MUST READ/MUST OWN: SINAI & ZION – An Entry Into The Jewish Bible

Image from amazon.com

Image from amazon.com

[First posted in 2014.  One of our favorite categories which, it appears, is also a favorite of web visitors is MUST READ.  It introduces us to books and authors we would otherwise miss, might never have heard of, not even know about, much less buy for our personal library and least of all, bother to read.  If hard copies are not available in local bookstores, we don’t discover such treasure finds because bookstores don’t carry everything there is to read.  And so, thank you, amazon.com for opening up on the internet and making available the ebooks we have discovered for sharing with our web-visitors.  Convenient though it is to upload hundreds of books in a digital reader,  our copy  is a hard copy, lucky us, who still enjoy the feel and read of a real,  instead of  an  ebook!–Admin1]

 

—————————-

 

 

An excellent read: SINAI & ZION: An Entry into the Jewish Bible by Jon D. Levenson.

 

Here are featured sequels from this book:

 

As we do with all books we recommend, we provide the CONTENTS, then REVIEW by critics/customers, and excerpted chapters, and usually the Prologue and the Conclusion. There is much to learn from book reviewers themselves, particularly when they are obviously knowledgeable on the subject themselves.

 

By featuring MUST READ, our intent s to encourage all to get a copy of the book, and if not, at least learn as much from what we feature here.

 

So, first the CONTENTS:

 

PART I: SINAI, THE MOUNTAIN OF THE COVENANT

 

1.  The Sinaitic Experience of the Traditions about it?

2.  YHWH’s Home in No Man’s Land

3.  Sinai and the Covenant Formulary

4.  The Theology of the Historical Prologue

5.  Mitsvot as the End of History

6.  Are Laws the Same as Commandments?

7. Ethics and Ritual in the Light of Covenant Theology

8.  One God or One Lord?

9.  The Kingship of God and the Kingship of Man

10.  The Wedding of God and Israel

11.  The Ever-Renewed Covenant

 

PART 2: ZION, THE MOUNTAIN OF THE TEMPLE

 

1.  The Early History of Zion in Prose Traditions

2.  The House of YHWH and the House of David

3.  The Vitality of Myth in Biblical Israel

4.  Zion as the Cosmic Mountain

5.  The Temple as Sacred Space

6.  Sacred Space and Sacred Time

7.  The Meaning of the Cosmic Mountain in Israel

8.  Yearning for the Temple

9.  The Survival of the Temple in Judaism

 

PART 3:  THE MANIFOLD RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SINAI AND ZION

 

1.  Zion as the Heir to Sinai

2.  Sinai and Zion, North and South

3.  Covenant Renewal on the Cosmic Mountain

4.  Moses and David

 

And if that didn’t whet your appetite, here are selected book reviews; some are condensed.

 

————————————

 

Go tell it on a mountain…, October 1, 2004
This review is from: Sinai and Zion (Paperback)
 
Jon Levenson is a professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard University, and one of the editors of the Harper’s Bible Commentary. Author of several books of commentary and interpretation, Levenson’s ideas are significant in several aspects. The idea of Jewish scholarship doing theological interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament) with minimal reference or reflection through the New Testament is still relative rare in academia; as Levenson states in his introduction, even the more-neutral approach of historical criticism has not attracted this kind of work, nor has a new openness toward Judaism made significant strides in this kind of work.Levenson’s book is used at my seminary in various classes to help students approach the texts of the Hebrew scriptures/Old Testament without as much Christian reinterpretation and `flattening’ as was often involved in more traditional seminary curricula. Levenson uses the two traditional stereotypical topics that Christians tend to use toward the Hebrew texts, namely, the Law (Torah) and Temple, and recasts these – tracing a Sinai tradition (law, or, more particularly for Levenson, Covenant ) and a Zion tradition (Temple), he works through scriptural implications by means of historical and theological methods.Levenson sees two of the primary building-blocks of ancient Israel’s culture and religion being mountain traditions – the mountain of Sinai, and the mountain of Zion (Levenson also sees the crisis of Exile and restoration as important, but puts this beyond the scope of this volume). These two traditions, according to Levenson, give Judaism an enduring quality and unique shape, one that did not however drop out of the sky or form out of the desert without any outside influences. The total synthesis for Israel is unique, Levenson argues, even if there are carry-overs and influences from other cultures and sources (Mesopotamian law codes, Canaanite temple rituals, etc.).
 

