Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 The ‘Hebrew slave’: comments on the slave law, Exodus 21:2-11
- 2 The manumission of slaves – the fallow year – the Sabbatical Year – the Jubilee Year
- 3 Andurārum and Mišarum: comments on the problem of social edicts and their application in the ancient Near East
- 4 The Greek ‘amphictyony’: could it be a prototype for Israelite society in the Period of the Judges?
- 5 The chronology in the story of the Flood
- 6 ‘Hebrew’ as a national name for Israel
- 7 Rachel and Leah: on the survival of outdated paradigms in the study of the origin of Israel
- 8 The Old Testament: a Hellenistic book?
- 9 Power and social organization: some misunderstandings and some proposals, or is it all a question of patrons and clients?
- 10 Is it still possible to write a history of ancient Israel?
- 11 Is it still possible to speak about an ‘Israelite religion’? From the perspective of a historian
- 12 Kings and clients: on loyalty between the ruler and the ruled in ancient ‘Israel’
- 13 Justice in western Asia in antiquity, or why no laws were needed!
- 14 From patronage society to patronage society
- 15 Are we Europeans really good readers of biblical texts and interpreters of biblical history?
- 16 History writing in the ancient Near East and Greece
- 17 Good and bad in history: the Greek connection
- 18 On the problems of reconstructing pre-Hellenistic Israelite (Palestinian) history
- 19 How does one date an expression of mental history? The Old Testament and Hellenism
- 20 Chronology and archives: when does the history of Israel and Judah begin?
- 21 ‘Because they have cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts’, or ‘We and the rest of the world’: the authors who ‘wrote’ the Old Testament
- Index of biblical references
- Index of authors
10 - Is it still possible to write a history of ancient Israel?
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 The ‘Hebrew slave’: comments on the slave law, Exodus 21:2-11
- 2 The manumission of slaves – the fallow year – the Sabbatical Year – the Jubilee Year
- 3 Andurārum and Mišarum: comments on the problem of social edicts and their application in the ancient Near East
- 4 The Greek ‘amphictyony’: could it be a prototype for Israelite society in the Period of the Judges?
- 5 The chronology in the story of the Flood
- 6 ‘Hebrew’ as a national name for Israel
- 7 Rachel and Leah: on the survival of outdated paradigms in the study of the origin of Israel
- 8 The Old Testament: a Hellenistic book?
- 9 Power and social organization: some misunderstandings and some proposals, or is it all a question of patrons and clients?
- 10 Is it still possible to write a history of ancient Israel?
- 11 Is it still possible to speak about an ‘Israelite religion’? From the perspective of a historian
- 12 Kings and clients: on loyalty between the ruler and the ruled in ancient ‘Israel’
- 13 Justice in western Asia in antiquity, or why no laws were needed!
- 14 From patronage society to patronage society
- 15 Are we Europeans really good readers of biblical texts and interpreters of biblical history?
- 16 History writing in the ancient Near East and Greece
- 17 Good and bad in history: the Greek connection
- 18 On the problems of reconstructing pre-Hellenistic Israelite (Palestinian) history
- 19 How does one date an expression of mental history? The Old Testament and Hellenism
- 20 Chronology and archives: when does the history of Israel and Judah begin?
- 21 ‘Because they have cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts’, or ‘We and the rest of the world’: the authors who ‘wrote’ the Old Testament
- Index of biblical references
- Index of authors
Summary
1994
A few months ago I lectured at a symposium in Bern in Switzerland on the theme ‘Kann von einer “israelitischen Religion” noch weiterhin die Rede sein?’ (‘Is it still possible to speak of an “Israelite religion”?’). The subtitle of the lecture was ‘Aus der perspektive eines Historikers’ (‘From a historian's point of view’). My answer was ‘yes and no’ at the same time. It is still possible to speak of an Israelite religion, although the only place this religion should be sought is in the Old Testament. No: Israelite religion, as it is described by the authors of the Old Testament, is quite different from the religions present in Palestine during the so-called Old Testament period. The Old Testament does not describe a religion that could be found in Palestine in ancient times; rather, Israelite religion must be studied in the light of later Jewish sentiment. One could also put it in the following manner: in the field covered by Old Testament scholars, two religions are likely to exist side by side. On the one hand, there is the biblical religion, a literary form of religion which is usually considered to be a true expression of ancient Israelite religion. On the other hand, we have a variety of west Asian religion, which Old Testament writers hardly ever allow to speak for itself, but which, instead, is mostly described in desultory terms and heavily criticized as religious abuse.
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- Information
- Biblical Studies and the Failure of HistoryChanging Perspectives, pp. 169 - 188Publisher: Acumen PublishingPrint publication year: 2013