Deuteronomy: Code or Covenant? (original) (raw)

2021, The Oxford Handbook to Deuteronomy

Biblical scholars typically consider genre as part of their analysis of a biblical text. The literary genre of Deuteronomy is most commonly compared to either a treaty covenant or to a law code. Deuteronomy contains clear parallels to the treaty structure preserved in Hittite and neo-Assyrian traditions. At the same time, the central place of the Deuteronomic Code (12:1-26:19) suggests that Deuteronomy is a law code. Deuteronomy shares characteristics in common with other genres, such as exhortation, and traditions, such as wisdom. The de ning characteristic of Deuteronomy is appropriation and reinterpretation of earlier compositions and forms. Who Began the Conversation? The question posed by "Code or Covenant?" is essentially a question of genre: What is the literary genre of Deuteronomy? The question assumes two possible answers, that is, is the genre of Deuteronomy more akin to that of a legal code or a political covenant? Even more speci cally, was Deuteronomy intended to serve as a legal code for the people of ancient Israel in a manner similar to other legal codes from the ancient world, such as the Code of Hammurabi, and the earlier, biblical legal tradition in the Covenant Code (Exod 20:22-23:19)? Or was Deuteronomy intended to serve as a binding covenant, establishing the loyalty of the Israelite people to their national deity, YHWH, thereby simultaneously mimicking and supplanting loyalty covenants imposed on Israel, and its neighbors, by the Assyrian Empire? 1 As with most things in biblical studies, the situation is much more complicated than the either/or choice posed by the title. This is not to disparage the way the question is framed. In many ways, this is the appropriate question to ask when analyzing the genre of Deuteronomy since the question re ects the history of scholarship on this book, as well as recent trends. It is also critical that biblical scholars consider genre as part of any literary analysis of a biblical text. I will present here the relevant evidence and methods and survey the historical and current scholarship and debates.