After a section for each of the traditions of Sinai and Zion, Levenson puts the two together – he sees Zion being heir to the Sinai tradition, which assumed many Sinaitic traits, but did not leave either tradition intact. There was also a geographic division over the dominance of the two traditions, which is not a simple north/south divide, but also a theological tension, interwoven as theology was back then with politics as well.This is a fascinating book, one that brings forward many ideas new to most readers and students (of all sorts) of the bible, from a perspective not often heard, particularly in Christian circles.

——————————————
Jewish approach to Scripture and Theophany, March 28, 2008
By  Ben Kickert (Bowling Green, KY) – See all my reviews
 
This review is from: Sinai and Zion (Paperback)
Ben Kickert. Review of Jon D. Levenson, Sinai & Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible, New Voices in Biblical Studies (San Francisco, California: Harper Collins Publishers, 1985).Sinai & Zion is Jon D. Levenson’s contribution to developing a decidedly Jewish understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures by “delineate a theology of the Old Testament alone” (1). Levenson is qualified to do this as he himself comes from a Jewish background and is familiar with rabbinical tradition. His work has demonstrated remarkable resilience as it enters its third decade in print. In his approach, Levenson has opted to focus primarily on the message of Jewish tradition over and above historical criticism. Specifically, he follows the traditions associated with the two great mountains of Jewish history, Sinai and Zion, and the covenants that accompany them: the Mosaic covenant and the Davidic Covenant.Levenson has arranged his work into three major parts. The first segment addresses the theology of Mount Sinai and the torah-centric ideology it produces in its teachings of covenant. The second segment outlines the importance of Mount Zion and the role the temple played in later Israelite faith. Finally, the third section addresses the relationship between these two locations and theologies and how they affect an understanding of Jewish faith as a whole.The theophany at Mount Sinai is arguably the most important event in Jewish history. It is here the law is given, the nature of Israel as a people is established, the presence of God is granted, and the character of its people is outlined. In fleshing out a theology of Sinai in Part I of his book, Levenson focuses extensively on the covenantal ideology that developed out of the tradition. This understanding of covenant is the driving force behind the importance of Sinai.
 

For Levenson, the importance of the Sinaitic covenant is inescapably linked with its similarities to suzerain-vassal treaties of the Ancient Near East. For this conclusion, he relies heavily upon the work of George Mendenhall and others pertaining to Hittite treaties. Levenson argues, “The correlation … cannot be coincidental. Israel has become the vassal of YHWH; YHWH has become the suzerain of Israel” (35). This relationship gives meaning to the entirety of the Mosaic covenant while employing a framework which is essential to Jewish theology. Levenson argues that Sinai sets the stage for how Israel views itself, its relationship with YHWH, its relationship with outsiders, even its relationship with other Gods. In sum, Sinai is to be understood as the mountain of identification and definition.

 

As Judaism develops, we find that the traditions surrounding Mount Zion slowly overshadow Mount Sinai. This transition is less about replacement and more about continuation according to Part II of Levenson’s book. Wherein “Sinai was the mountain of Israel’s infancy” (89), Zion becomes the symbol of Israel’s maturity as a nation. The Sinaitic experience was rooted it the Mosaic Covenant and an understanding of suzerain-vassal treaties, but, Levenson contends, the Davidic covenant, which is central to the Zion experience is a covenant of grant carrying kingship implications. This distinction in covenant types alters the understanding of the interaction between YHWH and humanity; YHWH is bound while Israel receives.

 

According to the author, Zion differs from Sinai as it is clearly portrayed as a “cosmic mountain” (111). This distinction places Zion and the temple as a touching point for the divine and humanity. In essence, “Jerusalem is simply the earthly manifestation of the heavenly Temple” (140) that is connected with creation and perfection as it stands timelessly in the center of the world as a place of divine importance. Levenson utilizes exegesis of eight separate passages to illustrate the multi-faced purpose of Zion in connecting YHWH with Israel. The author summarizes the distinction between Sinai and Zion by noting that Sinai provides the possibility of meaningful history while Zion allowed meaning above history (141-2).

