Wednesday, September 14, 2016

It isn't in the ritual

Like biblical intercession with human superiors, biblical apotropaic intercession with YHWH uses ordinary discourse, persuading through appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos. Without causative language, these utterances lack the need for a special connection to the sacred domain for their language to have illocutionary force. They are also presented as lacking a ritual context. Even in 1 Chronicles 21 (cf. 2 Samuel 24), David’s ritual sacrifice—itself lacking direct discourse—is separated from his verbal intercession in time and space.—Forestalling Doom pages 201–2

<idle musing>
He isn't a tame lion...
</idle musing>

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