The Deuteronomistic History is the label used by scholars for the Old Testament books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, as identified by Martin Noth. Campbell and O'Brien provide the biblical text with detailed notations on how this work came together, was modified, and was passed down to us in its present form, accounting for the shifts in Israel's and Judah's histories, their storytelling practices, and their ideological interests. Identifying and explaining what accounts for these literary and social processes makes this volume a major step forward for the study of this major block of biblical texts.
This collection of essays examines the relationship of prophecy to the Deuteronomistic History (Deuteronomy–2 Kings), including the historical reality of prophecy that stands behind the text and the portrayal of prophecy within the literature itself. The contributors use a number of perspectives to explore the varieties of intermediation and the cultic setting of prophecy in the ancient Near East; the portrayal of prophecy in pentateuchal traditions, pre-Deuteronomistic sources, and other Near Eastern literature; the diverse perspectives reflected within the Deuteronomistic History; and the possible Persian period setting for the final form of the Deuteronomistic History. Together the collection represents the current state of an important, ongoing discussion. The contributors are Ehud Ben Zvi, Diana Edelman, Mignon R. Jacobs, Mark Leuchter, Martti Nissinen, Mark O’Brien, Raymond F. Person Jr., Thomas C. Römer, Marvin A. Sweeney, and Rannfrid Thelle.
Peterson engages the identities and provenances of the authors of the various "editions" of the Deteronomistic History. Peterson asks where we might locate a figure with both motive and opportunity to draw up a proto-narrative including elements of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and the first part of 1 Kings. Peterson identifies a particular candidate in the time of David qualified to write the first edition. He then identifies the particular circle of custodians of the Deuteronomistic narrative and supplies successive redactions down to the time of Jeremiah.
This volume of thirty articles covering a wide range of subjects related to Old Testament study is written by colleagues, friends and students of A. Graeme Auld to honour the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday.
Subdivided into three segments (Hebrew Bible, Greek Bible, Qumran), this updated and revised collection of essays represents the work of Emanuel Tov in the past seventeen years. He focuses on various aspects of the textual analysis of the Hebrew and Greek Bible, as well as the Qumran biblical manuscripts in Hebrew and Greek. Further he takes a special interest in the orthography of biblical manuscripts, the nature of the early Masoretic Text, the nature of the Qumran biblical texts and their importance for our understanding of the history of the biblical text, the editions of the Hebrew Bible, and the use of computers in biblical studies. The author also focuses on the interaction between textual and literary criticism and the question of the original text or texts of the Hebrew Bible. His special interests in the Qumran scrolls include the nature of the Qumran corpus, their scribal background, the contents of the various caves, and the number of the compositions and copies found at Qumran. His interest in the Septuagint translation evolves around its text-critical value, the Greek texts from the Judean Desert, and translation technique.
John J. Collins's Introduction to the Hebrew Bible is one of the most popular introductory textbooks in colleges and seminary classrooms. Enriched by decades of classroom teaching, it is aimed explicitly at motivated students, regardless of their previous exposure to the Bible or faith commitments. The third edition is presented in a new and engaging format with new maps and images. An index has been added to the volume for the first time. In order to enhance classroom use, Collins's major text has now been divided into four volumes, one for each major part of the Hebrew Bible. This volume focuses on the Deuteronomistic History. Here, Collins explores the books of Joshua through 2 Kings, the main account of Israel's history. The volume also contains the introduction to Collins's major text and is now available with even more student-friendly features, including charts, maps, photographs, chapter summaries, and bibliographies for further reading. Collins presents the current state of historical, archaeological, and literary understandings of the biblical text and engages the student in questions of significance and interpretation for the contemporary world.
A marvel of conciseness, John J. Collins’ A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible is quickly becoming one of the most popular introductory textbooks in colleges and university classrooms. Here the erudition of Collins’ renowned Introduction to the Hebrew Bible is combined with even more student-friendly features, including charts, maps, photographs, chapter summaries, illuminating vignettes, and bibliographies for further reading. The second edition has been carefully revised to take the latest scholarly developments into account. A dedicated website includes test banks and classroom resources for the busy instructor.
The extent of the so-called History of David’s Rise has been indecisive, and as a result, various issues around the document have been left extremely flexible. This comprehensive monograph sees the root of the problem in inadequate methodological reflection, and seeks to provide sensible answers to the source-critical question on the basis of hermeneutic and literary reflection.
This unique commentary generates a conversation between the biblical narrative of conquest, related biblical themes, and the American master narrative of Manifest Destiny. Writing in an accessible style and format, Hawk offers an exegesis of the biblical text with special emphasis on the ways the narrative of conquest shaped ancient Israel's identity as a people. A second level of commentary lifts key themes from the text (e.g., the land as divine gift and promise, mass killing, Israel's distinctive attributes, the construction of the Indigenous Other) and sets them within their broader biblical context. A third dimension reflects on corresponding elements in America's narrative of "westward expansion" (e.g. the conviction of America's unique character and destiny, total war and ethnic cleansing, the dehumanization of Native peoples, patriotism and homeland, the idea of the American Dream). As a whole, this book offers Joshua as a biblical resource for reading the American experience, challenging readers to reflect on how conquest shaped America's identity and how it continues to influence American attitudes and actions.
Who is the biblical Gideon? A mighty warrior, or a fearful son? Hesitant solider, clever tactician, commanding father, ruthless killer, idolater, or illegitimate king? Gideon has long challenged readers of the book of Judges. How did so many conflicting portraits become inscribed in our biblical text and its reception? What might these portraits tell us about the authors, editors, and interpreters of Gideon's story-especially their expectations for men? Rewriting Masculinity interweaves redaction criticism, reception history, and masculinity studies to explore how Gideon's image changes from a mighty warrior to a weakling, from a successful leader to a man who led Israel astray. Kelly J. Murphy first considers the ways that older traditions about Gideon were rewritten throughout ancient Israel's history, sometimes in order to align the story of Gideon with new ideas about what it meant to act like a man. At other times, she shows that the story of Gideon was used to explain why older standards of masculinity no longer worked in new contexts. Murphy then traces how some later interpreters, from the ancient to the contemporary, continually rewrote Gideon in light of their own models for men, might, and masculinity. Murphy offers an in-depth case study of how a biblical text was continuously updated. Emphasizing the importance of reading biblical stories and expansions alongside their later reception, she shows that the story of Gideon the mighty warrior is, in many ways, the story of masculinity in miniature: a constantly-transforming construct.
