When the End is the Beginning: Creating a National History

Niels Peter Lemche

When the End is the Beginning: Creating a National History

Section of Biblical Exegesis

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Contrary to Kierkegaards words about living history forwards, although writing it backwards, biblical scholars have followed a different path, not understanding the implications of writing history backwards. Instead they have seen the biblical history as if it was written as a running commentary on the fate of ancient Israel as history progressed. Israels history as told by Old Testament historiographers is not reflecting the progress of history; it is cultural memory constructing this history backwards and building on institutional models present in the time of these historiographers, such as the Greek amphictyony. Thus Martin Noth was after all right: Israel is reconstructed as an amphictyony in biblical historiography, although there never was an Israelite amphictyony in the real world.

Translated title of the contribution	Når slutningen er begyndelsen: Skabelsen af en national historie
Original language	English
Journal	Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament
Volume	29
Issue number	1
Pages (from-to)	22-32
Number of pages	11
ISSN	0901-8328
Publication status	Published - 2 Jan 2015

Keywords

Faculty of Theology

Cite this

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AB - Contrary to Kierkegaards words about living history forwards, although writing it backwards, biblical scholars have followed a different path, not understanding the implications of writing history backwards. Instead they have seen the biblical history as if it was written as a running commentary on the fate of ancient Israel as history progressed. Israels history as told by Old Testament historiographers is not reflecting the progress of history; it is cultural memory constructing this history backwards and building on institutional models present in the time of these historiographers, such as the Greek amphictyony. Thus Martin Noth was after all right: Israel is reconstructed as an amphictyony in biblical historiography, although there never was an Israelite amphictyony in the real world.

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JF - Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament

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ER -

When the End is the Beginning: Creating a National History

Abstract

Keywords

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