 

In his concluding segment, Levenson describes the relationship between Sinai and Zion as one of complex succession. He argues this succession was not primarily chronological with Zion replacing Sinai in importance, nor was it geographical with the North affirming Sinai while the South affirmed Zion. Rather, the theological underpinnings of these two traditions are complementary as each emphasizes a different aspect of Israel’s relationship with YHWH. When described relationally, Zion “inherited the legacy of Sinai” (206) and in many ways continued the “Sinaitic experience on a new mountain” (206). For Levenson, Sinai establishes the people of God and their relationship with God, while Zion serves as a microcosmic touching point between humanity and divinity.

 

As with any concise treatment of theology, Jewish or otherwise, Levenson’s work offers readers numerous strengths along with a few shortcomings. The most notable strength this work provides is the very approach that the author employs in engaging Jewish scripture. Levenson is able to offer his readers a fresh take on Jewish theology by addressing the task from a strictly Jewish perspective.

 

Moreover, the author is also able to question historical Jewish approaches to the scripture when the traditional conclusions miss the larger picture. The organization of the text was logical and easy to follow as the author utilizes summary and textual division in a helpful manner. From a scholastic standpoint, Levenson successfully and skillfully employs myriad approaches as he combines historical, literary, exegetical, and philosophical understandings of Jewish theology. Finally, Levenson does a masterful job of portraying the role Sinai and Zion play in understanding YHWH and Israel and their interaction in history.

Numerous weaknesses are also apparent in reading Sinai & Zion. The most glaring is Levenson’s inability to cast a picture of Jewish scripture and theology as a whole as his subtitle suggests is his intention. While his work provides an excellent account of Sinai and Zion in Jewish literature and does a fantastic job of illustrating the relationship between the two, he nonetheless fails to connect these two essential concepts to a coherent idea of the Jewish Bible. Perhaps this is more a fault of titling than of content. In this same vein, the author’s conclusion lacks coherence and introduces more frivolous tangents than helpful summations.

 

With these critiques in mind, noting that most address the author’s layout and aim rather than accuracy of content, there are several important ideas the author introduces that interact well with the whole of Old Testament scholarship. First, Levenson’s treatment of the importance of covenant is admirable, especially as he places it in its Ancient Near East context of suzerain-vassal treaties and covenants of grant. This socio-historical interaction provides essential insights even if the reader disagrees with the implications he draws. Second, the author recognizes the overall action of YHWH in history as he connects the perfection of Eden with the place of Zion. This, coupled with his overall approach, provides an understanding of the people of God as they encounter the presence of God and seek the place of God.

 

In conclusion, Levenson’s work in Sinai & Zion provides a fresh perspective on the two essential ideological locations and covenants in Jewish scripture. He weaves together an excellent account of the Jewish understanding of the two Mountains of God and the relationship that exists between them. His multi-faceted approach offers depth and insight despite the fact the book fails to paint a clear picture of Jewish scripture as a whole. In the end, its contribution is noteworthy especially in its offering of a decidedly Jewish approach to Israelite culture and Jewish scripture.

