The people have not obeyed

ABSTRACT liTHE PEOPLE HAVE NOT OBEYED": A LITERARY AND RHETORICAL

STUDY OF JEREMIAH 26-45 By Gary E. Yates Dallas Theological Seminary Readers: Dr. R. B. Chisholm, Jr., Prof. D. R. Glenn, Dr. H. Heater, Jr.

The goal of this study is to provide a holistic reading of the largely narrative material in Jeremiah 26-45 that is informed by the disciplines of literary and rhetorical criticism. This study seeks to contribute to the growing trend of reading the book of Jeremiah as a literary entity that possesses an editorial unity in spite of the complex compositional history that appears to stand behind the book. This study will focus primarily on the overarching plot and structure that emerge from the reading of Jeremiah 26-45. The thesis is that this section of the book of Jeremiah consists of two panels of material, chapters 26-35 and 36-45 that are roughly symmetrical to one another. These two panels of material share four basic features in common with each other: an introduction that details national rejection of the prophetic word at the Jerusalem temple (chs. 26 and 36); narratives dealing with prophetic conflict over the issue of submission to Babylon (27-29 and 37-39); sections dealing with the fate of Israel in the aftermath of exile that contrast the immediate and distant futures (30-33 and 40-43); and a conduding section that focuses on

the issue of Judah's covenant infidelity (34-35 and 44-45). The plot of Jeremiah 26-45 revolves around the concept that national destiny is determined by response to the prophetic word, and the central tension in the narrative is created by the contrast between the immediate aftermath of the exile where Judah perpetua tes the sins of the past and the promised restoration of the distant future. The study has six chapters. The first chapter summarizes how the conclusions of modern critical scholarship have impacted reading the book of Jeremiah as a literary entity. The second chapter explores the problems involved in searching for an overarching structure for the book of Jeremiah in general and this section in particular. Chapters three through five are the heart of this study and explore the major parallels that exist between the two panels found in chapters 26-35 and 36-45. The sixth chapter concludes the study by providing a brief summary of the major themes and patterns that emerge from a holistic reading of chapters 26-45.

liTHE PEOPLE HAVE NOT OBEYED": A LITERARY

AND RHETORICAL STUDY OF JEREMIAH 26-45

A Dissertation Presen ted to the Faculty of the Department of Old Testament Studies Dallas Theological Seminary

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy

by Gary E. Yates May 1998

Accepted by the Faculty of the Dallas Theological Seminary in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy. Grade

A

Examining Committee

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1.

INTRODUCTION: CRITICAL SCHOLARSHIP AND THE LITERARY UNITY OF JEREMIAH 26-45 ..... .

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The Nature of this Study Literary Approaches to the Old Testament The Concerns of Literary Criticism The Literary Approach in this Study Background for this Study: Reading Jeremiah in the Light of Historical-Critical Concerns The Issue of Continuity Between Poetry and Prose in Jeremiah Historical Concerns and the Reading of Jeremiah Compositional Issues and the Reading of Jeremiah The Search for Literary Unity in Jeremiah The Connection Between Poetry and Prose Evidence of Editorial Unity Evidences of Theological Unity Evidences of Literary Unity The Approach of this Study

2.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE STRUCTURE OF JEREMIAH 26-45 ............................ . Introduction The Problem of Arrangement in Jeremiah The Problem of the Principle of Arrangement The Significance of Structure for Prophetic Books

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IV

The Structure of Jeremiah 26-45 Common Views of Structure in Jeremiah 26-45 Structure and Rhetoric in Jeremiah 26-45 Conclusion 3.

THE JEHOIAKIM FRAMEWORK (JER. 26/35 AND 36/45) ...................... .

79

In trod uction Corresponding Introductions: Jeremiah 26 and 36 The Issue of Response and Royal Reaction Contrast of Jehoiakim and Earlier Godly Kings The Hope of Repentance and A voidance of Judgment The Supporters of Jeremiah Corresponding Conclusions: Jeremiah 34/35 and 44-45 Judgment and the Issue of Covenant Infidelity ConcI uding Messages of Hope and Deliverance Jehoiakim's Reign as a "Watershed" Moment From Potential Repentance to Inevitable Judgmen t in Jeremiah 26-45 Movement to Inevitable Doom in Jeremiah 1-25 Conclusion 4.

