Reading Law as Narrative : A Study in the Casuistic Laws of the Pentateuch

A criminal attorney, Bartor (biblical studies, Tel Aviv U.) shows how the otherwise dry and technical text of the laws in the Pentateuch hide a multitude of stories that can imbue the laws, the society, and the people with interest. She covers the laws as embedded stories, the lawgiver as narrator, the mimetic illusion in the representation of speech, and lawgiver as psychologist representing inner life, and point of view. The study is revised from her PhD dissertation at Tel Aviv University. Annotation 2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)