off the treaty pattern exercised in the ancient Near East

-Abrahamic and Davidic covenant is vague and lacks concrete clarification

-Suggested way to study the covenant is through a typological and functional comparison with the grant formulae in the ancient Near East

-2 types of official judicial documents had been diffused in the Mesopotamian cultural sphere from the middle of the second millennium onward:

a. the political treaty (Hittite Empire)

b. the royal grant (Babylonian “kudurru” (boundary stones) documents & Hittite Empire)

1. Both include blessings and curses

-“treaty”  constitutes an obligation of the vassal to his master

a. protect the rights of the master

b. inducement for future loyalty

-the suzerain, the “grant”  constitutes an obligation of the master to his servant

a. protect the rights of the servant

b. a reward for loyalty and good deeds already performed

-the notion of “serving perfectly” found in Assyrian grants is also verbally paralleled in the patriarchal and Davidic traditions

-the faithfulness of the patriarchs is expressed by “walk(ed) before me”

-“According to the P source not only Abraham but also Noah was rewarded by God for his loyalty which is expressed by the very phrases used of Abraham’s devotion”

-David’s loyalty to God entails phrases more closely related to neo-Assyrian grant terminology

-More reflective sources like P and D include certain distinctions between the term for grant and the term for treaty

-the Deuteronomic sources refer to the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants as “the gracious covenant”

Mendenhall Paragraph

The concept of a covenant began long before the biblical era, specifically the beginnings of Israel. According to Mendenhall, covenants were originally established as legal customs and then later were replicated in the field of religion. These covenants were created on the basis of an oath, a promise between two parties followed by performance. Engaging in an oath implied that if one side were to default, God would consequently ensure they receive proper punishment. Such covenants assured that either blessings or curses be enacted in response to the circumstances. However, in addition to the legal influence in regards to the creation of covenants, Mendenhall also addresses the theory behind blood ties and their significance to the concept of a covenant. As stated in the bible, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are the descendants of Israel and because of their shared blood, they consequently form a bond. This blood tie is compared to the tie that is established by a covenant, and implies that without their shared blood, covenants would be the only way to ensure such unification of a religious group. Furthermore, Mendenhall notes two additional theories noting how covenants may have began with the work of Moses, or are even thought to have been established during a true historical event with a valid setting. Regardless of the theories, the creation of covenants may be a mystery to scholars for centuries to come however the use of covenants evidenced throughout the biblical sources is an undeniable fact.

Hi! Your Mendenhall paragraph is good. It states the main point within the first two sentences and the rest of your paragraph supports your point. You successfully covered the general topic of covenant by getting into specifics without seeming like there's more than one topic going on. I really liked it! kk_1291

Weinfeld Paragraph

According to Weinfeld there are two forms of covenants to have occurred throughout the Old Testament: 1.) the obligatory type & 2.) the promissory type. These translate to a “political treaty” as evidenced by the Hittite Empire, and a “royal grant” as shown through the covenants tied to Abraham and David. A treaty entails a promise to the master by the vassal and ultimately protects the rights of the master. This consequently works in a manner that promotes future loyalty. A grant on the other hand pertains to an obligation from the master to his servant thus ensuring protection of the servant’s rights. This method of covenant emphasizes focus on rewarding loyalty and good deeds that have already been done. Weinfeld supports his characterization of a treaty by identifying the parallels exposed through the covenant between Yahweh and Israel. Similarly, he utilizes the Abrahamic and Davidic covenant to reveal its correspondence with a royal grant. In spite of the numerous theories revolving covenants in the ancient Near East, Weinfeld ensures his readers that the covenants exposed in the Old Testament fall beneath one of the two plausible types he has identified, either an obligatory type of a promissory type.

You've got another good paragraph here! One quick little typo fix: you might want to change the "&" symbol to the word "and." Besides that, I didn't really see anything else that needed fixing. You clearly state the two types of covenant and go into further detail about each one. Your paraphrasing is good and it doesn't sound like it's verbatim from the author. kk_1291

Paraphrase on Structure

An Unnamed Woman: The Extravagance of Violence

The author of this work writes in a very descriptive manner that helps the readers reach a deeper understanding of not only the biblical narratives but also the critical context surrounding them. In this particular writing, she focuses on the brutality that women of this era faced due to the dominant persona that men were identified with. Throughout the chapter, various bible verses are placed strategically with a prelude of information before and a further explanation following in order to establish an in-depth description. Furthermore, the claims made throughout are always supported with biblical evidence and the example narratives are split into "episodes" or "scenes" for simplicity and effective organization.

Paraphrase of Christine Hayes: Intermarriage & Impurity in Ancient Jewish Sources=

According to Christine Hayes, exogamy in the Ancient Near East was much more than physical uncleanliness. Engaging in sexual relations outside of your own social group was seen as a sin far more vast than tainting ones cleanliness. Instead, having intercourse with someone out of your social group can be seen as a sin and can gradually turn you away from God. If one partner has conflicting beliefs then they may poison your own faith. Practicing endogomy is tied with protecting the bloodline by procreating new life with matching beliefs and values. Sex with others outside of your kind can taint that pure lineage.

Paraphrase of Paul Heger's Work

Patrilineal or Matrilineal Genealogy in Israel after Ezra'