This article argues for a new translation of the niphal of חשב in the Priestly
Narrative. This ve... more This article argues for a new translation of the niphal of חשב in the Priestly Narrative. This verb has typically been translated as “credited” and has been used as the foundation for arguing that the Priestly sacrificial system utilizes a divine ledger that tracks credits and debits of individual Israelites. I demonstrate that the concept of this kind of “credit theology” is foreign to the Priestly Narrative, and that the mistranslation of this verb has enabled a fundamental misunderstanding of the sacrificial system. Instead, I suggest that the use of this verb is limited to a very specific legal scenario related to the inappropriate possession of sacrificial material, is best understood in the context of property law, and should be translated as “to bail.”
Most studies of the law of the priesthood in Aramaic Levi have focused on comparing its individua... more Most studies of the law of the priesthood in Aramaic Levi have focused on comparing its individual laws to those in the Torah/Pentateuch. This article argues that these types of comparisons are anachronistic and obscure the distinctive portrayal of sacrifice in Aramaic Levi. The law of the priesthood does not merely respond to, expand, or revise earlier ideas about sacrifice found in “biblical” texts. Rather, the practice and function of sacrifice in Aramaic Levi is constructed around the deity’s senses of sight and smell. Inasmuch as the law of the priesthood presents a fundamentally different idea of sacrifice than the one presented in Leviticus, it speaks to the continuum of distinct Jewish ideologies of sacrifice in the mid-Second Temple period.
This article offers an introduction to the idea of sacrifice in
Israel across the first millenni... more This article offers an introduction to the idea of sacrifice in
Israel across the first millennium BCE, and presents data
from both the first and second temple periods. In the first
part of the article, I discuss three different types of evidence
available for the study of sacrifice—archeological,
comparative, and literary—the strengths and limitations of
each form of evidence, and highlight recent trends in this
area of study. In the second part of the article, I turn to a
more direct discussion of the what, where, who, why, and
how of sacrifice in ancient Israel.
Scholarly interpretations of the descent and description of the New Jerusalem in
Revelation 21–2... more Scholarly interpretations of the descent and description of the New Jerusalem in
Revelation 21–22 have tended to evaluate the city against biblical and extracanonical
descriptions of the Jerusalem Temple, apocalyptic accounts of
heaven and ancient utopian literature in general. While some have noted the
ways in which the New Jerusalem parallels the description of Babylon elsewhere
in the Apocalypse, no one has yet considered the ways in which the New
Jerusalem mimics, mirrors and adapts the excesses of elite Roman architecture
and decor. The argument of this article is that when viewed against the backdrop
of literary and archaeological evidence for upper-class living space, the luxury of
the New Jerusalem is domesticated and functions to democratise access to
wealth in the coming epoch. The ways in which Revelation’s New Jerusalem
rehearses the conventions of morally problematic displays of luxury can partially
explain later patristic discomfort with literalist readings of this passage.
Lev 9:1–10:3 contains two of the most memorable events in the priestly narrative: a public theoph... more Lev 9:1–10:3 contains two of the most memorable events in the priestly narrative: a public theophany at the tabernacle, and the deaths of Nadav and Avihu. It also contains a long sequence of sacrifices, the importance of which has often been overlooked. This article argues that the ritual acts described in Lev 9 follow established and identifiable patterns, and that only by understanding the ritual logic in this episode is it possible to understand the rhetorical aims of the narrative.
This paper addresses the compositional history of the story of the apportionment of the Transjord... more This paper addresses the compositional history of the story of the apportionment of the Transjordan to the Reubenites and Gadites in Numbers 32. After a detailed study of the narrative difficulties within this chapter, it is argued that Numbers 32 contains two independent stories and a post-compilational insertion. Each of the two stories is then analyzed on its own terms and placed within its broader Pentateuchal context.
The sacrificial instructions and purity laws in Leviticus have often been seen as later or second... more The sacrificial instructions and purity laws in Leviticus have often been seen as later or secondary additions to an originally sparse priestly narrative. In this book, Liane Feldman argues that the ritual and narrative elements of the pentateuchal priestly source are mutually dependent, and that the internal logic and structure of the priestly narrative makes sense only when they are read together. Bringing together insights from the fields of ritual theory and narratology, Feldman argues that the ritual materials in Leviticus should be understood and analyzed as literature. At the core of this book is the assertion that these sacrificial instructions and purity laws form the backbone of the priestly story world, and that when these materials are read within their broader narrative context, the Priestly Narrative is first and foremost a story about the origins and purpose of sacrifice.
