ORCID

James W. Watts: 0000-0002-4872-4986

Document Type

Article

Date

1995

Keywords

Pentateuch, rhetoric, Hebrew Bible, Hebrew law, public reading

Language

English

Disciplines

Biblical Studies | Religion | Rhetoric and Composition

Description/Abstract

The Hebrew Bible rarely depicts the reading of books or documents, but when it does, it usually portrays public readings of entire law codes. Whether by Moses, Joshua, Josiah or Ezra, law readings to public assemblies play prominent roles in various biblical books. It is not my intention in this essay to discuss Israel's tradition of law readings in depth, but rather to explore its implications for the form of Israel's extant laws as found in the Pentateuch. The tradition of public law readings points out the rhetorical function of law in ancient Israel. The accounts of readings depict these texts as influencing the audience's thoughts and persuading them to alter their behavior.

Source

local input

COinS