In Search of Pre-Exilic Israel

Front Cover
Oxford Old Testament Seminar, John Day
A&C Black, Dec 20, 2004 - Religion - 432 pages
In recent years there has been a tendency among certain scholars to claim that little can be known about pre-exilic Israel, because the Old Testament was only compiled in the post-exilic period (for example Philip Davies, Thomas Thompson, Neils Peter Lemche). One scholar (Lemche) has even claimed that the Old Testament is a Hellenistic work.

The purpose of this book is to argue that this is an extreme and untenable position and that, though much of the Old Testament was indeed edited in the exilic or post-exilic period, many of the underlying sources used go back to the pre-exilic period. When critically analyzed these sources can shed much light on the pre-exilic period.

This important work is the product of a team of seventeen international scholars, no fewer than five of whom are Fellows of the British Academy. None of the chapters has previously been published.
 

Contents

Chapter 1 CURRENT REVISIONISM AND THE LITERATURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
1
Chapter 2 WAS THERE AN EXODUS?
23
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM OF THE EMERGENCE OF ANCIENT ISRAEL
41
THE QUESTION OF THE UNITED MONARCHY
65
Chapter 5 DATING THE SUCCESSION NARRATIVE
95
Chapter 6 THE DATE OF THE YAHWIST
107
Chapter 7 WAS THERE A SOCIAL CRISIS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY?
130
SAMARIA AFTER THE FALL OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM
150
Chapter 11 HOW MANY PREEXILIC PSALMS ARE THERE?
225
Chapter 12 HOW MUCH WISDOM LITERATURE HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE PREEXILIC PERIOD?
251
Chapter 13 IS THE COVENANT CODE AN EXILIC COMPOSITION? A RESPONSE TO JOHN VAN SETERS
272
Chapter 14 YAHWEHS ASHERAH INCLUSIVE MONOTHEISM AND THE QUESTION OF DATING
326
Chapter 15 MESOPOTAMIAN SOURCES AND PREEXILIC ISRAEL
352
Chapter 16 HEBREW AND WEST SEMITIC INSCRIPTIONS AND PREEXILIC ISRAEL
366
Chapter 17 HEBREW POETIC STRUCTURE AS A BASIS FOR DATING
386
Index of References
410

Chapter 9 IN SEARCH OF THE PREEXILIC ISAIAH
181
Chapter 10 JEREMIAH BEFORE THE EXILE?
207

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About the author (2004)

John Day is Professor of Old Testament Studies in the University of Oxford and Fellow and Tutor of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.