Eastern Christian Supply—A History of Ancient Israel and Judah

A History of Ancient Israel and Judah

Second Edition

J. Maxwell Miller, John H. Hayes

“Two decades after its original publication in 1986—decades rife with controversy and spirited debate about virtually every aspect of the history of ancient Israel—our History of Ancient Israel and Judah continues to serve classrooms and to attract readers from the general public. ...When it first appeared twenty years ago, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah was recognized as a radical departure from the biblical narrative and traditional treatments of Israelite history. ...Such views are widely accepted at the present, and our history has come to be seen as less radical, as more moderately cautious. Radical, moderately cautious, or whatever, readers will find in this new edition few changes in the overall contours of how we envision the history of ancient Israel. Although largely rewritten, the updating has more to do with fine tuning and nuances, documentation, and the way we make our case for our approach and conclusions.”
—“Preface”

CONTENTS

   List of Charts, Photographs, Maps, and Texts
   Preface
   Abbreviations
1. The Setting
   The Chronological Context
      The Israelites and Judeans as “Latecomers”
      Their Origins Shrouded in a Dark Age
      Israel and Judah among the Peoples and Empires of the Iron Age
      The Impact of Alexander’s Conquest
   The Geographical Context
      The Fertile Crescent
      The Eastern Mediterranean Seaboard
      Palestine
   Everyday Life in Ancient Palestine
2. Epigraphy and Archaeology
   Epigraphical Evidence
      Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Palestine as Known from Egyptian Sources
      Early Iron Age Palestine’s Heterogeneous Population
      Texts That Relate Specifically to Israel
   Archaeological Evidence
      Late Bronze Age Palestine (ca. 1550–1200 B.C.E.)
      The Early Iron Age
      Questionable Correlations between Archaeology and the Bible
   Early Israel and the Early Iron Age Highland Settlements
3. The Biblical Evidence
   Summary of the Genesis–Judges Narrative
   Difficulties with Using the Genesis–Judges Narrative for Historical Research
      Ancient Notions about the Past
      General Improbabilities
      Internal Contradictions
      Composite Character of the Genesis–2 Kings History
   Folk Materials Embedded in the Hebrew Bible
   Folk Materials and Historical Evidence
   Contemporary Approaches to the History of Ancient Israel
   Our Approach
4. Earliest Israel
   Families, Clans, and Tribes
   Tribal Alignments and Territories
      Ephraim and Satellite Tribes
      Other Tribes Occasionally Involved in Ephraimite Affairs
      Judah
      Other Southern Tribal Groups
   Leadership among the Clans and Tribes
   Religion and Cult
      El, Baal, and Yahweh
      Priestly Lines and Houses
      Shechem and Shiloh
   Defining Early Israel
5. Eli, Samuel, and Saul
   Eli, Samuel, and Saul according to 1 Samuel
      Summary of 1 Samuel 1–15
      General Characteristics of the 1 Samuel Account
      Separating the Traditions in 1 Samuel
   Problem Areas for the Historian
   Shiloh and the Elides
   The “Historical” Samuel
   Saul, an Early Israelite Chieftain
      Saul’s Rise to Power
      The Territorial Extent of Saul’s Chiefdom
      Administrative Affairs
      Saul and Yahwism
   Opposition to Saul
      Saul’s Last Battle
   Abner and Ish-bosheth
6. David
   David as Presented in the Biblical Materials
      Summary of 1 Samuel 16—1 Kings 2
      Observations Regarding the Geneis–2 Kings Account of David’s Reign
      The Chronicler’s Presentation of David’s Reign
      David and the Psalms
      The Biblical David and the Historical David
   David in Saul’s Court
   David the Renegade
      Escape from Saul’s Court
      David in Adullam and Vicinity
      Roaming the Wilderness of Ziph
      David with the Philistines
   David Rules from Hebron
   David, King of Jerusalem
   Dealing with Opposition
      The Execution of Saul’s Descendants
      Absalom’s Rebellion
      Sheba’s Revolt
   David’s Administration
      The “High Officials”
      The Zadokites and the Priests of Nob
      The Levites
   The Extent of David’s Rule and His Frontier Wars
      Determining the Extent of David’s Direct Rule
      David’s Frontier Wars
7. Solomon
   Solomon in the Biblical Materials
      The Geneis–2 Kings Presentation of Solomon’s Reign
      Summary of 1 Kings 1–11
      Composition and Structure of 1 Kings 1–11
      The Chronicler’s Presentation of Solomon
      Solomon and the “Wisdom” Books
      The Biblical Solomon and Historical Reconstruction
   Solomon and Archaeology
   Possible Glimpses of the Historical Solomon
      Solomon’s Accession to the Throne
      The Extent of Solomon’s Kingdom and International Relations
      Solomon and International Commerce
      Solomon’s Administration
      Solomon the Builder
      Solomon and the Cult
      Internal Conflict
8. Separate Kingdoms
   The International Scene during the Mid-Centuries of the Iron Age
      Peoples of the Iron Age
      The Neo-Assyrian Empire
      The Neo-Babylonian Empire
   Sources of Information about the Two Kingdoms
      The Hebrew Bible
      Epigraphical Evidence
      The Archaeology of Iron II Palestine
   Matters of Interpretation
      Origins of the Separate Kingdoms
