Die Tora: Studien zum Pentateuch. Gesammelte Aufsatze.

• Author: Meyer, Esias E.
• Position: Book review

Die Tora: Studien zum Pentateuch. Gesammelte Aufsatze. By ECKART OTTO. Beitrage zur Zeitschrift fur Altorientalische and Biblische Rechtsgeschichte, vol. 9. Wiesbaden: HARRASSOWITZ VERLAG, 2009. Pp. vii + 714. [euro] 98.

As the subtitle of the book says, this is a collection of articles on the Pentateuch written by Eckart Otto, who retired from the Ludwig-Maximilian-Universitat Munchen in 2009. Most of these articles were published in the last ten years, with three articles originating in the 1990s. Many of these were published in the Zeitschrift fur altorientalische und biblische Rechtsgeschichte, which is not widely available. If one is looking for current research on the Pentateuch, then the publications in this book are positively "cutting edge."

For those interested in the book of Deuteronomy, Otto's work cannot be ignored; in nearly half of the seven hundred pages of this volume Otto engages with this book--which is not surprising since his contribution in this field through the years has been enormous. He is also preparing a commentary on Deuteronomy for the Herder series and the reader is offered a foretaste of this commentary in his discussion of Deuteronomy 1-3 as a key to understanding the composition of the Pentateuch (pp. 284-420). This is the longest chapter in the collection and attempts to offer both diachronic and synchronic perspectives on how to understand Deuteronomy 1-3 in relation to the rest of the book of Deuteronomy, but also in relation to the rest of the Pentateuch and the Deuteronomistic History. The chapter starts with the usual (but valuable) account of research history (pp. 285-302) before offering a diachronic analysis of each pericope (pp. 302-407). In broad terms Deuteronomy 1-3 is understood as part of the Moabredaktion, which is basically the late substantial layer added to the book of Deuteronomy. This is followed by a much shorter (pp. 407-20) synchronic analysis under the heading of Narrative Hermeneutik.

With regard to the book of Deuteronomy as a whole, the collection also offers plenty of material. There is a chapter on the latest research on Deuteronomy (pp. 229-47). in which Otto engages with the recent work of German- and English-speaking scholars. There is also a chapter on Otto's own understanding of Deuteronomy in the history of the development of the Pentateuch (pp. 168-228). Concepts such as Tetrateuch and Hexateuch are discussed here, but also Deuteronomy's relationship to other legal...