Historical Books: Joshua–2 Kings

Abstract

Historical BooksJoshua–2 Kings Christopher T. Begg, Thomas Hieke, Benedict Schöning, and Joseph E. Jensen 2077. [Dtr; Jeremiah] Hermann-Josef Stipp, "Die Deuteronomisten und das Exil. Historische Erfahrungen und theologische Lernprozesse," MTZ 70 (2019) 2-23. Among the most influential theological "schools" in ancient Israel were the Deuteronomists whose heyday were the decades before and after the Babylonian exile, 587–539 b.c.e. In the writings produced by them, the Deuteronomists devoted particular attention to the phenomenon of exile. Attention to their treatments of this theme shows how the Deuteronomists' perception of exile changed substantially over time, in function of the prevailing concerns of the particular group of Deuteronomists involved and especially of the lived experience of exile. After an introductory segment, S.'s study unfolds under six headings as follows: (1) the original Deuteronomistic Historical Work (Dtr); (2) the exilicera expansions of Dtr; (3) the Judean Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1–25*); (4) the Babylonian supplementation (Fortschreibung) of the Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26–44*); (5) a post-Deuteronomistic postlude (Nachspiel): Jeremiah 24; and (6) conclusion. [Adapted and expanded from published abstract—C.T.B.] [End Page 686] 2078. [Joshua] Zev I. Farber and Jacob L. Wright, "The Savior of Gibeon: Reconstructing the Prehistory of the Joshua Account," Book-Seams in the Hexateuch I, 295-310 [see #2401]. From the above discussion, we can see the trajectory the figure of Joshua took in Israelite mnemohistory. He began as a local Ephraimite warrior, primarily remembered for his victory in the battle of Gibeon and Beth-horon. At this stage, his story resembled those of such other biblical warriors as Ehud, Gideon, or Jephthah. The tradition concerning him began to expand as storytellers and scribes identified various heaps of stones in the region with his victories. The growth of this tradition turned Joshua's feats into a counterpart to those of Moses in the exodus-conquest account, with Moses being the one who brings Israel out from Egypt, Joshua the one who brings them into the Promised Land. As the Hexateuch grew into the Enneateuch, Joshua became a transitional figure between the great Moses and the leaders who served the nation before the emergence of the monarchy. All these non-monarchic figures shift the focus on the narrative from kings to the non-royal personages who provided leadership for the nation in its most formative years. Just as Caleb is a non-monarchic counterpoise to the Judean King David in Judah, Joshua is a non-monarchic counterpoise to the Benjaminite-Ephraimite Saul. [Adapted from authors' conclusion, p. 310—C.T.B.] 2079. [Joshua 6–7; P] E. E. Meyer, "The in Joshua 6 and 7, Influenced by P?" AcTSup 26 (2018) 71-87 [see #2377]. M.'s article engages with the old question of P influence in the Book of Joshua, and is, to a large extent, a response to T. B. Dozeman's 2015 commentary on Joshua 1–12. More specifically, M. focuses on the term ḥērem and argues that there are more intertextual links between the understanding of the term in Joshua 6 and 7 and texts from Deuteronomy and the Former Prophets than with P texts. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] 2080. [Josh 8:30-35; Deut 27:2-8; 11:29-30] I. Himbaza, "Accomplissement en Josué de Deutéronome 27,2-8 et 11,29-30 dans la perspective de l'Hexateuque et du Pentateuque," Trans 50 (2018) 105-23. The prescriptions of Deut 27:2-8 reflect a compromise between different groups among the worshipers of Yhwh. According to the Book of Joshua (Josh 8:30-35), the fulfillment of those prescriptions took place in the vicinity of Shechem, this happening against the background of the whole controverted question of where Yhwh is to be worshiped, a question that eventually gave rise to irreconcilable differences among various groups of Yahwists. Divergences on this question may have contributed to the rejection of the Hexateuch at an earlier time and later as well to be main differences between Jews and Samaritans regarding the text of the Pentateuch as these are known today. According...