History & Geography

Abstract

History & Geography Christopher T. Begg, John M. Halligan, and Victor H. Matthews 1058. Rainer Albertz, "The Exilic Period as an Urgent Case for a Historical Reconstruction Without the Biblical Text: The Neo-Babylonian Royal Inscriptions as a 'Primary Source,'" 'Even God Cannot Change the Past,' 93-110 [see #1582]. After discussing the difficulty of a historical reconstruction of the exilic period, A. focuses on the Babylonian royal inscriptions, the "foundation myth" of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in particular, which affirms that Assyria was overthrown as punishment for Sennacherib's destruction of the Esagila temple in Babylon and the removal of the cult statue of Marduk. Regarding the Babylonian Basalt Stela concerning Nabonidus's reign, A. concludes with the methodological evaluation that the theological aim of this inscription does not make the events described therein unhistorical. Furthermore, the myth in question is not just an interpretation of history—it also served to shape history.—V.H.M. 1059. [2 Kings 25, etc.] Sonja Ammann, "Oszillationen eines Traumas. Biblische Erzählungen der Eroberung Jerusalems," TZ 74 (2018) 319-37. The Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in the early 6th cent. b.c.e. occupies a central place in the remembered past of ancient Israel. Building on the concept of "cultural trauma," A.'s article examines the various biblical narratives concerning the conquest found in 2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 37–40 and Jeremiah 52, with particular attention to the question of how these texts function to establish the Babylonian conquest in ancient Israel's cultural memory. A. adduces examples drawn from 2 Kgs 25:4-7//Jer 39:3-7 and 2 Chronicles 36 in support of her thesis that (1) in the course of time, a simplified conquest narrative emerged from the above versions of the event, one that focused increasingly on the individual protagonists and their typification; and (2) this process of focusing and typification can be observed at both the micro-level of textual history and the macro-level of literary history. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] 1060. Bob Becking, "Why Start with the Text? The Fall of Samaria Revisited," 'Even God Cannot Change the Past,' 3-19 [see #1582]. B. argues that biblical texts should be construed as interpretations of what might have happened: the text does not equal the event. Thus, e.g., for the Assyrian conquest of Samaria, it should be kept in mind that neither the biblical accounts nor the Assyrian inscriptions can be equated with the event itself. Both inform the reader about the view of their authors concerning a past happening. Texts are historical sources in the same way that artifacts are. But a historian has to deconstruct a given source in search of trustworthy particles contained in the account. Furthermore, the narrator of the text is in a power position, and historians should be aware that the information on the past is filtered through a specific point of view.—V.H.M. 1061. Jonathan Ben-Dov, "Nebuchadnezzar: Seeing Twice Double in Babylonia and the Levant," HeBAI 7 (2018) 3-16. This article works on both the temporal and spatial axes. In spatial terms, it seeks to show that Nebuchadnezzar created a slightly different image for himself in the Levant from the one propagated in Babylonia itself, with the latter being reflected in the royal monuments and the former in biblical prophetic literature. On the temporal axis, B.-D. [End Page 347] notes that Nebuchadnezzar's image enjoyed renewed attention in the Hellenistic period, both in Babylonia and in the Levant. His article traces these twice-double reflections of Nebuchadnezzar, especially as represented on a pair of monuments from Brisa that B.-D. uses to explain certain details of Daniel 4 and the Qumranic Book of the Giants. See also ##1070, 1096, 1097, 1110, 1127. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] 1062. Ehud Ben Zvi, "Clio Today and Ancient Israelite History: Some Thoughts and Observations at the Closing Session of the European Seminar for Historical Methodology," 'Even God Cannot Change the Past,' 20-49 [see #1582]. In a wide-ranging critique of the work of the above...