A Prophet Like Moses: Prophecy, Law, and Israelite Religion

by Jeffrey Stackert

Jeffrey Stackert addresses two of the oldest and most persistent problems in biblical the relationship between prophecy and law in the Hebrew Bible and the utility of the Documentary Hypothesis for understanding Israelite religion. These topics have in many ways dominated pentateuchal studies and the investigation of Israelite religion since the nineteenth century, culminating in Julius Wellhausen's influential Prolegomena to the History of Ancient Israel . Setting his inquiry against this backdrop while drawing on and extending recent developments in pentateuchal theory, Stackert tackles the subject through an investigation of the different presentations of Mosaic prophecy in the four Torah sources. His book shows that these texts contain a rich and longstanding debate over prophecy, its relation to law, and its place in Israelite religion.

With this argument, A Prophet Like Moses demonstrates a new role for the Documentary Hypothesis in discussions of Israelite religion. It also provides an opportunity for critical reflection on the history of the field of biblical studies. Stackert concludes with an argument for the importance of situating biblical studies and the study of ancient Israelite religion within the larger field of religious studies rather than treating them solely or even primarily as theological disciplines.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2014

Reviews

[JJ Powell]

This book is an important one for people delving into the composition of the Pentateuch. Stackert seeks to update Wellhausen's theories for modern scholarship, and he does an excellent job of it. Unfortunately, because I disagree with him about the origins of the Pentateuch, it's difficult to really engage in conversation with him, but it's an important book for Pentateuchal studies regardless. I respect his knowledge and scholarship, and I believe that there are things I can learn from him and his work.

[Krista Smith]

It's dry and scholarly... Not easy reading for sure. But I don't think people looking for an easy, light read are the target audience. If I read it in bed, it put me to sleep...

BUT- I'm thankful for what I learned through turning its pages. I grew up learning that Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible. When I challenged that as an adult, I received some pretty strong resistance. After reading this book, I can't see how an intelligent, critical- thinking person could still believe that Moses wrote the Torah. The Bible's literary history took on a much deeper, more complex and beautiful tradition for me after this read. I'm thankful for finding this book and for the amount of information it gives. There are fantastic footnotes throughout as well. Overall, it's worth pushing through, even for someone not in bible school or pursuing a degree in this or a related field. It just gives such a dynamic and bigger picture to how these books were written and for what purpose. Highly recommend to those interested in such things.