The primary purpose of the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1–9 is to construct a monument to the pre-... more The primary purpose of the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1–9 is to construct a monument to the pre-exilic dead of Judah and Israel, reflecting the important cultural value Judeans placed on the preservation of one's name after death. Ancient Near Eastern and archaeological evidence suggests that the preservation of ancestral names for many generations was something available only to the elite; by opening the work with a monument to the pre-exilic ancestral dead, the Chronicler implies readers would raise their cultural status by supporting a restoration of the pre-exilic polity. The Chronicler used the genealogies to reflect important themes of the work, but the one thing they do that narrative cannot is to create a literal monument to the dead.
The understanding of trauma in sociology as the group’s creation of meaning for horrific events h... more The understanding of trauma in sociology as the group’s creation of meaning for horrific events has been highly influential in the study of the Hebrew Bible. This sociological approach is very different than that of literary criticism, where trauma is understood through the lens of psychoanalytical analysis as that which has not been fully experienced by victims and is not truly known by them, as “unclaimed experience,” in other words. The sociological understanding of trauma has helped scholars understand potential social benefits of biblical texts, but scholarship often fails to clearly distinguish this approach from that of psychoanalysis and literary criticism, and this has led to problematic claims that texts which create meaning for traumatic events will prove to be therapeutic for individual trauma sufferers. The use of texts to create meaning and explanation actually forces trauma victims to repress the speech about their trauma that they need to engage in therapy.
The author argues that the Matthean use of the term porneia in the divorce exception clauses of 5... more The author argues that the Matthean use of the term porneia in the divorce exception clauses of 5.32 and 19.9 is best understood by reference to the notion of
divorce with just cause, an idea present throughout the ancient Near East and in first-century Judaism. Just cause includes actions on the part of the woman that constitute the man's right to divorce without repayment of the dowry. Matthew
excludes the possibility of divorce without just cause, and limits just cause to
porneia, sexual intercourse during betrothal, or marriage with someone other than
the wife's husband.
The article draws on Achaemenid royal inscriptions in a postcolonial investigation of Ezra-Nehemi... more The article draws on Achaemenid royal inscriptions in a postcolonial investigation of Ezra-Nehemiah’s portrayal of the community of immigrants from Babylon. The book presents the community’s identity as a hybrid of the way imperial hegemony portrays the colonized who live in the Persian Empire and of aspects of the community’s own Judean heritage that is strongly influenced by Yahwism. In Ezra 1–6, the community is portrayed as a group of colonists sent from the imperial center by the king, but, in these chapters, loyalty to the king amounts to loyalty to Yhwh, since it is the community’s God who commands the Persian king to act. In Ezra 7-Nehemiah 13, however, this loyal group of colonizers becomes a colonized people disloyal to their God and king. These chapters present the community as a group who has ceased to be the loyal imperial subjects of Ezra 1–6 and who have declined to the state of their ancestors, congenitally unable to keep Yahwistic and Persian law, and thereby justif...
This article argues that David orders Solomon in 1 Kgs 2.5–6 to kill Joab because of Joab's patte... more This article argues that David orders Solomon in 1 Kgs 2.5–6 to kill Joab because of Joab's pattern of assassinating rivals in order to benefit his master. David's point in 2.5 is that Joab killed Abner and Amasa, two potential enemies of David, without warning, and since Joab supported Solomon's brother's claim to the throne, Solomon might be his next victim. The Septuagint and the Lucianic recension have altered the more difficult text that appears in the Masoretic text in order to make it seem as if Joab and harmed David, and so provide a legal and religious basis for David and Solomon's conspiracy to kill Joab not present in the original text.
The double redaction theory of the Deuteronomistic History has its roots in the claim that there ... more The double redaction theory of the Deuteronomistic History has its roots in the claim that there are logical discontinuities in the narrative from Manasseh to the end of 2 Kings. This article argues, however, that it is possible to see a coherent narrative in a synchronic reading of the final chapters of Kings once we recognize them as presenting a series of lessons to the Davidide in exile. Among the important lessons in 2 Kings 18–25 for Jehoiachin to learn is that, although he has received a negative evaluation from the narrative, the past sins on the parts of Josiah (for initially continuing Manasseh's sin) and Hezekiah (for initially failing to trust Yhwh to deliver Jerusalem) are ignored by Yhwh once they act rightly, and so are erased from their evaluations. It is still possible for Jehoiachin to earn an impeccable evaluation himself if he trusts Yhwh to deliver as Hezekiah eventually learned to do, and leads the nation in repentance as Josiah eventually did.
