Del i serien Society for Old Testament Study Monographs

Rediscovering the 'Judge' of Israel in Judah's Bible

Origin, Transmission, and Reception

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

1 989 kr

Kommande

Why are the leaders of early Israel called 'Judges'? What does this institution refer to and where did it come from? How was it appropriated, transformed, and reconceptualized in the Hebrew Bible? To answer these questions, Julian Chike offers an analysis of new data, a re-evaluation of previous data in light of new data, and, more importantly, a new framework for using second millennium BCE sources from the ancient Near East to rediscover the 'Judge' of Israel in Judah's Bible. Rather than reflecting scribal invention or later borrowing, Chike proposes that the 'Judge' of Israel stands in cultural continuity with an ancient form of leadership called šāpit-um which stems from the Amorite world most clearly depicted in the Mari documents. The findings of this study invite a re-evaluation of compositional and historical claims surrounding Israel's origin stories and stimulate further conversation about Amorite relations to the inhabitants of early Israel.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-12-31
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieSociety for Old Testament Study Monographs
Antal sidor300
FörlagCambridge University Press
ISBN9781009887533

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Introduction; 1. A journey through intellectual history; 2. Before they were 'judges': the Šāpitòum of Mari; 3. Continuity of the Šāpitòum after Mari; 4. Transmission of Šāpitòum into the western periphery; 5. A period of 'judges'? Palimpsests of political history; 6. The 'judge' of Israel and the Šāpitòum of Mari reconsidered; 7. When they became 'judges': reconceptualizing the 'judge' of early Israel; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index of authors; Index of ancient sources; Index of subjects.

'This is a remarkable work. Chike's image of a 'palimpsest of political history' brilliantly explains the cultural continuity of Israel's 'judge' with its precursors in the ancient world. In the process, he calls into question current trends in scholarship that understand the 'judge' of early Israel as a product of much later scribal innovations. Chike's contribution is monumental and cannot be ignored by scholars and all interested readers of the Hebrew Bible.' Bill T. Arnold, Amos Professor of Old Testament Interpretation, Asbury Theological Seminary