History of the Israelite Monarchy

Different Standards of History

Ancient understanding of history: stories about the past

• Stories have meaning in many ways, least of all reporting facts as anyone present would have seen them
• Salvation history is the idea that God acts in history and we can learn about God through the study of history

Modern understanding of history: verifiable reconstruction of events of the past

• Plausible
• Sources are not biased or can be corrected for bias
• Independent, external sources agree on basic facts even if perceived differently
• Objectivity, research
• A “cover-up” implies there is something to cover up (e.g. David)

Analogy

• Painting or art photography based on objects and events but with emphasis on interpretation in presentation (e.g, Hope, National Geographic Sharbat Gula)
• Polaroid picture as record/souvenir of event without much artistic flourish

Israelite History

• Creation through Joshua difficult to confirm or accept by the modern standard of history
• Starting with the period of loose confederation of tribal judges, the story much more conforms to modern expectations of history

Overview of the History of the Monarchy

• 1250-1000 “judges” are temporary leaders of a loose confederation of independent tribes
• 1000 David unites all twelve tribes with a capital in Jerusalem
• 950 Solomon
• 930 Split between north and south
• 722 Assyria destroys northern kingdom
• 597/587 Babylon destroys monarchy, Jerusalem temple

Sources for the History of the Monarchy

Deuteronomistic history

• Books: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings
• Based on stories and records of the royal court
• Adds a theological interpretation: bad historical events result from sin, good historical events result from repentance

Priestly history

• Books: Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah
• Based on the Deuteronomistic History
• Shifts emphasis from king and monarchy to priests and temple

External sources

• 1208 BCE, Egyptian monument claims victory over an ethnic group named Israel in the region
• 950 BCE, ruins of construction projects consistent with claims that Solomon built many buildings
• 830 BCE (roughly), monument claims to have killed king of the house of David
• 597 BCE, Babylonian records claim defeat of Jerusalem

Some psalms sing of events of the past