The Death of Josiah in Scripture and Tradition: Wrestling with the Problem of Evil? (original) (raw)
This study in comparative midrash traces the accounts of the death of Josiah through more than a dozen texts and translations. These include the two Biblical texts, as well as texts from Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Septuagint, Vulgate and early rabbinic writings. The evidence suggests that the later tradents may have been wrestling with the problem of evil that lies at the core of the Biblical accounts of the death of Josiah. As such, the study represents a fascinating look into the ongoing relationship between canon and the communities that looked to it for identity and ethos.
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Josiah's Death in the Book of Kings
Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses, 2007
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The death of Josiah and the continuing development of the Deuteronomic History
Vetus Testamentum, 1982
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The portrayal of Josiah in 2 Chron 34-35
The narratives of the Old Testament are rich with characters full and complex. This is one of the geniuses of the authors of Scripture, that though they relate historical events, places and people, they still take time to colour in the rich complexity of the characters involved. Indeed, only in Scripture will you meet people as vastly deep and complex as Abraham, Moses, Samson, Esther, David, Solomon, Ahab, Manasseh, Herod, Pilate, Peter, Paul, and a host of others. And yet the depth and complexity of the characters of Scripture are never shared simply for the sake of literary excellence. These are historical people being described to us. Human as we are. And the literarily shaped narratives in which they are found are given to us by God for our salvation and edification. This paper will cover the portrayal of just such a character – Josiah, king of Judah from 640-609BC. It will be asked, what is the author trying to convey through his portrayal of Josiah in the narrative of 2 Chronicles 34-35.
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