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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 February 2009
It has long been a matter of debate whether the prophetic strictures upon sacrifice implied total repudiation of the cult, or only condemnation of its abuses and perversions. An attempt will be made in this article to summarise the scholarly judgments on one aspect of this problem, and to assess their value. The thesis to be considered is that Deuteronomy preserves a true or reliable deposit of prophetic religion, and therefore a dependable interpretation of the prophetic attitude to sacrifice.
Four main arguments have been employed in defence of the argument that Deuteronomy demonstrates prophetic moderatism.
The first argument is to the effect that Deuteronomy did not regard the prophets as inflexibly opposed to the sacrifical cult. Piepenbring contends that prophecy before the exile ascribed some value to external worship.1 Guillaume argues that ‘Deuteronomy was promulagated to put the ideals of the prophets into practice…. It is all but incredible that the Deuteronomic generation should have so misunderstood the meaning of the prophets whose teaching they endeavoured to carry into effect.’2 Rowley writes: ‘If ex hypothesi the Book of Deuteronomy reflects the teachings of the eighth-century prophets, it might be supposed that its authors would have understood those teachings, and that therefore its recognition of the legitimate place of a purified and regulated sacrificial cultus … reflects the like recognition of the eighth-century prophets.’3
This claim, however, is not above suspicion.
page 68 note 1 Piepenbring, C., OT Theology, New York, 1913, pp. 184–185Google Scholar.
page 68 note 2 Guillaume, A., Prophecy and Divination, London, 1938, p. 375Google Scholar.
page 68 note 3 Rowley, H. H., Bulletin of John Rylands Library, 29, 1945–1946, p. 336Google Scholar.
page 69 note 1 von Rad, G., Studies in Deuteronomy, tr. Stalker, S.C.M. Press, 1948, p. 69Google Scholar.
page 69 note 2 ibid., p. 77.
page 69 note 3 Merx, A., quoted by A. Lods, The Prophets and the Rise of Judaism, tr. Hooke, 1937, p. 149Google Scholar.
page 69 note 4 König, Ed., Das Deuteronomium, Leipzig, 1917, p. 51Google Scholar.
page 70 note 1 cf. the references in König, op. cit., pp. 52ff, and Steuernagel, , Das Deuteronomium, Göttingen, 1923, p. 15Google Scholar.
page 70 note 2 Welch, A. C., The Religion of Israel under the Kingdom, Edinburgh, 1912, p. 237Google Scholar.
page 70 note 3 Welch, A. C., Prophet and Priest in old Israel, London, 1936, pp. 72–73, 76–77, 85, 144Google Scholar.
page 70 note 4 Marti, K., Geschichte des israelitischen Religion, Strasbourg, 1907, p. 183Google Scholar.
page 70 note 5 Hänel, D. J., Die Religion der Heiligkeit, Gütersloh, 1931, p. 258Google Scholar.
page 70 note 6 Lods, op. cit., p. 149.
page 70 note 7 cf. Volz, P., Zeitschrift für systematische Theologie, 14, 1937, pp. 63–85, especially p. 70Google Scholar; also Meek, T. J., Hebrew Origins, Toronto, 1950, pp. 179–180Google Scholar.
page 71 note 1 Robinson, H. W., Deuteronomy and Joshua, Century Bible, Edinburgh, 1911, PP. 33–34Google Scholar.
page 71 note 2 Amos 5.25.
page 71 note 3 Jer. 7.22, 6.16.
page 71 note 4 cf. Mitchell, H. G., The Ethics of the OT, Chicago, 1912, pp. 19ff, 44ff, 53ff. 63ff, 102ff, 152Google Scholar. Smith, J. M. P., The Moral Life of the Hebrews, Chicago, 1923, pp. 1–70Google Scholar. Porteous, N. W., ‘The Basis of the Ethical Teaching of the Prophets’, in Studies in OT Prophecy, PP. 154–156Google Scholar.
page 71 note 5 cf. Mitchell, H. G., The Ethics of the OT, Chicago, 1912, pp. 19ff, 44ff, 53ff. 63ff, 102ff, 152Google Scholar. Smith, J. M. P., The Moral Life of the Hebrews, Chicago, 1923, pp. 1–70Google Scholar. Porteous, N. W., ‘The Basis of the Ethical Teaching of the Prophets’, in Studies in OT Prophecy, PP. 154–156Google Scholar.
page 71 note 6 Asa: 1 Kings 15.11–13.
page 71 note 7 Jehoshaphat: 1 Kings 22.46.
page 71 note 8 Jehoiada: 2 Kings 11.17ff.
page 71 note 9 Deut. 12; 2 Kings 22–23.
page 71 note 10 2 Kings 16.10–16.
