Deuteronomistic History

Abstract

The so-called "Deuteronomistic History" is a scholarly category that groups the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings for their similar terminology and theological orientation. Martin Noth is often credited with the "discovery" of the Deuteronomistic History, although connections between the various books had been noted by scholars long before Noth's own synthesis (See the works of Wellhausen, de Wette, and Ewald). Noth defined the Deuteronomistic History as a history of the nations of Israel/Judah which articulated the theological reasons for Israel's fall in 722BCE and Judah's exile in 586BCE. The Judean scribe(s) behind this history maintain that God allowed – perhaps even orchestrated – the fall of Israel and Judah because the kings and the people neglected the terms of the covenant set forth in the book of Deuteronomy. However, scholars like Frank Moore Cross also found more positive themes expressed throughout the "history" such as God's promise to always uphold the Davidic monarchy and the permanence of God's presence in the temple in Jerusalem. Other themes that appear frequently throughout the "history" include warnings against idolatry, the importance of centralizing worship (at the Jerusalem temple), and the complicated nature of kingship. Along with these broad themes, the books within the "history" share certain terms and phraseology such as "going after other gods," "the place the LORD will cause his name to dwell," "walk in the ways of the LORD," "keep the commandments/statues/testimonies/judgements of the LORD," "doing good/evil in the eyes of the LORD," and "for the sake of my servant David." (See Weinfeld Appendix A for full list). Overall, the Deuteronomistic History appears to project a Judean perspective which favors the temple in Jerusalem, the Davidic monarchy, and the laws/ covenantal terms in the book of Deuteronomy. However, when analyzing these key phrases, terms, and theological perspectives, it is important to note that no book within the Deuteronomistic history is composed solely of Deuteronomistic themes/phrases, meaning the books themselves remain quite distinct. Moreover, each book employs these themes/phrases in different ways and in different quantities. For example, Deuteronomistic language appears heavily in texts that describe key moments in the history of Israel/Judah. These include the fall of the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 17), the construction of the Jerusalem temple (1 Kings 8), the establishment of the Davidic monarchy (1 Samuel 12/2 Samuel 7), the reign of Josiah and the discovery of the "Law" (2 Kings 22), and the fall of Judah (2 Kings 23-25). The books of Judges and Joshua by contrast, contain very little Deuteronomistic phrases/themes, and the language that does appear occurs only in transition points or in speeches (see portions of Judges 1-2, 6, 10, 19-21, and Joshua 23). Thus, it is important to remember that the Deuteronomistic History is merely a scholarly category used to describe the phenomena of shared terms, phrases, and themes across different texts in the Hebrew Bible. There remain large divisions within the field regarding the scope, dating, and even existence of the Deuteronomistic History as a unified scribal enterprise. Please see the bibliography for theories concerning dating the Deuteronomistic History and theories concerning its history of composition and redaction.

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