This article argues for a new translation of the niphal of חשב in the Priestly
Narrative. This ve... more This article argues for a new translation of the niphal of חשב in the Priestly Narrative. This verb has typically been translated as “credited” and has been used as the foundation for arguing that the Priestly sacrificial system utilizes a divine ledger that tracks credits and debits of individual Israelites. I demonstrate that the concept of this kind of “credit theology” is foreign to the Priestly Narrative, and that the mistranslation of this verb has enabled a fundamental misunderstanding of the sacrificial system. Instead, I suggest that the use of this verb is limited to a very specific legal scenario related to the inappropriate possession of sacrificial material, is best understood in the context of property law, and should be translated as “to bail.”
Most studies of the law of the priesthood in Aramaic Levi have focused on comparing its individua... more Most studies of the law of the priesthood in Aramaic Levi have focused on comparing its individual laws to those in the Torah/Pentateuch. This article argues that these types of comparisons are anachronistic and obscure the distinctive portrayal of sacrifice in Aramaic Levi. The law of the priesthood does not merely respond to, expand, or revise earlier ideas about sacrifice found in “biblical” texts. Rather, the practice and function of sacrifice in Aramaic Levi is constructed around the deity’s senses of sight and smell. Inasmuch as the law of the priesthood presents a fundamentally different idea of sacrifice than the one presented in Leviticus, it speaks to the continuum of distinct Jewish ideologies of sacrifice in the mid-Second Temple period.
This article offers an introduction to the idea of sacrifice in
Israel across the first millenni... more This article offers an introduction to the idea of sacrifice in
Israel across the first millennium BCE, and presents data
from both the first and second temple periods. In the first
part of the article, I discuss three different types of evidence
available for the study of sacrifice—archeological,
comparative, and literary—the strengths and limitations of
each form of evidence, and highlight recent trends in this
area of study. In the second part of the article, I turn to a
more direct discussion of the what, where, who, why, and
how of sacrifice in ancient Israel.
Scholarly interpretations of the descent and description of the New Jerusalem in
Revelation 21–2... more Scholarly interpretations of the descent and description of the New Jerusalem in
Revelation 21–22 have tended to evaluate the city against biblical and extracanonical
descriptions of the Jerusalem Temple, apocalyptic accounts of
heaven and ancient utopian literature in general. While some have noted the
ways in which the New Jerusalem parallels the description of Babylon elsewhere
in the Apocalypse, no one has yet considered the ways in which the New
Jerusalem mimics, mirrors and adapts the excesses of elite Roman architecture
and decor. The argument of this article is that when viewed against the backdrop
of literary and archaeological evidence for upper-class living space, the luxury of
the New Jerusalem is domesticated and functions to democratise access to
wealth in the coming epoch. The ways in which Revelation’s New Jerusalem
rehearses the conventions of morally problematic displays of luxury can partially
explain later patristic discomfort with literalist readings of this passage.
Lev 9:1–10:3 contains two of the most memorable events in the priestly narrative: a public theoph... more Lev 9:1–10:3 contains two of the most memorable events in the priestly narrative: a public theophany at the tabernacle, and the deaths of Nadav and Avihu. It also contains a long sequence of sacrifices, the importance of which has often been overlooked. This article argues that the ritual acts described in Lev 9 follow established and identifiable patterns, and that only by understanding the ritual logic in this episode is it possible to understand the rhetorical aims of the narrative.
This paper addresses the compositional history of the story of the apportionment of the Transjord... more This paper addresses the compositional history of the story of the apportionment of the Transjordan to the Reubenites and Gadites in Numbers 32. After a detailed study of the narrative difficulties within this chapter, it is argued that Numbers 32 contains two independent stories and a post-compilational insertion. Each of the two stories is then analyzed on its own terms and placed within its broader Pentateuchal context.
