Biblical historiography

Biblical historiography is the analysis and study of, and the writing of, traditional history that evolved from ancient oral tradition and the historical epic, which concerns the texts of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Bible. It may be viewed, for example by John Miles Foley, as a form of performance with relevance to personal and community identity, containing a form of truth distinct from "factual" history.[1]

A shift in the writing of history to a more realistic narrative is traced to the setting of the period of the Hebrew Bible judges, traditionally dated to the twelfth-century BCE, through the books of Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles in the 4th century BCE, picking up again during the Hasmonean period in the Book of Maccabees and the Book of Jubilees.[2][3][4] Alexander Rofé divides biblical history-writing into a quasi-secular branch and a heraldic-prophetic or kerygmatic branch.[2] Some such as Thomas Römer do not consider the Deuteronomistic history to be historiography per se.[4][5]

Methods of analysis or deconstruction may employ or overlap with literary criticism, exegesis, or archaeology.[6][7][8]

Periodization

Periodization of biblical historiography reflects distinct organization identified in the Second Temple Period or the Hellenistic period of Jewish history.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Person, Raymond F. (2016-06-29), "Biblical Historiography as Traditional History", in Fewell, Danna Nolan (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Narrative, Oxford University Press, pp. 72–83, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199967728.013.5, ISBN 978-0-19-996772-8, retrieved 2026-07-31
  2. 1 2 Rofé, Alexander (2016). "Properties of Biblical Historiography and Historical Thought". Vetus Testamentum. 66 (3): 433–455. doi:10.1163/15685330-12341244. ISSN 0042-4935. JSTOR 43894622.
  3. ↑ Bodine, Joshua (2016-02-16). "History, Historiography, Historicity, and the Hebrew Bible". Studia Antiqua. 10 (1). ISSN 1540-8787.
  4. 1 2 Römer, Thomas (2005). The So-called Deuteronomistic History: A Sociological, Historical and Literary Introduction. T & T Clark. ISBN 978-0-567-04022-0.
  5. ↑ Pury, Albert de; Macchi, Jean-Daniel; Römer, Thomas (2000-11-01). Israel Constructs its History: Deuteronomistic Historiography in Recent Research. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-567-22415-6.
  6. ↑ Kallai, Zecharia (1999). "Biblical Historiography and Literary History: A Programmatic Survey". Vetus Testamentum. 49 (3): 338–350. doi:10.1163/156853399774228029. ISSN 0042-4935. JSTOR 1585375.
  7. ↑ Thompson, Thomas L. (1992-01-01), "Historicity and the Deconstruction of Biblical Historiography", Early History of the Israelite People, BRILL, pp. 77–126, doi:10.1163/9789004668843_007, ISBN 978-90-04-66884-3, archived from the original on 2025-07-10, retrieved 2026-07-31
  8. ↑ Finkelstein, Israel (2021-11-30). Essays on Biblical Historiography: From Jeroboam II to John Hyrcanus I. Mohr Siebeck. ISBN 978-3-16-160853-7.
  9. ↑ Machinist, Peter (2019-06-10). "Periodization in Biblical Historiography". Biblical Studies Collection.

See also

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