Leading Captivity Captive: The Exile as History and Ideology

The study of exile has had forceful influence on Old Testament scholarship. When discussing history and literature, things are measured in “pre-exilic” and “post-exilic” terms. The concept of sin¬–exile–restoration has made a major impact on theological thinking, both in the Old Testament itself and in subsequent theological discussion. The exile is a powerful symbol in the Bible. Did real people from Judah go to Babylon into exile? Or are we dealing with a theological and literary concept? This volume aims to address many of the issues in the current approach to studying the exile.

Contributions to this volume include:

• “Die Exilszeit als Ernstfall fur eine historische Rekonstruktion ohne biblische Texte: Die neubabylonischen Konigsinschriften als Primarquelle,” Rainer Albertz
• “Ezra’s Re-enactment of the Exile,” Bob Becking
• “Exile! What Exile? Deportation and the Discourses of Diaspora,” Robert P. Carroll
• “The Exile under the Theodolite: Historiography as Triangulation,” Lester L. Grabbe
• “The Exile in History and Myth: A Response to Hans Barstad,” Thomas L. Thompson
• “The Strange Fear of the Bible: Some Reflections on the ‘Bibliophobia’ in Recent Ancient Israelite Historiography,” Hans M. Barstad
• “Exile? What Exile? Whose Exile?” Philip R. Davies
• “Exile a Period—Exile a Myth,” Knud Jeppesen
• “Reflections,” Lester L. Grabbe