A. Grund-Wittenberg, Religionspraxis und Individualität, 2021
Having used the term "personal piety" in contrast to the thesis of collectivism, the author now p... more Having used the term "personal piety" in contrast to the thesis of collectivism, the author now pleads for "family and household religion" as the more appropriate term for denoti the religious and ritual enviroment of the individual. Anyhow, as much as the individual was embedded in his familie , the prayer rituals performed for him were a real training in indiviuality. In the encounter with his personal God the learned to become aware of his own person. Such an individuality in Ancient Israel, however, was never a distinctive peculiarity in a modern sense, but always related to the identity of one's family. This is my last contribution to the subject of family religion.
Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century B.C.E., 2007
... 10 as examples of aliens. In Joshua 9, these functions were taken over by the Gibeonites afte... more ... 10 as examples of aliens. In Joshua 9, these functions were taken over by the Gibeonites after they had clev-erly escaped annihilation. Thus the position of the text in the LXX is understandable. Finally, the Priestly editor wanted ...
Page 1. Judah and the JudeanS in the Fourth Century bce Edited by Oded Lipschits, Gary N. Knopper... more Page 1. Judah and the JudeanS in the Fourth Century bce Edited by Oded Lipschits, Gary N. Knoppers, and Rainer Albertz Page 2. Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century bce Page 3. Page 4. Judah and the Judeans in ...
The paper reflects the paradoxon that the Hebrew Bible describes severe conflicts between brother... more The paper reflects the paradoxon that the Hebrew Bible describes severe conflicts between brothers more realistic than any other ancient literature (see Gen 4; 27-33; 37-50), but nevertheless develop an ideal of brotherhood (cf. Deut 12-26), which should include beyond any family bonds the whole society.
This conversation with O. Lipschits, The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrau... more This conversation with O. Lipschits, The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2005) began at a session of the “Literature and History of the Persian Period” group at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Philadelphia. It includes an introduction by the editor and contributions by Rainer Albertz, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Daniel Master, Gary N. Knoppers, Hugh G.M. Williamson and a response by Oded Lipschits.
The Commentary of G.I. Davies on the first part of the book of Exodus is the most detailed which ... more The Commentary of G.I. Davies on the first part of the book of Exodus is the most detailed which was ever written on these chapters. It develops a new variant of the classical Source Theory assigning to the "Elohist" much more portions of the text than usual. The review tries to elaborate the methodological problems from a compositional and redactional point of view in are more critical way. Nevertheless it appreaciate the high erudition of this commentary.
Kritische Schriftgelehrsamkeit in priesterlichen und prophetischen Diskursen. Festschrift für Reinhard Achenbach zum 65. Geburtstag, edited by Lars Maskow and Jonathan Robker, BZAR 27, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2022
The last chapters of the book of Deuteronomy show only a few small passages of a (late) priestly ... more The last chapters of the book of Deuteronomy show only a few small passages of a (late) priestly edition (Deut 32:48-52; 34:1*.7-9). Thus, the supposition seems to be well founded that the bulk of texts, which followed the end Deuteronomic Torah (31:1-13), the Song of Moses (Deut 32) including its two introductions (31:16-22 and V. 24-32) and the Blessing of Moses (Deut 33) has something to do with one or two non-priestly final redactions of the Pentateuch, which intended to cut off Israel's foundation history from the following books of the DtrG and to provide it with its own perspective to Israel's future. First proposals for reconstructing these latest but almost unknown stages of the literary history of the Pentateuch are given.
Eigensinn und Entstehung der Hebräischen Bibel edited by Joachim J. Krause, Wolfgang Oswald and Kristin Weingart, FAT 136, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020
Blum's late-Dtr. layer KD indeed constituted the Pentateuch for the first time by integrating the... more Blum's late-Dtr. layer KD indeed constituted the Pentateuch for the first time by integrating the book of Deuteronomy into the foundation history of Israel. But it has to be distinguished from the later Pentateuchal redaction and should be dated not before, but after the first two Priestly editions of that history comprising the books from Genesis to Leviticus.
Biblical Narratives, Archaeology and Historicity, 2020
The article shows how Moses’ Tabernacle, which can be regarded as an invented counter-model of th... more The article shows how Moses’ Tabernacle, which can be regarded as an invented counter-model of the temple of Jerusalem anchored in Israel’s formation history, belatedly shaped not only the buildings descriptions of the latter in 1 Kgs 6–8 and 1 Chr 29–2 Chr 6, but also its physical appearance in the Hellenistic and Herodian periods. These alignments testify, on the one hand, the authority of the canonized Torah, on the other hand the Judean efforts for defending the legitimacy and reputation of the Jerusalem temple against the competing Samarian sanctuary on Mount Gerizim. Therefore, the aligning priestly additions in 1 Kgs 6:1*; 8:1a*, 4*, 5*, 10–11 are probably very late and cannot support the thesis of an Enneateuch.
