"As It Is Written" and Other Citation Formulae in the Old Testament: Their Use, Development, Syntax and Significance (Beiheft Zur Zeitschrift Fur Die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft)

This volume examines the use of citation formulae in the Old Testament. After demonstrating the lack of consensus and method in the treatment of such exegetical devices, the author addresses the need for a sustained examination of citation formulae and related expressions. This inquiry focuses on the careful identification of the referents of citation bases as a basis for the study of inner-biblical exegesis. Further insights are offered on the development of such exegetical devices, the hermeneutics of the post-exilic community, and the syntax of comparative statements in Hebrew. In this modified doctoral thesis (U. of Oxford, 1998), Spawn discusses interpretations of the relationship between citation formulae—e.g., statements of the type: "as it is written in the law," "according to the commandment of Moses"—and their legal and non-legal referents in post-exile historiography. An Old Testament passage serves to introduce the current lack of consensus on criteria used to identify such referents. He develops a primarily syntactic analysis for studying exegetical devices for citation bases, while highlighting the significance of citation bases for inner-biblical exegesis. Hebrew passages are not translated. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The series Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (BZAW) covers all areas of research into the Old Testament, focusing on the Hebrew Bible, its early and later forms in Ancient Judaism, as well as its branching into many neighboring cultures of the Ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman world.

BZAW welcomes submissions that make an original and significant contribution to the field; demonstrate sophisticated engagement with the relevant secondary literature; and are written in readable, logical, and engaging prose.

Preface 5 Table of Contents 7 Abbreviations 13 Chapter 1: The Present State of the Analysis of Citation Formulae in the Old Testament and a Way Forward 19 Chapter 2: Citation Bases with [XXX] 39 Chapter 3: Citation Bases with [XXX] 142 Chapter 4: Citation Bases with [XXX] 214 Chapter 5: Other Citation Bases 236 Chapter 6: Conclusions 254 Bibliography 277 Indices 295 In recent scholarship, the use of the law in the post-exilic community of Judah has received various treatments.