ToC | Reading the Old Testament. . . Part 2. Prophets | ToC

     1. Historiography and the History of Israel

The documents of the Hebrew Bible that deal with the rise of Israel and the events of the monarchy are not first of all historiographic literature. The Deuteronomistic History and the Chronicler's History both drew upon historical sources such as court chronicles and lists. But the DH and CH themselves are ideological literature; that is, they bring a certain perspective to bear on the telling. These works may thus tell us a great deal about the spirit of their times as well as the events of national history. But authorities do not take the latter for granted without independent verification. There is a strong tendency in modern studies to view the DH as a type of literature rather than as historical chronicle.
    As it just so happens, no external references to events recorded in the Deuteronomistic History exist until relatively late. No text references or artifactual remains have been found that can confirm the accuracy or even the happenedness of biblical history from Joshua all the way until the time of Omri, the Israelite king of the ninth century B.C.E. This does not mean that the biblical story is necessarily inaccurate or that its players did not exist. Reasonable historians are quick to point out that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Still, it is fair to say the climate in modern biblical studies lends itself to historical skepticism given the arguably ideological nature of the texts and the ambiguous witness of external evidence.
    The academic study of the ancient Middle East has divorced itself from the goal it had in earlier times of reinforcing the accuracy of the biblical text. Today Palestinian archaeology and textual studies are pursued largely as disciplines independent of a biblical agenda. However, they retain a utility for those in biblical studies because they serve to build a context for Israel's story. Conditions in Palestine from the time of Israel's entry into the land until the end of the biblical period have been brightly illumined by the social sciences, though a great deal of work remains to be done. Archaeology has clarified the patterns of settlement, the movements of peoples, population densities, and material culture in all its variations. Social anthropology has defined the nature of tribal societies, patterns of nomadism and urbanization, political processes, and the formation and organization of nation states. Historical and textual analysis of official and popular documents will clarify political, economic and social conditions. These disciplines will continue indirectly to illumine the biblical story from the outside.
ToC | Reading the Old Testament. . . Part 2. Prophets | ToC