INSIDE THE FRAMEWORK (1): PROPHETIC CONFLICT AND CREDIBILITY (JER. 27-29/37-39) Introduction Inside the Framework The Literary Coherence of Jeremiah 27-29 and 37-39 Chapters 27-29 Chapters 37-39

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v Jeremiah in Conflict With His Opponents Opposition to Jeremiah's Message The Issue of Fufillment Jeremiah's Vindication: Turning the Tables on His Opponents Jeremiah in Conflict With Israel's Traditions Yahweh's Judgment of Jerusalem and the Davidic King Jeremiah/Zedekiah and Isaiah/Hezekiah: Typology Turned Upside-Down Conclusion 5.

INSIDE THE FRAMEWORK (2): ISRAEL IN THE AFTERMATH OF EXILE (JER. 30-33/40-43)

191

In trod uction The Placement and Unity of Jeremiah 30-33 The Use of Poetry in Jeremiah 30-31 The Literary Unity of Jeremiah 30-33 The Rhetoric of Reversal in Jeremiah 30-33 The Contrasting Correspondence Between Jeremiah 30-33 and 40-43 The Contrasting Use of "Return" Language The Contrasting Portrayal of National Leadership The Contrasting Prophetic Sign Acts The Parallelism of Events Before and After the Fall of Jerusalem (Why Jeremiah 40-43 Belongs to the Time of Judgmen t) Conclusion 6.

CONCLUSION

APPENDIX I ..................................... .

270 276

VI

APPENDIX II ......................................

277

BIBLIOGRAPHy...................................

278

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AB ABD AnBib ANET ASTI ATANT ATD AUSS BASOR BBET BETL Bib BibOr BZAW

CBQ CTM EvT FRLANT HAR HDR HKAT HSM HUCM ICC IEJ Int JAAR JAOS JBL JETS

llS JNES JNSL

Anchor Bible Anchor BibLe Dictionary Analecta biblica J. B. Pritchard (ed.), Ancient Near Eastern Texts AnnuaL of the Swedish TheoLogicaL Institute Abhandlungen zur Theologie des Alten und Neuen Testaments Das Alte Testament Deutsch Andrews University Seminary Studies Bulletin of the American SchooLs of Orien tal Research Beitrage zur biblischen Exegese und Theolgie Bibliotheca ephederid urn theologicarurn lovaniensi urn Biblica Biblica et orientalia Beiheft Zeitschrift fur die aLttestamentLiche Wissenschaft Catholic BiblicaL Quarterly Concordia TheoLogicaL Monthly EvangeLische Theologie Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments Hebrew Annual Review Harvard Dissertations in Religion Handkomrnentar zum Alten Testament Harvard Semitic Monographs Monographs of the Hebrew Union College International Critical Commentary IsraeL Exploration JournaL Interpretation Journal of the American Academy of Religion Journal of the American OrientaL Society Journal of BibLicaL Literature JournaL of the Evangelical Theological Society Journal of Jewish Studies Journal of Near Eastern Studies Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages vii

Vlll

JSNTSup JSOT JSOTSup

NICOT NIV OBS OBT OTL OTSWA RevExp

SBLDS SBLMS SBLSBS SBT SSN TBii TRu TynBul UF USQR VT VTSup WBC WHJP WMANT WTJ ZAW

Journal for the Study of the New TestamentSupplement Series Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Journal for the Study of the Old Testament-Supplement Series New International Commentary on the Old Testament New International Version Osterreichische biblische Studien Overtures to Biblical Theology Old Testament Library Old Testament Werkshop of South Africa Review and Expositor SBL Dissertation Series SBL Monograph Series SBL Sources for Biblical Study Studies in Biblical Theology Studia semitica neerlandica Theologische Biicherei Theologisclze Ru ndschau Tyndale Bulletin Ugarit-Forschll ngen Union Seminary Quarterly Review Vetlls Testamentum Vetus Testamentum, Supplements Word Biblical Commentary World History of the Jewish People Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament Westminster Theological Journal Zeitschrift fiir die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft

Chapter 1

[NTRODUCTION: CRITICAL SCHOLARSHIP AND THE LITERARY UNITY OF JEREMIAH 26-45

The Nature of This Study Along with the prophetic oracles in chapters 1-25 and the oracles against foreign nations in chapters 46-51, the narratives of Jeremiah 26-45 constitute one of the three major sections of the MT edition of the book of Jeremiah. 1 The inclusion of extensive narrative accounts of the life and min-

