Babel, Suspense, and the Introduction to the Terah-Abram Narrative
Many Genesis interpreters view Gen. 11.27—12.9 as the foundation of the Abraham narrative (Gen. 11.27—25.11) and the opening response to the Primeval History (Gen. 1— 11). Employing a narrative critical approach that is sensitive to diachronic issues, this article proposes that 11.27—12.9 also funct...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2010
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Year: 2010, Volume: 35, Issue: 1, Pages: 3-29 |
| Further subjects: | B
Babel
B divine—human relationship B Narrative Criticism B Suspense B tôlēdôt B Terah—Abram |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | Many Genesis interpreters view Gen. 11.27—12.9 as the foundation of the Abraham narrative (Gen. 11.27—25.11) and the opening response to the Primeval History (Gen. 1— 11). Employing a narrative critical approach that is sensitive to diachronic issues, this article proposes that 11.27—12.9 also functions as a response to the preceding Tower of Babel episode (11.1-9). The Tower of Babel scene leaves readers with substantive gaps in their knowledge about the fate of the divine—human relationship. The suspense generated by such knowledge gaps is initially resolved in the introduction to the Terah—Abram narrative (11.27—12.9). This article first offers a literary rationale for reading Gen. 11.27— 12.9 in light of 11.1-9, and then considers how suspense and partial resolution are expressed through verbal repetition of ‘reputation’, plot equivalencies, and contrasts related to migration and settlement, and a variation on the theme of capability. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0309089210365960 |