Die Erkenntnisverheißung im Buch Exodus

The impact of the Exodus tradition on ancient Judaism has been subject of various investigations, leading to further questions about the formative and normative force (J. Assmann) of the Exodus narrative. Rather than focus on the effect of this force, this article employs a speech-act analysis of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Riecker, Siegbert 1973- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill [2017]
In: Journal of ancient Judaism
Year: 2017, Volume: 8, Issue: 1, Pages: 26-41
RelBib Classification:HB Old Testament
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
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Summary:The impact of the Exodus tradition on ancient Judaism has been subject of various investigations, leading to further questions about the formative and normative force (J. Assmann) of the Exodus narrative. Rather than focus on the effect of this force, this article employs a speech-act analysis of the biblical text in order to shed light on the causation of it. Following the doctrine of infelicities (J. Austin, R. Grimes), this study examines why the promise of knowledge of Yahweh by Pharaoh apparently did not succeed. Five possible points of a “happy” fulfilment of the promise can be determined. At each of these points a particular form of infelicity can be detected. 1. The guilt confessions of Pharaoh (hitch), 2. his release of the people of Israel (flaw) and even 3. the outcry of his drowning army (non-play) do not show convincing signs of knowledge. In the end, it is not 4. the people of Egypt (contagion), but 5. the Midianite Jethro (substitution), who is described as getting to know Yahweh substitutionally. It is the tenth of ten recognition formulas concerning non-Israelites that seems to provide a fitting answer to the promise of knowledge in the book of Exodus. This has consequences for the structure of the narrative as well as for the intended effect on the reader of each new generation.
ISSN:2196-7954
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of ancient Judaism
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.13109/jaju.2017.8.1.26