Book contents
- Remembering the Story of Israel
- Remembering the Story of Israel
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Historical Summaries in the Hebrew Bible
- 1 Historical Summary as Commemoration
- 2 Historical Psalms as Acts of Commemoration
- 3 Historical Summaries as Commemoration in Chronicles
- 4 Praying History in the Wilderness
- Part II Historical Summaries in the Dead Sea Scrolls
- Appendix Historical Summaries in the Hebrew Bible
- Bibliography
- Index of Names
- Index of Scripture and Ancient Sources
- Subject Index
4 - Praying History in the Wilderness
Nehemiah 9:5b–37
from Part I - Historical Summaries in the Hebrew Bible
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2022
- Remembering the Story of Israel
- Remembering the Story of Israel
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Historical Summaries in the Hebrew Bible
- 1 Historical Summary as Commemoration
- 2 Historical Psalms as Acts of Commemoration
- 3 Historical Summaries as Commemoration in Chronicles
- 4 Praying History in the Wilderness
- Part II Historical Summaries in the Dead Sea Scrolls
- Appendix Historical Summaries in the Hebrew Bible
- Bibliography
- Index of Names
- Index of Scripture and Ancient Sources
- Subject Index
Summary
This chapter analyzes how the particular form of Neh9:5b–37, characterized by a schematic performance of selected events from Israel’s history and bookended with an appeal to the deity, facilitates the development of the participatory structure so central to successful acts of commemoration. I turn from questions of origin and genealogy, that is, the relationship of Neh 9 to previous scriptural texts or to the Gattung of penitential prayer arising out of a particular Sitz im Leben, to the usefulness of its presented form. I demonstrate that at least part of the purpose of the historical summary in Neh 9 is to construct a generative historical analogy with the wilderness wanderings as a period of Israel’s life that was characterized by divine education, provision, and attention to prayer.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Remembering the Story of IsraelHistorical Summaries and Memory Formation in Second Temple Judaism, pp. 154 - 196Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022