Deuteronomistic History

Once the reader leaves behind the books of Genesis - Numbers and begin the trek through Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, the reader enters a different world in the biblical literature. No longer is the text saturated with the language and themes of the Yahwist and the Priestly Writer - although their presence might still be felt beneath the text. Instead, the reader has entered the world of the Deuteronomistic History.

The Deuteronomistic History is a single work giving the story of Israel as a people from its conquest of the land to its expulsion from the land through exile, spanning the books of Joshua - Judges - Samuel - Kings. The Deuteronomistic History is based on the book of Deuteronomy which presents itself as the final address of Moses to the people of Israel. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses details all the law of God, and formalizes the covenant between God and the people. The Deuteronomistic historian presents Deuteronomy as a charter for the people of Israel. In addition to functioning as the introduction to the story of the people of Israel, it served as the basis by which the Deuteronomistic historian evaluated the Israelites fidelity to God.

The Deuteronomistic historian has divided the history of Israel into five highly schematized eras:

1. Moses and lawgiving (Deuteronomy). During this era the people entered into a covenantal relationship with Yahweh which was to be lived out by obedience to the stipulations of the covenant.

2. Joshua and the conquest (Joshua). This era represents the fulfillment of Yahweh's promise to the patriarchs and Moses to give the land of Canaan to their descendents. The promise had be to put on hold because of the sins of the Israelites during the wilderness wanderings, but now a new generation is ready to launch into the promised land. According to the book of Joshua, the land is conquered and settled during Joshua's lifetime as far north as Mt. Hermon, north of Galilee. But if the people continue to remain faithful to the covenant with Yahweh, the people will succeed in conquering the remainder of the promised land.

3. Judges and apostasy (Judges - 1 Samuel 7). This era is characterized by Israel's wholesale apostasy. Because they continually turn away from serving Yahweh, Israel is repeatedly given into the hands of her neighbors who oppress her. Yahweh's promise of land has been put on hold. Instead, Yahweh keeps the nations around in order to test Israel's fidelity to the covenant and to teach her the painful results of apostasy. The period ends with Israel on the verge of extinction. Except for the intervention of Yahweh, the Philistines would have completely destroyed the loose confederation of Israelite tribes.

4. The rise and glories of the monarchy (1 Samuel 8 - 1 Kings 8). This is the Golden Era of the kingdom of Israel. The main focus is the rise of David and his building of a great kingdom. This era comes to an end with the establishment of the Temple by Solomon.

5. The disintegration of the kingdom (1 Kings 9 - 2 Kings 23.25). This era is characterized by the split in the kingdom due to Solomon's oppressive measures. After the split, the Dtr History gives two parallel histories: the gradual decline and destruction of the northern kingdom and the hope of the southern kingdom in the reforms of Josiah.

The Deuteronomistic historian evaluates the history of both the northern kingdom Israel and the southern kingdom Judah according to the laws of Deuteronomy. Those periods in which the people followed the laws of Deuteronomy - such as during the period of Joshua - are judged favorable, and those period where the people rejected the laws of Deuteronomy - such as the period of Judges - are presented in terms of God's judgment. During the period of the divided monarchy, however, the Deuteronomist historian's evaluation of individual kings - northern and southern - is based on the criterion of the centralization of the cult. Legislation for this centralization is spelled out explicitly in Deuteronomy 12:1-7.

According to the Deuteronomist historian, all the northern kings failed in regard to the law of centralization of the cult, and thus rejected the law of God. When Jeroboam, the first king of (northern) Israel split away from Judah, he established rival sanctuaries in Bethel and Dan. He did not want the Israelites returning to Jerusalem to worship in the temple. According to the Deuteronomist historian, God had initiated the division of the kingdom as the result of the sins of Solomon, but God had not authorized the division of the cult. All later northern kings continued to support the rival temples in Bethel and Dan, and thus are condemned by the Deuteronomistic historian. The destruction of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians demonstrated God's judgment on Israel for its apostasy and rejection of God's temple in Jerusalem.

Even many of the good kings in the south failed with regard to the centralization of the cult. Nevertheless, the Deuteronomistic historian saw in the history of Judah a gradual progression toward centralization of the cult which culminated in Josiah. Thus, with regard to the southern kingdom the Deuteronomistic historian offers a postive history. (It is interesting to note an alternative history for the southern kingdom in the book of Chronicles which often disagrees with the Deuteronomistic History.)

The Deuteronomistic historian's classification of southern kings as good or evil depending on their faithfulness to the laws of Deuteronomy and especially the law of centralization is outlined below:

The rest of the book of 2 Kings (23:26-25:30) differs in form and outlook. The remaining kings are not evaluated in terms of their centralization of the cult, and the mood has shifted from optimism to pessimism. Most scholars have suggested that this passage stems from a second edition of the Deuteronomistic History.

The composition of the Deuteronomistic History has been debated by scholars. Most scholars recognize at least two edition of the history. One edition was completed during the reign of Josiah. This edition was optimistic. It viewed Josiah as the greatest king in Judah - in terms of fidelity toward God. However, Josiah's untimely death at the hands of King Necho of Egypt and the rapid destruction of Judah by the Babylonians cast serious doubts on the message of this edition. As a result, a second edition of the Deuteronomistic History was published during the exile. It included the ending of the book of 2 Kings (23:26-25:30) and several other major passages, and the message of the history shaped to explain how the people of Judah ended up in exile. This edition is much more pessimistic and is aimed at instructing the exilic community to be faithful to God.

Thoughout this history, the Deuteronomistic historian inserts interpretative passages in the form of introductions or speeches and prayers on the lips of major characters:

The book of Deuteronomy is presented as a speech by Moses;
The speeches of Joshua (Joshua 1:11-15; and 23);
The final address of Samuel (1 Samuel 12:1-24);
The oracle of Nathan and the prayer of David (2 Samuel 7:1-29);
The prayer of Solomon (1 Kings 8:12-51).

In these interpretative passages, the Deuteronomistic historian evaluates the era and prepares the reader for the eventual destruction and exile of Judah. The speechs also offer the hope of restoration for the people if they repent of their rebellion against God.

Although the Deuteronomistic History is considered a single work, scholars have recognize the presence of a number of earlier sources in the narrative. The Deuteronomistic historian undoubtedly incorporated independent earlier traditions into his work - such as the traditions about individual judges, the stories of Saul and David (the "Apology of David" and the "Succession Narrative"), and the prophetic stories of Elijah and Elisha.