Praying the Tradition: The Origin and Use of Tradition in Nehemiah 9

Abstract

The goal of this dissertation was to identify those who were responsible for the prayer in Nehemiah 9, and how they used the traditions of Israel.An investigation of the Gattung to which Nehemiah 9 belonged laid the groundwork for a traditional historical evaluation of the composition.Nehemiah 9 was identified with a series of prayers which represent a transformation of the classical Hebrew Gattung of lament: Late Repentance Prayer (Ezra 9; Neh. 1, Dan. 9, Ps.106).Besides a long list of shared forms and vocabulary, consistent themes were evident: covenant, land, law.The purpose of these compositions was to bring an end to the devastating effects of the fall of the state: an end to captivity, oppression or the sorry condition of Palestine.An activity that accompanied nearly all of these compositions was fasting.The emergence of a regular cycle of day(s) of fasting among the Mesopotamian and Palestinian exilic communities showed not only the importance of fasting in this period but also a setting for Late Repentance Prayer.A traditio-historical evaluation of this Gattung revealed that Priestly /Ezekielian circles supplemented and superseded a Deuteronomistic foundation.Although there was ample evidence of Deuteronomistic vocabulary and concepts, there was a substantial number of Priestly /Ezekielian elements.The various representatives of the Gattung also revealed a consistent approach to the to the Pentateuch: synthesis of either legal or historical traditions. 1 M.J. Boda, Praying the Tradition: The origin and use of tradition in Nehemiah 9 (unpublished Ph.D.

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