The European Seminar in Historical Methodology is committed to debating issues surrounding the history of ancient Israel and Judah with the aim of developing methodological principles for writing a history of the period. In this particular session the topic chosen was the Omride dynasty - its rise and fall - and the subsequent Jehu dynasty, down to the fall of Samaria to the Assyrians. Participants discuss such topics as the dating of prophetic texts, the house of Ahab in Chronicles, the Tel Dan inscription, the Mesha inscription, the Jezebel tradition, the archaeology of Iron IIB, the relationship between the biblical text and contemporary sources, and the nature of the Omride state. The volume incidentally gives a reasonably comprehensive treatment of the main sources, issues, debates, and secondary literature on this period of Israel's history. An introductory chapter summarizes the individual papers and also the relevant section of Mario Liverani's recent history of the period. A concluding 'Reflections on the Debate' summarizes the issues raised in the papers and provides a perspective on the discussion.
Author(s): Lester L. Grabbe (ed.)
Series: Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series 421
Publisher: T & T Clark International
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 361
Front Cover......Page 1
AHAB AGONISTES: The Rise and Fall of the Omri Dynasty......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
List of Contributors......Page 8
Part I: Introduction......Page 10
1. An Interpretation of the Omride and Jehu Dynasties: Mario Liverani's Otre la Bibbia......Page 12
2. Summaries of Contributions......Page 16
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 26
Part II: Articles......Page 28
2. The Secondary Literature on Amos......Page 30
6. Superscriptions......Page 31
7. Arguing from Language......Page 32
8. Words Against the Nations......Page 34
9. Dating Amos I......Page 35
10. Damascus and the Assyrians......Page 36
11. Hazael (842-805 BCE)......Page 38
12. The Neo-Assyrian Empire in Crisis......Page 39
13. Adad-Nirari III (810-783 BCE)......Page 40
14. Shalmaneser IV (782-773 BCE)......Page 41
15. The End of Damascus......Page 42
16. Amos 6.2......Page 43
17. Dating Amos II......Page 44
18. Conclusion......Page 45
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 46
1. Introduction......Page 50
2.1 References to Omri......Page 52
2.3 References to Jehoram, king of Israel......Page 53
2.4 References to Ahab......Page 54
2.5 References to other northern Israelites during the Ahabite period......Page 56
3. Gathering the Pieces: Ahabite Israel as Construed by Chronicles......Page 57
4. Considerations About History Writing in Ancient Israel......Page 59
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 61
Lester L. Grabbe: The Kingdom of Israel from Omri to the Fall of Samaria: If We Only Had the Bible.........Page 63
Outline of the Contents......Page 64
1.1 Analysis of the Text......Page 67
2. Archaeology......Page 68
2.1 Analysis......Page 77
3. Phoenician History of Menander of Ephesus......Page 80
4.1 Tel Dan......Page 81
4.4 Mesha Stela......Page 82
5. Assyrian Sources......Page 83
6. Comparison of Biblical and Extra-Biblical Material......Page 89
7. Conclusions......Page 96
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 100
Ernst Axel Knauf: Was Omride Israel a Sovereign State?......Page 109
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 111
1. Preliminary Remarks......Page 113
2. The Physical Reconstruction of the Inscription......Page 114
3. The Shape of the Inscription......Page 117
6.1 Lines 1-2......Page 118
6.2 Line 4......Page 122
6.3 Lines 5-6......Page 123
6.4 Lines 6-7......Page 124
6.5 Lines 7-8......Page 125
6.8 Lines 11-12......Page 126
7.1 The Content and the Function of the Inscription......Page 127
7.3 Hazael's Father and His Death......Page 128
7.4 The Identity ofHazael's Predecessor and the Treaties with the Kings of Israel......Page 130
7.5 The Battle with Joram in Qdm......Page 133
7.6 The 'Murderer' of Joram and Ahaziah......Page 134
9. Epilogue......Page 138
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 139
2. Literary Genre and Date of the Mesha Stele......Page 144
3. The Omri Dynasty in the Mesha Stele......Page 146
4. Omri Dynasty, Mesha Stele and Hebrew Historiography......Page 149
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 151
