The sanctuary of Bethel and the configuration of Israelite identity / Jules F. Gomes.

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Gomes, Jules.

Series:

Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft ; 368.

Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft ; Bd. 368

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Old Testament--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Jewish shrines--West Bank--Baytin--History--To 1500.

Jewish shrines.

Baytīn--History--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Baytīn.

Physical Description:

xx, 303 p.

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; New York : Walter de Gruyter, c2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

After Jerusalem, Bethel is the most frequently cited sanctuary in the Hebrew Bible. The book offers a detailed analysis of Bethel and its sanctuary from archaeological and biblical evidence. It reconstructs the history of Bethel and by analysing the presence of pro- and anti-Bethel propaganda, it argues that the latter, with its own pro-Jerusalem/Judah bias, has resulted in an unfair denigration of Bethel as an idolatrous place of worship. The study suggests that Bethel was a legitimate Yahwistic shrine and continued to be so even after the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians. Hence, Bethel in a real sense was the principal means of configuring Israelite identity.

Contents:

Front matter

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

Abbreviations

Chapter One. Introduction

Chapter Two. Bethel in the Books of Kings: From Restoration to Destruction

Chapter Three. Bethel in the Book of Genesis: Sanctuary of the Patriarchs

Chapter Four. Bethel in the Books of Joshua, Judges and 1 Samuel: Territorial Conquest and Tribal Claims

Chapter Five. Bethel in the Books of Amos, Hosea and in Particular Psalms: House of God or House of Sin?

Chapter Six. Bethel in Post-Exilic Biblical Writings: The Revival of a Central Sanctuary

Chapter Seven. Conclusion

Bibliography

Index of Biblical References

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Dissertation University of Cambridge, UK 2003.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [225]-286) and index.

ISBN:

9783110925180

3110925184

OCLC:

979590311