Utopia and Exodus 20–23

The book of Exodus (chiefly chs. 1–18) has been read as utopian throughout Christian political history. However, these readings offer a simplistic, liberative interpretation of Exodus. This thesis responds to and supplements these dominant readings by exploring how utopia appears beyond these early chapters. It offers a selective commentary on Exodus 20–23 (the Decalogue and the Covenant Code) with a utopian hermeneutic developed from the work of Marxist utopian Fredric Jameson. It argues that Exodus is utopian, but that this image of utopia is not always one of liberation. The first half of this thesis sets out the context for this work: it explores the current state of commentary scholarship on Exodus 20–23; the concept of utopia (in a broad sense and as specifically related to Jameson); prior utopian interpretations of the Hebrew Bible; and the dominant utopian interpretations of the book of Exodus. The second half of this thesis offers a utopian commentary. The select portions of Exodus 20–23 considered are the covenant form itself, the regulations on enslavement (Exod. 21:1–11), religious festivals and sabbatical instructions (Exod. 20:8–11; 23:10–12, 14–17), and the conquest of Canaan (Exod. 23:20–33). These interpretations illustrate the utopian nature of Exodus 20–23 but in a way that goes beyond pure liberation. Instead, this thesis highlights utopia in Exodus 20–23 as complex and ambiguous.