Deuteronomy-Kings as Emerging Authoritative Books


Book Description

International scholars uniquely focus on why the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings encapsulated emerging Jewish identity for readers in the Persian and Hellenistic periods, and how those readers used the past to address the present and future.




The Authors of the Deuteronomistic History


Book Description

Peterson engages the identities and provenances of the authors of the various “editions” of the Deteronomistic History. Peterson asks where we might locate a figure with both motive and opportunity to draw up a proto-narrative including elements of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and the first part of 1 Kings. Peterson identifies a particular candidate in the time of David qualified to write the first edition. He then identifies the particular circle of custodians of the Deuteronomistic narrative and supplies successive redactions down to the time of Jeremiah.




The Deuteronomistic History


Book Description




King Josiah of Judah


Book Description

The author shows how King Josiah's reform program to unify Israel and Judah around the Jerusalem temple, laid the foundation for the exilic thinkers who rescued Judaism from the obscurity of Babylonian defeat and exile.




The King as Exemplar


Book Description

The rationale of the order of Psalms is a puzzle at least as old as Augustine in the fourth century, and Grant (Biblical studies, Highland Theological College, Scotland) does not aspire to solve the whole thing here and now. Rather he bites off only one aspect, a particular paradigm that may have influenced the shape of the Psalms in certain ways.




The World of Ancient Israel


Book Description

Encapsulating as it does research that has been undertaken on the sociological, anthropological and political aspects of the history of ancient Israel, this important book is designed to follow in the tradition of works in the series sponsored by The Society for Old Testament Study which began with the publication of The People and the Book in 1925. The World of Ancient Israel is especially concerned to explore in greater depth than comparable studies the areas and degrees of overlap between approaches to the subject of Old Testament research adopted by scholars and students of theology and the social sciences. Increasing numbers of scholars have recognised the valuable insights that can be gained from a cross-disciplinary approach, and it is becoming clear that the early biblical traditions about the formation of the Israelite state must be examined in the light of comparative anthropology if useful historical conclusions are to be drawn from them.




Deuteronomy in the Making


Book Description

A number of long-standing theories concerning the production of Deuteronomy are currently being revisited. This volume takes a fresh look at the theory that there was an independent legal collection comprising chs 12-26 that subsequently was set within one or two narrative frames to yield the book, with ongoing redactional changes. Each contributor has been asked to focus on how the “core” might have functioned as a stand-alone document or, if exploring a theme or motif, to take note of commonalities and differences within the “core” and “frames” that might shed light on the theory under review. Some of the articles also revisit the theory of a northern origin of the “core” of the book, while others challenge de Wette’s equation of Deuteronomy with the scroll found during temple repairs under Josiah. With Deuteronomic studies in a state of flux, this is a timely collection by a group of international scholars who use a range of methods and who, in varying degrees, work with or challenge older theories about the book’s origin and growth to approach the central focus from many angles. Readers will find multivalent evidence they can reflect over to decide where they stand on the issue of Deuteronomy as a framed legal “core.”




Deuteronomy


Book Description

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God's Word. These 12-week studies lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) reflection questions help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) "Gospel Glimpses" highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) "Whole-Bible Connections" show how any given passage connects to the Bible's overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) "Theological Soundings" identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God's grace on every page of the Bible. The book of Deuteronomy contains the final words of Moses to Israel as they wait to enter the Promised Land. Reflecting on the nation's past mistakes, Moses calls Israel to faithful obedience while recounting the past faithfulness of God. This study guide helps Christians understand that the only hope for obedience to God's commands is the grace of God found in the person and work of Jesus.




The Book of Kings and Exilic Identity


Book Description

Nathan Lovell proposes that 1 and 2 Kings might be read as a work of written history, produced with the explicit purpose of shaping the communal identity of its first readers in the Babylonian exile. By drawing on sociological approaches to the role historiography plays in the construction of political identity, Lovell argues the book of Kings is intended to reconstruct a sense of Israelite identity in the context of these losses, and that the book of Kings moves beyond providing a reason for the exile in Israel's history, and beyond even connecting its exilic audience to that history. The book recalls the past in order to demonstrate what it means to be Israel in the (exilic) present, and to encourage hope for the Israelite nation in the future. After developing a reading strategy for 1–2 Kings that treats the book as a coherent narrative, Lovell examines the construction of Israelite identity within Kings under the headings of covenant, nationhood, land, and rule. In each case he suggests that the narrative of the book creates room for a genuine but temporary expression of Israelite identity in exile: genuine to show that it remains possible for Israel to be Yahweh's people during the exile, but temporary to encourage hope for a future restoration.




Now Choose Life


Book Description

In this NSBT volume, Dr. J. Gary Millar provides a careful and perceptive analysis of Deuteronomy's ethical teaching set in the context of the book's theology. After discussing how Deuteronomy has been understood by other scholars, he sets out his own interpretation, dealing with its ethics in the light of key themes in the book: covenant, journey, law and the nations.