The Reshaping of Ancient Israelite History in Chronicles

The Reshaping of Ancient Israelite History in Chronicles
Author: Isaac Kalimi
Publisher: Eisenbrauns
Total Pages: 489
Release: 2005
Genre: Bible
ISBN: 1575060582

Kalimi catalogues and categorizes the techniques by which the Israelite history in Samuel-Kings is reshaped in the biblical books of Chronicles. The chapters of this study consider the various historiographical and literary changes found in the parallel texts of Chronicles. Because about half of the material in Chronicles is available to us in other biblical sources, comparison of the literary and linguistic devices used by the Chronicler are very revealing. Kalimi considers the ways in which the Chronicler has edited the material available to him, addressing such topics as: literary-chronological proximity, historiographical revision, completions and additions, various kinds of parallelism and literary devices, and so on. A handy compendium of the ways in which the Chronicler treated his material by one of the premier scholars working in the field.

The Bible Unearthed

The Bible Unearthed
Author: Israel Finkelstein
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2002-03-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0743223381

In this groundbreaking work that sets apart fact and legend, authors Finkelstein and Silberman use significant archeological discoveries to provide historical information about biblical Israel and its neighbors. In this iconoclastic and provocative work, leading scholars Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman draw on recent archaeological research to present a dramatically revised portrait of ancient Israel and its neighbors. They argue that crucial evidence (or a telling lack of evidence) at digs in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon suggests that many of the most famous stories in the Bible—the wanderings of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, and David and Solomon’s vast empire—reflect the world of the later authors rather than actual historical facts. Challenging the fundamentalist readings of the scriptures and marshaling the latest archaeological evidence to support its new vision of ancient Israel, The Bible Unearthed offers a fascinating and controversial perspective on when and why the Bible was written and why it possesses such great spiritual and emotional power today.

Chronicling the Chronicler

Chronicling the Chronicler
Author: Paul S. Evans
Publisher: Eisenbrauns
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2013
Genre: Bible
ISBN: 9781575062907

The thirteen essays in this volume are largely revised papers which were originally presented as part of the Ancient Historiography Seminar of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies and they investigate particular texts of Chronicles, examine central themes, and consider future prospects for Chronicles study. The volume includes chapters by Shannon E. Baines, Ehud Ben Zvi, Mark J. Boda, Keith Bodner, Paul S. Evans, Louis Jonker, Gary N. Knoppers, Christine Mitchell, Peter J. Sabo, Steven J. Schweitzer, and John W. Wright. The essays represent many different perspectives, methodologies, and conclusions regarding the Chronicler's work and this volume will be of particular interest to scholars and students of Chronicles, ancient Israelite historiography and biblical literature in general.

The Solomon Narratives in the Context of the Hebrew Bible

The Solomon Narratives in the Context of the Hebrew Bible
Author: Sean E. Cook
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2017-06-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567673502

This book is concerned with ascertaining the value of having two versions of the same monarchic history of Israel within the Hebrew Bible (focusing on the books of Kings and Chronicles). It is furthermore concerned with how the book of Chronicles is read in relation to the book of Kings as Chronicles is so often considered to be a later rewritten text drawing upon an earlier version of the Masoretic Text of Samuel and Kings. The predominant scholarly approach to reading the book of Chronicles is to read it in light of how the Chronicler emended his source texts (additions, omissions, harmonizations). This approach has yielded great success in our understanding of the Chronicler's theology and rhetoric. However, Cook asserts, it has also failed to consider how the book of Chronicles can be read as an autonomous and coherent document. That is, a diachronic approach to reading Chronicles sometimes misses the theological and rhetorical features of the text in its final form. This book shows the great benefit of reading these narratives as autonomous and coherent by using the Solomon narratives as a case study. These narratives are first read individually, and then together, so as to ascertain their uniqueness vis-à-vis one another. Finally, Cook addresses questions related to the concordance of these narratives as well as their purposes within their respective larger literary contexts.

Ahab Agonistes

Ahab Agonistes
Author: Lester L. Grabbe
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 362
Release: 2007-04-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567251713

The European Seminar in Historical Methodology is committed to debating issues surrounding the history of ancient Israel and Judah with the aim of developing methodological principles for writing a history of the period. In this particular session the topic chosen was the Omride dynasty-its rise and fall-and the subsequent Jehu dynasty, down to the fall of Samaria to the Assyrians. Participants discuss such topics as the dating of prophetic texts, the house of Ahab in Chronicles, the Tel Dan inscription, the Mesha inscription, the Jezebel tradition, the archaeology of Iron IIB, the relationship between the biblical text and contemporary sources, and the nature of the Omride state. The volume incidentally gives a reasonably comprehensive treatment of the main sources, issues, debates, and secondary literature on this period of Israel's history. An introductory chapter summarizes the individual papers and also the relevant section of Mario Liverani's recent history of the period. A concluding `Reflections on the Debate' summarizes the issues raised in the papers and provides a perspective on the discussion. LHB/OTS volume 421 - ESHM volume 6

An Ancient Israelite Historian

An Ancient Israelite Historian
Author: Isaac Kalimi
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2018-07-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004358765

“Kalimi, one of the esteemed specialists of the Chronicler’s work... has provided us an intriguing historical and theological study about the Chronicler’s work that will surely provoke further discussion.” — Stefan Beyerle, In: Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman Period 37 (2006). “Among Biblical scholars of Jewish background, Kalimi shows an outstanding ability to see and draw relationships between original passages and sources as well as ancient and modern commentaries.... Kalimi accomplished what he promised in the title of the book: to demonstrate that the Chronicler is “an ancient Israelite historian.'" - Chen Yiyi, In: Journal of Ancient Civilizations 24 (2009). “The book is another important contribution to the study of Chronicles by an eminent expert on that field, and as such is indispensable on every scholar’s desk, not only in the field of Chronicles but also for everyone with an interest in biblical historiography in general.” – M. Marciak, In: The Polish Journal of Biblical Research 8 (2009). “Professor Kalimi is to be congratulated for these two works, which are perhaps the finest analysis of Chronicles in the recent decades. Tons of ink has been spent on discussions that have gone above basic questions that the author has analyzed point by point, and no doubt studies in the future have come in the work of Kalimi a base and inescapable benchmark for discussions.” – J.M. Tebes, In: Antiguo Oriente 8 (2010).

Introduction to the Historical Books

Introduction to the Historical Books
Author: Steven L. McKenzie
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2010-01-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1467442364

Steven McKenzie here surveys the historical books of the Old Testament — Joshua through Ezra-Nehemiah — for their historical context, contents, form, and themes, communicating them clearly and succinctly for an introductory audience. / By providing a better understanding of biblical history writing in its ancient context, McKenzie helps readers come to terms with tensions between the Bible’s account and modern historical analyses. Rather than denying the results of historical research or dismissing its practitioners as wrongly motivated, he suggests that the source of the perceived discrepancy may lie not with the Bible but with the way in which it has been read. He also calls into question whether the genre of the Bible’s historical books has been properly understood.