Der Mosesegen im Deuteronomium

Abstract

Der Mosesegen im Deuteronomium: Eine text-, kompositions- and formkritische Studie zu Deuteronomium 33, by Stefan Beyerle. BZAW 250. Berlin/New York: de Gruyter, 1997. Pp. x + 345. DM 178.00. This book is a revised and shortened version of a doctoral dissertation supervised by H. Seebass at the University of Bonn, Germany. Since H.-J. Kittels, Die Stammesspruche Israels (Berlin: unpublished manuscript, 1959), no monograph has been devoted to the so-called tribal sentences in the Pentateuch. For Beyerle it is necessary to take up the task again, since OT scholarship is nowadays much less confident of the possibility of reconstructing premonarchic Israel on the basis of Gen 49 and Deut 33. Contrary to Kittel, who worked on both chapters, Beyerle limits himself to Deut 33. He argues that Gen 49, or at least its frame, seems to belong to the Priestly source (p. 9). This argument is quite puzzling, because P-edited texts can theoretically contain as much old material as Deuteronomistic-edited texts. Beyerle offers a very cautious and scrupulous treatment of Dent 33. Considerable attention is given to text-critical issues, but he is not interested in reconstructing the original form of the text. Beyerle is clearly influenced by the work of E. Tov when he claims that the different textual witnesses are not simply versions but texts, each of which has its own meaning (p. 273). This statement contributes to a tension of a sort. On the one hand, Beyerle is much interested in diachronic investigation; on the other hand, he does not try to reconstruct the possibly oldest textual witness. The book is organized quite simply. After some methodological considerations, Beyerle starts analyzing the framing psalm. He concludes that this was an independent hymn that focused on theophanic issues and presents YHWH as a warrior. This hymn was used by a Deuteronomistic collector (Sammler) to frame the edition of the tribal sentences (Dent 33:1-2aa). A late Deuteronomistic redactor, who knew Deuteronomy in an almost canonical form (p. 62), inserted w. 4-5 and 26 (allusions to Torah and monarchy). Beyerle applies the same three stages (Grundschrift, dtr Sammler, dtr Redaktor) to the formation of the tribal sentences. For each poem textual, compositional, and genre issues are treated. The oldest collection is to be found in w. 6a, 8abp, 9aa, 10b, 11, 13abbeta, 14-17a, 18abbeta, 19, 20abbeta, 21aba, 22abbeta, 23abbeta, 12abbeta, 25. This Grundschrift contains sentences about Reuben, Levi, Joseph, Zebulun and Issachar, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, and Asher. Beyerle is very cautious about the form of this source. He leaves the question open whether it is written or oral, but is quite confident that it might be dated in the first half of the eleventh century B.C.E. (pp. 279-80). The theological intention of this collection is to assert divine election and the people's answer to this election by sacrifice (p. 278). This does not sound very premonarchic to me. …