Those Elusive Deuteronomists

Those Elusive Deuteronomists
Author: Linda S. Schearing
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 289
Release: 1999-08-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567563367

As recent scholarship dates Hebrew Bible materials later and later, the Deuteronomistic History has grown in importance. Viewed as the original, earliest document of the Hebrew Scriptures, it is credited with influencing (formally or informally) almost every level of the Hebrew Bible's composition. The 13 essays in this book include articles by N. Lohfink, A.G. Auld, J. Blenkinsopp, R.J. Coggins, J. Crenshaw, J. Van Seters and R.R. Wilson, as well as outstanding articles by newer scholars in the field. All address the question of whether or not the claims made by the pervasive pan-deuteronomism movement sweeping the discipline can, in fact, be verified.

King Manasseh and Child Sacrifice

King Manasseh and Child Sacrifice
Author: Francesca Stavrakopoulou
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 424
Release: 2012-10-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3110899647

The Hebrew Bible portrays King Manasseh and child sacrifice as the most reprehensible person and the most objectionable practice within the story of 'Israel'. This monograph suggests that historically, neither were as deviant as the Hebrew Bible appears to insist. Through careful historical reconstruction, it is argued that Manasseh was one of Judah's most successful monarchs, and child sacrifice played a central role in ancient Judahite religious practice. The biblical writers, motivated by ideological concerns, have thus deliberately distorted the truth about Manasseh and child sacrifice.

The Authors of the Deuteronomistic History

The Authors of the Deuteronomistic History
Author: Brian Neil Peterson
Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers
Total Pages: 405
Release: 2014
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1451469969

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.

Saul, Doeg, Nabal, and the "Son of Jesse"

Saul, Doeg, Nabal, and the
Author: Joseph Lozovyy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2009-08-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567646661

This work examines some of the stories in 1 Sam. 16-25 with the particular focus placed on Saul, Doeg, Nabal and the "son of Jesse." It seeks to discover new meaning in the structure as well as in the characters' functions in the narratives by studying the stories synchronically and diachronically. One of the mysterious characters in 1 Samuel that has puzzled many a scholar is Nabal the Calebite. This study scrutinizes the elements of his characterization in 1 Sam. 25 and considers his abuses of the "son of Jesse", the contextual role of the geographic setting and political environment during King Saul's reign. Similarly, this volume studies the function of the character of Doeg the Edomite in 1 Sam. 21 and 22 regarding his Edomite origin, his particular business in Nob and his official status in Saul's court. The phrase the "son of Jesse" is quite important in 1 Samuel and serves a particular purpose in the thematic development in the second half of the book. Viewed against the background of the Saul/David relationship, it underscores the superiority of the Davidic person in advancing the divine plan for the nation of Israel. The determination of the book's historical context is the key to understanding the multilayered messages. The roles of history and ideology in making these stories are also considered with the proposal that the making of the book(s) of Samuel after the Exile (5th c. B.C.) might have been instigated by the writer's desire to create the context needed for further development of the messianic ideas.

Reconsidering the Book of the Four

Reconsidering the Book of the Four
Author: Nicholas R. Werse
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 582
Release: 2019-05-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3110649942

Although many scholars recognize literary similarities between Hosea, Amos, Micah, and Zephaniah, defining the compositional relationship between these texts remains a matter of debate. Following the scholarly trajectory of exploring the compositional relationship between the Twelve prophets, several scholars argue that these four prophetic texts formed a precursory collection to the Book of the Twelve. Yet even among advocates for this ‘Book of the Four’ there remain differences in defining the form and function of the collection. By reexamining the literary parallels between these texts, Werse shows how different methodological convictions have led to the diverse composition models in the field today. Through careful consideration of emerging insights in the study of deuteronomism and scribalism, Werse provides an innovative composition model explaining how these four texts came to function as a collection in the wake of the traumatic destruction of Jerusalem. This volume explores a historic function of these prophetic voices by examining the editorial process that drew them together.