 
A valuable addition to biblical theology, December 24, 2008
This review is from: Sinai and Zion (Paperback)
Levenson’s aim to make the Jewish Bible open up to Christian readers in the spirit of advancing dialogue is admirable, and this book helps to achieve that goal. While certainly well-researched and coming from his own significant learning, it is very accessible (for the most part) to the non-academic interested reader who has some background in or understanding of the Hebrew scriptures. The relatively short chapters help to make this easier to digest, providing logical breaks, and thus bringing out key topics more clearly. And while this book is aimed at Christian readers, I have no doubt that most Jewish readers would also benefit from the scholarship and insight in this volume.In addition, the last chapter of Part Two, which talks about the view of the Temple to modern Jews, was of particular interest, especially for religious dialogue. Understanding that the law and the Temple still are relevant, and the latter still exists, is important. Jews, like Christians, both struggle to live moral lives and are both taking the difficult road up the mountain in attempting to do so.That being said, more time could have been spent developing the covenant theme and the importance of covenants throughout the Hebrew Bible. Covenants with Adam, Noah, and Abraham are not mentioned. Even one chapter to look at God’s interaction with these men would have shown God’s desire for covenant with mankind from the very beginning. This would have bolstered his argument for God’s dealing with man at a covenant level. (See Scott Hahn, A Father Who Keeps His Promises, [Servant, 1998] for a more complete development extending into the New Testament with the new and final covenant in Jesus. This text provides a Catholic view of covenant history culminating in Christ thus providing a “sequel” or response, in a sense, to Levenson. Hahn counts Levenson as a source in this book, as well as McCarthy, von Rad, and Heschel, all of whom also significantly influenced Levenson.)
 

Also, the third part of the book came as somewhat of a surprise. Maybe this was intended, but little indication was given earlier in the text that the author saw much connection between Sinai and Zion, especially as ends up ranking the covenant with Moses at a higher order. It would have been more helpful to see a smoother flow from the Mosaic to the Davidic earlier, so that comparisons and contrasts would be more apparent in the later discussion.

 

A last point of contention. Levenson seems to hold that Christians in general don’t find their Old Testament to be of much value. While it is true that there have been, and still are, some Christians who have de-emphasized or even sought to discard the Old Testament (esp. Marcion in the second century who saw an evil God in it), this is certainly not the general contemporary view. Maybe Levenson would now have a different analysis, these twenty-plus years later, as more inroads have been made in inter-religious dialogue. But all he needs to do is look at the Second Vatican Council’s emphasis on such discussions, and maybe more importantly the encyclical on divine revelation (Dei Verbum) which devotes a chapter to the Old Testament, stating that “these books, written under divine inspiration, remain permanently valuable” (no, 14). In addition, the Old Testament sheds light on and explains the New Testament (no. 16). (An additional note: Catholic eyebrows may be raised by a footnote toward the end of the book that reflects the view of some Protestants equating Roman Catholicism with a “deviant” Judah.)

 

 

Nevertheless, Sinai and Zion, is a valuable addition to biblical theology, enlightening serious readers of any religious persuasion (or none). The influence of this book has already been seen in subsequent literature which has used it and built upon it.

————————————-

Review from a Latter-day Saint perspective, January 21, 2009
By Shinehah (New England) – See all my reviews
This review is from: Sinai and Zion (Paperback)
As an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons, or LDS), I highly recommend this title to other Latter-day Saints.Levenson’s understanding of covenants, specifically the Sinaitic covenant between God and his people (the “Sinai” in the title), served to heighten my understanding of covenants with God which are an integral part of LDS theology.Further, the importance of the Temple in Jewish life and religion (the “Zion” in the title), serves to center the Temple in LDS theology as well, with all its symbolic meaning, and the place with which it ought to stand in our lives.
 
 Readable reliable account of the Old Testament covenants, December 22, 1996
By A Customer
This review is from: Sinai and Zion (Paperback)
Levenson discusses the history and meaning of the covenants Yahweh makes with Abraham, David and Moses and the people of Isreal. This book is widely used in seminaries and religion departments but would be of interest to anyone exploring the Christian Bible or the Hebrew Scriptures at any level. Levenson addresses the major lines of scholarly interpretation but in a way that most readers will find available
 
 Ian Myles Slater on: The Covenant and the Promise, October 20, 2013
This review is from: Sinai and Zion (Kindle Edition)

