The Morally Dubious Passages of the Hebrew Bible: An Examination of Some Proposed Solutions

Abstract

This article offers a critique of some of the strategies deployed by biblical scholars, past and present, who have attempted to come to terms with the ethically problematic passages of the Hebrew Bible. Among the strategies examined are: the evolutionary approach; the cultural relativists’ approach; the canon-within-a-canon approach; the holistic approach; the paradigmatic approach; and the reader-response approach. It is argued that the reader-response approach provides the most satisfactory strategy for dealing with the unsavoury aspects of Scripture and that biblical scholars must be prepared to engage in an ethical critique of the Hebrew Bible. In order to provide some focus for the discussion, each strategy is examined in relation to one of the most notorious parts of Scripture, namely, the account of Israel’s conquest of Canaan as recorded in Josh. 6-11.

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