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Blasphemy

Blasphemy: Piercing God’s Name

Cursing YHWH is more than simply expressing contempt and irreverence. In the biblical world view, it is attempted deicide, and thus is punishable by death.

Prof.

Theodore J. Lewis

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A Corpse Left Hanging Overnight Is a “Cursing of God”

The body of an executed criminal is hanged but must be buried on the same day, כִּי קִלְלַת אֱלֹהִים תָּלוּי, “because a hanged body is a cursing of God” (Deuteronomy 21:23). What does this phrase mean?

Prof. Rabbi

Marty Lockshin

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A Tribute to the Blasphemer’s Mother: Shelomit, Daughter of Divri

A struggling ex-slave and single mother labors against all odds to raise her son and shield him from the prejudices of the surrounding community.

Prof. Rabbi

Wendy Zierler

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Violating the Holiness of God’s Camp: The Story of the Blasphemer

In a fight with an Israelite, the son of an Egyptian man curses YHWH and is stoned to death. This story, one of only two in Leviticus, highlights a larger concern regarding the need to maintain the holiness of the camp on one hand and the rights of gerim (strangers) to live among the Israelites as equals on the other.

Dr.

Adriane Leveen

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The Embarrassing Case of the Blasphemer: Did God Really Want Him Dead?

Dr.

Serge Frolov

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The Import of Lex Talionis in the Story of the Blasphemer

Prof.

Shawna Dolansky

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