The Formation of Biblical Texts

Questions concerning the composition and formation of biblical texts have dominated many of the current discussions in biblical studies, especially relating to the relationship between the Pentateuch and the (so-called) Deuteronomistic History, how these texts may have functioned as a corpus (or related corpora), and interconnections among these texts and those of Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah. As appreciation has grown for the potential text production in Judah and Samaria during the Persian and Hellenistic periods, the discussion has expanded to incorporate explorations of the way that textual criticism – particularly as it relates to the relationships among the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Septuagint, Qumran corpus, and the Masoretic Text – and literary criticism intersect. In this volume, leading voices come together to tackle questions about the composition and formation of the Hebrew Bible and the future directions of such studies in honor of Gary N. Knoppers.I. Introduction

II. Gary Knoppers: List of Publications

III. »Rethinking the Relationship between Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomistic History«: The Formation of the Primary and Deuteronomistic Histories
Steven L. McKenzie Gary Knoppers on the Deuteronomistic History – Bernard M. Levinson Contributions to the Study of Kingship in the Pentateuch and the Deuteronomistic History – Jonathan S. Greer Recasting the Sin of the Calf: The Deference of Jeroboam in 1 Kings 12 and the Formation of the Earliest History of Israel and Judah – Jeff Rop Elisha's Secret Demons: Philanderer, Fraud, Traitor, Murderer – Mark Lackowski Samson among the Deuteronomists – Konrad Schmid Was There Ever a Primary History? – Baruch Halpern Who Lost the Book of the Torah?

IV. »Great Among His Colleagues«: Gary Knopper's Contributions to the Study of the Book of Chronicles
Thomas Römer What is a Discovered Book Good For?: Josiah's Reforms and the Finding of the Book in 2 Kgs 22¬-23 and 2 Chr 34–35 – Ehud Ben Zvi Chronicles and the Concept of the »Twelve Tribes of Israel« – James VanderKam The Priestly List in 1 Chronicles 5:27–41 (English 6:1–15) – Christine Mitchell Commonalities without Equivalence – Melody Knowles The Treatment of Ps 132 in 11QPsa (11Q5) and Chronicles: Politics and Religious Practices in the Second Temple Period – Kenneth A. Ristau One Nation Under David: An Ideological Innovation in Chronicles

V. »Negotiating Identity in an International Context«: The Text of Ezra-Nehemiah and the Twelve
Tamara Cohn Eskenazi Conflict and Marriage and the Holy in Ezra 9–10 – Louis C. Jonker Achaemenid Language Politics in Ezra-Nehemiah – Deirdre N. Fulton »The Enemy Without or Within?« Revisiting Identity in Ezra-Nehemiah – Manfred Oeming In the Beginning of the Age of Coins: The Power and Money and the Possibilities of »the Fear of God« According to Nehemiah 5 – John Kessler The Silence of Exile: The Meaning, Function, and Significance of the »Calls of Silence« in the Book of the Twelve: Zeph 1:7, Hab 2:20, and Zech 2:17[13]

VI. »Two Nations under God«: The Influence of Northern Israel and Samaritan studies on the Formation of Biblical Texts
Sidnie White Crawford The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Masoretic Pentateuch: More Evidence for a Common Ancestor from their Scribal Practices – Magnar Kartveit What the Pre-Samaritan Texts Can Tell Us About the History of the Pentateuch in the Hellenistic Period – Reinhard Pummer Cultural Exchange Between Samaritans and Jews in Late Antiquity: Selected Case Studies – H. G. M. Williamson Did Isaiah Refer to the Samaritans?