Transcript YHVH OUR SUZERAIN KING

YHVH
OUR
THE COVENANT ON MOUNT SINAI
AND THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
FORM
The Historical and Biblical look into
The Ancient Near Eastern World
Major types of Royal Covenants /
Treaties in the Ancient Near East
1. Suzerian – Vassal
Treaty
2. Royal Land
Grant Covenant
3. Parity Covenants
Definitions for our study:
Suzerain – Sovereign or King
Vassal – Subjects or Servants
ANET LEGAL TERMS
• FATHER – vassals call their suzerain (King)
• SON – The King calls his vassals
• ADOPTION – when a vassal king submits to
the suzerain then the vassal kings people
become adopted by the Suzerain
• BROTHER – Term in Parity covenants
• LOVE (Oheb)– Term of loyalty to the Suzerain
• KNOW (Yada)- Term used by the King who
sees the faithfulness of the vassal
• Friend - Faithful, loyalty to the Suzerain
These Suzerain/Vassal treaties open with
two sections:
1) The identification of the Suzerain by his
name and titles;
2) The historical survey of the Suzerain's
dealings with the vassal. The purpose is
to illustrate to the vassal how much the
Suzerain has done to protect and establish
the vassal who therefore owes submission
and allegiance to the Suzerain. These two
sections are referred to as the "Preamble."
3. Stipulations –
What the vassal is required to do is spelled out in
principal and detail. This section is often concluded
with the requirement that the vassal deposit his copy
of the treaty in his temple, where he is to occasionally
read and study it to refresh his memory concerning
his duties.
4. The Blessings and Curses of the Suzerain –
If the stipulations are met by the vassal, he will
receive the Suzerain's blessings, which are listed. If
the vassal fails to meet the stipulations, he will
receive the Suzerain's curses, which are also listed.
PROTECTING THE COVENANT DOCUMENTThe Suzerain would keep one copy of the treaty
and the vassal would keep one copy of the
treaty. A number of ratifying ceremonies were
used depending upon the era and culture. But
the most widely used rite was that of cutting the
bodies of animals in halves and placing them in
two rows with enough space between for the
two parties of the treaty to walk side by side. As
they walked between the pieces, they were
vowing to each other, "May what has happened
to these animals, happen to me if I break this
covenant with you."
"Suzerain Treaties & The Covenant Documents in the
Bible“
Notes from lectures of Dr. Meredith Kline,
Brief Summary of Suzerain Treaties:
In the Ancient Near East, treaties between kings was common.
These were treaties drawn up among equals and mostly outlined
agreements to honor each other's boundaries, to maintain trade
relations, and return run-away slaves. These treaties are
preserved in the Mari Tablets and in the Amarna texts. Also
preserved in these collections are treaties drafted between a
superior and his inferior. If the relationship was familial or
friendly, the parties are referred to as "father" and "son." If the
relationship is bereft of kindness and intimacy, the parties are
referred to as "lord" and "servant," or "king" and "vassal," or
"greater king" and "lesser king."
SUZERAIN-VASSAL (CONDITIONAL)
A covenant regulating the relationship between a
great king and one of his subject kings. The great
king claimed absolute right of sovereignty,
demanded total loyalty and service (the vassal
must “love” his suzerain) and pledged protection
of the subject’s realm and dynasty, conditional on
the vassal’s faithfulness and loyalty to him. The
vassal pledged absolute loyalty to his suzerain –
whatever service his suzerain demanded - and
exclusive reliance on the suzerain’s protection.
Participants called each other “lord” and
“servant” or “father” and “son.”
(cf. Joshua 9:6,8; Ezekiel 17:13-18; Hosea 12:1.)
The greater king is the suzerain and
the lesser king is a prince, or a lesser
lord in the service of the greater king.
The lesser lord is a representative of
all the common people who are under
the protection of the greater king. He
enforces the treaty among the
masses.
Revelation 1:
5 And from Yeshua the Messiah, who is the faithful
witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the
prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved
us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and
his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever
and ever. Amen.
G758
ἄρχων
archōn
ar'-khone
Present participle of G757; a first (in rank
or power): - chief (ruler), magistrate,
prince, ruler.
