Rescaling the Margin and the Center in Early Judaism: R. G. Kratz’s Historical and Biblical Israel

Abstract

Summary In Historical and Biblical Israel, Reinhard Kratz attempts to review the entire history of Israel and Judah (from around 1200 BCE to 135 CE) arguing that for most of this period, the form of Judaism known to us from the Hebrew Bible and parabiblical literature was a minority movement located among elite scribes separated from the cult and the state. He makes this argument in part by reviewing six Jewish archives from the Second Temple Period. While lingering questions remain regarding Kratz’s methodology and the identities of these scribes, Kratz’s rescaling of the margin and the center in Judaism during this period potentially has broad implications for future studies in the field.