Die Tora: Studien zum Pentateuch. Gesammelte Aufsatze.

Meyer, Esias E.

Die Tora: Studien zum Pentateuch. Gesammelte Aufsatze. By ECKART OTTO. Beitrage zur Zeitschrift fur Altorientalische and Biblische Rechtsgeschichte, vol. 9. Wiesbaden: HARRASSOWITZ VERLAG, 2009. Pp. vii + 714. [euro] 98.

As the subtitle of the book says, this is a collection of articles on the Pentateuch written by Eckart Otto, who retired from the Ludwig-Maximilian-Universitat Munchen in 2009. Most of these articles were published in the last ten years, with three articles originating in the 1990s. Many of these were published in the Zeitschrift fur altorientalische und biblische Rechtsgeschichte, which is not widely available. If one is looking for current research on the Pentateuch, then the publications in this book are positively "cutting edge."

For those interested in the book of Deuteronomy, Otto's work cannot be ignored; in nearly half of the seven hundred pages of this volume Otto engages with this book--which is not surprising since his contribution in this field through the years has been enormous. He is also preparing a commentary on Deuteronomy for the Herder series and the reader is offered a foretaste of this commentary in his discussion of Deuteronomy 1-3 as a key to understanding the composition of the Pentateuch (pp. 284-420). This is the longest chapter in the collection and attempts to offer both diachronic and synchronic perspectives on how to understand Deuteronomy 1-3 in relation to the rest of the book of Deuteronomy, but also in relation to the rest of the Pentateuch and the Deuteronomistic History. The chapter starts with the usual (but valuable) account of research history (pp. 285-302) before offering a diachronic analysis of each pericope (pp. 302-407). In broad terms Deuteronomy 1-3 is understood as part of the Moabredaktion, which is basically the late substantial layer added to the book of Deuteronomy. This is followed by a much shorter (pp. 407-20) synchronic analysis under the heading of Narrative Hermeneutik.

With regard to the book of Deuteronomy as a whole, the collection also offers plenty of material. There is a chapter on the latest research on Deuteronomy (pp. 229-47). in which Otto engages with the recent work of German- and English-speaking scholars. There is also a chapter on Otto's own understanding of Deuteronomy in the history of the development of the Pentateuch (pp. 168-228). Concepts such as Tetrateuch and Hexateuch are discussed here, but also Deuteronomy's relationship to other legal collections in the Pentateuch, such as the Covenant Code and the Holiness Code. (The diachronic relationship between the different legal codes is a subject actually discussed more than once in the book.)

One also finds shorter chapters on prophecy (pp. 257-71) and the Decalogue (pp. 272-83) in what Otto calls deuteronomistischen Deuteronomium. For Otto this refers to what he also calls the Horebredaktion (DtrD), which is a redaction which attempts to make the late pre-exilic edition of the book of Deuteronomy relevant to the exilic generation. As Moses addresses the people at Horeb, so these authors address their exilic audience. This Horebredaktion is thus an earlier layer to the above-mentioned Moabredaktion.

Otto also oilers overviews of the Holiness Code (pp. 46-106) and Leviticus (pp. 107-42). The latter is an engagement with the work of the young European scholar Christophe Nihan on Leviticus. The chapter on the Holiness Code offers Otto's own views on the Code, which he understands to be the product of an exercise in inner-biblical exegesis (innerbiblische Exegese) by the Pentateuch redactor. By this term he means that the Holiness Code was written after the Covenant Code, Deuteronomy, and the Priestly Code, and engages with all of them. It was also written by those who composed most of what we know today as the Pentateuch. The other three collections have been integrated into the Holiness Code, which complements the earlier codes, although it actively engages with its predecessors, sometimes criticizing and sometimes supporting the earlier texts. Otto is thus not a supporter of the Kaufmann school's pre-exilic dating of the Priestly text, although he would agree with them that the Holiness Code is younger than the rest of the Priestly text. In this regard his view of the Holiness Code is representative of the majority view in current German Pentateuch scholarship. Otto understands the relationship between the legal codes as that of complementing (Erganzen) rather than replacing (Ersetzen), an argument he develops further in an additional chapter (pp. 248-56).

One also finds a few discussions relating to the book of Genesis. For example, Otto offers an alternative understanding of the alternation between Yahweh and Elohim in the narrative of Genesis (pp. 587-600). In another contribution (pp. 679-88), Otto offers an interpretation of the second creation narrative in Genesis 2-3 in which he understands it as later than the Priestly creation narrative of Genesis 1. This is thus totally different from the traditional scholarly view that the second creation narrative was an earlier text.

Apart from Genesis, the book of Jeremiah also features in the collection. In one chapter, Otto describes a Diskurs between the post-exilic Pentateuch and the book of Jeremiah on whether prophetic revelation is still possible after the time of Moses (pp. 515-60). In another, the discussion on which covenant is eternal is seen as taking place between priestly texts and what Otto calls Tradentenprophetie in the book of Jeremiah (pp. 561-67).

Otto also offers (pp. 490-514) broader arguments on the development of the whole of the Pentateuch and on (he synchronic relationship between legal and narrative texts. He often uses the term Rechtshermenetik to describe his kind of engagement with the text, which is usually done from both diachronic and synchronic perspectives. He would further distinguish between "time of narration" (Erzahlzeit) and "narrated time" (erzahlten Zeit). The former refers to the time when the text was written down and the latter to the time portrayed in the Pentateuch.

There are many other shorter chapters on different issues within Pentateuch scholarship. Generally the contributions in this hook could be described as a combination of Otto's own understanding of the Pentateuch and his critical engagement with the work of other renowned Pentateuch scholars. Even if one were to disagree with some of Otto's views, this book still offers valuable information on We current state of Pentateuch scholarship, especially in the European context. This collection is by no means easy reading, but struggling through the book would certainly be worth one's while.

ESIAS E. MEYER UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA