Yet I Loved Jacob: Reclaiming the Biblical Concept of Election

256 Pages·2007·2.25 MB·English

by  Joel S. Kaminsky

ACPQ009001QC001.qxd:Layout 1 6/8/07 9:06 AM Page 1
B I B L I C A L S T U D I E S
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God’s favor toward some serves God’s plan for the larger world.
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The Bible’s affirmation of Israel’s divine election is often ignored or even repudiated
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by contemporary Christians and Jews who are scandalized by the possibility that God
might favor one person or group over another. Beginning with the stories of family
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rivalry in Genesis and working through a host of other biblical texts, Joel Kaminsky

explores the dynamics of election: Why does God favor certain people? How do the L
chosen and non-chosen interact? And what might these texts teach us about God’s
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intentions for the world?
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“In recent decades, the various advances reached in the dialogue between Jews and E
Christians have often been compromised by the inability to appreciate the biblical D
grounding of the doctrine of election . . . This learned, groundbreaking book fills an
urgent lacuna and, as a result, is certain to become an indispensable aid for those
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Jewish and Christian thinkers committed to interreligious dialogue.”
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—Gary A. Anderson, University of Notre Dame
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“This marvelous book is the best presentation there is of the most misunderstood—
and most maligned—teaching in the Hebrew Bible, the chosenness of Israel. It is also
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one of the best works of biblical theology to come out in recent years. In clear prose,
unencumbered by technical jargon yet informed by wide learning and careful

thinking, Professor Kaminsky analyzes this exceedingly subtle and easily

misunderstood topic and uncovers major aspects of the Hebrew Bible that will

surprise and enrich scholars and laypersons, Jewish, Christian, and secular alike.
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I recommend it highly!”
—Jon D. Levenson, Harvard University A
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“Election is a powerful biblical theme that has played a significant role in theological
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reflection through the centuries . . . In Hebrew Bible studies, however, election has
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been too often assumed and too little explored. So Joel Kaminsky’s insightful and
careful study is welcome indeed. Especially to be commended are his careful analysis
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of texts, his balanced assessment of the evidence, and his theological alertness.”
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—Terence E. Fretheim, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota
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Joel S. Kaminskyis Associate Professor, Department of Religion, and Director,
Program in Jewish Studies, at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.
BIBLICAL STUDIES/BIBLE STUDY/TOPICAL
Cover art: Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn
Isaak blessing Jacob and Esau.
Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France
Photo Credit : Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY
Cover and book design: Rick Schroeppel R

Abingdon Press
Nashville
YET I LOVED JACOB
RECLAIMING THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF ELECTION
Copyright © 2007 by Abingdon Press
No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechan-
ical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may
be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission
should be addressed to Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, 201 Eighth Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37202-
0801 or [email protected].
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kaminsky, Joel S., 1960-
Yet I loved Jacob : reclaiming the biblical concept of election / Joel S. Kaminsky.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 978-0-687-02534-3 (binding: pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Bible. O.T.—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Election (Theology)--Biblical teaching. I. Title.
BS1199.E63K36 2007
234--dc22
2007008448
All scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the
United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (REB) are taken from the Revised English Bible © Oxford University Press
and Cambridge University Press 1989.
07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16--10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
C
ONTENTS
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi
Introduction to the Topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
SECTION 1
Introduction to Chapters 1–4: Election and the Rivalry Stories of
Genesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
1. Cain and Abel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
2. Ishmael and Isaac (and Hagar and Sarah) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
3. Jacob and Esau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
4. Joseph and His Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
SECTION 2
5. Promise and Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
6. Election in Leviticus and Deuteronomy: Law and Holiness . . . . . .95
Introduction to Chapters 7–8: Israel and the Other . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
7. The Anti-elect in the Hebrew Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
8. The Non-elect in the Hebrew Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
9. Prophecy and Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
10. Election in Psalms and the Wisdom Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
11. New Testament and Rabbinic Views of Election . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Concluding Reflections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
Index of Ancient Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227
Index of Modern Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239