Is Samuel Among the Deuteronomists

Is Samuel Among the Deuteronomists
Author: Cynthia Edenburg
Publisher: Society of Biblical Lit
Total Pages: 383
Release: 2013-10-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1589836391

The book of Samuel tells the story of the origins of kingship in Israel in what seems to be an artistically structured, flowing narrative. Yet it is also marked by an inconsistent outlook, divergent styles, and breaks in the narrative. According to Noth’s Deuteronomistic History hypothesis, the Deuteronomistic historian constructed the narrative by piecing together early sources and generally refrained from commenting in his own voice. Recent studies have called into question the extent of Samuel’s sources and their redaction history, as well as the textual growth of the book as a whole. The essays in this book, representing the latest scholarship on this subject, reexamine whether the book of Samuel was ever part of a Deuteronomistic History. The contributors are A. Graeme Auld, Hannes Bezzel, Philip R. Davies, Walter Dietrich, Cynthia Edenburg, Jeremy M. Hutton, Jürg Hutzli, Ernst Axel Knauf, Reinhard Müller, Richard D. Nelson, Christophe Nihan, K. L. Noll, Juha Pakkala, and Jacques Vermeylen.

The Hebrew Bible in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Hebrew Bible in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Author: Armin Lange
Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
Total Pages: 490
Release: 2013-06-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3647535559

Until recently, most non-biblical manuscripts attested in the Qumran library were regarded as copies of texts that were composed after the books of the Hebrew Bible were written. Students of the Hebrew Bible found the Dead Sea Scrolls therefore mostly of interest for the textual and interpretative histories of these books. The present collection confirms the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for both areas, by showing that they have revolutionized our understanding of how the text of the biblical books developed and how they were interpreted. Beyond the textual and interpretative histories, though, many texts attested in the Qumran library illuminate the time in which the later books of the Hebrew Bible were composed and reworked as well as Jewish life and law in the time when the canon of the Hebrew Bible developed. This volume gives important examples as to how the early texts attested in the Dead Sea Scrolls help to better understand individual biblical books and as to how the later texts among them illustrate Jewish life and law when the canon of the Hebrew Bible evolved. In order to find an adequate expertise for the seminar »The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hebrew Bible«, the editors invited both junior and senior specialists in the fields of Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, Dead Sea Scrolls and Rabbinics to Rome.

The Book of Amos

The Book of Amos
Author: M. Daniel Carroll R.
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 510
Release: 2020-11-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1467459402

In this commentary on the book of Amos, Daniel Carroll combines a detailed reading of the Hebrew text with attention to its historical background and current relevance. What makes this volume unique is its special attention to Amos’s literary features and what they reveal about the book’s theology and composition. Instead of reconstructing a hypothetical redactional history, this commentary offers a close reading of the canonical form against the backdrop of the eighth century BCE.

A Prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15, 18): The Origin, History, and Influence of the Mosaic Prophetic Succession

A Prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15, 18): The Origin, History, and Influence of the Mosaic Prophetic Succession
Author: David DeJong
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2022-09-12
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004522026

In this book, DeJong explores Deuteronomy’s redefinition of prophecy in Mosaic terms. He traces the history of Deuteronomy’s concept of the prophet like Moses from the seventh century BCE to the first century CE, and demonstrates the ways in which Jewish and Christian texts were influenced by and responded to Deuteronomy’s creation of a Mosaic norm for prophetic claims. This wide-ranging discussion illuminates the development of normative discourses in Judaism and Christianity, and illustrates the far-reaching impact of Deuteronomy’s thought.

An Introduction to the Study of Jeremiah

An Introduction to the Study of Jeremiah
Author: C.L. Crouch
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2017-02-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567665747

C. L. Crouch provides a clear and concise introduction to the complex text of Jeremiah. Readers are introduced to the diverse approaches to the book, with attention paid to the way that these approaches differ from but also relate to one another. After a brief introduction, Crouch addresses the formation of the book, especially in relation to its Hebrew and Greek versions; the theological interests of the book and the challenges posed by attempts to link these to an actual man 'Jeremiah'; and the relationship of Jeremiah to other biblical prophets. Crouch focuses clearly on method and on approaches to the text, as is the mark of this series. This makes the book especially useful for students in the quest to navigate the diverse body of scholarly literature that surrounds this troublesome biblical book.