No More Grapes from the Vineyard? A Plea for a Historical Critical Approach in the Study of the Old Testament

Abstract

The aim of Old Testament scholarship is the interpretation of texts: to know what kind of meaning can be applied to the ancient texts. The story on Naboth's vineyard is part of a greater text-corpus: The cycle of stories on Elijah and Elisha incorporated in the Book of Kings. The Book of Kings is seen as a part of the deuteronomistic history-writing. The last two decades or so Historiography is on the move. The deuteronomistic editors of the Book of Kings have deliberately changed the point of the story. Sometimes, one fears that no more grapes will be harvested from the obsolete vineyard of historical-criticism. When the historical-critical approach in the study of Biblical texts succeeds in avoiding the positivistic pitfalls and accepts the limits of its enterprise, the method will be revitalized and remain fruitful for the field. Keywords: biblical historiography; Book of Kings; Elijah; Elisha; historical-critical approach; Naboth's vineyard; Old Testament