IThis is the generally accepted structural breakdown of the book of Jeremiah. The isolation of chs. 26-45 as a unit is due to the predominant use of prose style (narratives and sermons) (except chs. 30-31) in this section. While the terminus of chs. 26-45 is certain because of the introduction of the oracles against the nations in ch. 46, there is debate regarding its starting point. The most common alternative to the one presented in this study is to recognize chs. 120 and 21-45 as the first two major blocks of material in the book. A major structural argument in favor of this view would be the inclusio formed by the CiiiO N~n ("you came out from the womb") in 1:5 and "nN~" CiiiO CI came forth from the womb") in 20:18. See Jack R. Lundbom, Jeremiah: A Study ill Allcient Hebrew Rhetoric (Missoula, MT: Scholars Press, 1975), 28-30, and William L. Holladay, The Architecture of Jeremiah 1-20 (Lewisburg, PA: Bucknell University Press, 1976), 20. The parallels in style, form, and content between the materials in chs. 21-25 and that which follows in chs. 26££ provide another argument in favor of this arrangement, which include: the extensive use of narrative, the use of introductory historical superscriptions like those in chs. 26-45 (d. 21:1-2; 24:1-2; 25:1-2), and the focus on the failures of Israel's civil and religiOUS leaders in chs. 21-29 (kings and prophets especially). See Elmer Martens, Jeremiah, Believers Church Bible Commentary (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1986, 141-81 (for treatment of chs. 21-25 with what follows in chs. 26ff). These arguments are offset by the parallels between chs. 1 and 24-25, which indicate the presence of an inclusio framing the first section of the book. The parallels between chs. 1 and 24 include: references to visions (1:11-14; 24:1-3), the use of the question, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" (1:11; 24:3), and the use of the key verbs (i1J~) "build up," (rnJ) "tear down," (l'~J) "plant," and (WnJ) "uproot" (1:9; 24:6). These parallels are noted in Mike Butterworth, Structure alld the Book of Zechariah, JSOTSup 130 (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1992), 44. The parallels between chs. 1 and 25 include: reference to the beginning of Jeremiah's ministry in the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign (1:2; 25:3), focus on Jeremiah as "a prophet to the nations" (1:5; d. 25:18-26, 31-32), mention of the armies/families from the "north" (1:14-15; 25:8), and references to the commissioning of Jeremiah (1:7; 25:4, 9). See Peter C. Craigie, Page H. Kelley, and Joel F. Drinkard, Jr., Jeremiah 1-25, WBC 26 (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1991), 363-64.

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istry of Jeremiah is a unique feature of this book among the Old Testament prophetic literature, and the mixture of poetic oracles and prose narratives and discourses has spawned a number of critical issues and problems that have dominated modern study of the book of Jeremiah to such a degree that literary, rhetorical, and even theological features of the texts have only recently begun to receive proper attention. This dissertation attempts to contribute to the growing literary study of the book of Jeremiah by applying the tools of narrative and rhetorical criticism to demonstrate that the anthology of narratives in Jeremiah 26-45 is a literary unity with an overarching struc-

