Overview of events

• "exodus" meanings
• Transition from Joseph saga to 400 years later
• called "Hebrews"
• they are slaves
• emergence of person to lead them to liberation – Moses
• ch. 15-40 "wilderness" narrative, laws & building tabernacle

Exodus Highlights

• Prince of Egypt (6 min) https://youtu.be/6ds9y3lJGig
• Singer of tales: (10-15) … https://youtu.be/64QPz2t5T3A

Israel in the Wilderness

• In rites of passage, there are 3 stages: pre, post, & in between stage (liminal)
• liminal (threshold: when one is not anything, in many settings a wilderness, tasks of courage and daring, survival,

Tradition criticism

Listen to 3 different texts from the Pentateuch with similar subject matter but very different context

• law at Sinai originally a separate "tradition" from exodus

Wilderness narrative spans 4 books

But these were compiled (redacted) at very different times and circumstances

• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy

Law | Νομος | טרה

(Nomos, Torah)

• Law codes a "religious vision of a perfect society" (p. 93)

• Covenant (Exodus 21-23)
• Deuteronomic (Deut 12-26)
• Holiness (Leviticus 17-26)

10 c's (words)

• if/then (conditional) (casuistic)
• do/don't do (unconditional) (apodictic)

Development of the law

Consider someone reading the Constitution in 3,000 years

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.

Ritual laws in Pentateuch

• sacrifice "offering" to God as "sumptuous meal"
• purity laws "capacity to attain holiness"
• Southern Suggestions https://youtu.be/m6uNXtOirs8

From responses

Various responses from journal reflections

Themes

• "mythic elements" – the truth?
• Nature of God

• violent?
• just?
• changing/unchanging?

• historicity and the bible
• landscapes

special Highlights

• film and the Bible
• 'apiru
• sacred places
• redaction criticism
• Liberation Theology

Perception of the character of YHWH

• a warrior God?
• abusing & manipulating? e.g. the Egyptians
• performer of magic?
• with re. women?

Readings

Moses & Pharaoh

• humor and irony of the story of Moses' birth requires knowledge of the context of what is expected of kings
• patriarchal societies; sub-theme of important role of women

Call of Moses

• names (doublets) Horeb/Sinai;
• shoes and "holy" place
• textual issue of God's name
• n.b. that prophecy is not "predicting the future" (p. 78)
• surprise in the story: Moses and the people seem to have no idea who this "YHWH" is

9 Plagues

• theme of YHWH being the stronger god (among others)
• different sources for the plagues
• God's manipulation of Pharaoh?

Death of Firstborn

• "lintel" and later command re. mezuzah
• Passover
  • relation to ritual
  • relation to later Christianity
  • death of first born sons

Crossing of the Sea

• mistranslation of the name
• ancient song: at the end of ch. 15 "deriving from pre-Yahwistic source"
• J version & P version

Law & Gospel

• sacred space (Sinai) & boundaries
• theophany

10 Commandments

• Sabbath (n.b. cycle of day, from nightfall through the dawn
• 10 "words" not a universal ethical values, but addressed to a very different cultural, historical setting

Covenant Code and Laws for Just Society

• reflecting a time when there was "money" (Shekel) – thus anachronistic?
• reflection of rural society

Sacred Food & offerings

• Opening Leviticus
• reflection of P?
• holy time,
• holiness & purity

Complaint and Condemnation

• "manna" and "complaint" / "murmuring"
• God responding variously to people's complaining, sometimes angry, sometimes understanding
• Moses as prophet, conveying God's messages and interceding on the people's behalf
• punishing Moses for?

God with the Israelites

• Ark of the covenant as "home" for God – tabernacle
• Closing the Book of Exodus

Moses' Last Speech (Book of Deuteronomy)

• "Shema"
• Treaty outlines (117)