[Note to Readers: this review may seem top-heavy with bibliographic material. Given the number of informative reviews of this book, I’ve chosen to focus on its relation to the author’s other books, and on the adaptation to Kindle of several of them. I hope that it will be useful.]I was delighted to see that Jon D. Levenson’s “Sinai & Zion: An Entrance Into the Jewish Bible” (Harper & Row, 1985; corrected paperback, 1987; HarperOne digital edition, May 2013) was available in Kindle format (and Kobo and Nook as well), alongside “Creation and the Persistence of Evil: The Jewish Drama of Divine Omnipotence” (Harper & Row, 1987; corrected, with a new Preface, Princeton University Press, paperback, 1994; HarperCollins EPub edition, October 2013) and “Resurrection and the Restoration of Israel: The Ultimate Victory of the God of Life” (Yale University Press, 2006).I was particularly pleased about the first two, because I no longer have my paperback copies, and wanted to replace them — and at a price closer to what I originally paid than the current list-prices for them.Still awaiting digital publication are, among others by Levenson: “The Hebrew Bible, The Old Testament, and Historical Criticism: Jews and Christians in Biblical Studies” (Westminster / John Knox Press, 1993) and “The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of Child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity” (Yale University Press, 1993).

The most recent of his books — and this is not a complete list of the others — is “Inheriting Abraham: The Legacy of the Patriarch in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam” (Library of Jewish Ideas, 2012), which I have yet to read. It does have a Kindle edition.

 

The Kindle edition of “Sinai and Zion” is mostly well-executed, until one reaches the Scriptural and General indexes. They have been re-labelled as Lists of Searchable Terms: that is, the old page references are shown, but are not hyperlinked to their locations in the digital text. Instead, one is advised to use the list in conjunction with the Kindle search engine. The same is true of “Creation and the Persistence of Evil,” although there the indexes are not re-labelled, and “Resurrection and the Restoration…,” where even the advice to use the search engine is lacking.

 

I can understand HarperCollins, a commercial publisher, cutting corners a bit in preparing its own non-fiction for digital release; I am a bit more perturbed by Yale University Press doing the same thing, without even apologizing to the reader.

As will have been noticed from some of the titles, Levenson is interested in, among other things, comparative studies and the history of criticism.

 

“Sinai & Zion” and “Creation and the Persistence of Evil” include both, with observations on Christian theology and Christian-based historical criticism, and reflections on the general Jewish lack of interest in constructing theologies of the Hebrew Bible. Their main concern, however, is comparing inner-Biblical material; overlap in the central concepts makes the books a kind of thematic duology.

 

As the title indicates, “Sinai and Zion” is structured around the poles of Mt. Sinai (Revelation, Covenant, and People) and Mt. Zion (Temple, Promise, and King), which it has been fashionable to contrast in various ways.

 

One extreme is Paul’s distinction between the Law (represented by Sinai) and Grace (represented by God’s promises to King David), with the latter preferred. Sometimes the reading has been political, in which case Zion is held to represent Royalist innovations in Judah, while the Northern Kingdom of Israel adhered more faithfully to the “populist” Sinai Covenant.

 

It will be noted that such comparisons assume that one pole is good, the other less so, if not seen as simply bad.

Levenson begins with this distinction between the associations of the two mountains, but demonstrates, with well-chosen selections from the Psalms and some of the Prophets, that Zion imagery does not displace or usurp the symbolism of Sinai so much as it absorbs and extends it.

 

He also shows, from somewhat different perspectives in the two books, that both Zion and Sinai share “historicized” mythological themes, such as the victory of God over the forces of cosmic chaos, represented by the Sea, and human enemies (Egyptian, Assyrian, or other); and that Sinai and Zion share associations with the central Sanctuary (Tabernacle or Temple) of Israel. The working out of these similarities — and of the real distinctions between the two mountains — is the major theme of “Sinai and Zion.”

———————————————
 Essential reading for understanding the Old Testament, July 26, 2011
By
Ventura D (Southern CA) – See all my reviews
This review is from: Sinai and Zion (Paperback)

This is an excellent book that should be read by all Christians. Too often, we caricature Jewish belief and read the Old Testament (Jewish Bible) only as a justification for Jesus as the Messiah. “Sinai and Zion” allows us to see the Old Testament through Jewish eyes, and to better appreciate its richness.”Sinai and Zion” is easy to read but to grasp it fully, one must read slowly with either a No. 2 pencil or a fresh stack of post-it notes. Levenson presents very profound ideas derived from numerous scriptural citations. Although the discussion is focused on the two traditions (Sinai and Zion), his comments often have broader applications.I found that the book is not organized in a way that I could easily go back and sift out particular gems (there are so many, after all). While Levenson does provide a scripture and an author index, there is no subject index.The book is divided into three parts, each with subsections. I find it difficult to understand the subsections as parts of a hierarchical outline. In some ways, the subsections each seemed like separate essays on different aspects of the main topic treated in that part of the book. The book can be used as a reference book for Bible study if one looks up section head topics or specific scriptural references.

