Fall 2009 New Brunswick Theological Seminary

Tuesday, 6:20 - 10:00 PM

The Religious Act: Asking the Question

The lesson of truth is not held in one consciousness. It explodes toward the other. To study well, to read well, to listen well, is already to speak: whether by asking questions and, in so doing, touching the master who teaches you, or by teaching a third party.”

--Emmanuel Levinas “Beyond the Verse: Talmudic Readings and Lectures” (1994)

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Blog Post No.: The Deuteronomic History (Due. Oct. 13)

From your reading in Pleins, describe the Deuteronomic History.  What scripture does it cover?  What questions does it seek to address?

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  1. MaudelinOctober 13, 2009 at 12:38 AM

    Pleins suggests that the study of Deuteronomic history, undertaken by Noth, was not a piece of work written “to provide entertainment in hours of leisure or to satisfy a curiosity about national history” but should be used as a resource to teach about that throughout the history of Israel God could be seen to be working to eradicate the speeding pace of “moral decline” with constant counsel and reprimand in order to get the people to change. According to the text, when Israel refused to change, God wiped them out (p.98). Even though there has been continuing debate about Noth’s obscure description of God’s relationship with Israel, Pleins points to the theological make up of how Judah fell at the hands of the Babylonians that was the forerunner to the “social institutions of the ancient Near East, that highlights the rule of kings and how these kings used their political clout, Torah obedience and other binding rules to bring about some of the troubles that faced Israel as a nation (p.99).

    The Deuteronomic History, according to Pleins, covers the books of Deuteronomy through Kings in scripture and is concerned with social issues of the oppressed (the poor, the widow, resident alien and slaves), complete reverence to YHWH, obedience to the law so as not to be punished by YHWH. Pleins also discussed the role of Women (as “Players and Pawns”) in the Deuteronomic History detailing the role of Rahab the prostitute who hid Israel’s spies that results in the fall of Jericho, to Huldah who by validating the Law of God brought fear on King Josiah to those women who were victims in the callous oaths (p.115).

    In summary, even though the Deuteronomic History paints a picture of wrong doing on the part of all the players (“male heroes, royal figures, warriors, priests, prophets and rivals”) and the value of female contribution is evident as a way of highlighting “brutal abuses of male social power”. As the Deuteronomic History proves, it is only through the commitment of all parties (kings, priests, men and women) in accepting the sovereign rule of YHWH is success realized (p.119).

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