The sacrificial instructions and purity laws in Leviticus have often been seen as later or second... more The sacrificial instructions and purity laws in Leviticus have often been seen as later or secondary additions to an originally sparse priestly narrative. In this book, Liane Feldman argues that the ritual and narrative elements of the pentateuchal priestly source are mutually dependent, and that the internal logic and structure of the priestly narrative makes sense only when they are read together. Bringing together insights from the fields of ritual theory and narratology, Feldman argues that the ritual materials in Leviticus should be understood and analyzed as literature. At the core of this book is the assertion that these sacrificial instructions and purity laws form the backbone of the priestly story world, and that when these materials are read within their broader narrative context, the Priestly Narrative is first and foremost a story about the origins and purpose of sacrifice.
Uploads
Articles by Liane M Feldman
Narrative. This verb has typically been translated as “credited” and has been used as the foundation for arguing that the Priestly sacrificial system utilizes a divine ledger that tracks credits and debits of individual Israelites. I demonstrate that the concept of this kind of “credit theology” is foreign to the Priestly Narrative, and that the mistranslation of this verb has enabled a fundamental misunderstanding of the sacrificial system. Instead, I suggest that the use of this verb is limited to a very specific legal scenario related to the inappropriate possession of sacrificial material, is best understood in the context of property law, and should be translated as “to bail.”
Israel across the first millennium BCE, and presents data
from both the first and second temple periods. In the first
part of the article, I discuss three different types of evidence
available for the study of sacrifice—archeological,
comparative, and literary—the strengths and limitations of
each form of evidence, and highlight recent trends in this
area of study. In the second part of the article, I turn to a
more direct discussion of the what, where, who, why, and
how of sacrifice in ancient Israel.
Revelation 21–22 have tended to evaluate the city against biblical and extracanonical
descriptions of the Jerusalem Temple, apocalyptic accounts of
heaven and ancient utopian literature in general. While some have noted the
ways in which the New Jerusalem parallels the description of Babylon elsewhere
in the Apocalypse, no one has yet considered the ways in which the New
Jerusalem mimics, mirrors and adapts the excesses of elite Roman architecture
and decor. The argument of this article is that when viewed against the backdrop
of literary and archaeological evidence for upper-class living space, the luxury of
the New Jerusalem is domesticated and functions to democratise access to
wealth in the coming epoch. The ways in which Revelation’s New Jerusalem
rehearses the conventions of morally problematic displays of luxury can partially
explain later patristic discomfort with literalist readings of this passage.
Talks by Liane M Feldman
Books by Liane M Feldman
Narrative. This verb has typically been translated as “credited” and has been used as the foundation for arguing that the Priestly sacrificial system utilizes a divine ledger that tracks credits and debits of individual Israelites. I demonstrate that the concept of this kind of “credit theology” is foreign to the Priestly Narrative, and that the mistranslation of this verb has enabled a fundamental misunderstanding of the sacrificial system. Instead, I suggest that the use of this verb is limited to a very specific legal scenario related to the inappropriate possession of sacrificial material, is best understood in the context of property law, and should be translated as “to bail.”
Israel across the first millennium BCE, and presents data
from both the first and second temple periods. In the first
part of the article, I discuss three different types of evidence
available for the study of sacrifice—archeological,
comparative, and literary—the strengths and limitations of
each form of evidence, and highlight recent trends in this
area of study. In the second part of the article, I turn to a
more direct discussion of the what, where, who, why, and
how of sacrifice in ancient Israel.
Revelation 21–22 have tended to evaluate the city against biblical and extracanonical
descriptions of the Jerusalem Temple, apocalyptic accounts of
heaven and ancient utopian literature in general. While some have noted the
ways in which the New Jerusalem parallels the description of Babylon elsewhere
in the Apocalypse, no one has yet considered the ways in which the New
Jerusalem mimics, mirrors and adapts the excesses of elite Roman architecture
and decor. The argument of this article is that when viewed against the backdrop
of literary and archaeological evidence for upper-class living space, the luxury of
the New Jerusalem is domesticated and functions to democratise access to
wealth in the coming epoch. The ways in which Revelation’s New Jerusalem
rehearses the conventions of morally problematic displays of luxury can partially
explain later patristic discomfort with literalist readings of this passage.