5 research outputs found
David S. Vanderhooft (ed.), In Conversation with Oded Lipschits, The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem.
Get PDF This conversation with O. Lipschits, The Fall and Rise of
Jerusalem (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2005) began at a session of the
“Literature and History of the Persian Period” group at the 2005 Annual Meeting
of the Society of Biblical Literature in Philadelphia. It includes an
introduction by the editor and contributions by Rainer Albertz, Tamara Cohn
Eskenazi, Daniel Master, Gary N. Knoppers, Hugh G.M. Williamson and a response
by Oded Lipschits. </jats:p
IN CONVERSATION WITH ODED LIPSCHITS,
No full textArticles in JHS are being indexed in the ATLA Religion Database, RAMBI and THEOLDI. Their abstracts appear in Religious and Theological Abstracts. The journal is archived by the National Library of Canada, and is accessible for consultatio
The persuasive portrayal of Solomon in 1 Kings 1-11 and the Josianic redaction theory.
No full textThis present research is motivated by observing the diversity of views held in
understanding the portrayal of Solomon in 1 Kgs 1-11, its importance in resolving the
problem of the composition of DtrH, and especially by a certain doubt about the
pervasive Josianic understandings of Solomon. The main concern of the present study is
to establish a sound understanding of Solomon as portrayed in I Kgs 1-11 in relation to
the theories of the composition of Kings, especially the Josianic redaction theory. This
study seeks to understand Solomon in 1 Kgs 1-11 from the perspective of the text's
persuasive function in relation to the reader.
Chapter one surveys modem researches on Kings in general and the Solomon narrative
(1 Kgs 1-11) in particular. It shows that the essential question in studies of Kings and
the Solomon account is the understanding of the thematic tensions in relation to their
composition. This chapter also argues that a rhetorical approach is methodologically
relevant in solving the question.
Chapter two defines what rhetorical criticism is, and in relation to the definition, shows
how a rhetorical approach will be applied to our study of 1 Kgs 1-11. Rhetorical
criticism is a methodology concerned with determining the means of persuasion
employed in the communication, through an analysis of the text in its final form. This
chapter also establishes four practical steps for discovering the argumentative or
persuasive function of the Solomon text: the rhetorical unit, arrangement (dispositio)
and style (elocutio), argumentation (inventio), and finally the rhetorical situation and the
original reader.
Following these steps, chapter three identifies 1 Kgs 1-11 as a rhetorical unit by
showing 1 Kgs 1-2 as the true beginning of the narrative through the structural and
rhetorical connections between 1 Kgs 1-2 and 3-11. Chapter four examines how 1 Kgs
1-11 as a persuasive narration has been arranged in order to have an impact on the
reader's apprehension of the Solomon narrative. It shows the concentric structure of 1
Kgs 1-11 based on the function of repetition, which guides the reader to the picture of
Solomon's incapacity in his `covenant relationship' with Yahweh. Chapter five
examines I Kgs 1-11 from the point of view of argumentation or invention, and deals
with the understanding or evaluation of the issue in I Kgs 1-11. The narrator in 1 Kgs 1-11 shows the reader Solomon's failure in the relationship with Yahweh based on his
ethical and rational, and emotional, appeal. Chapter six defines the rhetorical situation
which causes the existence of 1 Kgs 1-11. It shows that Kings would be a fitting
response to the rhetorical situation of the Jewish exilic community in Babylon. The
community may have held very different views about their past, their identity, or the
continuity of the covenant relationship with Yahweh in the exilic or post-exilic period.
Our conclusion in this study of 1 Kgs 1-11 is that the subtle portrayal of Solomon in 1
Kgs 1-11 does not display a Josianic standpoint, but an exilic view, persuading the
Babylonian exiles to recover their covenant relationship with Yahweh or to find a new
understanding of this through the portrayal of Solomon in the light of his inevitable
failure in relationship with Yahweh
The theme of faith in the Hezekiah narratives
Get PDFThis study examines the Hezekiah narratives as found in 2 Kgs 18-20 and Isa. 36-39, with special reference to the theme of faith, using narrative criticism as its methodology. Attention is paid especially to setting, plot, point of view and characterization within the narratives. The Kings version is taken as the main text for exegesis purposes, but relevant differences in the Isaiah text are noted. Articles and books on "faith" in the Old Testament rarely mention Hezekiah as an example of faith. Until recently, studies that have treated the theme of faith in the book of Isaiah have tended to neglect this section because of their historical-critical stance. Again, there are many studies of the Hezekiah narratives, but few focus on literary methods and/or the theme of faith. The major part of the study involves an exegesis of the text. How the narratives function within the context of the book of Kings is also considered. Furthermore, faith as a theme in the book of Isaiah is examined, and comparison is made especially between Isa. 36 and Isa. 7. The plot of the longest narrative (2 Kgs 18:13-19:37/Isa. 36-37) proves to be very instructive in the way that the verb nn (to trust) is used. Isaiah, YHWH, Sennacherib and Hezekiah emerge as main characters within the narratives. Different points of view and the use of temporal and geographical setting also reinforce the characterization. In particular, a largely positive portrait of Hezekiah as an example of faith emerges
Complexity and diversity in the late iron age southern Levant: the investigation of 'Edomite' archaeology and scholarly discourse
Get PDFThis thesis aims to reassess the principal concepts used by archaeologists in their attempts to interpret the late Iron Age archaeology of southern Israel and Jordan. This study focuses in particular on the archaeological remains that have traditionally been associated with the 'Edomites' mentioned in the Old Testament. This reassessment involves examining two inter-related themes. The first is largely historiographical, the aim being to highlight the socio-political and intellectual contexts in which the study of the 'Edomites' became an important discourse. This is achieved by contextualising both the beginnings of south Levantine Iron Age archaeology as a whole and the archaeological investigation of the 'Edomites', as well as the study of the historical sources that mention Edom' and the 'Edomites'. The second theme concerns the material culture used by archaeologists to address questions regarding the 'Edomites', such as the areas they spread to, whether they spread by migration, invasion, or trade, and the nature of their kingdom and religion. Firstly, the theoretical underpinnings of these archaeological approaches is reassessed. Building on that, an analysis of what is traditionally interpreted as 'Edomite' pottery - material that has been commonly used to address the questions posed above - is presented. This analysis focuses on the ways in which this type of pottery was used, and where possible, the contexts in which it was deposited/found, thus highlighting how people in the past used it as part of specific social practices. The results demonstrate that the pattern of material culture usually thought to underpin traditional understandings of 'Edomite' archaeology is actually quite varied and that 'Edomite' ethnicity may not be the best explanation for such diversity. Following the critique of the discourse of 'Edomite' archaeology, a number of alternative ways in which the late Iron Age material culture of the southern Levant might be understood are suggested. These alternatives focus on theories of practice, appropriation, and foodways
