"Warum nur ubertretet ihr SEIN Geheiss!" Eine synchrone Exegese der Anti-Erzahlung von Richter 17-18

Abstract

Warum nur ubertretet ihr SEIN Geheiss! Eine synchrone Exegese der Anti-Erzahlung von Richter 17-18, by Uwe F. W. Bauer. BEATAJ 45. Bern/Frankfurt a. M.: Peter Lang, 1998. Pp. 463. N.P. (paper). Unless one reads foreword this volume, first part of title remains a mystery until pp. 344-45, when author finally declares that it was triggered by occurrence of word f7v, to pass over, overstep (German ubertreten). Illustrative of Bauer's method, in use of term in Judg 18:13 he hears an echo of Num 14:41, where, in another narrative involving a scouting mission, Moses expresses his exasperation with Israelites because of their refusal acquire territory according orders of Yahweh. This is how Bauer reads Judg 17-18: as an anti-narrative declaring biblical author's perspective on Danite seizure of Laish and erection there of cult of Micah's image. Bauer begins monograph with a theoretical presentation of his methodology. In his Vorwort he admits that holistic literary approach taken in this study is new territory in German scholarship, which has since Wellhausen preferred diachronic synchronic exegesis. The influence of J. P. Fokkelman is freely acknowledged at beginning (pp. 40-46) and evident throughout work. Bauer sets chronological context for his own work by surveying previous studies of Judg 17-18. His own investigation begins with a colometric formatting of Hebrew text, followed by his German translation. Thereafter he explores successively place of this passage in broader context of Genesis-2 Kings, and narrower context of book of Judges, its temporal and spatial structures, its literary structure, divided into scenes, and scene segments, consisting largely of introductory exposition, dialogue, and event (Sequenz). In his detailed serial analysis of three scenes (17:1,5[6]; 17:7-13;18;[la]lb-31) he follows Fokkelman's model of levels of meaning, paying particular attention scenes, scene segments, sentences, phrases, and words. Especially helpful is his attention nature and function of literary features of text (chiasms, wordplays, irony, etc.). His conclusions are effectively and efficiently summarized in final part of book (pp. 415-47). The intensity of Bauer's work is extraordinary. He explores individual words and phrases from every conceivable angle, often producing fresh insights into longstanding cruxes. Bauer's disposition toward MT is very conservative; he calls for only a handful of minor adjustments. (Compare, for example, his treatment of the exile of land in 18:30 [pp. 396-414] with that of Robert O'Connell, The Rhetoric of Book of Judges [Leiden, 1996], 481-83). And rejecting fragmentation of text by source and redaction critics, he finds literary significance in details, even in those that have long been discounted as secondary. Bauer's work provides students with a model of synchronic exegesis. Nevertheless, it raises several questions. First, while his presentation of Judg 17-18 as an Erzahlung (antinarrative?) is totally convincing, a clear definition of term is lacking. In end (p. 429) he explains that in its presentation of an event an anti-- erzahlerischer Text always presupposes several other texts or an entire text complex (a conclusion one also deduces from earlier statements), but why call this an Anti-- Erzahlung? …