This compendium examines the origins of the God Yahweh, his place in the Syrian-Palestinian and Northern Arabian pantheon during the bronze and iron ages, and the beginnings of the cultic veneration of Yahweh. Contributors analyze the epigraphic and archeological evidence, apply fundamental considerations from the cultural and religious sciences, and analyze the relevant Old Testament texts.
The Achaemenid period (550-330 BCE) is rightly seen as one of the most formative periods in Judaism. It is the period in which large portions of the Bible were edited and redacted and others were authored--yet no dedicated interdisciplinary study has been undertaken to present a consistent picture of this decisive time period. This book is dedicated to the study of the touchpoints between Yahwistic communities throughout the Achaemenid empire and the Iranian attributes of the empire that ruled over them for about two centuries. Its approach is fundamentally interdisciplinary. It brings together scholars of Achaemenid history, literature and religion, Iranian linguistics, historians of the Ancient Near East, archeologists, biblical scholars and Semiticists. The goal is to better understand the interchange of ideas, expressions and concepts as well as the experience of historical events between Yahwists and the empire that ruled over them for over two centuries. The book will open up a holisitic perspective on this important era to scholars of a wide variety of fields in the study of Judaism in the Ancient Near East.
STAR - Studies in Theology and Religion, 5 Papers Read at the First Meeting of the European Association for Biblical Studies, Utrecht, 6-9 August 2000 The Persian era in Ancient Israel’s history is an intriguing period. The time span between Cyrus the Great and Alexander the Great was a theatre of shifts and changes. These changes are observable in daily life, in the organisation of society as well as in various religious phenomena. The essays in this volume originate from a seminar about developments and movements in the religion of Israel after the Exile, which was part of the first meeting of the European Association for Biblical Studies (Utrecht, 2000). The essays deal with questions like: How did religion help inhabitants of Yehud to cope with the new reality? How did this new reality influence the (re)formulation of Yahwism? What was the character of the existing Yahwism that was reformulated? Rainer Albertz (PhD Heidelberg, 1972; Habilitation Heidelberg, 1977) is ordinary Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of Münster (Westfalen, Germany). His most recent book is: Die Exilszeit 6. Jahrhundert v. Chr. (Biblische Enzyklopädie 7), Stuttgart 2001. Bob Becking (PhD Utrecht, 1985) is ordinary Professor of Old Testament studies at Utrecht University. He was co-editor of the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, Leiden 1995; 21998. From the contents Rainer Albertz & Bob Becking, Problems and Possibilities: Perspectives on Postexilic Yahwism Rainer Albertz, The Thwarted Restoration Bob Becking, Law as Expression of Religion (Ezra 7-10) Ehud Ben Zvi, What is New in Yehud? Some Considerations Mark J. Boda, Zechariah: Master Mason or Penitential Prophet? Meindert Dijkstra, The Law of Moses: the Memory of Mosaic Religion in and after the Exile William Johnstone, The Revision of Festivals in Exodus 1-24 in the Persian Period and the Preservation of Jewish Identity in the Diaspora Antje Labahn, Antitheocratic Tendencies in Chronicles Herbert Niehr, The Changed Status of the Dead in Yehud Thomas Pola, Form and Meaning in Zechariah 3 Wolter Rose, Messianic Expectations in the Early Postexilic Period Rüdiger Schmitt, Gab es einen Bildersturm nach dem Exil? - Einige Bemerkungen zur Verwendung von Terrakottafigurinen im nachexilischen Israel Zipora Talshir, Synchronic Approaches with Diachronic Consequences in the Study of Parallel Redactions: First Esdras and 2 Chr 35-36; Ezra 1-10; Neh 8 David S. Vanderhooft, New Evidence Pertaining to the Transition from Neo-Babylonian to Achaemenid Administration in Palestine
What was Judaean religion in the Persian period like? Is it necessary to use the Bible to give an answer to the question? Among other things the study argues that • the religion practiced in the 5th c. BCE Elephantine community and which is reflected in the so-called Elephantine documents represent a well-attested manifestation of lived Persian period Yahwism, • as religio-historical sources, the Elephantine documents reveal more about the actual religious practice of the Elephantine Judaeans than what the highly edited and canonised texts of the Bible reveal about the religious practice of the contemporary Yahwistic coreligionists in Judah, and • the image of the Elephantine Judaism emerging from the Elephantine documents can revise the canonised image of Judaean religion in the Persian period (cf. A. Assmann). The Elephantine Yahwism should not be interpreted within a framework dependent upon theological, conceptual and spatial concepts alien to it, such as biblical ones. The study proposes an alternative framework by approaching the Elephantine documents on the basis of N. Smart’s multidimensional model of religion. Elephantine should not be exotified but brought to the very centre of any discussion of the history of Judaism.
