- Biblical Studies and the Failure of History
Changing Perspectives 3
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- Series: Copenhagen International Seminar
- Author(s):
Niels Peter Lemche
- ISBN: 1781790175
- ISBN-13: 9781781790175
- Publication Date: 31 Jan 2013
- Pages: 352 (234 x 156 mm)
- Format: Hardback
- Published Price: £65.00
- Discount Price: £52.00
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DESCRIPTION:
Until the 1970s biblical studies belonged to the historical-critical school and had reached a point where all problems were believed to have been solved. Then all assumptions began to be turned on their head. Previously, historical studies constituted the backbone of biblical studies; now, every aspect of biblical history began to be questioned. The idea of the Old Testament as a source of historical information was replaced by an understanding of the texts as a means for early Jewish society to interpret its past.
Biblical Studies and the Failure of History brings together key essays which reflect the trajectory of this scholarly shift in order to illuminate the state of biblical studies today. The early essays present historical-critical studies tracing historical information. Further essays employ a more critical and interpretive perspective to examine seminal issues ranging from the Hellenistic contexts of biblical tradition to the functioning of Old Testament society.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Niels Peter Lemche is Professor in the Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen. His most recent works include The Old Testament Between Theology and History, The A-Z of Ancient Israel and The Israelites in History and Tradition.
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CONTENTS:
Introduction, John Van Seters
1. The ‘Hebrew Slave’
2. The Manumission of Slaves
3. Andurārum and Mišarum
4. The Greek ‘Amphictyony’
5. The Chronology in the Story of the Flood.
6. ‘Hebrew’ as a National Name for Israel.
7. Rachel and Leah
8. The Old Testament: A Hellenistic Book?
9. Power and Social Organization
10. Is It Still Possible to Write a History of Ancient Israel?
11. Is It Still Possible to speak about an ‘Israelite Religion’?
12. Kings and Clients
13. Justice in Western Asia in Antiquity
14. From Patronage Society to Patronage Society.
15. Are We Europeans Really Good Readers of Biblical Texts and Interpreters of Biblical History?
16. History Writing in the Ancient Near East and in Greece.
17. Good and Bad in History
18. On the Problems of Reconstructing Pre-Hellenistic Israelite (Palestinian) History.
29. How to Date an Expression of Mental History? The Old Testament and Hellenism.
20. Chronology and Archives: When does the History of Israel and Judah Begin?
21. Because They have Cast away the Law of the Lord of Hosts’
