A Call to Commitment: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Deut 10,12–11,32 by Thomas Karimundackal (review)

The mixture of revelation and history is noteworthy in Hebrew Scriptures. In the basic creed of the Shema ("Hear O Israel") and in the fundamental teaching of the Decalogue, the Torah affirms that the children of Israel are a people held together by religion and nationality. In the long stream of biblical history, fed by a wide range of events affecting the person and polity, an eclectic wellspring of worldviews emerged, including doctrinal, ethical, ritual, and social streams. The book under review explores aspects of this biblical ideology in a synchronic study of scriptural passages and theology reflected in Deut 10:12–11:32. Thomas Karlimundal, S.J. (Papal Seminary, Prune, India), sees these verses as a bridge connecting the former sections as a historical and religious prelude to the law code that follows (Deuteronomy 12–26). This revised Ph.D. dissertation submitted to the University of Innsbruck in October 2016 is distinguished by a dual accomplishment. Meaning, structure, and syntax of the text are extensively examined in and of themselves and in terms of their relationships within Deuteronomy and with other biblical books. Second, these verses are often connected to the latter framework of Deuteronomy and thus prove to be a hermeneutical key to sefer Devarim.

Deuteronomy is essentially a lengthy speech that Moses delivered to the Israelites on the Plains of Moab just before they entered the land of Canaan. It embraces five retrospective discourses and poems that Moses addressed to Israel shortly before his death (1:6–4:43; 4:44–28:69; 29–30; 32; 33), plus two narratives about his final acts (chaps. 31, 34). Moses's second discourse (chaps. 4–26), which includes the foundations of the covenant, prohibition of idolatry, governance of the people, and so on, reflects the Sinaitic revelation of forty years earlier. Of particular importance to K. are the key theological themes interwoven in Deut 10:12–11:32, such as the "nature of God, the covenantal requirements of the Lord, Divine-human commitment, Promised Land, obedience to the Law/commandments, justice and curse, etc." (p. 15).

Karimundackal's exegetical and theological study is divided into four detailed chapters. Chapter 1 illustrates K.'s textual study and methodology in reading and analyzing Deut 10:12–11:32. His approach embraces the delimitation and contextual analysis of the text, adequate Hebrew translation, and text-critical observations arguing that these verses are an independent unit with a theological purpose. He argues the internal unity of the text from literary patterns, vocabulary, and development of text. He presents explicit connections to passages before and after Deut 10:12–11:32, and he notes comparative text-critical points between the Masoretic Text and the Samaritan, LXX, and Qumran texts.

In chap. 2, K. examines the textual structure of the religious foundation of the commitment to the covenant, the way in which it is to be kept, and the reasons for the right obedience. The premise is the following: "This is the Teaching (torah) that Moses set before the Israelites. These are the decrees, laws, and rules that Moses addressed to the people of Israel, after they have left Egypt" (Deut 4:44-45). Aseret Ha-Dibrot (Decalogue) and the Shema, the foundations of the covenant, follow. They spell out one's responsibility to God and humanity and the unity of God, together with the obligation to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might (also/or "mind" in the Synoptic Gospels). These covenantal foundations teach the love-of-God commandments diligently to the children and place these words and other Scriptures as signs on self and doorways. These indicators of Israel's unique covenant commitment and obligation are now followed by reasons for, and results of, obedience to God in Deut 10:12–11:32. K.'s textual study scrutinizes vocabulary and phrases, time sequences, communication pattern, movements...