Auf Lager:
2
Buch (Softcover): Fachbuch
The Discourse of Rites
Shaping and Reshaping the (Counter-)Priestly Rituals Conducted Outside the Tabernacle
Verlag:
Mohr Siebeck Verlag Unsere-Artikel-Nr.: P35333191
EAN: 9783162004956
Auf Lager:
2
Zustellung: Di, 22.09.2026
Versand: Kostenlos
-5.8 %
CHF 138.–
CHF 130.–
Beschreibung
Hananel Shapira investigates a series of anomalous rituals within the Priestly literature of the Pentateuch that take place outside the sacred precinct of the Tabernacle. While biblical scholarship frequently characterizes the Priestly corpus as a monolithic system dedicated to cultic centralization and the absolute authority of the Aaronide priesthood, the author argues that the base layer of the Priestly corpus contains a subversive undercurrent. This "Counter-Priestliness" is manifest in rituals such as the purification of the healed leper in Leviticus, the burning of the red heifer in Numbers, and the release of the scapegoat into the wilderness. The author uses philological and diachronic analysis to identify distinct textual layers, revealing how these external rituals originally bypassed the professional priesthood. In the earliest layer, the rituals are performed by laypeople or commoners, allowing for a degree of individual agency and personal expression that the standard, sanctuary-centered system typically suppresses. The theoretical framework for this analysis draws an analogy between the standard Priestly system and the Enlightenment's quest for universal, reductive order, while the external rituals reflect a spirit akin to the Counter-Enlightenment's emphasis on the particular and the untamed. The author posits that the standard system functions as a universal language of ritual, whereas external rites address the fractured particularity of human experience, especially when confronting the realities of death and physical impurity. Shapira shows that the priest's active role in these external rituals is largely a product of later editorial interventions. These restorative attempts to tame unconventional practices and align them with the standard sacrificial system unintentionally triggered broader transformations within the ritual system itself. By analyzing the interplay between legal stipulations and their narrative contexts, the author shows that ritual innovation often stems from internal, prosaic forces and restorative impulses rather than solely from external cultural shifts or foundational historical events.
Spezifikationen
Sprache
- Englisch
Autor
- Hananel Shapira
Erscheinungsjahr
- 2026
Format
- Buch (Softcover)
Anzahl Seiten
- 342