Two Versions Of The Solomon Narrative

This monograph deals with the problem of the text-historical relation between two versions of the Solomon Narrative: the Hebrew version preserved in the Masoretic Text of the book of Kings and the Greek version handed down in the Septuaginta of 3 Regum. Over the years, text critics have taken divergent approaches to this complex issue. This study reviews and evaluates their arguments. It does so on the basis of an independent analysis of the main differences between the two versions. The contents of this book are relevant for everyone interested in the composition and textual history of the book of Kings.

This book is concerned with ascertaining the value of having two versions of the same monarchic history of Israel within the Hebrew Bible (focusing on the books of Kings and Chronicles). It is furthermore concerned with how the book of Chronicles is read in relation to the book of Kings as Chronicles is so often considered to be a later rewritten text drawing upon an earlier version of the Masoretic Text of Samuel and Kings. The predominant scholarly approach to reading the book of Chronicles is to read it in light of how the Chronicler emended his source texts (additions, omissions, harmonizations). This approach has yielded great success in our understanding of the Chronicler's theology and rhetoric. However, Cook asserts, it has also failed to consider how the book of Chronicles can be read as an autonomous and coherent document. That is, a diachronic approach to reading Chronicles sometimes misses the theological and rhetorical features of the text in its final form. This book shows the great benefit of reading these narratives as autonomous and coherent by using the Solomon narratives as a case study. These narratives are first read individually, and then together, so as to ascertain their uniqueness vis-à-vis one another. Finally, Cook addresses questions related to the concordance of these narratives as well as their purposes within their respective larger literary contexts.

Analyses Solomon's birth, rise, and temple-building within scriptural, archaeological and historical contexts.

Looks at the life and legacy of King Solomon, describing his temple, the nature of his wisdom, and his biblical writings.

This study examines the speeches and prayers in the David-Solomon narrative in Chronicles and seeks to demonstrate that the Chronicler's portrayal of David and Solomon attempts to establish the Yehudite community's identity. Is the covenantal relationship still valid in the Persian period? The author asserts that as a commitment to YHWH involving the worship of YHWH through the Jerusalem temple, the covenantal relationship between YHWH and Israel continues even into the Persian period. This study employs Kennedy's rhetorical method with the new categories of the narrative situation and the Chronicler's situation being used to further delineate his concept of the narrative situation. The Chronicler's portrayal of David and Solomon through speeches and prayers serves to persuade his audience of the significance of the Jerusalem temple, reformulating the Yehudite community identity as a cultic community in the Persian period.

Joseph examines the narrative techniques used in the Deuteronomistic History to portray Israels kings. While David is constructed as a model of adherence to the covenant, Jeroboam is constructed as the ideal opposite; other kings are characterized along one or the other of these two models. The narrative functions didactically, instructing kings and the people of Judah regarding the consequences of disobedience. Joseph identifies differences between pre-exilic and exilic redactions in the Deuteronomistic History, offering a deepened understanding of the worldview and theology of this important biblical work.

The 18 essays by members of the Canadian Society for Biblical Studies published in this volume showcase the work of leading authorities on ancient Israelite and Jewish historiography as it intersects with the phenomenon of prophecy. A deep divide exists between the traditions of historiography and prophecy in the academic study of the Hebrew Bible, and the concern of the contributors is to close that gap, to expose the close relationship between these two traditions in the literature of the Hebrew Bible. The first section of the book explores prophecy and prophets in ancient Israelite and Jewish historiographic books (Torah, Deuteronomistic History, Chronicles, Ezra–Nehemiah, Second Temple Jewish historiography). The second section surveys historiography in Israelite and Jewish prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Book of the Twelve, Daniel, 1 Enoch). The contributors engage diverse methodological perspectives in these studies, the goal first being to show the role that the prophets played within the great Hebrew historiographic works and, second, to demonstrate the role that historiography plays within the great Hebrew prophetic works; this makes it clear that the influence is bidirectional. Prophets, Prophecy, and Ancient Israelite Historiography will be of value for advanced students and scholars working on historiographic and prophetic materials in the ancient Israelite and Jewish traditions, featuring the best of research and analysis and interacting with many major ancient literary traditions of historiography and prophecy.