A cutting-edge scholarly review of how the Pentateuch functions as a scripture, and how it came to be ritualized in this way.
Understanding the Pentateuch as a Scripture is a unique account of the first five books of the Bible, describing how Jews and Christians ritualize the Pentateuch as a scripture by interpreting it, by performing its text and contents, and by venerating the physical scroll and book.
Pentateuchal studies are known for intense focus on questions of how and when the first five books of the Bible were composed, edited, and canonized as scripture. Rather than such purely historical, literary, or theological approaches, Hebrew Bible scholar James W. Watts organizes this description of the Pentateuch from the perspectives of comparative scriptures and religious studies. He describes how the Pentateuch has been used in the centuries since it began to function as a scripture in the time of Ezra, and the origins of its ritualization before that time. The book:
- Analyzes the semantic contents of the Pentateuch as oral rhetoric that takes the form of stories followed by lists of laws and sanctions
- Gives equal space to its ritualization in the iconic and performative dimensions as to its semantic interpretation
- Fully integrates the cultural history of the Pentateuch and Bible with its influence on Jewish and Christian ritual, and in art, music, theatre, and film
Understanding the Pentateuch as a Scripture is a groundbreaking work that highlights new research data and organizes the material to focus attention on the Pentateuch’s—and Bible’s— function as a scripture.
Table of Contents:
List of Boxes ix
List of Tables xi
List of Figures xii
Abbreviations xv
Preface xvii
Acknowledgements xxii
1 Ritualized Text: The Pentateuch as a Scripture 1
Torah and Pentateuch 2
Scripture and Ritual 3
The Three Dimensions of Written Texts 6
Ritualizing Scriptures in Three Dimensions 8
The Pentateuch in Three Dimensions 10
Scripturalizing Torah in the Time of Ezra 13
Reading the Pentateuch as a Scripture 17
2 Textual Rhetoric: The Persuasive Shaping of the Pentateuch 19
The Pentateuch as Literature 20
The Pentateuch as Rhetoric 23
Logos: The Story‐List‐Sanction Rhetorical Strategy 25
Ethos and Pathos in Pentateuchal Rhetoric 59
3 Scroll, Tablet, and Codex: Ritualizing the Pentateuch’s Iconic Dimension 68
The Iconic Dimension of Scriptures 69
The Pentateuch’s Iconic Dimension After Ezra 70
Ezra’s Scroll 70
Torah Scrolls in the Late Second Temple Period 71
Textual Amulets 74
Torah Arks 77
Synagogue Scrolls 80
Desecrated Torah Scrolls 84
Relic Torah Scrolls 85
Torah Myths 89
Scroll and Codex 92
Ritualizing Gospels and Bible instead of Torah 95
Publishing Torahs and Bibles 99
Decalogue Tablets 105
Summary 107
The Pentateuch’s Iconic Dimension Before Ezra 107
The Tablets of the Commandments 108
The Ark of the Covenant as Torah Shrine 110
The Priestly Blessing Amulets 113
The Torah as Monumental Inscription 115
Josiah’s Torah Scroll 116
The Pentateuch as Replacement for Tablets and Ark 120
4 Reading, Performance, and Art: Ritualizing the Pentateuch’s Performative Dimension 123
The Performative Dimension of Scriptures 124
The Pentateuch’s Performative Dimension After Ezra 126
Ezra’s Torah Reading 126
Reading Torah in Later Second Temple Judaism 128
Reading Torah in Synagogues 131
Reading the Pentateuch in Churches 133
The Languages of Jewish Public Readings 135
The Languages of Christian Oral Readings 138
Recitation, Cantillation, and Song 141
Art, Illustrations, and Maps 144
Theater and Film 152
Biblical Art, Film, and Music beyond Scripture 154
The Pentateuch’s Performative Dimension Before Ezra 155
Performing Texts in Ancient Cultures 156
The Pentateuch’s Instructions for Ritual Readings 158
Biblical Stories of Torah Readings 159
Composing Torah for a Listening Audience 163
Composing Torah for Scribal Readers 170
Evolving Torah through Oral Performance 173
5 Textual Interpretation: Ritualizing the Pentateuch’s Semantic Dimension 175
The Semantic Dimension of Scriptures 176
The Pentateuch’s Semantic Dimension After Ezra 177
The Rhetoric of Scholarly Expertise After Ezra 177
The Rhetoric of Communal Identity and Priesthood After Ezra 189
The Rhetoric of Promise and Threat After Ezra 198
The Rhetoric of Law After Ezra 200
The Rhetoric of Origins After Ezra 209
The Pentateuch’s Semantic Dimension Before Ezra 224
Scribal Expertise in the Ancient Middle East and in the Pentateuch 224
The Rhetoric of Communal Identity and Priesthood Before Ezra 229
The Rhetoric of Promise and Threat Before Ezra 235
The Rhetoric of Law Before Ezra 239
The Rhetoric of Origins Before Ezra 243
6 Scriptures: From Torah to Bible 251
Scripturalization and Canonization 251
In the Time of Judah Maccabee 253
Understanding the Tanak as a Scripture 255
In the Time of Judah Ha‐Nasi 260
In the Time of Irenaeus 262
Understanding the Bible as a Scripture 265
Cited Works and Further Reading 268
Index of Quotations and Citations of Biblical and Rabbinic Texts 286
Index of Subjects and Authors 291
About the Author :
JAMES W. WATTS is Professor of Hebrew Bible in the Department of Religion at Syracuse University. His research involves the overlaps between rhetoric, ritual and scriptures, with a particular focus on the Pentateuch.
