Reading Ceremonies in the Hebrew Bible: Ideologies of Textua...

This dissertation examines the covenant reading ceremonies depicted in Joshua 8:30–35, 2 Kings 22–23, and Nehemiah 7:72b–8:18, analyzing how these narratives construct ideologies of textual authority and community identity. Through narrative criticism, the study explores the evolving relationship between the Israelite community and the "book of the law," highlighting a shift from oral to written authority and from inclusive to more exclusive community boundaries. The analysis situates these ceremonies within the broader context of ancient Near Eastern loyalty oaths and the internal development of the Hebrew Bible, revealing how each narrative manipulates the material functions of the text and its locus of authority to reflect its own ideological stance. The study concludes that these reading ceremonies not only reinforce the authority of the text but also actively shape the identity and boundaries of the community through ritual performance.