The Early Monarchy in Israel: The Tenth Century B.C.E.

by Walter Dietrich, Joachim Vette (Translator)

Overview

The Hebrew narrative art achieves its highest level in the stories of Saul, David, and Solomon. But beyond that, the description of these all-too-human characters and the dramatic events of the birth of the Israelite state depicts a change of eras that became determinative for half a millennium of Israelite history. In this volume Dietrich introduces readers to the stories of the early Israelite state from a variety of perspectives: literary-critical, historical, and theological. In a concluding chapter Dietrich revisits the stories of Saul, David, and Solomon to explore what they teach about theological issues of enduring significance, what they teach about God, humanity, the state, the use of force, and the relationship between women and men.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589832633
Publisher:	Society of Biblical Literature
Publication date:	10/05/2007
Series:	Society of Biblical Literature Biblical Encyclopedia
Pages:	396
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

Walter Dietrich is Professor of Old Testament (Ordinariat für Altes Testament) in the Institut für Bibelwissenschaft at the Universität Bern. He is the author of numerous books and articles related to the early Israelite state, including David: Der Herrscher mit der Harfe (2006), a four-volume commentary on 1 and 2 Samuel (2003-2007), Von David zu den Deuteronomisten: Studien zu den Geschichtsüberlieferungen des Alten Testaments (2002), and David, Saul und die Propheten: Das Verhältnis von Religion und Politik nach den prophetischen Überlieferungen vom frühesten Königtum in Israel (1987). He also serves as the Old Testament editor for Kohlhammer Verlag’s Biblische Enzyklopädie series.

Table of Contents

Preface     ix
Abbreviations     xi
List of Figures     xv
The Biblical Account of the Time Period     1
Aspects of Post- and Innerbiblical Reception History     1
The Time Period according to Chronicles     6
The Time Period according to the Deuteronomistic History     8
Toward Establishing a State     11
The Periodization of the Early Monarchy     17
Mirroring the Early Monarchy in Its Continued History     23
The Time Period according to Pre-Deuteronomistic Sources     26
The Portrait of Samuel     28
Samuel Rises as Israel's Last Judge     28
Samuel Appoints Israel's First King     31
Samuel Rejects Israel's First King and Designates a Second     35
The Portrait of Saul     39
The Chosen One     39
Saul as a Failure     42
The Raving Saul     46
The Tragic One     50
The Man without Heirs     55
The Portrait of David     57
Yhwh's Chosen One     59
Saul's Opponent     62
The Ruler of Israel     67
The Founder of a Dynasty     72
Yhwh's Proven One     86
The Portrait of Solomon     89
How Solomon Was Born and Attained the Throne     89
How Solomon Organized His Kingdom     91
How Solomon Built the Temple     94
The History of the Early Monarchy     99
Basic Issues     99
Biblical History and Factual History     99
The Historical Picture of the Early Monarchy in the Bible     100
Historical Deconstruction     101
History and Faith     106
Basics of Historical Reconstruction     109
Indirect Witnesses to the Formation of the State     110
Comparisons to Earlier and Later Periods     112
Analogies     116
Material Witnesses from Iron Age IIA     120
City Architecture and Administrative Buildings     122
Settlement Structures in the Country and the Formation of the State     137
Written Evidence for Israel's First Kings     145
Extrabiblical Evidence     145
Biblical Sources     154
The History of Israel during the Early Monarchy     162
Saul-David-Solomon: Three Rulers in Profile     166
Enthronement and the Order of State     173
Administration and Taxes     189
Economics and Social Issues     195
Cultural and Spiritual Life     200
Cult and Religion     203
Foreign Affairs and Trade Policies     209
Army and Military Equipment     212
External Enemies and Wars     216
Internal Strife and Civil Wars     222
The Literature of the Time Period     227
Hypotheses on the Literature from the Early Monarchy     227
The So-Called Succession Narrative     228
The So-Called Narrative of David's Rise     240
The Ark Narrative     250
The So-Called Narrative of Samuel's Youth     253
The Book of the History of Solomon     255
The So-Called Yahwist History     258
The History of the Early Monarchy and Its Literary Precursors     262
Individual Traditions     264
Extended Narratives     268
Narrative Collections and Novellas     271
The Samuel-Saul Narrative     272
The Narratives on the Fate of the Ark     274
Narratives on the Rise and Fall of the House of Saul     278
The Narrative Collection on "David the Outlaw"     284
The Bathsheba-Solomon Novella     291
The Book of the History of Solomon      296
The Narrative History of the Early Monarchy     298
Style and Intention of the Narrative History     300
On the Duality between Israel and Judah in the Narrative     304
On the Portrait of David in This Narrative History     309
On the Image of God in the Narrative     314
Theological Conclusions     317
The Early Monarchy and Biblical History     317
State Rule and Divine Rule     320
Election and Rejection, Tragedy and Blessing     326
Men and Women     335
Violence and Abstinence from Violence     341
Index of Names and Subjects     351
Index of Biblical References     359