Canon and Archive: Yahwism in Elephantine and Āl-Yāḫūdu as a Challenge to the Canonical History of Judean Religion in the Persian Period

Granerød, Gard

doi:10.1353/jbl.2019.0018

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Efforts by scholars of Samaritan material to emphasize interconnection coincide neatly with emphasis on the complexity of cultic life in ancient West Asia—including northern Israel (Uehlinger 2015). Gudme’s work on the Gerizim corpus fits neatly into an increasingly accepted understanding of the diversity of Israelite, Samarian, and Judaean religious practice from the Late Iron Age onwards (Granerød 2019; Hensel, Nocquet, and Adamczewski 2020; Stavrakopoulou and Barton 2010). The inner-biblical ideal of increasingly stringent Israelite monotheism associated with successful reform has proven to stand in fruitful tension with extra-biblical evidence, especially from archaeology.…”

Section: Scholarly Moves In the Study Of The Samaritans Since 2004mentioning

confidence: 93%

Samaritans, Biblical Studies, and Ancient Judaism: Recent Trends

Chalmers

2021

Currents in Biblical Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this article, I survey recent trends in Samaritan studies, with a particular focus on biblical studies and the interactions of Samaritan Israelites with other religious traditions. While remaining entrenched in discussion of the origins of Samaritans, scholars have firmly embraced the idea of processual Samaritan identity, emerging over time and in a non-genealogical sense alongside and interwoven with Judean/Jewish self-definition. Extensive work clusters, in particular, at three nodes: the study of Hebrew-language scriptures, archaeological excavations, and the remodelling of identity-production in a constructivist form. I also sketch out the directions in which the field is moving, with growing and productive emphasis on Aramaic, Arabic, and late antiquity. Finally, I identify some of the quirks of Samaritan studies as it might be encountered, in particular a continued effort to salvage Samaritans for biblical studies, somewhat intermittent interdisciplinarity, and practices of engagement with Samaritan Israelites themselves.

show abstract

Section: Scholarly Moves In the Study Of The Samaritans Since 2004mentioning

confidence: 93%

Samaritans, Biblical Studies, and Ancient Judaism: Recent Trends

Chalmers

2021

Currents in Biblical Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It was probably first after Judah's Babylonian crisis in the sixth century BCE that Abraham first had a "successful career" as the forbear of the people. The crisis resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem, its temple, and the deportation of the upper echelons of the Judaean society, often referred to as the Babylonian exile or the exilic period, even though such terminology is misleading (Granerød 2019).…”

Section: Date Of Composition Of Genesis 14*mentioning

confidence: 99%

Abram the One from Beyond-the-River, and King Chedorlaomer of Elam (Genesis 14): Persia and the Formation of Judaean Ethnic Identity in a Late Patriarchal Narrative

Granerød

2021

Religions

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The perception of Persia in Judaean/Jewish texts from antiquity contributed to the construction of a Judaean/Jewish identity. Genesis 14 gives an example of this; in it, Abra(ha)m wages war with a coalition headed by King Chedorlaomer of Elam. The article argues that Genesis 14 is one of the latest additions to the patriarchal narratives (Genesis 12–36), composed in the Persian or early Hellenistic period. It was conceived and used as an ethnic identity-forming story. The characters in the narrative represented groups and nations in the neighbourhood of the province of Judah. Abra(ha)m was perceived as the ancestor of the Judaeans and the inhabitants of the province Beyond-the-River. The King of Elam represented the Persian Empire. The article uses redaction criticism to argue that Genesis 14 is among the latest additions to the patriarchal narrative in the late Persian or Hellenistic period. Moreover, it uses a combination of philological and historical methods to argue that the description of Abra(ha)m as hāʿibrî (traditionally translated “the Hebrew,” Gen 14: 13) characterises him as a person from the region Eber-nāri (Beyond-the-River). The article uses similar methods to argue that the names of people and places in Genesis 14 referred to political entities in and around Judah. Eventually, the article uses Anthony D. Smith’s theory of ethnic community and elements from postcolonial theory as “reading lenses” and a framework for analysing Genesis 14. Reading this way underscores that Genesis 14 originated and worked as an ethnic identity-forming story.

show abstract

Viewing Samaritans Jewishly: Josephus, the Samaritans, and the Identification of Israel

Chalmers

2020

J. Study Jud.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract Josephus offers one of our most extensive sources for the study of ancient Judaism, and his treatment of the Samaritans is no exception. In this article, I synchronize attention to Josephus’ representations of Samaritans with the turn in Biblical Studies and Jewish Studies towards the contestation of ancient “Israel” throughout antiquity. First, I argue that we see more clearly how Josephus actively constructs Samaritan identity by comparison to shared contestation of Israelite genealogy and geography in the Martyrdom of Isaiah, 4 Baruch, Pseudo-Philo, and Megillat Taʿanit. Second, I suggest that such an approach develops an alternative way to write ancient Jewish history with Josephus, incorporating his work into discussions of ancient Jewish self-representation beyond the choice between historical reality check or self-sustaining rhetoric.

show abstract

Canon and Archive: Yahwism in Elephantine and Āl-Yāḫūdu as a Challenge to the Canonical History of Judean Religion in the Persian Period

Cited by 5 publications

References 15 publications

Samaritans, Biblical Studies, and Ancient Judaism: Recent Trends

Samaritans, Biblical Studies, and Ancient Judaism: Recent Trends

Abram the One from Beyond-the-River, and King Chedorlaomer of Elam (Genesis 14): Persia and the Formation of Judaean Ethnic Identity in a Late Patriarchal Narrative

Viewing Samaritans Jewishly: Josephus, the Samaritans, and the Identification of Israel

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About