ABSTRACT
Many studies of Deut 27–28 have focused on the curse themes and language in these chapters, and on parallels with ancient Near Eastern treaty texts. This chapter argues that scribes who composed and compiled Deut 27–28 could have drawn from a wider cultural repertoire than just treaty forms and language, and explores the influence of ritual traditions from the ancient Mesopotamia, in particular. The inclusion of performative elements in the swearing of an oath in the ancient Near East served to distinguish an oath from ordinary statements of promise or commitment. The inclusion of performative elements gave the oath a more binding authority, in part because the swearer made the promise before deities who act as witnesses and enforcers of the oath. The inclusion of performative elements in the enactment of oath and covenant agreements may have served a social function of addressing anxiety during liminal periods of social and political transition for communities. Ritual performance of oaths and covenants, thus, reinforced systems of cultural power or challenged them.