H113
‫אדן אדון‬
'âdôn 'âdôn
aw-done', aw-done'
From an unused root (meaning to rule);
sovereign, that is, controller (human or
divine): - lord, master, owner. Compare also
names beginning with “Adoni-”.
The Legal Context of Deuteronomy
De 1:1 These are the words which Moses spoke to all
Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the
Arabah over against Suph, between Paran, and Tophel,
and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
2 It is eleven days' [journey] from Horeb by the way of
Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
3 It happened in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month,
on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke to the
children of Israel, according to all that Yahweh had
given him in commandment to them;
TREATY BETWEEN
HATTUSILIS AND RAMSES II
Title
Treaty of Rea-mashesha mai Amana, the great king, the king of the land of Egypt,
the valiant, with Hattusilis, the great king of the Hatti land, his brother, for
establishing [good] peace [and] good brotherhood [worthy of] great [king]ship
between them forever.
Preamble
These are the words of Rea-mashesha mai Amana, the great king of the land of
Egypt, the valiant of all lands, the son (5) of Min-mua-rea, the great king, the
king of the land of Egypt, the valiant, the grandson of Minpakhta-rea,
the great king, the king of the land of Egypt, the valiant, (spoken) to
Hattusilis, the great king, the king of the Hatti land, the valiant, the son of
Mursilis, the great king, the king of the Hatti land, the valiant, the grandson
of Suppiluliumas, the great king, the king of the Hatti land, the valiant.
One can also divide the revelation in this book according to
the general arrangement of the typical form of a suzerainvassal treaty that was common in the ancient Near East.
•
•
•
•
•
•
I. Preamble: Covenant mediator 1:1-5
II. Historical prologue: Covenant history 1:6—4:49
III. Stipulations: Covenant life chapters. 5—26
A. The Great Commandment chapters. 5—11
B. Ancillary commandments chapters. 12—26
IV. Sanctions: Covenant ratification chapters. 27—
30
• V. Dynastic disposition: Covenant continuity
chapters. 31—34
I. Format
The formats of the ancient treaties, particularly
the Hittite treaties, have The basic elements
characteristic of treaties as a genre include:
1. Introduction of the speaker (preamble)
2. Historical prologue
3. Stipulations
4. Statement concerning the document
5. Divine witnesses
6. Curses and blessings
1. Introduction of the Speaker
Preamble
Description.
Generally this identifies the author of the
treaty, the suzerain. His various titles and
attributes and, occasionally, genealogical data
comprise this element. This section
emphasizes the suzerain's greatness and his
right to proclaim the treaty.
Ancient Near East Occurrence
(i) Preamble - the suzerain king introduces himself, and gives his
titles:
"These are the words of the Sun Mursillis, the great king, the
king of Hatti-land, the valiant, the favorite of the storm-god,
the son of Suppiluliumas, the great king" (ANETp. 203)
Tanack Occurrence.
Exodus 20:1;
Deuteronomy 1:1-5;
Joshua 24:1-2.
In all three cases YHWH is identified as the covenant's author and
the suzerain who has a right to make certain demands.
2. Historical Prologue
2. Description.
This section reviews the relationship between the two parties prior to their
entering into the present agreement. Frequent emphasis is placed on the
kind acts of the suzerain on behalf of the vassal as well as on the suzerain's
power. The vassal is expected, as a result, to be grateful in accepting the
terms and fearful of violating them.
"Aziras, your grandfather, and Du-Teshub, your father remained loyal to me as
their lord. ... Since your father had mentioned to me your name with great
praise, I sought after you ... and put you in the place of your father" (ANET
p. 203-4)
Tanack Occurrence.
The historical prologue is readily recognizable in the biblical covenants. It
is most limited in Exodus 20:2 but quite pronounced in Deuteronomy 1:63:29 and Joshua 24:2-13.
3. Stipulations
3. Description.
First, This section states in detail the obligations imposed upon and accepted by
the vassal. They include typically the prohibition of other foreign relationships
outside the Hittite Empire.
Second, there is the prohibition of enmity against anything under the sovereignty
of the great king. . .