page 71 note 11 Deut. 4.19, 17.3; 2 Kings 23.4–6.
page 71 note 12 Amos 5.26.
page 71 note 13 Jer. 6.20, 41.5; 2 Kings 16.4.
page 71 note 14 1 Kings 14.24, 15.12, 22.46; 2 Kings 23.7; Deut. 23.18–19.
page 71 note 15 1 Kings 11.7; 2 Kings 16.3, 21.6, 23.10; Jer. 7.31, 32.35; Ezek. 20.26, 31; 2 Chron. 33.6; Deut. 12.29–31.
page 71 note 16 2 Kings 23.5, 11; Deut. 4.19, 17.3.
page 72 note 1 1 Sam. 28.3–25; Isa. 8.19; Deut. 18.11.
page 72 note 2 Rowley, H. H., Studies in Old Testament Prophecy, Edinburgh, 1950, artGoogle Scholar. ‘The Prophet Jeremiah and the Book of Deuteronomy’. Cf. Procksch, O., Geschichtsbetrachtung und geschichtliche Überlieferung bei den vorexilischen Propheten, Leipzig, 1902, pp. 70–92Google Scholar; and Skinner, J., Prophecy and Religion, C.U.P., 1922, pp. 89–138Google Scholar.
page 72 note 3 Lods, op. cit., pp. 150–1.
page 72 note 4 Paterson, W. P., Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, vol. IV, pp. 335–336Google Scholar.
page 73 note 1 Snaith, N. H., Mercy and Sacrifice, London, 1953, p. 88Google Scholar; and art. ‘The Prophets and Sacrifice and Salvation’, Expository Times, 1946–7; p. 152.
page 73 note 2 Volz, op. cit., pp. 66–67.
page 73 note 3 Smith, W. R., The Old Testament in the Jewish Church, Edinburgh, 1881, p. 288Google Scholar.
page 73 note 4 Köhler, L., Theologie des alien Testaments, Tübingen, 1936, p. 183, and virtually all section 52Google Scholar.
page 73 note 5 Köberle, J., Sünde und Gnade, München, 1905, p. 112Google Scholar. Marti, op. cit., p. 182. W. R. Smith, op. cit., pp. 286–8. Gray, G. B., Sacrifice in the Old Testament, 1922, ch. IIIGoogle Scholar. Moore, G. F., Encyclopedia Biblica, London, 1907, vol. IV, section 48, pp. 4221–4222Google Scholar. Robinson, T. H., Prophecy and the Prophets, London, 1923, p. 85Google Scholar. Smith, H. P., Old Testament History, Edinburgh, 1903, pp. 213–214Google Scholar.
page 73 note 6 Kittel, R., Geschichte des Volkes Israel, Band 2, Stuttgart, 1925, p. 327, n. 1Google Scholar. Hölscher, G., Geschichte der israelitischen und jüdischen Religion, Giessen, 1922, pp. 28–29Google Scholar. Duhm, B., Israels Propheten, Tübingen, 1922, p. 117Google Scholar. Eichrodt, W., Theologie des alten Testaments, Leipzig, 1933, Band I, p. 193Google Scholar. Scott, R. B. Y., The Relevance of the Prophets, New York, 1947, pp. 136–138Google Scholar.
page 73 note 7 Volz, op. cit., p. 76. Cook, S. A., The Old Testament, 1936, p. 75Google Scholar.
page 73 note 8 Eichrodt, op. cit., p. 195.
page 74 note 1 Hänel, op. cit., p. 288.
page 74 note 2 Moore, op. cit., p. 4222.
page 74 note 3 König, Ed., Theologie des alten Testaments, Stuttgart, 1923, p. 100Google Scholar. Cf. Porteous, N. W., ‘Prophet and Priest in Israel’, Expository Times, LXII, 1950–1951, p. 9Google Scholar; and Rowley, , Expository Times, LVIII, 1946–1947, pp. 305–307Google Scholar.
page 74 note 4 Gray, op. cit., p. 89. Whitehouse, O. C., Peake's Commentary, p. 99Google Scholar. Procksch, O., Theologie des alten Testaments, Gütersloh, 1950, pp. 159–160Google Scholar. Elmslie, W. A. L., How came our Faith?, C.U.P., 1948, p. 260Google Scholar.
page 74 note 5 Hänel, op. cit., pp. 298–9.
page 74 note 6 Hoschander, J., The Priests and the Prophets, New York, 1938, pp. 72–73Google Scholar.
page 75 note 1 Loehr, M., A History of Religion in the Old Testament, London, 1936, p. 119Google Scholar.
page 75 note 2 Eichrodt, op. cit., p. 194. Cf. Lods, op. cit., p. 69.