 

“Sinai and Zion” is a rewarding book to read.

 5 stars for intrigue, albeit in disagreement, November 14, 2009
By J. D. Spainhour (Trinity, North Carolina USA) – See all my reviews

 

This review is from: Sinai and Zion (Paperback)
In his book, Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible, Jon Levenson sets out to offer a theology of the Jewish Bible in a way that is true to the nature of history, which is diachronic, not synchronic. According to Levenson, the Christian Canon, which views the Old Testament largely with reference to its Christology, demands a uniform reading that obscures the pluriform nature of the text and flattens history (Levenson, 4). Levenson wants to take into account “the involvement of the Hebrew Bible in history and its character as imaginative literature and…not seek to deny this involvement and this character in the name of faith” (8). He does this by emphasizing human involvement in the writing of history rather than seeing it as one manifest plan of God. This means observing the changes throughout Israel’s history as evolutionary, not revolutionary (4). Levenson will endeavor to trace Israel’s history, or, rather, their theology of history, in light of the two greatest land markers of their religion, Sinai and Zion, attempting to show that their theology was not shaped by their history as much as their history was shaped by their theology.
The book is divided into three major sections. In the first section, “Sinai, the Mountain of the Covenant,” Levenson approaches Sinai and its covenant in its written form, not presuming upon the event itself, in order to begin discussing the numerous traditions concerning it (17). Sinai was the controlling metaphor for Israel’s relationship with YHWH, whose primary function was not to recount YHWH’s revelation to them in history, but to illustrate the type of relationship they shared with Him in the present (36, 43). According to Levenson, to be sure, the recitation of the Shma was “the rabbinic covenantal renewal ceremony…the portal to continuing life in covenant” (86). A theology of history was being established that provided a way of understanding their place in history and a way of engaging YHWH in the present. Thus, toward the end of the Jewish Bible, the prophets could look back and account for the adversity and privilege Israel and Judah had experienced throughout their history with reference to their disloyalty or loyalty to the covenant (55). Woven into this section is Levenson’s attempt to substantiate the evolutionary nature of Israel’s history. He begins by showing that YHWH seems to evolve as the people evolve, even arguing that in the beginning YHWH was the greatest God of the pantheon, suggesting that early Israelite tradition was polytheistic! YHWH as Suzerain won his kingship by humiliating the other gods, and thus Israel’s monotheism was “dynamic rather than static” (62). The groundwork has thus been laid for the continuity of Sinai and its covenant in Israel’s history. It was not merely an ancient relic, but the reality with which they were perpetually confronted, which served both as an interpretation of their past and a means of shaping their future.
 

In the second section, “Zion, the Mountain of the Temple,” Levenson shows that as Jewish tradition developed, Sinai was absorbed into a new mountain, Zion, a known hill in Jerusalem. No longer did YHWH reside “in an extraterritorial no man’s land, but within the borders of the Israelite community” (91). The Sinaitic covenant, which focused upon the changeability of humanity, is now supplemented by the Davidic covenant, which focused on the constancy of God (101). Levenson notes that the faith in this everlasting dynasty gives no credence to political history, the rise and fall of kingdoms, and was thus born out of something quite different from a mere meditation of history. This nonhistorical way of relating history was through myth, which is characterized primarily by symbols with “unlimited scope and import,” in this case Mount Zion (103). Zion was the cosmic mountain, whose most significant characteristic was that it was the meeting place of heaven, earth and hell (111, 122). Ordinary concepts of space and time are not adequate in describing the essence of Zion because it transcends both; it is qualitatively different from ordinary reality (127).

