Israel and Empire

This is an examination of Ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible through the lens of Postcolonial interpretation and Empire Studies. "Israel and Empire" introduces students to the history, literature, and theology of the Hebrew Bible and texts of early Judaism, enabling them to read these texts through the lens of postcolonial interpretation. This approach should allow students to...

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This is an examination of Ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible through the lens of Postcolonial interpretation and Empire Studies. "Israel and Empire" introduces students to the history, literature, and theology of the Hebrew Bible and texts of early Judaism, enabling them to read these texts through the lens of postcolonial interpretation. This approach should allow students to recognize not only how cultural and socio-political forces shaped ancient Israel and the worldviews of the early Jews but also the impact of imperialism on modern readings of the Bible. Perdue and Niang cover a broad sweep of history, from 1300 BCE to 72 CE, including the late Bronze age, Egyptian imperialism, Israel's entrance into Canaan, the Davidic-Solomonic Empire, the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, the Maccabean Empire, and Roman rule. Additionally the authors show how earlier examples of imperialism in the Ancient Near East provide a window through which to see the forces and effects of imperialism in modern history.

Leo G. Perdue is Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, TX, USA. He is the author of numerous books, including Wisdom and Creation: The Theology of Wisdom Literature (Abingdon, 1994, Second printing, 1995), After the Collapse of History: New Approaches to Biblical Theology (Fortress. 2005), and Sword and Stylus: An Invitation to Wisdom in the Age of Emp...

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Leo G. Perdue is Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, TX, USA. He is the author of numerous books, including Wisdom and Creation: The Theology of Wisdom Literature (Abingdon, 1994, Second printing, 1995), After the Collapse of History: New Approaches to Biblical Theology (Fortress. 2005), and Sword and Stylus: An Invitation to Wisdom in the Age of Empires (Eerdmans, 2008). He is the series editor for The Library of Biblical Theology at Abingdon Press and Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht's Library of Wisdom. He is the English editor The Biblical Encyclopedia (Kohlhammer, Deutsch; SBL Press, English).

Warren Carter is Professor of New Testament Brite Divinity School Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX.

Coleman A. Baker is Program Manager at the Soul Repair Center, Brite Divinity School, USA, and Adjunct Professor of Religion at Texas Christian University, USA.

1. Beginnings
A. Introduction.
B. Definitions.
C. Methodology.
D. The Main Concerns of Postcolonialism: Characteristics of Subaltern Writings and Readings in Religion and Theology.
2. The Crisis of the Late Bronze Age and the Spawning of New Empires and Kingdoms (1250-1150 B.C.E.).
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1. Beginnings
A. Introduction.
B. Definitions.
C. Methodology.
D. The Main Concerns of Postcolonialism: Characteristics of Subaltern Writings and Readings in Religion and Theology.
2. The Crisis of the Late Bronze Age and the Spawning of New Empires and Kingdoms (1250-1150 B.C.E.).
A. First Cause: Natural Cataclysm or the Conquest of Troy?
B. The Fall of Troy and the Mycenean and Minoan Empires
C. The Formation of New Kingdoms and Empires in Asia Minor
D. The Disruption of the Imperial Period in Egypt and the Decline of the Ramesside Dynasty
E. The Fall of the Empire of the Mitanni
F. The Emergence of Assyria and Babylonia
3. Egyptian Imperialism: The Origins of Ancient Israel in Egypt (LBA)
A. The Ancient Near in the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 B. C. E.)
B. The Egyptian Empires
C. Isael in Egypt: Slavery and Liberation
D. A Postcolonial Interpretation.
4. Liberated Colonies and the Formation of a Tribal Nation: Israel's Entrance into Canaan and the Period of the Judges (Iron I)
A. Introduction: Canaan and the Early Iron Age (Iron I, 1200-1000 B. C. E.)
B. The "Conquest" of Canaan in Biblical Literature.
C. Three Historical Interpretations of Israel's Entrance to the Land: Military Invasion, Peaceful Infiltration, and Revolution.
D. Postcolonial Interpretation
5. Imperialism in Early Israel: The Davidic-Solomonic Empire (1000-922 B. C. E.)
A. The Failure of the Monarchy of Saul
B. The Kingship of David and the Israelite Empire
C. The Kingship of Solomon and the Development of the Empire
D. Postcolonial Interpretation
6. Imperialism: The Establishment of the Northern Empire (922-722 B. C. E.)
A. The Division of the Empire (The Divided Kingdoms)
B. The Northern Empire (Israel)
C. The Southern Kingdom (Judah)
D. Postcolonial Interpretation.
7. Imperialism: The Assyrian Empire (745-612 B. C. E.)
A. Israel
B. Judah
C. The DH and the Classical Prophets (First Isaiah and Jeremiah), a Conflict in Ideologies.
D. Postcolonial Interpretation.
8. Imperialism: The Babylonian Empire (612 - 539 B. C. E.)
A. Judah as a political, social, and religious colony prior to rebellion and the exile.
B. Exile and Deportation: Life in the Diaspora/Exile and the Means of Preserving Identity
C. The Classical Prophets (Second Isaiah and Ezekiel): the new Exodus and the New Jerusalem.
D. The Books of Job, Habakkuk, and Lamentations: a Time for Mourning and Questioning.
E. Postcolonial Interpretation.
9. Imperialism: The Persian Empire (539-332 B. C. E.)
A. Imperial policies of the Achaemenid Dynasty: Cessation of Exile, Requirements of Codification, and the Propaganda of Tolerance
B. The Return from Exile and the Rebuilding of the Temple
C. The Rebuilding of the City walls by Nehemiah
D. The Reform of Ezra and the Constructing of Second Temple Judaism
E. The Formulation of the Torah as the Central Defining Document for Early Judaism
F. Postcolonial Interpretation.
10. Imperialism: The Greek Empire (332-164 B. C. E.)
A. Alexander the Great and Hellenism
B. The Ptolemies (312 -200 B. C. E.)
C. The Seleucids (200-164 B. C. E.)
D. The Book of Qoheleth as a Criticism of Divine Justice in Controlling History
E. Early Apocalypticism: The Book of Daniel, the Isaiah Apocalypse, Deutero-Zechariah (9-14), and the Book of Enoch.
G. The Development of Jewish Sects: Essenes (Qumran), Pharisees, Sadducees, Hellenistic Judaism, and Zealots and their varied responses to Torah, Hellenism, and imperialism
H. Postcolonial Interpretation.
I. Jewish Assimilation of Hellenistic Culture (especially in Egypt, according to the Wisdom of Solomon); Jewish Toleration of Hellenism (Ben Sira); the .Rejection of Hellenistic Culture (I Maccabees).
J. The Status of Women
K. Apocalyptic Vision: the Reign of God and the Defeat of the Wicked Empires (Daniel and I Enoch).
11. Postcolonialism: the Maccabean Empire (164-63 B. C. E.)
A. National Self-Rule
B. The Importance of Temple, Torah, Jerusalem, and Empire (David and Solomon)
C. Colony to Rome
D. The Partition into Kingdoms
E Postcolonial Interpretation
12. Neo-Imperialism: The Roman Rule of Judea in the Late Republic (65 B. C. E.) and the Subsequent Empire (30 B. C. E.-72 C. E.)
A. Roman Imperial Policies
B. Jewish political and socio-religious life in the Roman Empire
C. The Great Revolt (66-72 C. E.) and the Destruction of Jerusalem
D. Postcolonial Interpretation
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