Deuteronomy

DEUTERONOMY. — Fifth book of the Pentateuch, called by the Hebrews, from its opening words, 'ēlēh had-dēbhārīm ("these are the words") or had-dēbhārīm ("the words"), and by the Septuagint δευτερο-νόμιον ("second law"); cf. Deut. 17:18: miš-nēh hat-tōrāh ("repetition of the Law").

The people who were about to enter the Promised Land had for the most part been born or raised in the desert, and, not having witnessed the miracles at the departure from Egypt and the events of Sinai, they could be led to neglect the Law, all the more so since several of its points, owing to the special conditions that had arisen, had not been observed, others had been forgotten, and others again had to be modified for the sedentary life that was soon to begin. Moses, in the 11th month of the 40th year from the departure from Egypt, shortly before his death, finding himself on the plain of Moab, facing Jericho, impressed and adapted the Law, setting it forth in a parenetic tone.

I. CONTENT

In the first discourse, after a historical account (1:4-3:29) in which he recalls the principal events of the desert, which demonstrate that God was faithful to his people, he exhorts the people to faithfulness toward God and to obedience to the divine precepts (4:1-40). In the second discourse (5:1-26:19), which is the central part of the book, he sets forth the Law in detail for the Israelites. In part 1 (5:1-11:31), after the Decalogue is repeated, the first precepts are explained and inculcated, concerning the worship of Yahweh, the one God. Effective admonitions abound there, with reminders of the divine benefits received in the desert. There follow the special precepts (chaps. 12-26): on worship (chaps. 12-18), of which the most important is that on the unity of the place of worship (chap. 12), on public order (19:1-21:9), on special relationships (21:10-23:17) and other laws. The legislation of D. closes (third discourse: 27:1-30:20) with the command to renew the covenant as soon as the people shall have entered Palestine, and the urgent recommendation to observe the Law, accompanied with great vigor of style by blessings and promises to the faithful Israelites, and by curses against the unfaithful Israelites. The historical conclusion (31:1-34:12) sets forth the last acts of Moses: the election of Joshua as his successor, the handing over of the Law to the sons of Levi, the solemn canticle and the death of the Lawgiver.

II. ORIGIN

The authenticity of D. is connected with that of the Pentateuch. Jewish tradition down to the last century and Christian tradition admit the Mosaic origin of D., basing themselves on data from the book itself (4:13 ff.; 31:9, 24; for 31:9 the Mosaic authenticity of our book must be held by divine faith: thus A. Bea), on the singular importance of Moses' personal work and on the ancient national tradition (cf. II Kings 14:6 = Deut. 24:16; Bar. 2:2 ff. = Deut. 28:53; Mt. 19:8 = Deut. 24:1; Acts 3:22 = Deut. 18:15, 19; Rom. 10:19 = Deut. 32:21, etc.). The Mišnāh, however, rightly regards as non-Mosaic the last eight verses of the book, which speak of Moses' death. The very widespread theory of J. Wellhausen holds that D. (designated by the symbol D) was the third "document" to be added to the two already fused, J (Yahwistic) and E (Elohistic).

Many "critics," with A. Kuenen, J. Wellhausen, O. Sellin, hold that D. was composed only a short time before the reform of Josiah, between 630 and 622 B.C., and given out by "pious fraud" as the volume of the Law found in the Temple. Others, on the other hand, attribute it to the time of Hezekiah (721-693) or after 721 (C. Steuernagel, Hengel, R. Kittel); E. Naville goes back as far as the time of Solomon. Recently the connection between Josiah's reform and D. has been denied: A. Welch and W. Stark regard D as older, Hölscher as later than the exile (5th century). Fragmentary theories are set aside: I. Hempel distinguishes in D. three principal strata, besides the secondary ones.

D. stands at the center of the Mosaic question. The "critics" in fact hold that the traditional judgment on the origin and progress of Israel's religion is fully overturned by D. (B. Stade). According to them, from the publication of D. a new religious, moral and also social period begins. They have even discovered a particular manner of writing and speaking, called "Deuteronomistic," which prevails in later Israelite literature and gives rise also to glosses and revisions of the earlier books. The most serious and celebrated variation in Israel's legislation concerns the place of worship or sacrifice. While in Ex. 20:24-36 the multiplicity of places of worship is presupposed, in Lev. 17:39 the altar (v.) is unique for all and no slaughter of animals is permitted except at the altar; in D., moreover, there is absolute centralization: a single sanctuary in one tribe (12:5-14) and outside of it no victims may be offered to God.

But the whole legislation of the Pentateuch on the place of worship is centralizing, nor is there any contradiction between the various prescriptions, considered in their purpose and manner. In Ex. 20 it is not a question of the regular and stable place of worship, but of extraordinary places where sacrifice had to be offered because of particular divine appearances or revelations; the simplicity of the altar tends to prevent a stable cult. The unity of the public sanctuary is presupposed in Ex. with the 3 journeys to be made to the sanctuary three times a year. The prohibition in Leviticus against sacrificing extra castra et tabernaculum confirms the unity of the place of worship and prescribes for Israel the absolute centralization of the place of worship for the time when it will be in Palestine (vv. 8-12). Thus the text has been interpreted by later sacred authors: cf. I Kings 15:14; 22:24; II Kings 12:4; 14:4; 15:4-34. Particular prescriptions grant (Deut. 12:13-19), for the time prior to the complete occupation of Palestine, the private slaughter of animals, not having a sacrificial character, and this (Deut. 12:20-27) even in perpetuity for places very distant from the single sanctuary.

The antiquity of D. is confirmed by the very character of the book, which speaks, for example, of the Amalekites who did not exist after Hezekiah, and presents the conditions of Israel as they occurred at the entry into Palestine.

The oratorical form, given the circumstances, could have been the primitive dress. But precisely because it was the most suitable for public reading, it lent itself more to amplifications and formal retouchings. The failure to observe certain of its prescriptions until the Babylonian exile is explained because, promulgated on the eve of the entry into Palestine, it could not become fixed in memory and in common practice. Meanwhile, it is known from Am. 2:10; 4:6-9; Hos. 5:10; 6:1 etc.; to speak of a "Deuteronomistic redactor" is to fall into a petitio principii. One cannot speak of "pious fraud" in the account of the finding of the Law; if at times in Egypt the new book to which authority was to be given was presented as found in the inner recesses of the temples, it is certain that the temples were the preferred places for the custody of important writings, and that of these writings the trace was often lost, so that they were then actually found again. The historicity of II Kings 22:3-23:24 and II Chron. 34:3-35:19 is irrefutable, where probably there is even question of the whole Pentateuch. Nor can the tradition widespread among the people of the repetition of the Law in the land of Moab be explained without a historical foundation.

III. DOCTRINE

Deuteronomy insists on the most absolute monotheism. The God of Israel is the only God and Lord of heaven and earth, creator of all things; he is just, faithful, eternal, merciful and shows no partiality; all idols must be destroyed. Israel is God's special people, with whom he made a covenant: it must love its God with all its heart, mind and strength. Love of neighbor, together with mercy and compassion for the unfortunate, is inculcated in it. Worthy of note is the profound sense of humanity: severe and delicate is the defense of the family, of woman, of public and private morals. Toward the end of his life Moses casts his gaze into the future and announces the Messiah (Deut. 18:15-19) as the supreme Prophet.

Vincenzo M. Jacono