The Elders of the City: A Study of the Elders-Laws in Deuteronomy
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AcknowledgementsixAbbreviationsxiChapter 1"The Elders of the City": Preliminary Considerations1Previous Studies of Israelite Elders1The Present Study: Its Scope and Methodology6Elders in the Hebrew Bible: An Overview8[characters not reproducible] ("City") in the Hebrew Bible14Assumptions Regarding the Social Context of Israel's City Elders19Kinship-Based Communities19Kinship Ideology and Power Struggles in Ancient Israel27Chapter 2The Judicial System of the Deuteronomic Code33Previous Studies36Association with Prior Royal Reform37Association with the Centralization of the Cult42Association with Utopian Ideals45Cross-Cultural Analogies to Israel's Judicial System50Judicial Systems in Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies51Ancient Near Eastern Judicial Systems67Reevaluation of the Judicial System of the D Code82Conclusions87Chapter 3Homicide, Asylum, and City Elders (Deut 19:1-13)89Comparative Evidence90Homicide in Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies90Homicide in Ancient Near Eastern Societies106Homicide in the Hebrew Bible110Redaction of Deut 19:1-13111Traditio-Historical Considerations118Preliminary Conclusions129The Deuteronomic Asylum-Law131Conclusions143Chapter 4Elders and the Purity of the Land (Deut 21:1-9)145Comparative Evidence146Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies146Ancient Near Eastern Societies147Redaction-Critical Matters149Interpretation of the Pre-Deuteronomic Law (21:1a[alpha gamma]b, 2-5a[alpha], 6-8a[alpha]b)153Deuteronom(ist)ic Expansions (21:1a[beta], 5a[beta]b, 8a[beta], 9)159Conclusions161Chapter 5Elders, Parents, and the Rebellious Son (Deut 21:18-21)163Comparative Evidence164Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies164Roman Law167Ancient Near Eastern Societies168Redaction-Critical Matters169Traditio-Historical Considerations171Interpretation of the Pre-Deuteronomic Law (21:18-20a, 21a[alpha])174Deuteronom(ist)ic Expansions (21:20b, 21a[beta]b)181Conclusions184Chapter 6Accusing a Bride of Unchastity (Deut 22:13-21)187Comparative Evidence188Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies188Ancient Near Eastern Societies193Summary205Redaction-Critical Matters206Other Biblical References to Sexual Misconduct207Evidence from Legal Materials207Evidence from Narrative Sources215Evidence from Prophetic and Wisdom Writings219Interpretation of the Pre-Deuteronomic Law (22:13-21a)222Deuteronom(ist)ic Expansion (22:21b)228Conclusions230Chapter 7The Levirate Law (Deut 25:5-10)235Definition of Levirate Marriage235Comparative Evidence238Contemporary Kinship-Based Societies238Ancient Near Eastern Societies243Redaction-Critical Matters250Traditio-Historical Considerations251Genesis 38253Ruth 4:1-17262The Elders in Ruth 4277Preliminary Conclusions281Interpretation of Deut 25:5-10283The Levirate Law and the D Code301Conclusions302Chapter 8General Conclusions305Summary of Findings Regarding City Elders in Deuteronomy307The Elders-Laws and the D Code308Bibliography313Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies313Sociological and Ethnographic Studies330Author Index341Scripture Index347
\ BooknewsRevising his dissertation for Harvard from a decade earlier, Willis (religion, Pepperdine U.) focuses on one of the two types of Israel's elders mentioned in the Old Testament book. His goal is to illuminate aspects of daily lives for most Israelites by looking at local leaders rather than the national leaders most often studied. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