Another possible structural breakdown of the book of Jeremiah is to recognize chs. 124 as the first major section of the book and to place ch. 25 with what follows in chs. 26ff. See, for example, Richard D. Patterson, "Of Bookends, Hinges, and Hooks: Literary Clues to the Arrangement of Jeremiah's Prophecies," wrJ51 (1989): 109-31, and Alexander Rofe, "The Arrangement of the Book of Jeremiah," ZA W 101 (1989): 390-98. The contents of 25:1-14 suggest that this passage provides a summary of chs. 1-24 and thus belongs with this preceding section rather than with the material which follows. See Ernest W. Nicholson, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 1-25, CBC (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973),211-12. This section contains: a summary of the message of judgment proclaimed by Jeremiah and the prophets (vv. 2-6), a statement of Judah's rejection of the prophetic word (v. 7), an announcement of impending judgment upon Judah (vv. 8-11), and a promise of Israel's future restoration (vv. 1214--viewed as a later editorial insertion by many commentators). Within ch. 25, vv. 1-14 and 15-38 are clearly distinct from one another. Verses 1538 deal with the theme of the "cup of Cod's wrath" and Yahweh's judgment against the nations. In the LXX:, vv. 15-38 are attached to the series of oracles against the nations that appear in chs. 46-51 of the MT of Jeremiah (forming 25:14-31:44 in the LXX). The association of 25:15-29 (MT) with the oracles against the nations (that specify the nations to partake of Cod's wrath) would seem to be the more original arrangement, but whether this connection between 25:15-29 (MT) was original or came later, it suggests a break or division between the contents of ch. 25 and the material found in chs. 26-45 (MT--or 32:1-51:5 in the LXX). Another important argument in favor of viewing chs. 26-45 as a unit is that ch. 26 appears to introduce the major themes which are prominent in the narratives of chs. 27-45. See Kathleen M. O'Connor, "'Do not Trim a Word': The Contributions of Chapter 26 to the Book of Jeremiah," CBQ 51 (1989): 628-29. O'Connor writes, "Chap. 26 presents the Jeremianic messages of chaps. 27-45 in a preliminary and parabolic manner" (p. 629). The major themes introduced in ch. 26 include: royal and national rejection of the prophetic word, the perils and suffering of the prophet, the deliverance of the prophet from life-threatening danger, Judah's precarious existence and the absence of effective leadership to deal with this national crisis, and the response of a small but faithful remnant who support, protect, and follow the prophet (cf. ch. 26--Ahikam; ch. 29--Elasah; ch. 35--the Rechabites; ch. 36-Baruch and the royal officials who protect Jeremiah and encourage the king not to burn the scroll; ch. 38-the foreigner EbedMelech; ch. 45--Baruch).

3 ture and a cohesive message. This study will also focus on how the theological message of the Jeremiah narratives and the book as a whole is reflected in the structural, rhetorical, and literary features of Jeremiah 26-45.

Literary Approaches to the Old Testament The Concerns of Literary Criticism Within the past quarter-century, literary criticism has become a dominant concern in Old Testament studies, partly as a result of the impasses created by the application of traditional methods of historical criticism to the biblical text. House comments: Many thinkers concluded that historical criticism ... had almost run its course. Old issues could either be reworked or new paths could be charted. Too, numerous scholars began to recognize that some of the established approaches divide and atomize texts. These methodologies obscure the unity of large and smail texts alike. Efforts to date, categorize, and scrutinize even short passages had produced reorganized texts not all could appreciate. An overemphasis on historical detail cost readers a proper understanding of plot, theme, and character. Pre-textual matters subsumed textual issues. The achievements of historical criticism were appreciated, but new ways to illuminate the Bible were desired.2 The practitioners of literary criticism have generally not advocated the abandonment of traditional forms of biblical criticism (source, traditionhistory, form, redaction) but have attempted to add a fresh perspective to the field of biblical studies that addresses issues and concerns beyond the scope of historical criticism. Literary critics have stressed the individuality of biblical texts, have focused on the text as it stands in its final form, and have at-

2Paul R. House, "The Rise and Current Status of Literary Criticism of the Old Testament," in Beyond Fon1l Criticism: Essays in Old Testament Literary Criticism, cd. Paul R. House (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1992),3.

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tempted to unfold the poetics and ideology reflected through the reading of the text.

The Individuality of Biblical Texts

First, literary criticism is able to demonstrate the unique literary features of individual texts. In the 1969 address to the Society of Biblical Literature that helped bring about the paradigmatic shift toward a more literary approach to Old Testament texts, James Muilenburg called for a move ''beyond form criticism" because of the "proclivity among scholars ... to lay such stress upon the typical and representative that the individual, personal, and unique features of the particular pericope are all but lost to view."3 Muilenburg advocated a "rhetorical criticism" that gave attention to the stylistic and aesthetic features of individual passages, and this emphasis upon the text as a work of art bestows a particular identity upon each individual passage. The Text as Focal Point

Second, literary criticism focuses upon the text itself. House explains that literary criticism stresses that, "Interpretation now lies in the text, rather than in what lies behind the text. Passages must no longer serve simply as avenues back into history."-l Similarly, Powell observes, "Literary criticism views the text as an end in itself. The immediate goal of literary study is to understand the narrative."5 Drawing a parallel from the field of secular literature, Gros Louis states that the "world of the text" is the focus of

3James Muilenburg, "Form Criticism and Beyond," IBL 88 (1969): 5. -lHouse, "The Rise and Current Status of Literary Criticism," 8. 5Mark Allan Powell, What is Narrative Criticism? Guides to Biblical Scholarship, NT Series (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990), 7.

