Reviews
Handy offers a very complete study of the character, the meaning of his reforms and his literary position.REVUE BIBLIQUE
Josiah
From Improbable Stories to Inventive Historiography
Lowell K. Handy [+–]
Loyola University Chicago (retired)
Lowell K. Handy received his M.A. from the University of Iowa School of Religion and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School. Before retirement he taught for 15 years at Loyola University Chicago and was employed at the American Theological Library Association Religion Index Project for 28 years. He has been an active member of the Chicago Society of Biblical Research, Society of Biblical Literature, and American Schools of Oriental Research. In addition to journal articles and reference entries, Dr. Handy has published several books, including: Among the Host of Heaven: The Syro-Palestinian Pantheon as Bureaucracy; Entertaining Faith: Reading Short Stories in the Bible; Jonah’s World: Social Science and the Reading of Prophetic Story; and edited volumes: The Age of Solomon: Scholarship at the Turn of the Millennium; Psalm 29 through Time and Tradition.
This book considers the various ways in which the last major King of Judah has been presented in biblical texts and the subsequent cultures that have made use of the biblical narratives. It is posited that there is no reliable material that can be dated to the time of Josiah and that the literary constructions of Josiah’s reign in Kings, Chronicles, and First Esdras already provided the inventive memory of a no longer recoverable monarch’s life. Aspects of these narratives are considered as well as the history of Josiah in historiographical renditions of world history and in presenting his story in narrative artistic productions.
Table of Contents
Prelims
Preface [+–] ix-xii
This book considers the various ways in which the last major King of Judah has been presented in biblical texts and the subsequent cultures that have made use of the biblical narratives. It is posited that there is no reliable material that can be dated to the time of Josiah and that the literary constructions of Josiah’s reign in Kings, Chronicles, and First Esdras already provided the inventive memory of a no longer recoverable monarch’s life. Aspects of these narratives are considered as well as the history of Josiah in historiographical renditions of world history and in presenting his story in narrative artistic productions.
Abbreviations [+–] xiii-xviii
This book considers the various ways in which the last major King of Judah has been presented in biblical texts and the subsequent cultures that have made use of the biblical narratives. It is posited that there is no reliable material that can be dated to the time of Josiah and that the literary constructions of Josiah’s reign in Kings, Chronicles, and First Esdras already provided the inventive memory of a no longer recoverable monarch’s life. Aspects of these narratives are considered as well as the history of Josiah in historiographical renditions of world history and in presenting his story in narrative artistic productions.
Introduction
Josiah: An Introduction [+–] 1-16
This book considers the various ways in which the last major King of Judah has been presented in biblical texts and the subsequent cultures that have made use of the biblical narratives. It is posited that there is no reliable material that can be dated to the time of Josiah and that the literary constructions of Josiah’s reign in Kings, Chronicles, and First Esdras already provided the inventive memory of a no longer recoverable monarch’s life. Aspects of these narratives are considered as well as the history of Josiah in historiographical renditions of world history and in presenting his story in narrative artistic productions.
Chapter 1
Josiah Was Dead to Begin With [+–] 17-41
Two concerns are addressed in this chapter. First it is made clear that there is a lot of material on death in the Kings account of Josiah. Some consideration of the notion of death in the Bible and in ancient Judah is provided. Second it is posited that none of the narratives about Josiah were composed during his life time.
Chapter 2
The Wise Man: Josiah’s Busy Scribes [+–] 42-68
At one time there was a flurry of academic scholarship proposing a large portion of Hebrew Scriptures to have been written or edited during Josiah’s reign. This chapter suggests that none of it can be demonstrated to have been composed or even adapted at that time.
Chapter 3
This chapter sets Josiah in opposition to Jeroboam as literary figures in the book of Kings. It also considers aspects of Josiah in relation to other rulers of Judah that are directly mentioned in his story or appear to have literary connections to the telling of his biblical story.
Chapter 4
Consideration is given to the presentation of the two prophets who get narrative content in the Josiah story. The man of god who predicts Josiah and then whose corpse is honored by Josiah indicates the importance of Josiah in the full narrative of Kings. Huldah appears as the voice of Yahweh to tie the coming death of Judah after the death of Josiah into the cultic concerns of the books of Kings and Chronicles. Neco gets a note for appearing as a prophet in Chronicles and First Esdras.