Third, the vassal must answer any call to arms sent him by the king. . . .
Fourth, the vassal must hold lasting and unlimited trust in the king; he must not
entertain malicious rumors that the king is acting disloyally toward the vassal,
nor must he permit any evil words against the king, for this is the beginning of
rebellion.
Fifth, the vassal must not give asylum to refugees, whatever their origin. Sixth,
the vassal must appear before the Hittite king once a year, probably on the
occasion of annual tribute.
Last, controversies between vassals are without exception to be submitted to the
king for judgment
(iii) Obligations - usually placed on the vassal only:
prohibition on other treaties allegiance to suzerain can't
attack other vassals suzerain to adjudicate between
vassals in disputes vassals to appear regularly before
suzerain with tribute.
"If anyone utters a word unfriendly to the king
or the Hatti-land before you, Duppi-Teshub,
you shall not withhold his name from the king"
(ANET p. 204)
Tanack Occurrence.
Likewise, if the biblical examples did not have
stipulations, there would be very little basis for
comparing them to the ancient treaties.
In Exodus-Leviticus, stipulations comprise the
Decalogue, the covenant code, and the ritual
instructions in Leviticus 1-25. In Deuteronomy,
certainly chapters 12-26 are stipulations, and many
find reason to include 4-11 also. In Joshua 24, verses
14-15 are the core of the stipulations, with 16-25 also
containing the repetition of some of them.
4. Statement concerning the document
• Description.
This clause provides for the periodic public reading of the treaty so that all
may remember their obligations. It also occasionally spells out
requirements for the storing of the document.
(iv) Deposit of the treaty document, usually in
the sanctuary:
"A duplicate of this treaty has been deposited before the sun-goddess
of Arinna. ... In the Mitanni land, a duplicate has been deposited
before Teshub. ... At regular intervals they shall read it in the
presence of the king of the Mitanni land and in the presence of the
sons of the Hurri land" (ANET p. 205)
• Tanack Occurrence.
Exodus 25:16 (cf. Deut.
10:1-5) speaks of the
tablets being deposited
in the ark, but this does
not have the appearance
of a separate clause
dictating the proper
handling of the
document.
Exodus 32:
15 ¶ And Moses turned, and
went down from the mount,
and the two tables of the
testimony were in his hand:
the tables were written on
both their sides; on the one
side and on the other were
they written.
16 And the tables were the
work of God, and the writing
was the writing of God,
graven upon the tables.
Deuteronomy 31:10-13 includes instructions from
Moses that the Law be read every seven years at the
Feast of Booths. This also seems to be in an epilogue
section apart from the covenant document.
In Deuteronomy 27:2-3 (a section most like a
document clause), the people, just prior to hearing the
blessings and curses, are commanded to set up stones
when they arrive in the Promised Land and to write
the Law on them. This is carried out in Joshua 8:3032. Joshua 24:26 is the document clause in that
covenant and again involves the writing of the words
in a book and depositing them by a large stone.
5. Divine witnesses
• Description
In this section it is generally the
gods who are called to witness
the agreement that is being
made. Gods of both parties are
included, and it is intended that
the gods would be the ones
who would enforce the terms of
the treaty if need arose.
Mendenhall points out that
there are also instances of the
"Mountains, rivers, springs,
sea, heaven and earth, the wind
and the clouds" all being called
to witness
Usually the gods of the two
nations:
"We have called the gods to
be present, to listen, and to
serve as witnesses: the
sungoddess
of Arinna ... the sun-god, the
lord of heaven, the storm
god, the lord of the Hattiland ... the mountains, the
rivers, the Tigris and
Euphrates, heaven and earth,
the winds and clouds"
(ANET p. 205-6)
• Tanack Occurrence.
The witness section of the Deuteronomy
Covenant is the most evident. In Deuteronomy
31 the Lord instructs Moses to compose a song
and teach it to the Israelites so that it may
function as a witness (Deut. 31:19-22). Also in
that chapter the Book of the Law as well as the
heavens and earth are identified as witnesses
(31:26-28). The Song of Moses, which is
recorded for us in Deuteronomy 32, fits into the
witness category, for it affirms YHWH's ability
to enforce the terms of the covenant.
