In Search of Pre-Exilic Israel

John Day

• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Year: 2005
• Print ISBN:
  9780567082060
• eBook ISBN:
  9780567245540
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

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.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• List of Contributors
• Chapter 1 CURRENT 'REVISIONISM' AND THE LITERATURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
• Chapter 2 WAS THERE AN EXODUS?
• Chapter 3 BACK TO BASICS: A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM OF THE EMERGENCE OF ANCIENT ISRAEL
• Chapter 4 HISTORIES AND NON-HISTORIES OF ANCIENT ISRAEL: THE QUESTION OF THE UNITED MONARCHY
• Chapter 5 DATING THE 'SUCCESSION NARRATIVE'
• Chapter 6 THE DATE OF THE YAHWIST
• Chapter 7 WAS THERE A SOCIAL CRISIS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY?
• Chapter 8 IN SEARCH OF POST-EXILIC ISRAEL: SAMARIA AFTER THE FALL OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM
• Chapter 9 IN SEARCH OF THE PRE-EXILIC ISAIAH
• Chapter 10 JEREMIAH BEFORE THE EXILE?
• Chapter 11 HOW MANY PRE-EXILIC PSALMS ARE THERE?
• Chapter 12 HOW MUCH WISDOM LITERATURE HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE PRE-EXILIC PERIOD?
• Chapter 13 IS THE COVENANT CODE AN EXILIC COMPOSITION? A RESPONSE TO JOHN VAN SETERS
• Chapter 14 YAHWEH'S ASHERAH, INCLUSIVE MONOTHEISM AND THE QUESTION OF DATING
• Chapter 15 MESOPOTAMIAN SOURCES AND PRE-EXILIC ISRAEL
• Chapter 16 HEBREW AND WEST SEMITIC INSCRIPTIONS AND PRE-EXILIC ISRAEL
• Chapter 17 HEBREW POETIC STRUCTURE AS A BASIS FOR DATING
• Index of References
• Index of Authors