Going Up and Going Down: A Key to Interpreting Jacob's Dream (Genesis 28:10–22)

Description

In Going Up and Going Down Yitzhak Peleg argues that the story of Jacob's dream (Genesis 28.10-22), functions as a mise en abyme ('as a figure, trope or structure that somehow reflects in compact form, in miniature, the larger structure in which it appears', Greenstein). Close examination reveals that focusing on the vision of Jacob's dream and understanding it as a symbolic dream facilitates an explanation of the dream and its meaning. Scholars have historically classified the dream as theophany, the purpose of which is to explain how Beth-El became a sacred place, and as such the vision in Jacob's dream is generally accepted as merely ornamental, or even lacking a message in itself. Whilst Peleg does not contradict or seek to go against identification of the dream as theophany, he sees a more nuanced purpose behind its presentation. Peleg's proposal is that the description of the vision, and especially that of the movement of the angels, is not embellishment, supplementation or scenic background, of God's message, but that it directly symbolizes the path taken by the Patriarchs to and from the Promised Land. Furthermore, the narrative context and visual description in the dream in which 'Angels of God were going up and down it' appears when Jacob is on his way to Harran, that is to say, when he is about to leave Israel. CONTENTS Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations Chapter 1 -- PREFACE TO THE STORY OF JACOB’S DREAM: JACOB’S DREAM AS A MISE EN ABYME 1. Dream Descriptions in the Bible and in the Ancient Near East 2. Research Methods and Methodology 3. A Survey of the Research on Jacob’ Dream: The Bible Story in General and the Story of Jacob’s Dream in Particular Appendix: The Jacob’s Dream Story (Genesis 28:10–22) According to Its “Sources” Chapter 2 -- THE STORY OF JACOB’S DREAM AT BETHEL: GENESIS 28:10–22 1. Structure and Significance of the Jacob’s Dream Story 2. The Dream Vision as Mise en Abyme of the Jacob’s Dream Story 3. The Vision in the Dream (Realistic and Symbolic Readings) 4. Two Readings of Jacob’s Dream—A Tentative Conclusion 5. The Vow as a Contribution to Understanding and Interpreting Jacob’s Dream Chapter 3 -- THE JACOB’S DREAM STORY AS MISE EN ABYME OF THE JACOB STORY CYCLE 1. Subject and Boundaries 2. Defining “Jacob Story Cycle” Boundaries and Place in the Discussion 3. Mise en Abyme in the Bible and in Ancient Near Eastern Literature 4. The Dream Vision as Mise en Abyme of Entering and Leaving the Land in the Jacob Story Cycle 5. Jacob’s Dream as Mise en Abyme for the Patriarchal Narrative 6. The Departures and Returns of the Patriarch According to the W-Shaped Model 7. Conclusion: The Vision in Jacob’s Dream as Mise en Abyme of the M-Shaped Model Chapter 4 -- CONCLUSION AND DEPARTURE POINT: “THE GATE OF HEAVEN” JOURNEYS FROM BABYLON TO BETHEL AND TO JERUSALEM CYCLE 1. Two Readings of Jacob’s Dream Summed Up: Concentrated Data on “Going Up and Going Down—A Key to Interpreting Jacob’s Dream” (Genesis 28:10–22) 2. The Mise en Abyme as a Miniature Reflection 3. Jacob’s Dream Is a Theophany and a Symbolic Dream 4. Support for the Symbolic View of Jacob’s Dream 5. The Jacob’s Dream Story as Mise en Abymeof Patriarchal Journeys 6. The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9) and Jacob’s Sullam 7. In Conclusion: The Gate of Heaven in Jerusalem—A Departure Point for Further Research Bibliography Index of References Index of Authors