Chapter 5
This chapter surveys what the religious world of Josiah was in archaeological terms and in biblical terms. Judah and “Israel” both were heavily laden with standard deities of the region. It is worth noting that the biblical narratives assume this to be the case early in Josiah’s reign without connecting Josiah to that culture.
Chapter 6
Time for a Change (er, um, a ‘Reform’)? [+–] 157-188
This chapter deals with the literary relation of the cult “reform” of Josiah. It notes a couple major modern theories promoted as reasons for taking the religious sea-change seriously, then proposes that the world at the time does not support such a religious upheaval. That the story of Josiah’s religious activity reflects literary formulas throughout cannot be used either to argue for a historical base or to maintain it is all fiction. The political events surrounding Judah would mitigate against such a wild change of religious culture.
Chapter 7
The Passover presented as being given by Josiah in Kings and Chronicles has little in common. Each is considered on its own. Kings provides almost no information. Chronicles provides enough information to make it wholly different from torah descriptions of Passover and certainly unlike anything in the modern world. The improbability of producing the lavish meat banquet in Chronicles is demonstrated.
Chapter 8
Josiah is a minor figure in the history of the world. However, it is interesting that historians dealing with world history have generally included this figure. This chapter provides a short survey of the use made of Josiah in histories of the world.
Chapter 9
Art of the Story of the King [+–] 235-259
Josiah, like anther characters in the biblical texts, is never described. This chapter presents the usual pictorial presentations made of Josiah in western art. A series of works of serial scenes depicting Josiah are the focus of this chapter. Counter-Reformation graphics are followed by modern comic book presentations and the adaptations to the biblical figure that these works entail.
Chapter 10
Creating Memories of Josiah [+–] 260-275
This is the conclusion to the book. Josiah as he is written about to create the memory of this functioning king of Judah is the object of the chapter. Kings, Chronicles, First Esdras, and Josephus form the basis for later “memories.” What, then, do the users of these originators of Josiah’s memory take from them that is to be used for creating the revised memory visions of much later times.
End Matter
Bibliography [+–] 276-330
This book considers the various ways in which the last major King of Judah has been presented in biblical texts and the subsequent cultures that have made use of the biblical narratives. It is posited that there is no reliable material that can be dated to the time of Josiah and that the literary constructions of Josiah’s reign in Kings, Chronicles, and First Esdras already provided the inventive memory of a no longer recoverable monarch’s life. Aspects of these narratives are considered as well as the history of Josiah in historiographical renditions of world history and in presenting his story in narrative artistic productions.
Index of Scripture References [+–] 331-334
This book considers the various ways in which the last major King of Judah has been presented in biblical texts and the subsequent cultures that have made use of the biblical narratives. It is posited that there is no reliable material that can be dated to the time of Josiah and that the literary constructions of Josiah’s reign in Kings, Chronicles, and First Esdras already provided the inventive memory of a no longer recoverable monarch’s life. Aspects of these narratives are considered as well as the history of Josiah in historiographical renditions of world history and in presenting his story in narrative artistic productions.
Index of Authors [+–] 335-344
This book considers the various ways in which the last major King of Judah has been presented in biblical texts and the subsequent cultures that have made use of the biblical narratives. It is posited that there is no reliable material that can be dated to the time of Josiah and that the literary constructions of Josiah’s reign in Kings, Chronicles, and First Esdras already provided the inventive memory of a no longer recoverable monarch’s life. Aspects of these narratives are considered as well as the history of Josiah in historiographical renditions of world history and in presenting his story in narrative artistic productions.
Index of Subjects [+–] 345-352
This book considers the various ways in which the last major King of Judah has been presented in biblical texts and the subsequent cultures that have made use of the biblical narratives. It is posited that there is no reliable material that can be dated to the time of Josiah and that the literary constructions of Josiah’s reign in Kings, Chronicles, and First Esdras already provided the inventive memory of a no longer recoverable monarch’s life. Aspects of these narratives are considered as well as the history of Josiah in historiographical renditions of world history and in presenting his story in narrative artistic productions.
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