Textgeschichte, Fortschreibung, und Rechtshermeneutik

This article argues for the importance of considering extant textual variation in connection with inner-literary processes of development (redaction, Fortschreibung, inner-biblical exegesis), as well as in light of the broader history of interpretation. The textual plus at Leviticus 17:4, preserved in several ancient witnesses, represents a classic case that has received very mixed evaluation, both with regard to its textual status (whether primary or secondary), and with regard to its potential legal/exegetical function. After surveying a variety of textual and interpretive assessments, the case is argued that this plus represents a deliberate exegetical expansion serving to clarify ambiguities and to specify that it is specifically slaughter for the purpose of sacrifice that is at issue in Lev 17:3-7. This variant represents an early but complex analogical effort to interpret the legal requirements of Leviticus 17 in light of Deuteronomy 12. In this way, text history takes up and extends trajectories inherent within the internal literary development of the scriptural text.

Art · Ancient Near East History · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Biblical Studies and Interpretation