This seminal work, first published by Sheffield Academic Press in the "JSOT Supplement" series, remains in demand among scholars of biblical and cuneiform law, as well as among all those interested in the Pentateuchal traditions. The essays in the collection focus on two crucial topics that have been too much neglected in recent debate on the formation of the Pentateuch: biblical law, and the development of Israelite legal institutions, and the significance of ancient Near Eastern law as a model for the composition and editorial history of the Pentateuch. To correct the imbalance, the contributors to this volume investigate whether the biblical and cuneiform legal corpora underwent a process of literary revision and interpolation. If so, what is the evidence for it, and how did such revision take place? If not, how are the textual phenomena to be explained? The contributors are: Raymond Westbrook, Bernard M. Levinson, Samuel Greengus, Martin Buss, Sophie Lafont, Victor H. Matthews, William Morrow, Dale Patrick and Eckart Otto. Bernard M. Levinson is Associate Professor, Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
The reviews are - 'A remarkable window on current scholarly debate among leading specialists ...essential reading.' - Carolyn Jo Pressler, "Religious Studies Review"; 'An extraordinarily instructive cross-section through current discussion.' - Norbert Lohfink, "Zeitschrift fur altorientalische und biblische Rechtsgeschichte"; 'An important collection of essays which should be read by all those interested in current issues in biblical and cuneiform law.' - Hector Avalos, "Hebrew Studies".