Full Description
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.
Contents
1. Beginnings; 2. The Crisis of the Late Bronze Age and the Spawning of New Empires and Kingdoms (1250-1150 B.C.E.).; 3. Egyptian Imperialism: The Origins of Ancient Israel in Egypt (LBA); 4. Liberated Colonies and the Formation of a Tribal Nation: Israel's Entrance into Canaan and the Period of the Judges (Iron I); 5. Imperialism in Early Israel: The Davidic-Solomonic Empire (1000-922 B. C. E.); 6. Imperialism: The Establishment of the Northern Empire (922-722 B. C. E.); 7. Imperialism: The Assyrian Empire (745-612 B. C. E.); 8. Imperialism: The Babylonian Empire (612 - 539 B. C. E.); 9. Imperialism: The Persian Empire (539-332 B. C. E.); 10. Imperialism: The Greek Empire (332-164 B. C. E.); 11. Postcolonialism: the Maccabean Empire (164-63 B. C. E.); 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.); 13. A Post-Colonial Postscript.
