Ritual and Rhetoric in Leviticus: From Sacrifice to Scripture - Couverture souple

Watts, James W.

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1107407958 ISBN 13 : 9781107407954

Editeur : Cambridge University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Ritual and Rhetoric in Leviticus, first published in 2007, uses rhetorical analysis to expose the motives behind the writing of the central book of the Torah/Pentateuch and its persuasive function in ancient Judaism. The answer to the question, 'who was trying to persuade whom of what by writing these texts?' proves to be quite consistent throughout Leviticus 1-16: Aaronide high priests and their supporters used this book to legitimize their monopoly over the ritual offerings of Jews and Samaritans. With this priestly rhetoric at its center, the Torah supported the rise to power of two priestly dynasties in Second Temple Judaism. Their ascendancy in turn elevated the prestige and rhetorical power to the book, making it the first real scripture in Near Eastern and Western religious traditions.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

Review of the hardback: 'Ritual and Rhetoric in Leviticus is a lively, very readable, and clear exposition of a scholarly approach to biblical material that Watts has pioneered in the field of biblical studies. This book is indeed a timely contribution to understanding the book of Leviticus, a body of texts that continues to receive a great deal of attention from so many different standpoints.' Calum Carmichael, Cornell University

Review of the hardback: 'Though Leviticus might not seem important at first glance, it has been the focus of several major publications recently. In addition, it is a highly fraught issue for Christians and Jews. Watts provides an original approach to many issues, offering a significant alternative to recent treatments. This book is a very exciting, often original, well-produced and thorough study of some important questions.' David Carr, Union Theological Seminary

Review of the hardback: 'Watts skilfully carries out his fresh reading of Leviticus with penetrating attention to persuasive effects of literary features (e.g., genre conventions, repetitive structures, negative stipulations, terminology); robust interaction with secondary sources and comparative materials; and excellent writing that is engaging, precise, and concise. With finely tuned logic, Watts builds his case from critiques of existing ritual interpretations to identification of rhetoric supporting a priestly monopoly to the breathtaking conclusion that these ritual instructions at the heart of the Pentateuch legitimated authority of the whole collection of writings and played the pivotal role in elevating it to the status of scripture.' Roy E. Gane, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

Review of the hardback: '... lively and stimulating ...' Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

Review of the hardback: 'Watts' movement between the 'original' rhetorical setting and contemporary issues arising from the study of Leviticus makes for an engaging read, as well as moments of self-reflection about one's own rhetorical use of texts.' The Expository Times

Review of the hardback: 'This brief review cannot do justice to the wealth of careful argumentation and textual analysis contained in this volume. I recommend it strongly as a study of ritual texts in Leviticus, and more generally as a work demonstrating the value of rhetorical analysis of biblical ritual texts, and as a study of the ideology and literary activity of ancient Israel's Aaronide priesthood.' AJS Review

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Ritual and Rhetoric in Leviticus uses rhetorical analysis to expose the motives behind the writing of the central book of the Torah/Pentateuch and its persuasive function in ancient Judaism. The answer to the question, 'who was trying to persuade whom of what by writing these texts?' proves to be quite consistent throughout Leviticus 1-16: Aaronide high priests and their supporters used this book to legitimize their monopoly over the ritual offerings of Jews and Samaritans. With this priestly rhetoric at its center, the Torah supported the rise to power of two priestly dynasties in Second Temple Judaism. Their ascendancy in turn elevated the prestige and rhetorical power to the book, making it the first real scripture in Near Eastern and Western religious traditions.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Cambridge University Press
• Date d'édition: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1107407958
• ISBN 13: 9781107407954
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 278