“Here is a people that dwells alone, and that does not consider itself among the nations”: Balaam ben Beor and the National Boundaries of Ancient Israel
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2016
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Koltun-Fromm, Naomi
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Haverford College. Department of Religion
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Thesis
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The Religion Prize
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eng
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Open Access
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Abstract
Contrary to the claims of religious fundamentalists, the Torah is not a single, consistent work of sacred literature, handed by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Instead, it is a composite text, representing a collection of writings from a number of ancient Israelite authors. In this regard it is best viewed as ancient Israel's national mythology, as it uses narrative forms to present, for Israelite readers, a history of the world and of Israel. In turn, this history informs the manners in which audiences from ancient Israel to the present day conceive of God and the Israelite people. Within that context, this thesis takes a close look at the figure of Balaam ben (son of) Beor, as he appears in Numbers 22-24 and 31. As a mythological character, Balaam acts to construct, reify, and strengthen the boundaries between Israel and foreign nations. Placing him in a direct and personal relationship with God, the Bible's authors and redactors establish him as a legitimate cultic authority. Simultaneously, however, they attack his credibility by associating him with such denigrated characters as the Pharaoh of the Exodus story and the prophets of Baal from 1 Kings 18. In so doing, they make Balaam the religious representative of Moab and Midian, two of Israel’s traditional enemies, and therefore contrast him directly with God, who represents Israel. Inevitably, God outranks Balaam, and the authors therefore depict him as a model of cultic behavior expected of foreigners but disallowed to Israelites. As such, Israel's mythologizers posit Balaam as a boundary-crosser, only to redraw the lines so as to place him on the outside.