page 75 note 3 Volz, op. cit., pp. 70–71.
page 75 note 4 Procksch, Theologie des AT, pp. 531–2.
page 75 note 5 Volz, op. cit., p. 73.
page 76 note 1 Jer. 23.18.
page 76 note 2 Gray, op. cit., ibid.
page 76 note 3 Köhler, op. cit., p. 174.
page 76 note 4 Hyatt, J. P., Prophetic Religion, New York, 1947, p. 125Google Scholar.
page 76 note 5 Stade, B., Biblische Theologie des alten Testaments, Tübingen, 1905, p. 160Google Scholar.
page 76 note 6 Eichrodt, op. cit., p. 72.
page 76 note 7 Davidson, A. B., Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible, vol. IV, p. 119bGoogle Scholar. G. F. Moore, op. cit., pp. 4221–2. Oesterley, W. O. E., Sacrifices in Ancient Israel, 1937, p. 201Google Scholar. Guillaurae, op. cit., p. 376. Hyatt, op. cit., p. 126. Porteous, , Record and Revelation, Oxford, 1938, pp. 236–237Google Scholar.
page 76 note 8 Gunkel, H., Die Propheten, Göttingen, 1917, pp. 84–85Google Scholar. Pedersen, J., Israel, III–IV, 1940, p. 299Google Scholar. Oesterley, and Robinson, Hebrew Religion, S.P.C.K., 1940, pp. 231–232Google Scholar. Rowley, , The Unity of the Bible, London, 1953, p. 31Google Scholar; where see other references. Lods, , ‘Israel from its beginnings to the middle of the VIIIth Century’, E.T., 1932, p. 281Google Scholar. Guillaume, op. cit., p. 381. Oesterley, , art. ‘Early Hebrew Religious Festivals’, in Myth and Ritual, ed. Hooke, , 1933Google Scholar.
page 76 note 9 Cadoux, C. J., Expository Times, 1946–1947, LVIII, p. 44aGoogle Scholar.
page 77 note 1 Lods, , The Prophets and the Rise of Judaism, p. 69Google Scholar.
page 77 note 2 Gray, op. cit., ibid. For a different deduction, cf. Welch, , Kings and Prophets of Israel, London, 1952, p. 182Google Scholar.
page 77 note 3 Driver, S. R., ‘Deuteronomy’, ICC, Edinburgh, 1895, p. xxxGoogle Scholar.
page 77 note 4 Welch, , The Religion of Israel under the Kingdom, p. 225Google Scholar.
page 77 note 5 H. W. Robinson, op. cit., pp. 38ff.
page 78 note 1 Robinson, H. W., Journal of Theological Studies, XLIII, 1942, artGoogle Scholar. ‘Hebrew sacrifices and prophetic symbolism’, pp. 135ff.
page 78 note 2 Welch, op. cit., p. 226.
page 79 note 1 2 Kings 19.36.
page 79 note 2 Amos 3.2, 5.18–24, 7.7; Hosea 1.4, 5, 2.20; Isa. 2.12, 5.14, 26, 9.11, 12, 13.6, 9; Mic. 6.8; Zeph. 1.15, 16, 2.1–3; Jer. 1.13, 25.15–18; cf. 29.5–7, 46.7–12.
page 79 note 3 1 Kings 22.6.
page 79 note 4 2 Kings 18.4–7.
page 79 note 5 2 Kings 23.1–28.
page 79 note 6 Paterson, op. cit., p. 335b.
page 79 note 7 Heinisch, , Theologie des alten Testaments, Bonn, 1940, pp. 196–197Google Scholar.
page 79 note 8 Graham, and May, Culture and Conscience, 1936, p. 215Google Scholar.
page 80 note 1 
or P. 75 Amos 5.7, 24, 6.12; Hos. 10.12; Isa. 1.21, 26, 5.7., 16, 23, 10.22, 11.4, 5, 16.5, 26.9, 10, 28.17, 32.1, 16, 17, 33.5; Mic. 6.5, 7.9; Jer. 4.2, 9.23, 23.5, 33.15, 51.10. 
Amos 5.7, 15, 24, 6.12; Hos. 2.21, 10.4, 12.7; Isa. 1.17, 21, 27, 4.4, 5.7, 16, 9.6, 16.5, 26.8, 9, 32.1, 16, 33.5; Jer. 4.2, 5.1, 7.5 9.23, 21.12, 22.3, 15, 23–5. 33.15.
page 80 note 2 Hos. 2.21, 4.1, 6.6, 10.12.
page 80 note 3 Isa. 1.21, 26, 8.2, 11.5, 25.1.
page 80 note 4 Jer. 3.7, 10, 14, 18.8, 23.22, 26.3, 34.15, 44.5.