Joachim J. Krause, «Aesthetics of Production and Aesthetics of Reception in Analyzing Intertextuality: Illustrated with Joshua 2», Vol. 96 (2015) 416-427
That intertextuality has come into vogue in Hebrew Bible scholarship is hardly surprising given some general trends in the field. In fact, the reconstruction of redactional activity and 'Fortschreibung' as well as inner-biblical interpretation are heavily dependent on the perception of intertextual relationships. But therein lies the problem. Has the perceived relationship indeed been established by the author of one of the biblical texts in question (aesthetics of production), or does it merely lie in the eye of the beholder (aesthetics of reception)? Two competing claims regarding an intertextual relationship of Joshua 2 are singled out for discussion.
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420 JOACHIM J. KRAUSE 420
episodes allows for an interesting reading of the Rahab story. But is it the
reading intended by the author? Did he or she want the readers or listeners
to whom the Rahab story was originally addressed to read or hear it in
light of Israel’s failure at Kadesh Barnea? The answer is in the text. If the
author intended the proposed intertextual reference, that is, if he or she
designed the Rahab story to be interpreted in conjunction with the spy
episode, we will find prominent features pointing us in that direction.
Often the first feature that attracts our attention and makes us juxta-
pose two texts is a word or sentence that occurs in both of them 12. Such
a parallel lexeme or syntactical structure can be part of an argument for
an intertextual reference intended by the author of one of the texts — if it
is specific enough. If the parallel has come to mind only after using means
unavailable to the original addressees, such as an electronic concordance,
it is probably not.
Indeed, there are parallel lexemes and structures in Joshua 2 and Num-
bers 13–14 or Deut 1,19-46, respectively, which have been interpreted as
evidence for the proposed relationship 13:
~yXna ...xlXyw Josh 2,1 ~yXna ...xlX Num 13,2
#rah ta war #rah ta ~tyar Num 13,18
wabyw wabyw Num 13,23
wbXyw Josh 2,23 wbXyw Num 13,25
wabyw wrb[yw wabyw wklyw Num 13,26
wl wrpsyw wl wrpsyw Num 13,27
wrmayw Josh 2,24 wrmayw
wndyb hwhy !tn ...#rah ...hwhy Num 14,8
#rah lk ta wnl hntn
2005) 94; A. SHERWOOD, “A Leader’s Misleading and a Prostitute’s Profes-
sion. A Re-examination of Joshua 2”, JSOT 31 (2006) 49, 51, 57-58; S.L.
HALL, Conquering Character. The Characterization of Joshua in Joshua 1–
11 (Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies 512; London – New York
2010) 29-32; and R.S. HESS, Joshua. An Introduction and Commentary
(Downers Grove, IL 1996) 80, 84-85, 96; and R. POLZIN, Moses and the
Deuteronomist. A Literary Study of the Deuteronomic History, Vol.
1: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges (New York 1980) 85-86.
12
See also LEONARD, “Identifying”, 246 and 252; and R.L. SCHULTZ, The
Search for Quotation. Verbal Parallels in the Prophets (JSOTSS 180;
Sheffield 1999) 214.
13
What follows is a synopsis of observations produced by ASSIS, From
Moses to Joshua, 58-66; AULD, Joshua, 94; CREACH, Joshua, 40; HALL, Con-
quering Character, 29-32; HARVEY, Retelling, 43, 45, 66; HESS, Joshua, 80,
84-85, 96; POLZIN, Moses and the Deuteronomist, 85-86; SHERWOOD, “A
Leader’s Misleading”, 49, 51, 57-58.