"Sure to provoke discussion and debate as it offers a unique approach to some old and perplexing issues in the history of ancient Israel and its religion, Cook's study is a bold new proposal for synthesizing the social history of Israel's religious traditions. Among the many "Yahwisms" coexisting in ancient Israel was an initially small minority stream of theological tradition composed of geographically and socially diverse groups in northern and southern Israel. These groups shared a religious commitment to a covenantal, village-based, land-oriented Yahwism that arose before the emergence of Israelite kingship. It eventually rose to dominance, and its theology provided robust resources for dealing with the Babylonian exile. It thus came to occupy a prominent place in the present canon of the Hebrew Bible. Cook combines detailed study of biblical texts with a carefully constructed social-scientific method and body of data to argue for the early origins of biblical Yahwism. This book is written to be accessible to lay readers and also of significant interest to Hebrew Bible students and specialists." -- ‡c From publisher's description.
This compendium examines the origins of the God Yahweh, his place in the Syrian-Palestinian and Northern Arabian pantheon during the bronze and iron ages, and the beginnings of the cultic veneration of Yahweh. Contributors analyze the epigraphic and archeological evidence, apply fundamental considerations from the cultural and religious sciences, and analyze the relevant Old Testament texts.
What was Judaean religion in the Persian period like? Is it necessary to use the Bible to give an answer to the question? Among other things the study argues that • the religion practiced in the 5th c. BCE Elephantine community and which is reflected in the so-called Elephantine documents represent a well-attested manifestation of lived Persian period Yahwism, • as religio-historical sources, the Elephantine documents reveal more about the actual religious practice of the Elephantine Judaeans than what the highly edited and canonised texts of the Bible reveal about the religious practice of the contemporary Yahwistic coreligionists in Judah, and • the image of the Elephantine Judaism emerging from the Elephantine documents can revise the canonised image of Judaean religion in the Persian period (cf. A. Assmann). The Elephantine Yahwism should not be interpreted within a framework dependent upon theological, conceptual and spatial concepts alien to it, such as biblical ones. The study proposes an alternative framework by approaching the Elephantine documents on the basis of N. Smart’s multidimensional model of religion. Elephantine should not be exotified but brought to the very centre of any discussion of the history of Judaism.
This is the most far-reaching interdisciplinary investigation into the religion of ancient Israel ever attempted. The author draws on textual readings, archaeological and historical data and epigraphy to determine what is known about the Israelite religions during the Iron Age (1200-586 BCE). The evidence is synthesized within the structure of an Israelite worldview and ethos involving kin, tribes, land, traditional ways and places of worship, and a national deity. Professor Zevit has originated this interpretive matrix through insights, ideas, and models developed in the academic study of religion and history within the context of the humanities. He is strikingly original, for instance, in his contention that much of the Psalter was composed in praise of deities other than Yahweh. Through his book, the author has set a precedent which should encourage dialogue and cooperative study between all ancient historians and archaeologists, but particularly between Iron Age archaeologists and biblical scholars. The work challenges many conclusions of previous scholarship about the nature of the Israelites' religion.