Of particular significance are verses 39-43, in
which YHWH takes an oath to exact
vengeance on behalf of his people. In Joshua
24:22 the people are called to be witnesses
against themselves, and as in Deuteronomy
32, their witness status is established by
entering into an oath. Joshua 24:27 also
indicates that the stone by which the Law was
deposited would act as a witness against the
people. There does not appear to be a witness
clause in Exodus-Leviticus. Matthew 5:17-19
6. Curses and blessings
• Description.
This section entails not the specifics of what the
suzerain will do in the event of either faithfulness to
or violation of the treaty, but rather, the actions of the
gods either for or against the vassal.
Blessings and curses if the vassal obeys or disobeys:
"Should Duppi-Teshub not honor these words of the treaty and
oath, may these gods of the oath destroy Duppi-Teshub
together with his person, his wife, his son, his grandson, his
house, his land. ... But if he honors these words ... may these
gods of the oath protect him with his person, his wife, his son,
his grandson, his house and his country" (ANET p. 205)
Ancient Near East Occurrence.
Curses are a standard feature of treaties irrespective of time or
location. Blessings are not so prevalent. As mentioned above, the
curse sections in the treaties from Assyria and Syria are much more
extensive than the short, formulaic curses characteristic of the Hittite
treaties. McCarthy comments about the curse section in the Assyrian
treaties: "It is long, emphatic, colorful, of a spirit far different from
the sober Hittite tradition.“
• Old Testament Occurrence.
In the Exodus-Leviticus complex, the blessings and curses come
respectively in Leviticus 26:1-13 and 14-33. In Deuteronomy, the
well-known blessings and curses are found in chapter 28, with
blessings occupying verses 1-14 and the longer curses section in
verses 15-68. Joshua 24 is the least distinctive in this section.
Blessings must be inferred from the text, and the only curse is very
briefly stated in verse 20.
The Legal introduction to the book of
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 1:3
It happened in the fortieth year, in the eleventh
month, on the first day of the month, that
Moses spoke to the children of Israel,
according to all that Yahweh had given him in
commandment to them;
*Yahweh the Great King
*Moses the Vassal King
Suzerain Vassal language in the book
of Revelation
Revelation 1:1
This is the Revelation of Yeshua the Messiah,
which YHVH gave him (Yeshua) to show to his
servants (Israel) the things which must happen
soon, which he sent and made known by his
angel to his servant, John,
Deuteronomy 1–3
in the
Context of the Hittite
Treaty Tradition
Deuteronomy
1–3
Employs specific motifs
found in these land-grant
treaty prologues.
As Moshe Weinfeld notes
The sovereign in these treaties urges the
vassal to take possession of the land as a gift:
“See, I gave you the Zippašla mountain land,
occupy it.” 9
This command resonates with Deut 1:8, 21:
“See, I have given over the land to you, go and
inherit it.”
*9 Albrecht Goetze, Madduwattaš, MVAG 32:1 (1928), lines 19, 43–44; quoted in
Weinfeld, Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic School, 72.
In CTH 92, the Hittite king declares to his vassal
that his own grandfather had written out the
borders of the vassal kingdom, an act that was
taken to be constitutive of the borders of that
territory: “My grandfather . . . Wrote a treaty
tablet for him. He wrote out the borders of
the land of Amurru of his ancestors and gave it
(the tablet) to him.”
Treaty between H attušili III and Bentešina of Amurru (CTH 92 [Emmanuel Laroche,
Catalogue des textes Hittites (Paris: Klincksieck, 1971)] obv. 5–6), translated in Gary
Beckman, Hittite Diplomatic Texts (2nd ed.; SBLWAW 7; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1999),
101; hereafter HDT.
King Šuppiluliuma I of Hatti delimits his own
empire, saying,
“The Euphrates [is my frontier(?)]. In my rear I
established Mount Lebanon as my frontier”
(CTH 51 §10 translated in HDT, 45). Cf. the highly
similar language in Deut 1:7.
