Samson in Reception History

As one of the most famous figures from the Historical Books of the Hebrew Bible, rivaled perhaps only by King David, the reception histories of Samson and the women of Judges 13–16 are extensive. The major events in the narrative found in Judges 13–16 involve not only Samson but also the women of the story: an unnamed mother, an unnamed Philistine wife, an unnamed prostitute, and, perhaps most illustrious of all, the named Delilah. This essay briefly outlines some of the major questions and concerns voiced by the many later readers and interpreters of Samson, revealing how the story of Samson, both in and outside the biblical text, is also a story about the women who appear in this account.

Achaemenid Political History and Sources

This article provides an outline of the Achaemenid empire’s political history followed by an overview of the diverse sources for understanding some of its institutions. Despite inherent difficulties, the sources allow scholars to reconstruct vital aspects, such as the provincial system, variations in the way different provinces were managed, the “king’s law,” Persian religion, and the strength of central control which held the imperial regions together. The chapter ends with a consideration of the king’s position and royal ceremony and ideology.

Introduction

This brief chapter introduces the Oxford Handbook of the Historical Books of the Hebrew Bible. It notes the secondary and constructed nature of the category “Historical Books” (which is not native to the Hebrew Bible) and how this category might be potentially misleading as to the content and genre of these books, many of which are devoid of historiographic intent in anything like the modern sense. With these caveats entered, the introduction next explains how the essays in the book touch on four critical nodes: context (sources, history, texts), content (themes, concepts, issues), approaches (composition, synthesis, theory), and reception (literature, traditions, figures). Further, each essayist was asked to speak to how the topic/area/issue addressed in the essay relates to the Historical Books, as well as how the topic/area/issue helps one better interpret the Historical Books. In conclusion, this introduction notes the diversity that marks recent research in these books.

Exogamy and Divorce in Ezra and Nehemiah

This article focuses on the divorce rhetoric of Ezra-Nehemiah within the context of Persian imperial dominion. After outlining the scholarly history of inquiry into the divorces and admonitions against exogamy—stemming from challenges to historicity, the dating of the reforms, and the debate about Ezra’s or Nehemiah’s priority—this work examines the framing devices of return and restoration with regard to the Second Temple. The article takes up Persian engagement with temple communities in Egypt and Babylon and turns to analyze the multivalent character of the divorce rhetoric to show that it is a response to similar Persian engagement in Yehud. Finally, this work shows how the rhetoric evidences the negotiation of Persian power by the Second Temple priesthood and plays a role in Yehudite identity formation.

Text-Critical Issues in Ezra-Nehemiah and 1 Esdras

Ezra-Nehemiah and 1 Esdras are the books of the Bible that describe the return to Judah under the Persians, so it is important to understand what in their portrayal is accurate, and what can be assigned to the imagination of the writers. Text-critical, historical-critical, and archaeological methods enable us to disentangle these elements. They confirm returns to Judah under Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes I, a temple rebuilt under Cyrus and Darius, and a rebuilt wall around Jerusalem under Artaxerxes. We may confirm as well that a man named Ezra was an official in the Persian Empire who served as the “eyes and ears of the King,” but that he did not bring either the Torah or Torah-law to Judah, and there was no law-reading ceremony. The law-reading ceremony, currently described in Nehemiah 8, was written in the Maccabean period, perhaps to emphasize to their Seleucid overlords that even the Persians had supported Judean traditions.

Politics and Kingship in the Historical Books, with Attention to the Role of Political Theory in Interpretation

This chapter explores the thesis that the historical narratives of the Hebrew Bible address abstract ideas about politics, government, and law. Taking issue with critics who view the Bible’s spiritual and theological message as incommensurable with political philosophy, the chapter argues that the stories of politics and kingship in the Hebrew Bible’s historical books set forth set forth an impressive political theory that rivals, in some respects, the work of Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek thinkers. The key is to bring out the general ideas behind the specific narrative elements. The chapter illustrates this thesis by examining the Hebrew Bible’s treatment of a number of classic problems of political theory: anarchy, obligation and sovereignty, distributive justice, and the comparative analysis of political organizations.

The Later Monarchy in History and Biblical Historiography

This essay covers historical issues related to the later monarchy in Israel, especially the reigns of Hezekiah, Manasseh, and Josiah. It is argued that Samaria was conquered only once during Hezekiah’s day by Sargon, who was leading the army under Shalmaneser, and later took full credit for the campaign. It is suggested that Hezekiah did not participate in the Ashdod revolt, and may not have been the ring-leader in the later revolt against Sennacherib. Regarding the Assyrian invasion of 701 bce, it is suggested that Sennacherib was not completely successful. Though Judah was devastated, the survival and quick recovery of Judah allowed Judahite perception of Hezekiah’s rebellion as successful. The possibility of Manasseh’s temporary deportation to Babylon is considered in the context of Ashurbanipal’s presence in Babylon putting down rebellion. The extent of Josiah’s religious reforms and possible territorial expansion in the wake of the collapse of the Assyrian Empire is considered.

A Theological Comparison of the Deuteronomistic History and Chronicles

This article offers a comparative theological analysis of the Deuteronomistic History and Chronicles. It highlights the absence of theologically attentive comparison of these works in biblical scholarship, in spite of the work begun by Sara Japhet in the late 1970s (in Hebrew; 1989 in English). As a theological probe, I examine how each work conceptualizes monotheism, a topic that Japhet largely ignored in her study. My concern is to understand how each work configures Yhwh’s sole divinity in relation to the people, the temple, and the particular geography of the nation. I suggest points of comparison and departure that stem from the particular theological perspectives of each work.

Yahwistic Religion in the Persian Period

As Yahwists negotiated their religion in the Persian period, they brought their inherited understandings of worship, theology, and religious personhood into a socio-political context very different from that of their forebears. Further, in a context where Yahwism now existed beyond the borders of Yehud, different Yahwistic communities constructed aspects of their religious life in ways different from each other as well. Exploring practices that perceptibly reflect and reinforce particular understandings of divine-human relations with respect to time and space (namely pilgrimage, sacrifice, and prayer), this chapter highlights the diversity, innovation, and re-use of tradition evident in both the textual and archaeological record of Yahwistic worship.

New Perspectives on the Return from Exile and Persian-Period Yehud

Biblical scholars today recognize the long Persian period (550–332 bce) as the time when an early form of the biblical text approached canonical status. Yhwh religion—at least in its elite form—evolved from a tradition largely based on temple and kingship into one framed by control of a sacred text. While the title of this essay could imply that only Yehud (Judea) is of relevance to Yhwh religion and the historical books of the Bible, this period should be understood in international terms. New textual evidence for previously unknown Yahwist communities in Babylonia and Idumea are a case in point. Elites in Yhwh-worshiping communities situated across the Persian Empire from Egypt to Persia, and not just in Yehud or Shomron (Samaria), communicated with each other. The biblical books written or set in the Persian period developed within this international context, one that included debate over claims to be the true “Israel.”