The portrayal of the fates of the dynasties of the North in Kings shows that, in
Deuteronomistic... more The portrayal of the fates of the dynasties of the North in Kings shows that, in
Deuteronomistic theology, only one king in a royal house need cause the people to sin to
mandate the destruction of the entire house. Since Manasseh also causes the people to
sin, we might assume that the Deuteronomic History (Dtr) intends the same fate for the
Davidides. However, Dtr is deliberately ambiguous in regard to the future of the
Davidides following the exile—besides the specific reference to Manasseh's sin, it also
includes (but does not explicitly annul) the unconditional covenant with David, and
includes a conclusion that permits readers to interpret the narrative as forecasting either
hope for Davidic restoration or annulment of the Davidic covenant. This ambiguity suits
the exilic period of composition of Dtr, when the fate of the Davidides was unknown, and
so should not be taken as evidence for redaction.
In response to Thomas Römer’s assertion that the story of Jephthah’s sacrifice is a Hellenistic i... more In response to Thomas Römer’s assertion that the story of Jephthah’s sacrifice is a Hellenistic insertion into the Deuteronomistic History, this articleargues that the presence of the story is best explained as an original part of the history. The portrayal of the sacrifice fits the pattern of moral decline in the book of Judges, and it forms an integral and interconnected part of thestory of Jephthah as a whole. Moreover, as part of this whole it reflects animportant theme stressed elsewhere by the history: when Israel sacrificeslike foreigners do, it will act like foreigners, as well. This is why the story of Jephthah’s sacrifice is followed immediately by the story of the tribe of Ephraim, which acts just like the Ammonites, the foreign nation in thisaccount, by invading Gilead.
The Violent Gift traces the narrative of the exilic author of the Deuteronomistic History, a narr... more The Violent Gift traces the narrative of the exilic author of the Deuteronomistic History, a narrative that provides an explanation for the trauma that the Judean community in Babylon suffered. As the book follows this explanation through the History, however, it also reads Dtr through the lens of trauma theory. Massive psychic trauma is not something that can be captured within narrative explanation, and trauma intrudes into the narrative’s explanation of the exiles’ trauma. Trauma challenges the claims upon which the narrative’s explanation is based, thus subverting this attempt to make sense of the exile.
This work uses anthropological theory and field studies to investigate the social function and me... more This work uses anthropological theory and field studies to investigate the social function and meaning of sacrifice. All rituals, including sacrifice, communicate social beliefs and morality, but these cannot be determined outside of a study of the social context. Thus, there is no single explanation for sacrifice - such as those advanced by Rene Girard or Walter Burkert or late-19th and early-20th century scholars. The book then examines four different writings in the Hebrew Bible - the Priestly Writing, the Deuteronomistic History, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles - to demonstrate how different social origins result in different social meanings of sacrifice.
The primary purpose of the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1–9 is to construct a monument to the pre-... more The primary purpose of the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1–9 is to construct a monument to the pre-exilic dead of Judah and Israel, reflecting the important cultural value Judeans placed on the preservation of one's name after death. Ancient Near Eastern and archaeological evidence suggests that the preservation of ancestral names for many generations was something available only to the elite; by opening the work with a monument to the pre-exilic ancestral dead, the Chronicler implies readers would raise their cultural status by supporting a restoration of the pre-exilic polity. The Chronicler used the genealogies to reflect important themes of the work, but the one thing they do that narrative cannot is to create a literal monument to the dead.
The understanding of trauma in sociology as the group’s creation of meaning for horrific events h... more The understanding of trauma in sociology as the group’s creation of meaning for horrific events has been highly influential in the study of the Hebrew Bible. This sociological approach is very different than that of literary criticism, where trauma is understood through the lens of psychoanalytical analysis as that which has not been fully experienced by victims and is not truly known by them, as “unclaimed experience,” in other words. The sociological understanding of trauma has helped scholars understand potential social benefits of biblical texts, but scholarship often fails to clearly distinguish this approach from that of psychoanalysis and literary criticism, and this has led to problematic claims that texts which create meaning for traumatic events will prove to be therapeutic for individual trauma sufferers. The use of texts to create meaning and explanation actually forces trauma victims to repress the speech about their trauma that they need to engage in therapy.