Nadav Na'aman: Royal Inscription versus Prophetic Story: Mesha's Rebellion According to Biblical and Moabite Historiography......Page 154
1.1 The Discovery and Text of the Mesha Stele......Page 155
1.2 Structure, Genre and Ideological Messages......Page 158
1.3 Dating the Mesha Stele......Page 163
2.1 Genre, Aims, and Chronological and Historical Problems......Page 166
2.2 Between History and Legend - The story About the Campaign of the Three Kings against Moab......Page 171
3. A Critical Examination of the Biblical Description of the Early Relations between Israel and Moab......Page 175
4. The Struggle between Moab and Israel, and the Establishment of the Kingdom of Moab in the ninth Century BCE......Page 179
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 185
1. The Problem......Page 193
2.1 Origins and Development of Samaria......Page 197
2.2.1 Archaeology......Page 198
2.2.2 Extra-biblical texts......Page 201
2.2.3 Biblical Texts......Page 204
Excursus 1: Samaria and Jerusalem as capitals?......Page 205
Excursus 2: Etymology of עיר......Page 207
4. (Re-)Construction......Page 208
5. Conclusion......Page 211
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 212
1. Introduction......Page 217
3. Jezebel as a Literary Figure, or: the Historical Figure is a Literary One......Page 218
4. Synchronic Analysis: a Picture Too Good to be True?......Page 219
5. Diachronic Analysis. The Literary Growth of the Biblical Tradition......Page 220
6. Historical inquiry - Methodological Considerations......Page 224
7. 'What's In a Name?'......Page 225
8. The End of the Omride Dynasty......Page 228
9. Jezebel-a גבירה?......Page 230
10. The Sidonian Princess and the Worship of Baal and Asherah......Page 233
11. Conclusion......Page 238
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 239
1. The Problem of Literary Events and Their Contexts......Page 245
2. Thematic Functions and A Testimony of the Good King......Page 249
2.1 Inscriptions from Mesopotamia, paraphrased and identified by function......Page 253
2.2 Inscriptions from Anatolia......Page 257
2.3 Inscriptions from Syria......Page 259
3.1 Paraphrase and identification by function......Page 263
De: Dedication of the Memorial......Page 264
Le: Statement of Legitimation......Page 266
Pa: Declaration of the king as chosen by the gods or as servant of the divine patron......Page 267
Pi: Declaration of innocence, piety or virtue in office......Page 268
Su: Description of past suffering, evil, rebellion or the anger of the gods......Page 269
Di: Recognition of divine participation as the primary cause of change......Page 271
Vi: Declaration of strength and of the victory over hardship, suffering, evil or enemies......Page 272
Re: The reversal of destiny and the power over fate......Page 275
Na: Establishing a Name......Page 277
Bu: Building projects or repairing temples, cities or the land......Page 279
Go: The Fullness of time or the announcement of sudden, transforming good news......Page 280
Sha: The creation of a Utopian shalom......Page 283
Bl/ Cu/ Pr: Blessings, Curses and Prayers......Page 285
4. Some Tentative Conclusions on the Historicity of the Mesha Stele......Page 286
5. The Bible's Story of Mesha......Page 291
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 297
1. Introduction......Page 302
2. The City of Samaria: The Facts on the Ground......Page 303
4. The Fortified Enclosure at Jezreel: The Facts on the Ground......Page 307
5. The Fortified Enclosure at Jezreel: Dating and Function......Page 310
6. Megiddo - The Stratum VA-IVB City: The Facts on the Ground......Page 311
7. Megiddo - The Stratum VA-IVB City: Date and Function......Page 313
8. Summary and Conclusions......Page 314
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 316
1. Introduction......Page 319
2. The Israelite Tripartite Building......Page 320
3. The Role of the Buildings......Page 322
4. Basilical Architecture......Page 324
5. Synagogues......Page 329
6. The Origins and Spread of the Plan......Page 330
7. Conclusions......Page 334
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 336
Part III. Conclusions......Page 338
1. Archaeology and Material Culture......Page 340
2. Inscriptions......Page 342
3. Literary Considerations......Page 343
4. The Question of Probability......Page 344
5. Reconstruction of the History of Israel and Judah......Page 346
6. Implications for Methodology......Page 348
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 350
Index of References......Page 352
Index of Authors......Page 358
