Difference between revisions of "Chronological and Thematic Order/2"
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<point><b>Clouds on the Mishkan (<a href="Shemot40-34-38" data-aht="source">Shemot 40:36-38</a>)</b> – After discussing the erection of the Tabernacle in Shemot 40, the final verses of the chapter speak of the role to be played by the cloud as an indicator of when to travel, adding that this was a constant throughout their journeys in the Wilderness (ie. throughout the forty years). Though this refers to what is to occur in the future, it is mentioned here as a conclusion to the discussion regarding the cloud of glory.</point> | <point><b>Clouds on the Mishkan (<a href="Shemot40-34-38" data-aht="source">Shemot 40:36-38</a>)</b> – After discussing the erection of the Tabernacle in Shemot 40, the final verses of the chapter speak of the role to be played by the cloud as an indicator of when to travel, adding that this was a constant throughout their journeys in the Wilderness (ie. throughout the forty years). Though this refers to what is to occur in the future, it is mentioned here as a conclusion to the discussion regarding the cloud of glory.</point> | ||
<point><b>Conquest of Canaanite cities (<a href="Bemidbar21-1-3" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 21:3</a>)</b> – <multilink><a href="RambanBemidbar21-1" data-aht="source">Ramban</a><a href="RambanBemidbar21-1" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 21:1</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe b. Nachman</a></multilink> suggests that the conquest of the Canaanite cities mentioned here occurred first in <a href="Shofetim1-16-17" data-aht="source">Shofetim 1:16-17</a>.<fn>As both verses speak of conquering the Canaanites and calling the conquered place "חרמה" it seems that they are speaking of the same event.</fn>  It is mentioned already here, though, to complete the story, telling the reader how the nation's vow was fulfilled.</point> | <point><b>Conquest of Canaanite cities (<a href="Bemidbar21-1-3" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 21:3</a>)</b> – <multilink><a href="RambanBemidbar21-1" data-aht="source">Ramban</a><a href="RambanBemidbar21-1" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 21:1</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Nachman (Ramban, Nachmanides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe b. Nachman</a></multilink> suggests that the conquest of the Canaanite cities mentioned here occurred first in <a href="Shofetim1-16-17" data-aht="source">Shofetim 1:16-17</a>.<fn>As both verses speak of conquering the Canaanites and calling the conquered place "חרמה" it seems that they are speaking of the same event.</fn>  It is mentioned already here, though, to complete the story, telling the reader how the nation's vow was fulfilled.</point> | ||
+ | <point><b>Conquests of Machir (Bemidbar 32:39-42) <fn>This example is exceptional in this category in that it refers to an event which occurred earlier that is only mentioned later to complete the unit (איחור להשלים את הענין) rather than the opposite.</fn></b> – Ralbag suggests that the conquests of Menashe mentioned here really took place during the war against Sichon discussed in Bemidbar 21.<fn>Shadal suggests that the words "וַיִּירְשׁוּ אֶת אַרְצוֹ" in Bemidbar 21:1 include these conquests.</fn>  A student of R. Saadia Gaon goes even further to suggest that these cities had been conquered by the tribe of Menashe already during the era of Yosef's reign in Egypt.<fn>Cf. Abarbanel who brings a similar opinion that Yosef had bought these lands in the time of the famine. A possible motivation of R. Saadia's student is the fact that the verses mention Machir, Yair, and Novach, the sons and grandsons of Menashe. These figures should no longer be alive if the conquests took place in the fortieth year.</fn>  According to both, the event is mentioned here only to complete the story and explain why Menashe, too, got land on the eastern bank of the Jordan.  For further discussion, see <a href="Menashe Joins Reuven and Gad" data-aht="page">Menashe Joins Reuven and Gad</a>.</point> | ||
</subopinion> | </subopinion> | ||
<subopinion>Headings | <subopinion>Headings |
Version as of 03:17, 28 November 2019
Chronological and Thematic Order
Exegetical Approaches
Technical Displacement: Minor Details
At times, achronology in the text is a result of technical literary issues. In many cases, the majority and core of a given story is recorded in its proper chronological place and it is just one or two secondary components which are displaced. The displaced unit might be moved from elsewhere to join and thereby complete the central story ("להשלים את הענין") or it might be separated from the main narrative so as not to interrupt the story line ("לא להפסיק את הענין").
