Deuteronomistic History

Call For Papers: The Deuteronomistic History section invites abstracts for papers pertaining to the books of Deuteronomy and the Former Prophets (Joshua–Kings). Papers may treat material in one or more of these books or in the collection as a whole. Relevant foci include literary history and compositional techniques; theological trends exemplified in the texts; the social and historical milieu or milieus in which they were produced; as well as connections among one or more of these books, whether topical, chronological, or linguistic. In addition to at least one open session, we invite proposals for the first of several planned sessions comprising an in-depth analysis of prominent chapters in the “Deuteronomistic History.” Proposed papers should consider the text, theology, literary composition, or composition history of 2 Kings 17. In collaboration with the Latino/a/x and Latin American Biblical Interpretation section, the Deuteronomistic History section is also organizing a special session that will be populated by a combination of invited and proposed papers on the theme “Reading the Deuteronomistic History in modern North and South American Contexts.” Samuel and Kings are rife with narratives predicting and describing the abuses of coercive political power—including the illicit appropriation of property and people (2 Sam 11; 1 Kgs 11; 21), the appropriation of women’s bodies (2 Sam 3, 11, 13), the instrumentalization of foreigners and non-majority ethnic groups (2 Sam 18, 21), and extrajudicial execution (2 Sam 11)—all in the service of gratifying the ruler’s desires and consolidating or maintaining political power. In many (but not all) of these episodes, a prophet intervenes to pronounce judgment on the dynasty. The biblical text’s preservation of the pattern of political offense and prophetic judgment, or lack thereof, raises the question of how this motif should be interpreted—and what moral authority it commands—in modern North and South American contexts.

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