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Rewriting the Bible: Land and Covenant in Post-Biblical Jewish Literature. By BETSY HALPERN-AMARU. Valley Forge, Pa.: TRINITY PRESS INTERNATIONAL, 1994. Pp. Xi + 189. $IS (paper).
During the period of the Second Temple, the most common way to interpret Scripture was to retell its story. Halpern-Amaru's monograph explores four examples of the phenomenon, with a focus on their treatment of the Pentateuchal themes of land and covenant.
After a brief introduction Halpern-Amaru reviews the biblical data. Different scriptural passages emphasize the importance of the land in different ways. The patriarchal narratives interweave the promise of the land with promises of future blessings and a numerous progeny. For Abraham the promises are emphatic and unconditional (Gen. 12:1, 7; 13:14-17; 15:7, 18-20; 17:7-8; 22:16-18). Later Pentateuchal references to the covenant recall the promise to the patriarchs (e.g,. Exod. 3:6-8, 33:1-3) and focus on the land as the major content of the promise (e.g., Num. 14:22-23, 32:10-11). In some texts the land takes on a special character as sacred to the Lord and thereby achieves a certain personification. It is susceptible to pollution (Lev. 18:25) and stands ready to expel those who defile it (Lev. 20:22). In the context of the Sinai covenant, possession of the land is intimately tied to observance of the stipulations of the covenant. Various passages of Deuteronomy (Deut. 4:1, 8:1,11:8, etc.)...