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THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND of the OLD TESTAMENT THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND of the OLD TESTAMENT BY DAVID JACOBSON, PH. D. HEBREW UNION COLLEGE PRESS CINCINNATI, 1942 COPYRIGHT, 1942 BY HEBREW UNION COLLEGE PRESS PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO DR. JULIAN MORGENSTERN, FRIEND AND TEACHER FOREWORD This study is presented as Volume II of the Hebrew Union College Alumni Publication Series. Its author, Dr. David Jacobson is a graduate of the College of the class of 1934. During the two years following his graduation he carried on graduate studies at Cam bridge University, England, in the Department of Semitics. While in England he came into close and stimulating personal contact with those distinguished anthropologists, B. Z. and C. G, Seligman. Their deep influence upon him is plainly manifest upon almost every page of this work. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Cambridge Uni versity in 1936. This study was offered as the scien tific dissertation for that degree. It has, however, for publication been carefully revised and considerably expanded from its original form. Upon his return to the United States Dr. Jacobson served for two years as Assistant Rabbi in the Reform congregation of Indianapolis, Indiana. Since 1938 he has functioned ably and with distinction as Associate Rabbi of Congregation Beth-El of San Antonio, Texas. This work is a valuable study of the origins and early stages of development of the fundamental social institutions among various Semitic peoples of antiquity, with particular attention to the Hebrews, especially in that period of their cultural evolution of which the Bible is the principal record. It is vil Vlll FOREWORD characterized bythoroughness of method, wide range of reading and sound preparation, and a com mendable independence of judgment and conclusion, which have led the author not infrequently, in the logical development of his theses, to differ coura geously with his teachers and to support his diver gent views confidently and effectively. It merits the very careful study of all workers in the closely related fields of anthropology and sociology, and particularly of students of the sociological history of Israel. The Hebrew Union College presents with pride this first scientific achievement of one of the ablest and most promising of its recent graduates, and views it as the bright augury of other, meritorious, scien tific achievements to follow. The publication of this volume, like all other volumes in this Series, is made possible by a generous grant from the Hebrew Union College Alumni Association. JULIAN MORGENSTERN, President ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgment of sources is made in the text, but here I wish to express my gratitude and obligation to Dr. Stanley A. Cook, until recently Regius Professor of Hebrew in the University of Cam bridge, for his unfailing encouragement and constant aid to Mrs. B. Z. Seligman of Oxford to Herbert Loewe of blessed memory, formerly Reader in Rab binics in the University of Cambridge, and to the Rev. Dr. William Rosenau of Baltimore, for their many helpful suggestions. To President Julian Morgenstern of the Hebrew Union College I am deeply indebted, both for the background and the advice that went into the writ ing of this book and for the interest that helped make possible its appearance. Special thanks are due to the Hebrew Union College Alumni Association, to the Rev.Dr. Ephraim Frisch and to a number of the members of Temple Beth-El of San Antonio for providing a portion of the funds for publication. I am also very grateful for the invaluable aid of Mr. M. Myer Singer, who voluntarily undertook the task of arranging the format and the typography of the book. It is impossible to put into words my debt to my wife, Helen. D. J. IX CONTENTS Foreword vii Acknowledgments ix I. MOTHER-RIGHT AND FATHER-RIGHT 3 II. MARRIAGE 35 III. THE FAMILY 69 IV. THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE GROUP 1 14 V. THE DEAD 136 VI. DEITY, TOTEM, AND THE DIVINE KING. ...

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