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CKNOWLEDGMENTS
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his book began to take serious shape during my stay at the Center
of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, New Jersey, during the fall of
2001. I owe a debt of gratitude to the other fellows in residence
with me, most especially Jacqueline Lapsley and Mark Reasoner, as well
as Robert Jenson, then the Center’s director. While in residence in
Princeton I had much helpful feedback from scholars at Princeton
Seminary, most particularly from Dennis Olson and Patrick Miller, as well
as from Leora Batnitzky at Princeton University. Jon Levenson from
Harvard University has read many parts of this book and provided invalu-
able assistance along the way. His previous work in this area has been
deeply inspirational. Some of the most valuable help and criticism has
come from my students at Smith, most especially my former research
assistant, Anne Stewart. She has spent hours chasing bibliography and
reading various drafts of this material.
Since that time I have had the ongoing support of the Department of
Religion and Biblical Literature at Smith College as well as of the admin-
istration, who granted me a Mellon course release in spring 2004 to con-
tinue working on this project. I also owe thanks to Annette Reed and
Dana Hollander, who invited me to present my work at a conference
titled “A Covenant to the People, a Light to the Nations: Universalism,
Exceptionalism, and the Problem of Chosenness in Jewish Thought,”
held at McMaster University in May of 2005. This conference was fol-
lowed by two additional panels at the Society of Biblical Literature in
Philadelphia in November 2005 on election in the Hebrew Bible, New
Testament, and rabbinic Judaism.
I was able to bring the project to completion during my stay at Durham
University in Durham, England, in the spring of 2006. A number of col-
leagues and students at Durham have given me invaluable feedback, most
vii
Acknowledgments
particularly Walter Moberly and his advanced graduate student Joel Lohr,
who both read and carefully annotated an earlier draft of this book. I also
wish to thank Robert Hayward for inviting me and the Departmental
Chair, John Barclay, for hosting me as a visiting Jewish Studies Fellow in
the Department of Theology and Religion while at Durham.
All of the above have substantially enhanced the book in innumerable
ways, but I have not always heeded the advice others have offered. I am
certain errors remain and many additional improvements and expansions
could (and perhaps should) have been made. However, my publisher has
a deadline as well as a wish to keep the book to a reasonable word count,
thus putting some helpful limitations on the scope of the project.
Nevertheless, I remain in debt to so many for so much help along the way.
In addition, I wish to acknowledge a number of publications and their
editorial staffs who published earlier forms of parts of this manuscript over
the past several years. By doing so they not only helped bring the mate-
rial into better shape, they also permitted my ideas to reach a wider audi-
ence, who in turn could give me much-needed feedback. These include
the following:
“Chosen.” In New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Vol. 1. Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 2006. This is a six-thousand-word entry on chosenness
in the Bible.
“Attempting the Impossible: Eliminating Election from the Jewish
Liturgy.” Midstream (January–February 2005): 23–27. Aspects of the
introduction and “Concluding Reflections” first appeared here.
“Reclaiming a Theology of Election: Favoritism and the Joseph Story.”
Perspectives in Religious Studies 31.2 (Summer 2004): 135–52. This con-
tains much of chapter 4.
“Did Election Imply the Mistreatment of Non-Israelites?” Harvard
Theological Review 96.4 (October 2003): 397–425. This contains much of
chapters 7–8.
“The Concept of Election and Second Isaiah: Recent Literature.”
Biblical Theology Bulletin31.4 (Winter 2001): 135–44. This is a very early
form of part of chapter 9.
I also owe thanks to current and former members of Abingdon Press
and some of their contract employees. These include Greg Glover, who
before leaving Abingdon oversaw the initial proposal for this book and
strongly encouraged me to publish it. Since then I have benefited greatly
viii
Acknowledgments
from the assistance and encouragement provided by Kathy Armistead and
John Kutsko. I would also like to thank the copyediting staff, who helped
me turn the copy text into a more refined form, and my indexer, John
Muether.
Of course books cannot be written without a supportive group of fam-
ily and friends. My brothers and their significant others (Jeff and Ann,
Jordan and Michele), parents (Charlotte and Elliott), in-laws (Reva,
Amos, Marsha, Phil, Tammie, Joe, and Sue), my cousin Steve (and his
wife, Rhona), and my many friends (Greg Spinner, Nus Deutsch, Morris
Rosenthal, and others)—all have been tremendously supportive of me
and my rather obscure interests over the years.
My largest debt of gratitude goes to my wife, Jody Rosenbloom. She has
put up with my disappearing for two extended sabbatical retreats as well
as with endless hours of my working on aspects of this book and other
related projects it has spawned. My initial interest in this topic arose from
her questions concerning the meaning of chosenness. In particular, she
wanted to know what exactly this notion implied about those chosen and
those not chosen, and could it still hold meaning today? Jody’s love and
support have helped me through difficulties in life as well as with this
book. But more important, Jody’s deep and abiding love for the Jewish
people has given me an intuition into the meaning of Israel’s election.
Jody, like the wise woman from Abel Beth-maacah, is certainly among
the l)r#&y ynwm) yml#$, those who seek the welfare of the faithful in
Israel (2 Sam 20:19a NJPS). This book is lovingly dedicated to Jody with
thankfulness for all that she has brought to my life.
Brief Note on Stylistic and Other
Considerations
I have generally relied on the NRSV translation for biblical quotations
and note when I have departed from it. I have devocalized the
Tetragrammaton in all quotations and references. I have employed vowels
in the Hebrew text only when they were necessary to make a specific
argument. To reduce the notes somewhat, I have listed only those schol-
arly sources I directly engage with in Section 1. The secondary literature
on Genesis is vast, and a fuller bibliography is easily obtainable from the
many fine commentaries published on it. Inasmuch as the notes are
ix