Shalom LKulam Did you know that the book of Deuteronomy was written in the structure of the Ancient near Eastern Treaty format and is considered by scholars as a Covenantal Renewal Structured found in the Ancient Documents. these are the steps of Ancient Covenants: From the cumulative evidence provided by archaeology we have learned that the majority of these covenants follow a particular pattern. Mendenhall describes the pattern as follows: a. The preamble. The treaty text frequently opens with the statements: “These are the words of…” followed by the identification of the king who gives the treaty, his titles, appellatives, and genealogy. The treaty is thus a message from the suzerain to the vassal. b. The historical prologue. This consists of a description of the previous relationship between the two parties, frequently in the “I-Thou” form of address, emphasizing particularly the acts of benevolence which the suzerain has performed for the good of the vassal…These preceding acts of the suzerain are evidently regarded as the foundation of the vassal’s obligation, and therefore the historical prologue seems to be carefully composed. c. The stipulations. This section contains the obligations to which the vassal binds himself in accepting the covenant defined by the suzerain. The context varies widely, but military obligations are, as expected, treated in detail. First, the vassal must not enter into alliance with other independent kings, and he must be a friend to the suzerain’s friends and an enemy to his enemies. The vassal must answer any summons for military forces, and engage wholeheartedly in any military campaign commanded by the suzerain. Second, regulations for the treatment of refugees are so frequent that it is necessary to conclude that this was an important issue during this period. Third, war booty is often regulated in advance; this also was evidently a fertile source of discord…Most interesting is the frequent prohibition of “murmuring,” the utterance of “unfriendly words,” against the suzerain, and the obligation to report such words uttered by others. With this is often combined an exhortation to trust the suzerain, even in spite of appearances to the contrary. Finally, a stipulated tribute is imposed. d. The deposit and public reading. Typically there is a provision for the deposit of the treaty document in the sanctuary of the vassal, and a requirement that it be read in public at stipulated intervals, from one to four times a year. e. The list of witnesses. Ancient legal documents normally ended with a list of witnesses, and the international treaties are no exception. Here, however, the gods of both states are named—in fact, some of the lists seem to attempt exhaustiveness in making all known gods of the cultural area witnesses to the covenant. In addition, however, important features of the natural world are included, such as mountains, rivers, springs, the great sea, heaven and earth, winds and clouds. It seems reasonably certain that the gods as witnesses were expected to punish breach of contract, and thus religious awe was appealed to as a ground for future obedience… f. The blessings and curses. This consists of a list of goods and calamites which the divine witnesses were called upon to bring upon the vassal for obedience and disobedience respectively. The curses usually precede and consist of the misfortunes usually attributed to the wrath of the gods in antiquity: destruction, sterility, misery, poverty, plague, famine. The blessings, conversely, are divine protection, continuity of the vassal’s line, health, prosperity, and peace. a. The preamble Deuteronomy 1:1-5 b. The historical prologue Deuteronomy 1:6-10:11 c. The stipulations Deuteronomy 10:12-26:19 d. The deposit and public reading Deuteronomy 27:1-9; 31:9-13, 24-26 e. The list of witnesses Deuteronomy 31:28; 32:1 f. The blessings and curses Deuteronomy 28:1-29:1 The book of Deuteronomy clearly contains many of the same attributes as the typical Ancient Near Eastern suzerain-vassal covenant treaty. For more information and studies please visit our website: wisdomintorah
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 19:53:00 +0000
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