Thomas Romer is Professor of Old Testament in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

• Introduction; Part I. The content of the So-called Deuteronomistic History; (Deuteronomy - 2 Kings); 1. Deuteronomy; 2. Joshua; 3. Judges; 4. Samuel-Kings; Part II. What Does 'Deuteronomistic History' Mean? - A Survey of Past Research; 1. The Prehistory of the Deuteronomistic History Hypothesis; 2. The Elaboration of the Deuteronomistic History Hypothesis by M. Noth; 3. Major Modifications and Criticisms of the Deuteronomistic History Hypothesis; 4. The Present State of Discussion: A Time for Compromise?; Part III. The Deuteronomistic History From the Assyrian to the Persian Period; 1. Who Were the 'Deuteronomists'?; 2. The Foundation Myth of the Deuteronomistic School in 2 Kings 22-23: Book-finding and Cultic Reform; 3. The Three Different Viewpoints about Centralization in Deuteronomy 12 as an Example of the Threefold Edition of the. Deuteronomistic History; Part IV. Deuteronomistic Editing in the Assyrian Period and Royal Propaganda; 1. The Beginning of Deuteronomistic Literary Production in the Seventh Century; 2. The first edition of Deuteronomy in the Assyrian Period; 3. Political and Military Propaganda in the Book of Joshua; 4. Judges, Samuel and Kings; 5. Summary: The Origins of the Deuteronomistic Library in the Neo-Assyrian Period; Part V. The Constitution of the Deuteronomistic History in the Neo-Babylonian Period; 1. Setting the so-called 'Exilic Period'; 2. The Structure and Ideology of the Deuteronomistic History's Exilic Edition; 3. The Exilic Edition of the Deuteronomistic History; 4. Summary: The Exilic Edition of the Deuteronomistic History; Part VI. Editing the Deuteronomistic History During the Persian Period; 1. Social and Political Context in Judah During the Persian Period; 2. The Main Themes of the Persian Edition of the Deuteronomistic History; 3. The Death of the Deuteronomistic History and the Birth of the Torah.

"'For some time now there has been a need for an up-to-date, comprehensive treatment of the Deuteronomistic History...[t]his introduction fulfils all of those expectations very well....It remains a very thoughtful and well-informed study that may serve as a good starting point for further discussion...I warmly recommend it to students and scholars as an introduction to this field of study.' RBL, John Van Seters"