Preludes and Epilogues: "להשלים את הענין"
A subordinate component of a story might be moved from its proper chronological place so as to complete a central narrative. This might take the form of a prelude or heading before the main story or an epilogue or summation at the end.
Prelude
An event which occurred earlier is displaced to serve as an introduction and / or provide necessary background to a later story.
Epilogue
A component of a story which is only to occur later is moved earlier to provide closure to the main unit.
Headings
An event which is soon to be discussed in the text is mentioned already in the heading of the unit, not because it takes place then, but to let the reader know what is to come. This phenomenon might appear as a"כלל ופרט", a general formulation followed by details.
Summaries
An episode which occurred and was explicitly mentioned earlier in Tanakh is repeated in order to serve as a summary to a unit.
Prologues and Appendices: "לא להפסיק את הענין"
Secondary narrative components might be moved to form a prologue at the very beginning of a unit or an appendix at the end because setting them in their proper chronological place in the middle of the central unit would otherwise break the flow of the main narrative . The episode or topic which is displaced is either irrelevant to the main theme or message of the unit, of lesser import, or of a different literary character.
Prologues
An event is moved from its correct chronological place later in the text and placed at the very beginning of the unit where it will not disrupt the main topic.
Appendices
An episode is moved from its correct chronological place earlier in the narrative and placed at the very end of the unit where it will not disrupt the main topic.
Thematic Arrangement: Parallel Units
Tanakh will often prefer thematic ordering over strict chronology, juxtaposing related material even if this means not adhering to a historical timeline.
Overlapping Stories
A preference for thematic ordering is often evident when components of two independent stories overlap in time. Tanakh will focus on each story individually, recounting them in parallel units, rather than constantly switching back and forth between the two. As such, the same overall time period might be discussed from different vantage points in the textual equivalent of a split screen, with material grouped by varying protagonists, perspectives, literary genre or other factors.
Figures
Tanakh will often focus on one individual protagonist at a time, even if this means compromising on chronological order.
Realms of Life
When a protagonist's interactions in two realms of his life (such as the personal / familial realm vs. the political /national realm) overlap, Tanakh will often separate the two strands of the story rather than constantly switching back and forth.
Individual vs. Universal
When an incident has both a universal and individual aspect to it, Tanakh will focus on one at a time.
Literary Genre
Torah often separates material of different genres. Thus, even if a unit of laws was relayed over a period of time and other events occurred simultaneously, Torah might group the legal and narrative material separately. Similarly, when a book contains both prophecies and history, each might be grouped alone even if this creates achronology.
Speech vs. Action
When an action occurs in the middle of a conversation, or an extended conversation occurs in the midst of a list of several actions, Tanakh might distinguish between the two.
Non-overlapping Stories
Even when two stories do not overlap in time, Tanakh might prefer thematic unity over a strict chronological recounting. This might be motivated by a desire to group together stories which share similar themes, related laws, or content written by the same author.
Related Events
At times, closely related events, even if they took place at different times, might be grouped together.69
"לדורות" / "לשעה"
Tanakh might group laws which are relevant only for a specific time period (לשעה) separately from those which are relevant for all future generations (לדורות).
Two Authors
If a book has multiple authors, each author's material might be grouped separately even if this means that some content is relayed achronologically.
Simultaneous Actions
When a unit contains but one element, the entire unit might not just overlap with but actually occur totally simultaneously with another event. In such cases, Tanakh does not have a choice but to tell one event before the other, even though this does not represent the reality.
Homiletical Messages: Juxtaposition
Achronology might stem from a desire to relay a message through the juxtaposition of two stories which otherwise would not follow one another. The message might be a lesson in proper behavior, a showcasing of Hashem's attributes, or a means of highlighting a character's strengths or faults.