Peterson-naming the Deuteronomist

Posted on January 23, 2018 by jamesbradfordpate

theoutwardquest

We had a needed time of thawing out on our January vacation.  Now I am back to the cold and ready to do some blogging. I have been reading Brian Neil Peterson’s The Authors of the Deuteronomistic History: Locating a Tradition in Ancient Israel.

Peterson casts his book as a “Whodunit”.

Martin Noth, in 1943, published his study of the Former Prophets, that is the narrative books from Joshua to 2 Kings (excluding Ruth). Noth’s influential theory is that these books all reflect the theology of someone or some group in the 6th century reflecting on the reason God allowed Israel and Judah to fall to the Assyrians and Babylonians. The Book of Deuteronomy is a covenant with blessings and curses. The explanation for God’s judgment on Samaria, Jerusalem, and the house of David is found in God’s people repeatedly breaking that covenant.

Noth labeled the sixth-century editor or…

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About jamesbradfordpate

My name is James Pate. This blog is about my journey. I read books. I watch movies and TV shows. I go to church. I try to find meaning. And, when I can’t do that, I just talk about stuff that I find interesting. I have degrees in fields of religious studies. I have an M.Phil. in the History of Biblical Interpretation from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. I also have an M.A. in Hebrew Bible from Jewish Theological Seminary, an M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, and a B.A. from DePauw University.
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