Reading Law

by James W. Watts

Watts here argues that conventions of oral rhetoric were adapted to shape the literary form and contents of the Pentateuch. The large-scale structure-stories introducing lists of laws that conclude with divine sanctions-reproduces a common ancient strategy for persuasion. The laws' use of direct address, historical motivations and frequent repetitions serve rhetorical ends, and even the legal contradictions seem designed to appeal to competing...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1850759979
• ISBN13: 9781850759973
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.2"