Ritual and Rhetoric in Leviticus
Ritual and Rhetoric in Leviticus uses rhetorical analysis to expose the motives behind the writing of the central book of the Torah/Pentateuch and its persuasive function in ancient Judaism. Rhetorical analysis of Leviticus has implications not only for the form and contents of that book, but also for understanding the later history of the rhetoric of priesthood, of sacrifice, and especially of scripture.
- Ritual texts were meant to be persuasive texts and should be analyzed rhetorically - as Watts does here
- The authority of scripture derived, first of all, from its ritual authority over temple offerings and priests
- 'Sacrifice' has less to do with ancient offerings of animals than with modern moral judgments
Reviews & endorsements
"This is an important study that subsequent research on Leviticus and the development of the biblical canon should take seriously...Watts skillfully carries out his fresh reading of Leviticus with penetrating attention to persuasive effects of literary features."
Roy E. Gane, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly
"...Watts' book is a compelling, creative, and thought-provoking study worthy of serious attention by anyone interested in the styles of rhetoric that shaped ancient Judaism and the socio-political universe they both presupposed and established."
Mark Leuchter, University of Sydney, Hebraic Political Studies
Product details
September 2007Adobe eBook Reader
9780511292750
0 pages
0kg
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction: ritual text and ritual interpretation
- 2. The rhetoric of ritual instruction
- 3. The rhetoric of burnt offerings
- 4. The rhetoric of sin, guilt and ritual offerings
- 5. The rhetoric of ritual narrative
- 6. The rhetoric of atonement
- 7. The rhetoric of priesthood
- 8. The rhetoric of sacrifice
- 9. The rhetoric of scripture
- Bibliography
- Index of biblical citations
- Index of other ancient literature
- Index of authors
- Index of subjects.