Abstract
This insightful volume starts from the observation that Old Testament research has undergone fundamental changes in the second half of the last century. Not only do the findings from several archaeological sites in Palestine challenge our previous images about Ancient Israel, but also do new methodological approaches to the field of literary and religious historical research. Reinhard Kratz considers seriously the impact of this new evidence and draws the consequences in regard to three subjects: the history of Israel and Judah, the formation of the Old Testament and, finally, source study on Ancient Judaism. He thus assembles three overviews on one field each that have partly been published before, but have been reworked for the present question. The first part (Geschichte Israels und Judas) gives a short outline of the historical and religious historical framework, in which the biblical tradition emerged, while the second (Die biblische Tradition) concentrates on the premises and the development of biblical literature. The third overview (Jüdische Archive) takes into account the evidence of the sites, where biblical and non-biblical texts emerged and were transmitted (Elephantine, Qumran, Garizim, Jerusalem and Alexandria). It focuses on the yet unsolved question under which historical and sociological conditions the Old Testament scriptures became the authoritative literary corpus both of Judaism and Christianity. Extensive indexes and other informative material complement the volume.
This collection of studies offers a valuable tool for both the researcher at university and everyone interested in the subject. In a reader-friendly style, Reinhard Kratz makes the new evidence in Hebrew Bible studies accessible and bridges the gap between archaeological and theological research that is neglected or blurred too often. In taking up Wellhausen’s differentiation between ‘ancient Israel and Judaism’ (altes Israel und Judentum), he demonstrates that the historical Israel cannot be identified with the biblical Israel. However, it is no longer Wellhausen’s law that makes the difference, but the phenomenon of biblical tradition as such that emerged side by side with the historical Israel. Therein, biblical tradition bears witness how the historical circumstances led to the formation of biblical Judaism in terms of a Jewish self-conception. The author is not shy about drawing out the hermeneutical consequences. Rather, he raises the question concerning how to deal with the fact that biblical history does not correspond to historical realities. He answers this question with reference to faith that does not distinguish between fact and fiction, but conceives of constructed history in terms of a reality. Overall, this volume represents an important contribution to understanding the biblical tradition in light of new archaeological evidence and demonstrates exemplarily why there should be a thorough distinction between biblical and historical Israel matters. A quick translation of the work that makes it accessible to an English speaking audience would be appreciated.