The tripartite structure of the Hebrew Bible today * Having reviewed the general factors which were significant in the Hebrew Bible’s coming into being, how did it finish up in written form, how many completed versions were there, who gave ultimate sanction to what appeared therein and how can one have confidence in their authenticity? […]
Origins Of The Hebrew Bible
SIXTEEN: THE HEBREW BIBLE: How does the Deuteronomists’ account square with the archaeological evidence?
How does the Deuteronomists’ account square with the archaeological evidence? Archaeology offers a picture of the Persian post-Exilic period Judah that does not sit easily with the story the Bible tells. There is no archaeological evidence for a sudden influx of new settlers from the Babylonian region in the area of Palestine and Yehud at the […]
FIFTEEN: THE HEBREW BIBLE: The inter-marriage crisis in Ezra and Nehemiah*
The foundational premise for almost every current study of Persian period or post-Exilic society is that it was dichotomous, split between the returnees and the “people of the land”<span “font-size:12.0pt;font-family:=”” “times=”” roman”,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:”times=”” roman”;mso-ansi-language:=”” en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa”=””>[1]. Furthermore, the returnees are commonly equated with the elite class in Jerusalem, such as those who officiated in the Temple and […]
FOURTEEN: THE HEBREW BIBLE: The Samaritans
The Samaritans When Cyrus gave the exiles permission to return to their homeland in 537 BCE, many did not do so. They had adjusted to life in Babylon and there was very little infrastructure in their native land. Those who chose to stay were creative and wrote about it. So many did not want to return with the […]
THIRTEEN: THE HEBREW BIBLE: The Exile was the catalyst for the Deuteronomists and their writing of the Hebrew Bible *
The Exile was the catalyst for the Deuteronomists and their writing of the Hebrew Bible * Different views prevailed as to the severity of the Babylonian Exile. For example, Esther, Mordecai and Daniel occupied high places in Babylon, but most were enslaved and struggled for existence. Daniel says that the exile lasted 70 years, but this is […]
TWELVE: THE HEBREW BIBLE: Post Deuteronomy
Post Deuteronomy The subsequent “Deuteronomic history” in Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings is manufactured history and never happened [1] These books also went through various editions, but the general consensus is that for the “final edition” the language and outlook seems to point to a post exilic period of composition, […]