Without archaeological or paleographical means to determine the date of texts from the Pentateuch... more Without archaeological or paleographical means to determine the date of texts from the Pentateuch, scholarship relies on historical, linguistic, and literary-historical evidence to place pentateuchal materials in their compositional contexts. Under these three headings, this essay presents the evidence for texts originating in the postexilic period, and argues that there is considerably more of it than has traditionally been identified.
A. Grund-Wittenberg, Religionspraxis und Individualität, 2021
Having used the term "personal piety" in contrast to the thesis of collectivism, the author now p... more Having used the term "personal piety" in contrast to the thesis of collectivism, the author now pleads for "family and household religion" as the more appropriate term for denoti the religious and ritual enviroment of the individual. Anyhow, as much as the individual was embedded in his familie , the prayer rituals performed for him were a real training in indiviuality. In the encounter with his personal God the learned to become aware of his own person. Such an individuality in Ancient Israel, however, was never a distinctive peculiarity in a modern sense, but always related to the identity of one's family. This is my last contribution to the subject of family religion.
Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century B.C.E., 2007
... 10 as examples of aliens. In Joshua 9, these functions were taken over by the Gibeonites afte... more ... 10 as examples of aliens. In Joshua 9, these functions were taken over by the Gibeonites after they had clev-erly escaped annihilation. Thus the position of the text in the LXX is understandable. Finally, the Priestly editor wanted ...
Page 1. Judah and the JudeanS in the Fourth Century bce Edited by Oded Lipschits, Gary N. Knopper... more Page 1. Judah and the JudeanS in the Fourth Century bce Edited by Oded Lipschits, Gary N. Knoppers, and Rainer Albertz Page 2. Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century bce Page 3. Page 4. Judah and the Judeans in ...
The paper reflects the paradoxon that the Hebrew Bible describes severe conflicts between brother... more The paper reflects the paradoxon that the Hebrew Bible describes severe conflicts between brothers more realistic than any other ancient literature (see Gen 4; 27-33; 37-50), but nevertheless develop an ideal of brotherhood (cf. Deut 12-26), which should include beyond any family bonds the whole society.
This conversation with O. Lipschits, The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrau... more This conversation with O. Lipschits, The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2005) began at a session of the “Literature and History of the Persian Period” group at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Philadelphia. It includes an introduction by the editor and contributions by Rainer Albertz, Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Daniel Master, Gary N. Knoppers, Hugh G.M. Williamson and a response by Oded Lipschits.
The Commentary of G.I. Davies on the first part of the book of Exodus is the most detailed which ... more The Commentary of G.I. Davies on the first part of the book of Exodus is the most detailed which was ever written on these chapters. It develops a new variant of the classical Source Theory assigning to the "Elohist" much more portions of the text than usual. The review tries to elaborate the methodological problems from a compositional and redactional point of view in are more critical way. Nevertheless it appreaciate the high erudition of this commentary.
Kritische Schriftgelehrsamkeit in priesterlichen und prophetischen Diskursen. Festschrift für Reinhard Achenbach zum 65. Geburtstag, edited by Lars Maskow and Jonathan Robker, BZAR 27, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2022
The last chapters of the book of Deuteronomy show only a few small passages of a (late) priestly ... more The last chapters of the book of Deuteronomy show only a few small passages of a (late) priestly edition (Deut 32:48-52; 34:1*.7-9). Thus, the supposition seems to be well founded that the bulk of texts, which followed the end Deuteronomic Torah (31:1-13), the Song of Moses (Deut 32) including its two introductions (31:16-22 and V. 24-32) and the Blessing of Moses (Deut 33) has something to do with one or two non-priestly final redactions of the Pentateuch, which intended to cut off Israel's foundation history from the following books of the DtrG and to provide it with its own perspective to Israel's future. First proposals for reconstructing these latest but almost unknown stages of the literary history of the Pentateuch are given.
Eigensinn und Entstehung der Hebräischen Bibel edited by Joachim J. Krause, Wolfgang Oswald and Kristin Weingart, FAT 136, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020
Blum's late-Dtr. layer KD indeed constituted the Pentateuch for the first time by integrating the... more Blum's late-Dtr. layer KD indeed constituted the Pentateuch for the first time by integrating the book of Deuteronomy into the foundation history of Israel. But it has to be distinguished from the later Pentateuchal redaction and should be dated not before, but after the first two Priestly editions of that history comprising the books from Genesis to Leviticus.
