Research Catalog

Title

Sacred Dan : religious tradition and cultic practice in Judges 17-18 / Jason S. Bray.

Author

Bray, Jason S. (Jason Stephen)

Publication

New York : T & T Clark, ©2006.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xii, 169 pages; 24 cm.

Summary

"An introduction reviews previous scholarship, and concludes that the cultic aspects of Judges 17-18 have not been examined in any depth. It then goes on to deal with the historical and redactional issues which previous scholars have found interesting. The issues of provenance and dating are then examined with the conclusion that the text was written down in the immediate aftermath of the Assyrian conquest of Dan in an attempt to preserve its sacred traditions. The text therefore reflects the self-understanding of the priests of Dan in the period immediately prior to its fall. The text of Judges 17-18 is then subjected to a rhetorical critical examination, followed by a more traditional form critical study. The next section is a comparison of similar cultic foundation stories from other cultures. Three major chapters examine the three major cultic issues raised by the text itself: images, priests and divination. Each chapter draws on evidence from the Hebrew Bible and its environment in an attempt to clarify the nature of the cult of Dan. Broadly, each chapter concludes that although there were some features peculiar to the cult reflected by Dan, in general, the Danite cult was not greatly different from that of its neighbours. A final chapter deals with what the text says about the tribe of Levi, with the conclusion that according to Judges 17-18, there was once a secular tribe of Levi. The conclusion draws a brief picture of cultic life in Dan in its final years."--Publisher's website.

Series Statement

Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies ; 449

Uniform Title

Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies ; 449.

Subject

• Bible. > Criticism, interpretation, etc
• Richter (Buch) 17-18
• Richteren (bijbelboek)
• Dan (volk, Israël)
• Eredienst

Genre/Form

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Note

• Based on the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Cambridge, originally presented under the title: The Danite cultic legend in its ancient Near Eastern contex.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. [151]-160) and indexes.

Contents

pt. I. Sacred tradition in Judges 17-18 -- Ch. 1. Interpreting Judges 17-18 -- pt. II. Cultic practice in Judges 17-18 -- Ch. 2. Image worship in the Dante story -- Ch. 3. Priests in the Dante story -- Ch. 4. Divination in the Dante story -- Conclusion : cultic life at Dan -- App. Dante story and the history of the Levites.

ISBN

• 0567027120
• 9780567027122

LCCN

2006007652

OCLC

• ocm64624867
• 64624867
• SCSB-1414441

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library