Tales of fire and flood: divine destruction stories in ancient Mesopotamia and the Pentateuch

Abstract

This thesis examines the motif of divine destruction within ancient Mesopotamia and the Pentateuch. Yhwh attempts to destroy an entire community on eight occasions within the Pentateuch. Scholarship has predominantly read these stories as isolated incidents. This thesis asks whether a more intricate connection exists between the Pentateuchal divine destruction stories. And if such a connection exists, does this provide greater insight into the purpose of these destruction stories for the community who wrote and read them? In addition, this thesis examines the uniqueness of Hebrew divine destruction texts within the ancient Near Eastern context. A synchronic approach is used to analyse these texts in their final form. However, the revision of texts because of their engagement with other texts during the redactional process is an important premise of this project’s approach. It provides the basis for an analysis of intertextuality between stories of divine destruction. This thesis identifies a close intertextual relationship between the Flood, Sodom, Reed Sea, and Golden Calf stories. The development of theological ideas occurs as the narrative moves from a passive acceptance of destruction in Genesis 6-9 to the prevention of destruction in Exodus 32-34. An intertextual relationship is also identified between the rebellion stories of Numbers and Exod 32-34. These rebellions affirm, modify, and place limitations on the theological ideas developed in the Genesis and Exodus destruction stories. Finally, the Hebrew destruction stories share elements with destruction texts from ancient Mesopotamia. However, in many key aspects they are unique within their context. The theological sophistication and contextual uniqueness of the Pentateuchal destruction texts make them essential to understanding how the writers of the Hebrew Bible conceived of the relationship between God and humanity.