Biblical Narratives, Archaeology and Historicity, 2020
The article shows how Moses’ Tabernacle, which can be regarded as an invented counter-model of th... more The article shows how Moses’ Tabernacle, which can be regarded as an invented counter-model of the temple of Jerusalem anchored in Israel’s formation history, belatedly shaped not only the buildings descriptions of the latter in 1 Kgs 6–8 and 1 Chr 29–2 Chr 6, but also its physical appearance in the Hellenistic and Herodian periods. These alignments testify, on the one hand, the authority of the canonized Torah, on the other hand the Judean efforts for defending the legitimacy and reputation of the Jerusalem temple against the competing Samarian sanctuary on Mount Gerizim. Therefore, the aligning priestly additions in 1 Kgs 6:1*; 8:1a*, 4*, 5*, 10–11 are probably very late and cannot support the thesis of an Enneateuch.
Without archaeological or paleographical means to determine the date of texts from the Pentateuch... more Without archaeological or paleographical means to determine the date of texts from the Pentateuch, scholarship relies on historical, linguistic, and literary-historical evidence to place pentateuchal materials in their compositional contexts. Under these three headings, this essay presents the evidence for texts originating in the postexilic period, and argues that there is considerably more of it than has traditionally been identified.
Geschichte und Theologie II. Studien zur Literatatur-, Religions- und Theologiegeschichte des Alten Testaments, 2023
The second volume of History and Theology contains 23 articles by Rainer Albertz on the history o... more The second volume of History and Theology contains 23 articles by Rainer Albertz on the history of Israel, on literary and religious history, and on the anthropology and theology of the Old Testament. These articles demonstrate the Münster-based scholar s project to explain the development, diversity, and societal, political, and theological relevance of Old Testament transmissions. Contents
Die Josephsgeschichte im Pentateuch. Ein Beitrag zur Überwindung einer anhaltenden Forschungskontroverse, FAT 153, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2021
Rainer Albertz subjects the composition and redaction history of the story of Joseph (Gen 37-50) ... more Rainer Albertz subjects the composition and redaction history of the story of Joseph (Gen 37-50) to a consistent examination. The aim is to determine the subject matter and the dating of the story more precisely and methodically than hast controversially been done so far. At the same thime, this opens up a new insights into the history of the Pentateuch.
Twenty-one studies dedicated to the composition and redaction of the Pentateuch and the Hexateuch... more Twenty-one studies dedicated to the composition and redaction of the Pentateuch and the Hexateuch, written over ten years as part of the Münster Old Testament scholar Rainer Albertz’s work on his Exodus Commentary, are gathered in this volume. Five of them were previously unpublished, while a further eight were revised and translated for their first appearance in German. The problem-orientated approach taken reveals a model for the emergence of the Pentateuch that could replace the classical three-source theory. A concluding overview makes it easier to gauge the model’s effectiveness by assigning the texts dealt with to the identifiable tradition- and redaction-historical development stages of the Pentateuch.
During the past decade, the period from the 7th century B.C.E. and later has been a major focus b... more During the past decade, the period from the 7th century B.C.E. and later has been a major focus because it is thought to be the era when much of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament was formed. As a result, there has also been much interest in the historical developments of that time and specifically in the status of Judah and its neighbors. Three conferences dealing roughly with a century each were organized, and the first conference was held in Tel Aviv in 2001; the proceedings of that conference were published as Judah and the Judeans in the Neo-Babylonian Period. The second volume was published in early 2006, a report on the conference held in Heidelberg in July 2003: Judah and the Judeans in the Persian Period.
Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century B.C.E. is the publication of the proceedings of the third conference, which was held in Muenster, Germany, in August 2005; the essays in it focus on the century during which the Persian Empire fell to Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic kingdoms came to the fore.
Participants whose contributions are published here are: R. Achenbach, R. Albertz, B. Becking, E. Ben Zvi, J. Blenkinsopp, E. Eshel, H. Eshel, L. L. Grabbe, A. Kloner, G. N. Knoppers, I. Kottsieper, A. Lemaire, O. Lipschits, Y. Magen, K. Schmid, I. Stern., O. Tal, D. Vanderhooft, J. Wiesehöfer, J. L. Wright, and J. W. Wright.
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Papers by Rainer Albertz
Judah and the Judeans in the Fourth Century B.C.E. is the publication of the proceedings of the third conference, which was held in Muenster, Germany, in August 2005; the essays in it focus on the century during which the Persian Empire fell to Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic kingdoms came to the fore.
Participants whose contributions are published here are: R. Achenbach, R. Albertz, B. Becking, E. Ben Zvi, J. Blenkinsopp, E. Eshel, H. Eshel, L. L. Grabbe, A. Kloner, G. N. Knoppers, I. Kottsieper, A. Lemaire, O. Lipschits, Y. Magen, K. Schmid, I. Stern., O. Tal, D. Vanderhooft, J. Wiesehöfer, J. L. Wright, and J. W. Wright.