Prophetic Canonisation

By: Jonathan Seidel

Winfield’s motion of Deuteronomic demythologisation is genuine. It may not be to the extent that he proposes but textually semiotically it is authenticated. God is perpetually validated but through a different medium. It is not the visual supernatural but the superrational. It does not necessitate a science but it does oscillate toward less supernal ideals. It is a demythologising that maintains the transcendent. It does not diminish divinity but places more in the spirit than the imagery. 

What is more alarming is the new recourse toward Torah. There is a turn from tradition to text. The first ever Jewish textualisation prior to Josiah and Ezra. Though canonised by later scholars, The Torah emerged as a codex to marvel at, even if it were not the local law. It was a blueprint to serve God over a legal code. It was not the first of its kind but it was for the Jews. Orality persisted as much but now the Israelites had a beacon to look at even if most were illiterate. Yet, the necessity of Torah obedience refers to the book as a compilation of the oral traditions. It is not clear if it was a deliberate move to educate the masses or sermonic wisdom. Though the latter seems more probable given the allegorical material. 

The Torah is the book to succeed Moses. In his superb wisdom he preceded Maimonides in codifying a work though much greater in philosophical identity. Unlike Maimonides, he did not create a legal code that dismissed orality, he instead put together a pre-pseudo-guide revered for its excellency. He was a prophet, the greatest prophet, and thus his exoteric nod was accepted. Only he could reveal these secrets truthfully and still be accepted. His personal demythologising was not to dismiss God but provide a new avenue to him. 

Moses’ Deuteronomy as Abarbanel puts it is Moses work. God praised and accepted it but it is his words. The vast liturgical difference is less a chronological issue and more authorial. Moses presents his opinions on the matter for the upcoming generation. It is a perfect moment for entering the land, for a new stage but also a way of explaining his religiosity. Moses turns Judaism from an intermediary religion via an appointed individual, to a constitutional order. The text is the ultimate reflection of sovereignty gifted by the ineffable. Moses composed a poetic masterpiece for the people in the advent of his passing. He was the sole mouthpiece for God and with him gone, it was personally addressed to everyone. The legal innovations presented in Deuteronomy are his guide to halakhic practice post-canonisation. It a demonstration of the the legal process. He bequeathed to the people a codex as a guide for servitude after his passing. There was no one like Moses and never will be. 

Squaring with Maimonides theory of mosaic prophecy this is the key. It is the advent of his passing that cultivates the law as we have it today. He was the first and greatest codifier. Abraham though is generally noted as the father, it is in fact Moses. Moses taught the Israelites how to live. Abraham beautifully passed on ethical lessons as a preacher but it was Moses who constructed order and practice. Moses firmly established Torah as the centrepiece of Israel. A unification of the people. Revelation was the event, Deuteronomy the seal. His textualisation was his final piece of the puzzle. 

Joshua’s resistance to desecrate the name of Moses by imploring his own will is exceedingly humble and represents the true successor of Moses. He began where Moses left off. Moses’ knowledge passed to Joshua was the encouragement he needed to fulfil his task of conquering the land. The subtle conquest changes reflect his maturity. Moses’ title in the book of Joshua as the “servant of God” is reminiscent of his prestige and his closeness to God. This servant and he alone is the redactor and professor of the divine will. All successors are beneath him as honourable as they be. The peak of performance was Moses and his triumph in passing on the torch to a leader who branded his stripes. Joshua wore the Moses flag proudly—the flag of God as denoted in the text.  

In a different manner, it is not Joshua but the Torah that is Moses’ successor. Leadership was passed to the prophets and to the rabbis but they are merely guides the people. Both legally and ethically. It was Moses who was the writer. He and God alone. Moses’ elevated prophecy enabled him this possibility. It was only with God’s favour that he was able to produce such a magnum opus. Joshua was the Exilarch figure while the text became the religious authority. A more pronounced Exilarch than that of rabbinic period but still a secular authority that led and preached to the people. The text remained the cornerstone of legal adjudication. 

Despite the textualisation, the orality persisted. The lack of book culture or really any textual culture salvaged. Deuteronomy does order the construction of judicial authority. Moses cannot be the sole adjudicator presented in the earlier texts. He is leaving and the next generation must pick the slack through formal justice. Order is necessary and it is through the oral prefecture that Judaism persists in the common legal frame. Texts highlight an ideal that the spirit encompasses. The legal and theological core is maintained in the sensus comminus. The orality is the bedrock of religiosity and the text is the web that ties it together for eternity. Moses’ exoteric identity is the process of integration for divine servitude 

Mosaic theology is the prophetic secrecy. Moses above all reached the apex of divine attendance. His spiritual experience is unparalleled and knowledge is fluently expressed. Moses best knew the divine, more than anyone. It is an insight into his mind. Deuteronomy is the exoteric framework that Gersonides and his contemporaries followed in divulging their Andalusian predecessors. Moses is God’s student and exposer. Mosaic theology is the grand identity of religious theology of the community. A people weaned off of Egyptian paganism. A people pure in their desert journey. Forty years to sever the link with rampant polytheism for a new model. A renewed theology focused on monotheistic religiosity. To praise and submit to the saviour from bondage to glory. Mosaic Deuteronomy itself may be the introduction to the sensus comminus. A newly formed nation though with ancient ties, Moses only consolidated this in better terms. Though the sensus comminus may be traced back to Abraham or even Shem or Adam, it was Moses who exposed the truth. Orality transitioned to textuality in the form of dialectical esotericism into naturalised exotericism. 

Moses’ succeeded where Maimonides failed due to the former’s unprecedented respect and acceptance. Moses is indeed challenged multiple times concerning his leadership but time and time again God defends him. Korah’s rebellion is the most noticeable. God personally resists taking personal offence. It is the leadership bestowed that empowers his abilities. The king’s mark on Moses lingers and speaks volume. A respect of unequal caliber. Moses’ authority is respected because God defends him. Abarbanel notes that God included Moses’ Deuteronomy. This was out of respect for the great leader and deep conviction in his superb leadership. Moses’ Deuteronomy went unchallenged and is actually referenced most later on, whether in Josiah’s reign or Ezra’s return. Its central status spoke to its personalised and communal mentality. This was Moses speaking to the people. It was a mortal leader’s last words to his community. A final breath of profound wisdom.