Deut 1-18

My good friend,

Matthew A. Rothaus Moser

, invited me to lead a seminar on the Bible and political theology for the Templeton Honors College’s Summer Scholars Program.

Since I got to choose the text, I decided to stay in Torah, and work through Deuteronomy 1-18. Here is my lesson plan:

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Deuteronomy 1–18
July 1, 2025
Summer Scholars Program
Templeton Honors College

1. Introduction

   1. Naming the Book: mish’neh torah (shanah, to repeat); devar’im; deuteronomy

   2. Structure: Preamble (1:1-5); Historical Review (1:6-4:49); Stipulations (general laws, 5–11; specific stipulations 12–26); Deposition of the Copy of Covenant (27, 31); To be read by the king in assembly ever seven years (31:10-13); Blessings and Curses (30:19-32:1); Witnesses: “Heaven and earth” (4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1); “This song” (31:19)

   3. Structural argument: Standard form in 3rd Millennium BCE; Would have been made by Abraham and Abi-melech; Isaac and Abi-melech; and Jacob and Laban – that is, between kings; God calls His people to be kings – to study, to be personally responsible

   4. Connection: Collect: “Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.”

2. The First Speech (1-4)

   1. Introduction: The genre is history as moral argument, with narrative compression and expansion, and characterisation.

   2. Questions

      1. What themes (ideas) and motifs (words, phrases) repeat? Why?

      2. How does Moses characterise “you”?

      3. What kind of political formation does he have in view?

      4. What is Moses’s political vision?

3. The Second Speech (General Law, 5-11)

   1. Defend this claim from the text: “Memory is the primary civic virtue.”

   2. If so, what is their greatest political danger?

4. The Second Speech (Specific Stipulations, 12-18)

   1. How do these laws ‘centralize’ culture? (e.g., by regulating worship) What dangers does this mitigate, and what formative effect does it have?

   2. What restraints does Moses place on public officials, and what do they suggest about the inherent dangers of each office?

   3. What is a nation?

5. To conclude:

   1. Question: How does the political vision of Deuteronomy challenge our vision of the political life of America?

   2. Activity: Copy out ch. 5-11 by hand you kings, you.