Envelopes and Seams: How Judges Fits (or not) within the Deuteronomistic History (original) (raw)
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Sources and Composition in the List of Minor Judges, 2019
In sum, the account of the five minor judges is a post-Deuteronomistic and post-Priestly composition whose author worked in elements of the sources available to him—in particular the Song of Deborah and the Priestly tribal genealogies—to supplement details that he conceived missing in the Deuteronomistic scroll of Judges. He organized his work according to a pattern he devised and combined details drawn from his sources with others drawn from his creative imagination. His approach somewhat resembles that of the author of the Book of Chronicles; hence, his work should be dated quite late, possibly to the late Persian period. Whether the scroll of Judges available to the late editor included the introduction to the Book of Judges (Judg 1:1-2:10), the story cycle of Samson (Judg 13-16), and the so-called Appendix to the Book of Judges (chapters 17-21) requires extensive discussion and far exceeds the limited scope of this article.
From Joshua to Samuel: Some Remarks on the Origin of the Book of Judges
2009
An attempt to demonstrate that the book of Judges in its present form is the product of one writer/editor who filled in the gap between the books of Samuel and Joshua. He reused and reinterpreted material from Joshua and the book of Samuel and combined it with texts from other sources.
History, Folklore, and Myth in the Book of Judges
Melita Theologica, 2019
I am wary of drawing more precise connections. Some cite the 12th-century Babylonian "Weidner Chronicle" as a parallel to the so-called Deuteronomistic History, since it presents cycles of good and bad kings to help contemporary rulers avoid the fate of Naram-Sin, whose sins are anachronistic, since Babylon was not built in his lifetime. So, supposedly, 1 Kings 13-14 and 2 Kings 17 are parallel, propagandistic for Josiah as the "Weidner" was for Nebuchadnezzar. But the "Weidner Chronicle's" line of causality reaches back beyond history to the divine realm, while the Deuteronomistic History's reaches back to a moment in history; and unlike Yahweh's Law, Marduk's divine will that is outed was that he wanted more sh. e Mesha Stela is a much closer parallel to the Bible, not only because of its Deuteronomistic language and theology but also in its geographical, non-chronological arrangement.; Bill T.
The Book of Judges: An Analysis
Judges sets the stage for monarchical rule in Israel by condemning the anarchy and disobedience of Israel as the fruit of a season in history when ‘Israel had no king’ (Jgs 21:25). In examining the narrators overarching purpose and editorial comments, Biblical scholarship concludes that Judges serves as a low-key apologetic for the ideal future Davidic monarch. Via the testimony of ‘judges’ such as Gideon and Abimelech, among others, we can learn much about the responsibilities and motives that are required of any future Israelite king. Judges instructs us as to the pivotal nature of Godly leadership, faithful to both Yahweh and his covenant.
History And Prophecy In The Book Of Judges
Between Evidence and Ideology
In introductory courses to the Old Testament modern teachers usually find it helpful to confront the student with the old Jewish tradition which reckons the book of Judges together with Joshua, Samuel and Kings to the part of the canon called the Former Prophets. This can be regarded as a useful contribution to the discussion about the right view upon this and other books which are in the Christian tradition called the historical books and interpreted as giving an accurate historical picture of the situations they describe. The name 'Former Prophets' would indicate that what we find written in these books is, as formulated by L.C. Allen in a standard introduction, 'not history as modern historians might write it. Rather it is history from a prophetic point of view'. 1 Allen gives three reasons why the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings are called prophetic: '() There is a focus on prophetic messengers, especially Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, and Elisha and their role in history. () There is an anti-establishment perspective, like that of the preexilic prophets in the Latter Prophets. Failure and shortcomings in the leadership of Israelite society are continually exposed. () Events are analyzed in the light of the prophetic truth that yhwh is sovereign in history, both foretelling and fulfilling his prophetic word. ' In this contribution I want to evaluate the arguments for this commonly accepted characterization of the book of Judges. To this I shall add a discussion of the different ways in which scholars nevertheless try to reconstruct the historical facts behind the stories told about the judges, because, as Allen hastens to add: 'To make such a statement, however, is not to denigrate the historical value of the biblical books'. 1 W.S. LaSor et al., Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form and Background of the Old Testament (second edition), Grand Rapids , .