Day in Mamre, Night in Sodom: Abraham and Lot in Genesis 18 and 19 (review)

Abstract

Book Reviews 99 Carmichael has produced another stimulating volume on the shaping and purpose ofbiblical law. While every scholar may not agree with his conclusions, they are well worth our attention. This book should be a part of every collection on law and on the study of narrative analysis. Victor H. Matthews Department ofReligious Studies Southwest Missouri State University Day in Mamre, Night in Sodom: Abraham and Lot in Genesis 18 and 19, by Robert Ignatius Letellier. Biblical Interpretation Series 10. Leiden: E. 1. Brill, 1995. 296 pp. $128.00. Robert Letellier provides what is probably the most comprehensive study of Genesis 18-19 in the English language. Only the book-length study of Rudin-O'Brasky in Hebrew compares to the coverage offered by Letellier. Letellier divides his book into four chapters. The initial chapter concisely guides us through a Forschungsbericht of Pentateucha1criticism, with special emphasis upon the ferment since the mid-sixties. He documents the paradigm shift in biblical studies from diachronic to synchronic approaches. At the end of this chapter, he lays out his own methodological approach in which he opts for a combination of the "vertical" and "horizontal" methods, after the model ofFokkelman's "total interpretation." Letellier's hermeneutical approach attempts to steer a middle course between the deconstruction ofDerrida and the "intentional fallacy" of the older historical criticism. He locates his "North Star" in this enterprise in the assumption that the text possesses a certain transcendence (p. 29). Chapter two justifies his delimitation of these two chapters as a proper locus for study. The various criteria for determining the boundaries ofa self-contained unit within a larger narrative complex and the structural patterns inherent within the section receive extended discussion. He determines, by a close study of the structure, both surface and "deep," that there are five basic units within the two chapters as we now have them. One might quibble here and there with some of his analyses, but, on the whole, his observations are very illuminating. The five basic units, which are treated as scenes, are as follows: 1. 18: 1-15: the visit of YHWH to Abraham at Mamre 2. 18:16-33: YHWH's soliloquy and dialogue with Abraham 3. 19:1-23: the visit of the messengers to Lot at Sodom 4. 19:24-29: the destruction of Sodom and its aftermath 100 SHOFAR Winter 1998 Vol. 16, NO.2 5. 19:30-38: the story of Lot and his daughters in the cave These basic units are further subdivided into discrete movements each of which assists in unfolding the scene. Having done this, he is ready to turn to the actual task of analyzing how the text "works." Chapter three, covering about 124 pages, is the longest and most thorough section of the book. Letellier analyzes each unit or scene from three different vantage points: the literary structure, the language as a conveyor of the story, and significant details within the basic unit. By far the most lengthy treatment occurs in the linguistic analysis section. Lexical, grammatical, syntactic, thematic, and socio-cultural analyses are patiently deployed in order to eludicate the text. Letellier is clearly at home in Classical Hebrew as well as the broader field of (the new) literary criticism. Chapter four brings us to the real thrust of the study, at least as I perceived it. The author takes up a discussion of myth, fairy tale, and legend (or saga), concluding that Genesis 18-19 incorporates elements of all three. What really absorbs his interest, however, are the motifs, themes, and, particularly, the archetypes, that emerge from a close reading ofthe narrative complex. His indebtedness to the thought of Carl Jung is readily acknowledged. The bottom line is that these stories embody elements of universally shared human experience. Letellier helpfully canvasses a wide array of ancient Near Eastern literature (with some more recent examples as well), showing the prevalence ofthese motifs and archetypes. There is much here that is informative and insightful. My own reading of this section has been enriched by Letellier's observations. A question, however, arises concerning his heavy reliance upon Jungian psychological theory as the master key. That human experience possesses universality seems...