Geographical Dimensions of the Book of Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy - Outside the Box - Diana V. Edelman
Diana V. Edelman [+ ]
University of Oslo
Description
A number of geographical issues relating to Deuteronomy are explored. The physical characteristics of Cisjordan are described before moving on to the implications of Israelitizing the promised land and the phenomenon of cities of refuge. The chapter ends with an examination of three geographical anomalies. First is the use of the designation Seir/Mt. Seir vs. Edom in the book. Second is the favoring of (Mt.) Horeb instead of (Mt.) Sinai as the name of the site of the giving of the law and covenant-making after leaving Egypt. Finally, why the mountains of Gerizim and Ebal next to Shechem are the place where the words of the Moab covenant are to be inscribed and a commemorative ceremony is to take place, rather than the town of Shechem, Mt. Zion, or Jerusalem, is considered.