This book argues that a helpful framework within which to interpret the paraenesis of
Deuteronomy 4:1-40 can be constructed through interaction with the cultural memory interests of
German Egyptologist Jan Assmann and the canonical approach of U.S. biblical theologian Brevard
Childs. By bringing Assmann's cultural memory concerns to bear on the world within the text
Deuteronomy is brought into fruitful contact with questions from the field of sociology by
asking these questions in interaction with the theologically rich formulation of canon offered
by Childs's canonical approach Deuteronomy is interpreted as an authoritative witness to God
for contemporary communities of faith. As a result of this reading strategy the communal and
trans-generational nature of covenant stands out. This emphasis in turn influences the way
Horeb is remembered by later generations and how that memory is transmitted from one generation
to the next through ritual practice and the text of Scripture.
