Overview

Kingship and Memory in Ancient Judah addresses the question of how a postmonarchic society would remember and imagine its monarchy, and kingship in general, as part of its past, present, and future. How did Judeans of the early Second Temple period conceive of the monarchy? By way of a thorough analysis of Judean discourse in this era, Ian D. Wilson argues that ancient Judeans had no single way of remembering and imagining kingship. In fact, their memory and imaginary was thoroughly multivocal, and necessarily so. Judean historiographical literature evinces a mindset that was unsure of the monarchic past and how to understand it-multiple viewpoints were embraced and brought into conversation with one another. Similarly, prophetic literature, which drew on the discursive themes of the remembered past, envisions a variety of outcomes for kingship's future. Historiographical and prophetic literature thus existed in a kind of feedback loop, enabling, informing, and balancing each other's various understandings of kingship as part of Judean society and life. Through his investigation of kingship in Judean discourse, Wilson contributes to our knowledge of literature and literary culture in ancient Judah and also makes a significant contribution to questions of history and historiographical method in biblical studies.

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9780190499921

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Reviews

""[T]he book is exceedingly well written and admirably clear, and thus it is a pleasure to read. A wealth of discursive footnotes clarify Wilson's meanings and positions for unclear and controversial terms and issues, making it very easy to follow the flow of the argumentation. The book will be an important and sophisticated addition to the growing literature on memory in the Second Temple Period, as well as the ways ideas around kingship and David developed in the period.""--Jason Silverman, Review of Biblical Literature ""Kingship and Memory in Ancient Judah is useful in reframing historiographic methods in biblical studies. Wilson aptly moves beyond the use of memory studies to merely determine the historicity of events of Israel's past Moreover, Wilson's book provides an insightful link to reception history, especially showing how texts continue to function as sites of memory for later writers. Finally, for those interested in political theology, Wilson's book usefully demonstrates the multivocality of biblical literature concerning the institution of kingship.""-- Chance P. McMahon, Ancient Jew Review ""In this book Ian Wilson engages a fascinating issue in social memory-how and why Persian period scribal literati constructed a discourse about Judean kingship when kingship was no longer a part of their social reality. With an exceptionally sophisticated command of the theoretical issues, Wilson engages the primary texts with deftness and perceptiveness. Not all will agree with his approach, but every reader will come away with new and provocative insights."" --Carol A. Newsom, C. H. Candler Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, Emory University ""In this remarkable book, Ian Wilson uses memory studies and other approaches to illuminate one of the most central issues for Hebrew Bible scholars and historians of ancient Israel: the coexistence of multiple, even contradictory discourses on the past and the future of kingship. Wilson is perfectly in command of his topic, and successfully combines theoretical insights with a close reading of the biblical texts. The result is a book that is both cogently argued and highly original. This is a must-read for anyone interested in memory studies and their application to the Hebrew Bible.""--Christophe Nihan, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible, Universit� de Lausanne

Author Information

Ian D. Wilson teaches religious studies at the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus, where he is also Associate Director of the Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life. His work has appeared in publications such as Harvard Theological Review, Vetus Testamentum, and Zeitschrift f�r die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, and recently he co-edited the volume History, Memory, Hebrew Scriptures: A Festschrift for Ehud Ben Zvi.

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