Judean Identity and Ecumenicity: The Political Theology of the Priestly Document

“The Canaanites were then in the Land” and Other Shechemite Ironies

“…P had been evidently unconcerned about the gods of the land, and instead opposed only the gods of Egypt. 31 Intertwining younger and older narrative threads, the Hexateuchal perspective seems to conclude that whether the migrant ancestors come from Babylon or from Egypt, they will learn the significance of Yhwh's name only within the household of El in Canaan. This surprising outcome comes to light with closer investigation of Gen 15-not just in Albertz's HexR in Gen 15:13-17a but through reflection on how this addition engages the whole chapter.…”

“…Most importantly for our purposes, there were no conquests of Bethel and Shechem, if the book of Joshua is to be our guide. 2 Yet, mysteriously, Joshua can still build an altar on one of the mountains that flanks Shechem (Josh 8: [30][31][32][33][34][35], and he secures a covenant there in Josh 24, in a ceremony held alongside the very same tree where Abram received his original land promise-the same tree, if we can consider Gen 12:6 and Josh 24:25-26 the bookends of a single narrative arc. There is certainly a story that stretches from Gen 12 to Josh 24, but how is this narrative frame to be understood in relation to other events associated with Shechem?…”

The Construction of Judean Diasporic Identity in Ezra–Nehemiah

“…47 Alternatively, it could be argued that the imperial monarch displays sensitivity to particular beliefs and practices of those parties affected by his edict. On the debate about the rhetorical deployment of such openended divine epithets to demarcate a broad and inclusive monotheism in Priestly tradition, see Schmid 2011. matter may be put somewhat differently. If the realm or the king or any of his sons were to experience some sort of future affliction, the cause of that affliction could be attributed to the failure of the Transeuphratene treasurers to assist the cause of Ezra and the Jerusalem sanctuary in a timely and generous way.…”