 

Furthermore, comparing the similar language of Zion with the Garden of Eden, Levenson concludes that Zion was the place “in which the primal perfection of Eden is…preserved” (129). Having established its relationship with creation, the temple thus serves as a picture of what creation and life were supposed to be, perfect and eternal (133). What is greatly significant in light of the meaning of Zion is that it was not confined by spatial limitation. Zion was not a “place in the world, but the world in essence…The temple…is a microcosm of which the world itself is the macrocosm” (139). Thus, YHWH’s being enthroned in Zion ultimately implicates His providential rule over his universal kingdom. This “cosmic significance” explains why even at the loss of Land and Temple the Jews did not lose their essential identity; the “Temple was more than a building” and the land was based on a covenant that is still in force. “The earthly Temple lay in ruins, but YHWH remained enthroned…” (181). Thus the mythical, rather than historical, nature of the Land and Temple allowed the Jews to survive in the absence of both.

Finally, in his last section, “Zion as the Heir to Sinai,” Levenson shows that Zion and the Davidic covenant did not replace Sinai and the Mosaic covenant, nor did Sinai survive in the Northern Kingdom while Zion displaced it in the Southern Kingdom. Rather, they were compounded into a holistic tradition, where Sinai represented the voice of God that was present at Zion, which represented the presence of God. This is illustrated in the feature of covenant renewals of the Sinaitic tradition–the indictment of the people for a breach of covenant–that survived into the Zionist tradition, e.g. Psalm 81 and 50. Hence, “The…Lord speaks and summons the earth…” (Ps 50:1, emphasis added). The voice spoken to Israel at Sinai has thus been amplified to the entire world at Zion. Levenson shows that this cooperation of Sinai and Zion is a necessary corrective one for the other, where both the disregard of Israel’s ethical status and the presumptuousness of the sacrificial cult are held to account. “Sinai demolishes the hubris of Zion…Zion demolishes the hubris of Sinai” (209, cf. Jer 7; Ps 50). As such, the messianic hope of the Davidic covenant should be located within the Sinaitic tradition (209). According to Levenson, whereas Judaism maintains the Mosaic and Davidic covenants necessarily in their pluriform nature, the New Testament has used the Davidic covenant to displace the Sinaitic covenant (216, 217). As such, “David is subordinated to Moses, and the restoration of Zion…is subordinated to the righteousness of the Jews…” (217). For Levenson, this does an injustice to the nature and trajectory of the Jewish Bible, which still looks for a righteousness generation of Jews to which the Messiah will come.

 

 

Although Levenson offers many wonderful insights to Old Testament studies, the entire book is somewhat undermined by his failure to qualify its premise that the changes in Israel’s history “seem more evolutionary than revolutionary” (4). In other words, the development of Jewish history does not reflect major historical events that changed the course of history. Rather, throughout Israel’s history their writings were shaped by the world in which they lived, in conjunction with a developing and changing theology. This inability to view the Old Testament stories as essentially historical, rather than merely a theological recasting of the past, leaves many unanswered questions and unqualified arguments. For example, Sandra Richter reads YHWH’s suzerain-vassal covenant with Israel as a means of communicating with the Hebrew people, who had been steeped in the polytheism of Egypt, in a language they would understand (Richter, 83). But Levenson interprets this as a natural development that reflects Ancient Near Eastern culture (though he doesn’t bother to explain why it reflects Hittite treaty patterns of the second millennium B.C., though it conflicts with his later dating of the text), not to mention early Jewish polytheism, and thus concludes, “How the idea of God as exclusive suzerain was born thus remains cloaked in mystery.” (70). He does not even consider that God intervened in history in the second millennium B.C. to rescue the Hebrew people from Egypt. Also, even if the Old Testament does lack the historicity that Levenson claims, he offers no explanation for the origin of such an unlikely emergence of an otherwise inept people. It seems necessary to offer a plausible explanation for the origins of the Jewish people if he’s going to dismiss their alleged history that explains such origins. The conclusions of his book seem to be almost entirely based on a “hermeneutic of suspicion” against the historicity of the Old Testament that is no longer readily accepted in Old Testament scholarship (Miller, CT, “Did the Exodus Never Happen”). The argument ultimately reduces to whether or not Levenson is justified in arguing for an evolutionary rather than revolutionary development of the Jewish Bible. Certainly, it would do an injustice to the Old Testament to blindly dismiss the way Israel’s theology affected their interpretation of history, but it is equally unjust to dismiss the history on which their theology is allegedly based. It seems that one can accept both historical plausibility and theological redaction within the Old Testament without contradiction. But the overemphasis of either seems like it will inevitably involve a blind dismissal of what should be its complementary counterpart.