Deuteronomy 1
7 turn, and take your journey, and go to the hill
country of the Amorites, and to all [the places]
near there, in the Arabah, in the hill country, and
in the lowland, and in the South, and by the
seashore, the land of the Canaanites, and
Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river
Euphrates.
8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and
possess the land which Yahweh swore to your
fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to
give to them and to their seed after them.
In several Hittite treaties the king
delineates the vassal’s territory and
stresses that the latter is to avoid
confrontation with other neighboring
vassals of the Hittite king.
Deuteronomy 2:
4 Command you the people, saying, You are to pass
through the border of your brothers the children of
Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you:
take good heed to yourselves therefore;
5 don't contend with them; for I will not give you of their
land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to
tread on; because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a
possession.
Deuteronomy 2:
9 Yahweh said to me, Don't bother Moab, neither
contend with them in battle; for I will not give you of
his land for a possession; because I have given Ar to
the children of Lot for a possession.
Deuteronomy 2:
18 You are this day to pass over Ar, the border of
Moab:
19 and when you come near over against the
children of Ammon, don't bother them, nor
contend with them; for I will not give you of
the land of the children of Ammon for a
possession; because I have given it to the
children of Lot for a possession.
Sometimes the Hittite king would grant a territory to a vassal who
had a history of rebellious behavior toward the Hittite throne.
Power politics of the region during the fourteenth and thirteenth
centuries b.c.e. were such that allegiances between states were in
constant flux. Even if the ruler of such a state had reneged on his
earlier vassalage, the Hittite kings frequently sought to reestablish
ties when it was politically expedient to do so.
When a once-rebellious king agreed again to accept submission, the
prologue of the treaty would enumerate the seditious acts of the
vassal, underscoring the debt of gratitude now owed the Hittite
king for his beneficence.*13 The historical introduction of
Deuteronomy 1–3 not only underscores the grant of the land to the
Israelites but also stresses that they are hardly deserving of such
grace, having reneged on their vassalage to the Lord. They rebelled
against him at Qadesh when they refused to fight for the land
following the report of the spies (1:26), and then again, when they
embarked on a campaign against the Lord’s wishes (1:43).
*13 Cf. CTH 66, Treaty between Muršili II of H atti and Niqempa of Ugarit (HDT, 64–68); CTH 68, Treaty
between Muršili II of H atti and Kupanta-Kurunta of Mira Kuwaliya (HDT, 74–81); CTH 92, Treaty between
H attušili III of H atti and Bentešina of Amurru (HDT, 100–102);
De 1:26
Yet you wouldn't go up, but rebelled against
the commandment of Yahweh your God:
De 1:
42 Yahweh said to me, Tell them, Don't go up,
neither fight; for I am not among you; lest you
be struck before your enemies.
43 So I spoke to you, and you didn't listen; but
you rebelled against the commandment of
Yahweh, and were presumptuous, and went
up into the hill country.
FOR FURTHER READING
Baltzer, K. The Covenant Formulary. Oxford, 1971.
Craigie, P. C. The book of Deuteronomy. Grand Rapids, 1976, 20-44.
Frankena, R. "The Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon and the Dating
of Deuteronomy.“ In OTS, 14, (1965), 122-54.
Kalluveettil, Paul. Declaration and Covenant. Rome, 1982.
Kitchen, Kenneth. Ancient Orient and Old Testament. Downers
Grove, 1966, 90-102.
McCarthy, D. J. Old Testament Covenant. Atlanta, 1972. Treaty and
Covenant. Rome, 1978.
Mendenhall, George. "Covenant Forms in Israelite Tradition" in
Biblical Archaeologist Reader 3, Ed. E. F. Campbell and D. N.
Freedman. New York, 1970, 25-53. de Vaux, Roland. The Early
History of Israel. Philadelphia, 1978, 439ff.
Weinfeld, Moshe. "Covenant Terminology in the Ancient Near East
and Its Influence on the West." JAOS 93 (1973): 190-99.
"Berith." In Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Vol. 2. Ed.
G. J.
Botterweck and H. Ringgren. Grand Rapids, 1975, 253-79.
Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic School. Oxford, 1972, 59157.