The Elders of the City: a Study of the Elder-Laws in Deuteronomy.

• Author: Fox, Nili S.
• Position: Book Review

By TIMOTHY M. WILLIS. Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series, vol. 55. Atlanta: SOCIETY OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE, 2001. Pp. xiii + 353. $45.

Timothy Willis's study of biblical elders began as a Ph.D. dissertation at Harvard ten years ago. In the present volume he focuses on city elders, in particular those mentioned in laws in the book of Deuteronomy (19:1-13; 21:1-9, 18-21; 22:13-21; 25:5-10). While this topic certainly is not new to biblical scholarship, (1) Willis's presentation is both summational and insightful.

The Eiders of the City: A Study of the Elder-Laws in Deuteronomy is methodically organized, well documented, and lucidly written. The first of eight chapters presents an overview of the topic, including previous scholarship, scope and methodology, and definitions of the Israelite social context. Chapter two is a discussion of the judicial system of the Deuteronomic code. Chapters three through seven examine five legal proceedings in which elders participate: the law of asylum in cases of homicide (Deut. 19:1-13); the case of an unsolved murder (21:1-9); the case of the rebellious son (21:18-21); the case of a bride accused of unchastity (22:13-21); and the levirate law (25:5-10). For each of these chapters Willis provides a section on comparative evidence from contemporary and ancient sources, a discussion of traditio-historical considerations of the Deuteronomy passage in question, and an in-depth analysis of the specific biblical law with the elders' role in the adjudication process. The final chapter of the book briefly outlines the conclusions gleaned from the study.

Willis espouses a reality-based, as opposed to hypothetical, understanding of the function of the Deuteronomic law code in Israelite society. His thesis is that the power of the local, city elders, which had its roots in the older kinship-based social system of premonarchic times, remained independent of the central authority during the monarchy. Furthermore, the judicial role of community elders was complementary to that of state officials, such as judges (softim), who also adjudicated in municipal matters. The goal of the elders' rulings was to maintain cohesiveness and peace within their own community. To that end, the authority of individual household heads could shift to their purview, as illustrated in the cases of the rebellious son and unchaste bride.

The main contribution of Willis's study is the wealth of extra-biblical material that he brings...