      Establishing Dates for the Kings of Israel and Judah
9. Four Decades of Hostilities
   Sources for the Period
      The Biblical Materials
      Sheshonq’s Inscription
   The Shechem Assembly and Its Aftermath
      The Constituency of the Shechem Assembly
      Rehoboam’s Rejection
      The Role of the Tribe of Benjamin
      Jeroboam at Shechem
   Differences between the Kingdoms
      Territorial Size and Strength
      Instability of the Northern Kingdom
      Absence of a Sustaining Royal Theology
      The Role of Prophets in Northern Politics
   Rehoboam, Abijam, and Asa of Judah
   Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, and Elah of Israel
   Shishak’s Invasion
   Conflicts between the Kingdoms
10. The Omride Era
   Sources for the Period and Their Problems
      The Omride Era as Presented in 1–2 Kings
      The Omride Era according to the Chronicler
      Royal Inscriptions of Moab, Assyria, and Syria
      Archaeological Evidence
      Conflicts in the Sources
      Chronological Issues
   Israel at Its Zenith under Omri and Ahab
      Omri’s Rise to Power
      A New Capital at Samaria
      Omri and Ahab in International Affairs
      Omri and Ahab as Builders
      Yahwism and Baalism under the Omrides
   Ahab’s Death and the Beginning of Decline under Ahaziah
   Jehoshaphat of Judah
      Jehoshaphat in the Shadow of Ahab
      Jehoshaphat’s Maritime Venture
   The Two Jehorams (?)
   The End of the Omrides in Israel
11. The Century of the Jehu Dynasty
   Sources of Information
      The Biblical Materials
      Royal Assyrian and Syrian Records
      Archaeology
   Chronological Matters
   Under Syrian Oppression and Recovery
      Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Joash of Israel
      Athaliah, Joash, and Amaziah of Judah
   National Restoration under Jeroboam II and Uzziah
      Israel under Jeroboam
      Judah under Uzziah and Jotham
   Social and Religious Conditions
12. The Era of Assyrian Domination: The End of the Kingdom of Israel
   Sources for the Period
   Syria-Palestine and the Assyrian Empire
      The Assyrian Conquest of the Eastern Mediterranean Seaboard
      Assyrian Administrative Policies
      Chronological Issues
   Rezin’s “Greater Syria”
   The Last Years of Israel
      Shallum and Menahem
      Pekahiah
      Pekah
      The Syro-Ephraimite Attack on Jerusalem
      Tiglath-pileser III’s 734–731 Campaign
      Hoshea and the Fall of Samaria
   The Assyrian Province of Samerina
      Deportation and Resettlement
      Of Lions and Priests
13. The Era of Assyrian Domination: Judean History from Ahaz to Amon
   Ahaz (Jehoahaz I)
      Ahaz as Depicted in the Biblical Sources
      Ahaz and the Syro-Ephraimite Crisis
      Ahaz’s Religious Practices
   Hezekiah
      Hezekiah as Depicted in the Biblical Sources
      Chronological Difficulties
      Sargon and Hezekiah
      Hezekiah’s Revolt and Sennacherib’s Invasion
   Manasseh
      Pax Assyriaca
      Assyrian-Egyptian Rapprochement
      Manasseh and Assyria
      Manasseh in Babylon?
   Amon
14. The Last Years of the Davidic Kingdom
   Sources for the Period
      The Accounts in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles
      The Prophetical Books
      The Babylonian Chronicles
      Hebrew Ostraca
   Chronological Problems
   The Collapse of Assyria and the Rise of Babylonia
      Cimmerians, Scythians, and Medes
      Egypt and Syria-Palestine
      The Rise of Babylon
      The Last Days of Assyria
   Judah and International Affairs
      Judah as an Egyptian Vassal
      Judah and the Barbarian Movements
      The Reign of Josiah
      Literary and Chronological Matters
      The Book of the Law
      Josiah’s Reform
      The Death of Josiah
   Jehoahaz II
   Jehoiakim
      King Jehoiakim and the Prophet Jeremiah
      Judah as a Babylonian Vassal
   Jehoiachin
   Zedekiah
      Judah under Babylonian Hegemony
      The Judean Rebellion and the Fall of Jerusalem
15. The Period of Babylonian Domination
   Sources for the Period
   Judah after the Fall of Jerusalem
      General Destruction in the Land
      Judean Exiles
      Verification of Prophetic Proclamation
      The Rule of Gedaliah
      An Attempt at Davidic Restoration
      Continuation of Cultic Life
   The Era of Babylonian Dominance
   The Diaspora
      The Biblical Source Material
      Nonbiblical Sources
      The Exiles in Babylonia
      The Egyptian Diaspora
16. The Era of the Persian Empire
   Sources for the Period
   The Rise of Cyrus and the Persians
      Cyrus as Liberator and Propagandist
      Persian Policy toward the Judean Exiles
      The Political Situation in Judah
      The Extent of the Return
   The Reconstruction of the Jerusalem Temple
      Cambyses
      Darius I
      The Completion of Temple Reconstruction
   Judah as a Persian Province after Darius I
   Persia and the West from Darius I to Artaxerxes III
   The Activity of Ezra and Nehemiah
      The Chronological Problem
      The Work of Nehemiah
      Ezra’s Attempted Reform
   Later Developments in the Period
Scripture Index
Name Index

Item Number: BKW690
Publication data: Louisville, KY/London, United Kingdom: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006
Format: softcover
Number of pages: xxii + 562
Dimensions (l × w × h): 22.9 cm × 15.4 cm × 3.8 cm
Additional information: black-and-white illustrations
ISBN-10: 0‒664‒22358‒3
ISBN-13: 978‒0‒664‒22358‒8

$39.95 (USD)