Deuteronomy 34 and the Case for a Persian Hexateuch

Abstract

Deuteronomy 34, the final chapter of the Pentateuch, holds a key po for the compositional and theological understanding of the Hebrew Bib Pentateuch concludes with the story of Moses' death, but this is not reall isfying thematic conclusion.The promise of land is not fulfilled; this mu the book of Joshua, where Joshua, depicted as the successor of Moses i bers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua, completes the conquest of Canaan t initiated by Moses' conquest of the Transjordan.This was the main reas critical scholarship created the Hexateuch,' which served as the do This paper has its origin in a presentation by Thomas Rbmer at the 1998 Annual Meet the Society of Biblical Literature in Orlando, Florida.Marc Brettler offered extensive com this paper, which buttressed R6mer's position in several ways from a different perspectiv then wrote an initial (German) draft of this paper, to which Brettler reacted.Rbmer's then translated into English with the help of Dr. Franqoise Smyth, and Brettler integrated ments into that draft.Ms. Sarah Shectman of Brandeis University then offered useful comm this unified draft.This version represents several iterations later, after the two versions w grated more fully.'According to K. Bieberstein (Josua-Jordan-Jericho: Archdiologie, Geschichte und The der Landnahmeerzdhlungen Josua 1-6 [OBO 143; Freiburg: Universitttsverlag; Gotting denhoeck & Ruprecht, 1995], 35), the notion that Joshua needs to be included with the Pen was first suggested by H. Ewald in 1831.It was quickly adopted by most critical scholarshi nineteenth century; see, e.g., A. Kuenen, An Historical-Critical Inquiry into the Origins an position of the Hexateuch (London: Macmillan, 1886), 340: "[T]hey looked upon Joshua's acti inseparable from that of Moses, and regarded an account of it as the indispensable complem the narratives of the patriarchs, the deliverance from Egypt and the legislation."It is best sented in the title of the classic 1938 article by G. von Rad, "The Form-Critical Problem 401This content downloaded from 130.223.9.

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