ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the Law of Centralization (Deut 12) and the Shema (Deut 6) from the perspective of ritual innovation. Deut 12 presents explicit changes to the community's current sacrificial system, yet these changes are subtly disguised so as to preserve the language of the Covenant Code while dismantling its traditional system of offering sacrifices at multiple cult sites and in homes. By us key phraseology from the ritual tradition of the Covenant Code, Deut 12 cloaks its innovation in the legitimacy and authority of the ritual tradition of the past. Deut 6 also commands practices presented as innovations: the Shema prayer and the crafting of ritual objects. However, the crafting of personal objects to place on building entrances and as personal jewelry was a widespread practice in Canaanite culture. Deuteronomy 6 incorporates a traditional ritual action present within Levantine culture and disguises this practice as a ritual innovation. In the Hebrew Bible, innovative ritual practices are typically portrayed as suspicious or even dangerous. Yet, the innovations in Deut 12 and 6 are portrayed positively, and have a goal of protecting the community's religious and cultural traditions.
