Like Unto Moses: The Constituting of an Interruption (Indiana Studies in Biblical Literature)

This Book Is Divided Into Four Parts. The First Two Parts Treat Moses And His Life As An Ideological Composite. Part I, The Canonization Of Moses, Concerns This Construct As Moses Personally Seems To Constitute It. Part Ii, The Text Of The Law, Presents A Two-part Study Of Moses' Legislating And Booking Activity, Followed By An Account Of The Decalogue In Relation To Narratives About Sins And Crimes Within The Covenanted Society. Part Iii, Moralia In Exodum, Contains Nine Chapters Of Homiletic Commentary On The Major Narrative. Here The Stories Of Moses And The Exodus Are Treated In Relation To Each Other, In Relation To Proto-mosaic Society, And In Relation To The Theme Of The Creation Of Israel. The Remainder Of The Book, Allegories Of Scripture, Treats The Story Of Moses And The Exodus In Relation To The Latter-day History Of The Israelite State. This Part Of The Book Proposes Relations Between The Exodus Narrative And The Histories Of Sovereign And Priestly Israel. Pt. I. The Canonization Of Moses. 1. The Face Of Moses. 2. The Voice Of The Words: The Moses Of Deuteronomy -- Pt. Ii. The Text Of The Law. 3. The Broken Law-book. 4. The Book Of The Covenant. 5. The Two Tables, And The Morality That Legislates -- Pt. Iii. Moralia In Exodum. 6. The Birth Of The Life Of Moses. 7. Sojourner In Midian. 8. Delivering Justice: The Prehistory Of Mosaic Intervention. 9. Thus I Am To Be Remembered: Sinai And The Name. 10. Prophet Unto Pharaoh. 11. The Burden Of Egypt. 12. The Genesis Of The Exodus. 13. The Creation Of Israel (i): The Exodus And The Numbering Of Israel. 14. The Creation Of Israel (ii): The Exodus And The Visiting Of Israel -- Pt. Iv. Allegories Of Scripture. 15. Like Unto Moses: The Text Of History. 16. Like Unto Aaron: The Golden Calf And The History Of The Priestly Revelation To Israel. 17. Supplementary Originals. James Nohrnberg. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Like unto Moses is a study of the meaning of Moses in the Bible. The story of Moses and the exodus contains the Bible's view of its own genesis, of which Moses is the guarantor. James Nohrnberg examines the story and the texts of Moses for their representation of the tradition's own imperilment and self-doubt, and its regularly revisionary, "deuteronomic" content. He offers this way of reading the legendary author of the Israelite constitution, and analogous ways of reading the Israelite people's national fable of identity. The book is divided into four parts. The first two parts treat Moses and his life as an ideological composite. Part I, "The Canonization of Moses," concerns this construct as Moses personally seems to constitute it. Part II, "The Text of the Law," presents a two-part study of Moses' legislating and "booking" activity, followed by an account of the decalogue in relation to narratives about sins and crimes within the covenanted society. Part III, "Moralia in Exodum," contains nine chapters of homiletic commentary on the major narrative. Here the stories of Moses and the exodus are treated in relation to each other, in relation to proto-Mosaic society, and in relation to the theme of the creation of Israel. The remainder of the book, "Allegories of Scripture," treats the story of Moses and the exodus in relation to the latter-day history of the Israelite state. This part of the book proposes relations between the exodus narrative and the histories of sovereign and priestly Israel. "This exhaustive and important study of the meaning of Moses in the Bible demonstrates conclusively 'the Mosaicization of the canon'... Nohrnberg possesses a remarkable typological imagination. No summary can do justice to the sheer brilliance of the congruities and disparities he discovers on every page." --Journal of Religion " Like Unto Moses proposes a series of challenging perspectives on the process of canon-formation in the Bible. James Nohrnberg's ability to trace connections among different elements of the biblical corpus is unflaggingly resourceful, sometimes provocative, and often deeply instructive." --Robert Alter ..". an insightful study of the traditions of Moses in the Bible." --Choice "This is a formidably argued, large book.... It is also certainly the most sophisticated book on Moses and one of the most sophisticated readings of the Bible which I have ever had the pleasure of reading.... I think it is a brilliant achievement and would recommend it to every reader of the Bible." --R. P. Carroll, The Society for Old Testament Study Book List The Moses of the Bible is a veiled figure who exists both inside and outside the text which describes and defines him. "Moses" is a creation of Israelite literary and scriptural tradition, an ideological construct, a reinvented memory, a projection of what Israel wished to see in Moses. Nohrnberg examines the texts of "Moses" for their representation of the tradition's self-doubt and its revisionary, "deuteronomic" content. Presenting a study of the meaning of Moses in the Bible, this title examines the story and the texts of Moses for their representation of the tradition's own imperilment and self-doubt, and its revisionary, "deuteronomic", content. It shows that poetics must give a positive account of stereoscopic and anachronic structures within the texts.