Legal Procedures and Secret Crimes in Deuteronomy of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
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Abstract
This article deals with legal procedures in Deuteronomy of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan. It argues, based on texts such as Deut. 1:17; 29:28; 19:15; and 21:1–9, that TgPsJ is specifically concerned with the problem of secret crimes and the cases where the testimony cannot be upheld by the sufficient number of witnesses. Compared to the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy, TgPsJ puts much greater emphasis on divine judgment (as opposed to strictly rational human judgment). Of the studied texts, Deut. 19:15 TgPsJ is most interesting for its systematic presentation of available judicial procedures according to the Targumist, while the passage in Deut. 21:1–9 TgPsJ presents a most vivid illustration of divine miraculous intervention in the judicial process, which perfectly reflects the Targumist’s concern for the revelation of secret crimes.
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Legal Procedures and Secret Crimes in Deuteronomy of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
In: Aramaic StudiesSearch for other papers by Viktor Ber in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This article deals with legal procedures in Deuteronomy of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan. It argues, based on texts such as Deut. 1:17; 29:28; 19:15; and 21:1–9, that TgPsJ is specifically concerned with the problem of secret crimes and the cases where the testimony cannot be upheld by the sufficient number of witnesses. Compared to the Hebrew text of Deuteronomy, TgPsJ puts much greater emphasis on divine judgment (as opposed to strictly rational human judgment). Of the studied texts, Deut. 19:15 TgPsJ is most interesting for its systematic presentation of available judicial procedures according to the Targumist, while the passage in Deut. 21:1–9 TgPsJ presents a most vivid illustration of divine miraculous intervention in the judicial process, which perfectly reflects the Targumist’s concern for the revelation of secret crimes.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 103 | 103 | 103 |
| Full Text Views | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 16 | 16 | 12 |
