Moses revises the account of why he appointed judges to oversee the Israelites, and the way the wars with the Amorites of the Transjordan were conducted. Examining the changes uncovers the ideological stances that motivated this revisionist history.
Prof.
Mordechai Cogan
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Even before Israel receives laws at Sinai, Exodus tells how Jethro the Midianite advises Moses to establish judges, a unique origin story for the judicial system with no parallel in ancient Near Eastern law collections. Deuteronomy revises the story to credit Moses with this idea after the revelation at Horeb.
Prof.
Bernard M. Levinson
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Deuteronomy’s legal system is complex, combining descriptions of how law actually functioned with elements of ideal law.
Prof.
Yigal Levin
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Parry Moshe
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A study of Deuteronomy’s polemical revision of the Exodus 18 judges account.
Prof. Rabbi
David Frankel
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YHWH commissions Isaiah to distract the people of Judah so that they continue to sin and then YHWH can punish them harshly. In contrast to other biblical figures such as Abraham and Moses, Isaiah is silent at this injustice.
Prof.
Marvin A. Sweeney
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