 

In conclusion, it seems that at the heart of Sinai and Zion is a polemic against the New Testament interpretation of the Jewish Bible, which views the events and theology of Israel’s history as having their culmination in Jesus Christ. This is perhaps why discussions on the New Testament are the book ends of his work, creating the need and giving a conclusion (1, 2, 216, 217). It seems that by emphasizing the evolutionary development of Judaism, Levenson tried to establish a precedent for its indissoluble continuity, which, according to Levenson, is contradicted by the discontinuity evident within the NT, especially with reference to the Law. This gives occasion for the rejection of the NT (though I would argue that this discontinuity is anticipated in the Old Testament, e.g. Jer 31:31-34). His dismissal of the “revolutions” throughout Scripture allows him to recast the Old Testament into a natural progression of Judaistic literary history. By showing that the Temple and Land are unnecessary for the continuity of the Jewish tradition, he has established a way for Jews to understand their place in history today and furthermore has accomplished his goal of presenting Torah and Temple in a different perspective from that of the consensus (3). Despite this admirable accomplishment, it seems to me that he has undermined the very history on which Jewish faith is based and relies.

———————————-

Some important ideas here, July 18, 2009
This review is from: Sinai and Zion (Paperback)
Levenson points out that “One would think that…the historical-critical approach would have attracted a goodly number of Jews, since it offers the prospect of dealing…with the Hebrew Bible on its own” (p 1).It is curious to think that it has not. Biblical studies tend to be loaded with Protestants and atheist scholars.Levenson suggests many important arguments about the Hebrew bible. First, he deals with the idea of covenant and “covenant formulary” (p 26). Some have argued that the entire bible is a history of covenant. starting with Genesis. Certainly many agree that “covenant discloses the meaning of history” (p 41), an idea especially found in Catholic scholarship.
 

God’s revelation concerning Himself is not the goal of “covenant theology…but the prologue to a new kind of relationship” (p 43). Most vital in covenant symbology is that of Israel’s relationship to God presented in marital terms. Fidelity is required from Israel to YHWH.

 

Just as Jerusalem will be intimately associated with David and the monarchy, so Jerusalem and the temple will be of central importance.

 

“The earthly Temple is thus the vehicle that conveys the prophet into the supernal Temple, the real Temple, the Temple of YHWH and his retinue…This Temple is an institution common to the heavenly and the terrestrial realms” (p 123).

 

YHWH dwells in the temple, not in an anthropormorphic way but in His very essence, His “‘name'” (p 125). Thus, the temple becomes the world in essence and the true method of spiritual ascent.

 

Very valuable book.

 

———————————

 Sinai and Zion: An entry into the Jewish Bible, December 11, 2007
By

Micah G. Webb (Ridgecrest, California) – See all my reviews(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sinai and Zion (Paperback)
This books makes wonderful insights into the study of Judaism that everyone can use. Jon Levenson delves into what was the force of Sinai and Zion as well as the result of said ideals. When one reads about the promise made to King David, one gets a full,comprehensive understanding of the promise G-d made to His shepherd. Yet, the premise of the book seems to be critical at the beginning suggesting that Levenson does not believe in the actual occurences of the events. He claimed not to go into the Christian JEDP theory, but somehow offered an understanding akin to a Jewish equivalent. The actually noting in the text concerning of Sinai and Zion suggest the belief in their actuality and in their effect for the Jews of today. The author is offering a true understanding of the implications of both Sinai and Zion, but his personal do not appear to connect at the forefront of his book. No disrespect, the book is brilliant and makes important insights the both Christians and Jews can benefit from, yet there needs more of a fundamental belief such events actually occurred or outright assertion somewhere.
 

Join the Conversation...