5 the biblical literary critic in the same way that "the world of the play' is the chief concern of the Shakespearean scholar.6 Clines observes that this concern with the text itself provides a corrective for the two major defects of historical criticism--atomism and geneticism.7 Historical criticism has been characterized by an atomism which divides and fragments biblical texts, while literary criticism has attempted to offer a holistic approach that stresses the unity and cohesion of texts. Literary criticism is based upon the premise that a Significant portion of the Old Testament is "a work of art" which "yields its significance to the observer as a whole and through the articulation of its parts in its present form."!) The modern reader encounters the dilemma that texts dismantled by various forms of biblical criticism were considered readable by the ancient writer / editor(s) responsible for their composition and final form. The ancient writer / editor(s) took these texts as they stand as a form of literary expression and communication, and the modern reader must therefore adopt an approach which facilitates reading these texts as literary entities. 9 Focus upon the text as it stands is also a reaction against the "geneticism" of historical criticism that concerns itself with the origin and development of the biblical text in its pre-literary stages. These reconstructions of the pre-history of biblical texts are hypothetical in nature, and the

6Kenneth R. R. Gros Louis, "Introduction," in Literary Interpretations of Biblical Narratives, ed. K. R. R. Gros Louis, J. S. Ackerman, and T. S. Warshaw (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1974), 11. 70avid J. A. Clines, The ThLwe of the Pentateuch, JSOTSup 10 (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1978),7-9. 8Ibid,9. 9 Adele Berlin, Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative, Bible and Literature Series 9 (Sheffield: Almond Press, 1983),21.

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proliferation of such hypotheses regarding the sources and/or redactional layers behind individual passages and books as a whole raises questions regarding the objectivity and verifiability of historical-critical methodology. Gunn comments on the dangers of an approach that is dominated by the concerns of historicism: A too rigid historicism may lie like a dead hand on our texts. It may too easily focus the bulk of attention on minutiae, not in the realistic expectation of arriving at results which will significantly help the reader to explore and appropriate any existential meaning in the texts, but in the interests of creating a complex and usually speculative hypothesis about the historical development of the text or of ancient Israelite "though t" in general. 10 Literary approaches to the Old Testament have redirected attention back to a methodology that enables the reader to understand the message of the biblical text itself.

The Poetics and Ideology of the Tt:xt Literary criticism of biblical texts focuses on the "poetics" of the material, that is, "the basic components of literature and the rules governing their use."11 In other words, literary critics are searching "not only for what the text says, but also how it says it."12 The study of narrative poetics examines the conventions and techniques of biblical narrative and their use and function within particular texts. Narrative criticism focuses on concerns such as compositional units, structure, plot, character and characterization, point of

IODavid M. Gunn, The Story of King David: Genre and Interpretation, ]SOTSup 6 (Sheffield: ]SOT Press, 1978), 1-l-15. II Berlin,

Poetics anti Interpretation, 15.

12Ibid,20.

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view, narrative techniques, ideology, tone and mood, imagery, direct and indirect discourse, and the varied uses of language and syntax within the story.13 The narrative critic approaches the text as a story, a work of art, or even a piece of entertainment, but the artistic and stylistic features of the text are not the exclusive concern or focus. Literary critics such as Alter and Sternberg have particularly emphasized the ideological orientation of Old Testament narrative. Sternberg writes that biblical narratives are "regulated by a set of three grand teleologies that one may call aesthetics/ history / ideology."14 These three features of the text "cooperate to direct the maneuvers between the truth and the whole truth," with the result that "it becomes impossible to divide ... the pleasures of reading a multigap tale or device from the sense of mysterious reality under God and the value scheme brought home in the process."IS Likewise, Alter's approach to biblical narrative insists "on a complete interfusion of literary art with theological, moral, or historiographical vision, the fullest perception of the latter dependent on the fullest grasp of the former."16 Alter also states, "Close attention to the literary strategies through which that truth was expressed may actually help us to

13For further discussion of the techniques of narrative criticism (in addition to Berlin, Poetics and Interpretation, and Powell, What is Narrative Criticism? cited above), cf. Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative (New York: Basic Books, 1981); David M. Gunn, "Narrative Criticism," in To Each its Own Meaning: An Introduction to Biblical Criticisms and their Application, ed. S. L. McKenzie and S. R. Haynes (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993), 171-95; Tremper Longman III, Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1987); and Meir Sternberg, The Poetics of Biblical Narrative: Ideological Literature and the Drama of Reading