The author argues that the Matthean use of the term porneia in the divorce exception clauses of 5... more The author argues that the Matthean use of the term porneia in the divorce exception clauses of 5.32 and 19.9 is best understood by reference to the notion of
divorce with just cause, an idea present throughout the ancient Near East and in first-century Judaism. Just cause includes actions on the part of the woman that constitute the man's right to divorce without repayment of the dowry. Matthew
excludes the possibility of divorce without just cause, and limits just cause to
porneia, sexual intercourse during betrothal, or marriage with someone other than
the wife's husband.
The article draws on Achaemenid royal inscriptions in a postcolonial investigation of Ezra-Nehemi... more The article draws on Achaemenid royal inscriptions in a postcolonial investigation of Ezra-Nehemiah’s portrayal of the community of immigrants from Babylon. The book presents the community’s identity as a hybrid of the way imperial hegemony portrays the colonized who live in the Persian Empire and of aspects of the community’s own Judean heritage that is strongly influenced by Yahwism. In Ezra 1–6, the community is portrayed as a group of colonists sent from the imperial center by the king, but, in these chapters, loyalty to the king amounts to loyalty to Yhwh, since it is the community’s God who commands the Persian king to act. In Ezra 7-Nehemiah 13, however, this loyal group of colonizers becomes a colonized people disloyal to their God and king. These chapters present the community as a group who has ceased to be the loyal imperial subjects of Ezra 1–6 and who have declined to the state of their ancestors, congenitally unable to keep Yahwistic and Persian law, and thereby justif...
This article argues that David orders Solomon in 1 Kgs 2.5–6 to kill Joab because of Joab's patte... more This article argues that David orders Solomon in 1 Kgs 2.5–6 to kill Joab because of Joab's pattern of assassinating rivals in order to benefit his master. David's point in 2.5 is that Joab killed Abner and Amasa, two potential enemies of David, without warning, and since Joab supported Solomon's brother's claim to the throne, Solomon might be his next victim. The Septuagint and the Lucianic recension have altered the more difficult text that appears in the Masoretic text in order to make it seem as if Joab and harmed David, and so provide a legal and religious basis for David and Solomon's conspiracy to kill Joab not present in the original text.
The double redaction theory of the Deuteronomistic History has its roots in the claim that there ... more The double redaction theory of the Deuteronomistic History has its roots in the claim that there are logical discontinuities in the narrative from Manasseh to the end of 2 Kings. This article argues, however, that it is possible to see a coherent narrative in a synchronic reading of the final chapters of Kings once we recognize them as presenting a series of lessons to the Davidide in exile. Among the important lessons in 2 Kings 18–25 for Jehoiachin to learn is that, although he has received a negative evaluation from the narrative, the past sins on the parts of Josiah (for initially continuing Manasseh's sin) and Hezekiah (for initially failing to trust Yhwh to deliver Jerusalem) are ignored by Yhwh once they act rightly, and so are erased from their evaluations. It is still possible for Jehoiachin to earn an impeccable evaluation himself if he trusts Yhwh to deliver as Hezekiah eventually learned to do, and leads the nation in repentance as Josiah eventually did.
The portrayal of the fates of the dynasties of the North in Kings shows that, in
Deuteronomistic... more The portrayal of the fates of the dynasties of the North in Kings shows that, in
Deuteronomistic theology, only one king in a royal house need cause the people to sin to
mandate the destruction of the entire house. Since Manasseh also causes the people to
sin, we might assume that the Deuteronomic History (Dtr) intends the same fate for the
Davidides. However, Dtr is deliberately ambiguous in regard to the future of the
Davidides following the exile—besides the specific reference to Manasseh's sin, it also
includes (but does not explicitly annul) the unconditional covenant with David, and
includes a conclusion that permits readers to interpret the narrative as forecasting either
hope for Davidic restoration or annulment of the Davidic covenant. This ambiguity suits
the exilic period of composition of Dtr, when the fate of the Davidides was unknown, and
so should not be taken as evidence for redaction.
In response to Thomas Römer’s assertion that the story of Jephthah’s sacrifice is a Hellenistic i... more In response to Thomas Römer’s assertion that the story of Jephthah’s sacrifice is a Hellenistic insertion into the Deuteronomistic History, this articleargues that the presence of the story is best explained as an original part of the history. The portrayal of the sacrifice fits the pattern of moral decline in the book of Judges, and it forms an integral and interconnected part of thestory of Jephthah as a whole. Moreover, as part of this whole it reflects animportant theme stressed elsewhere by the history: when Israel sacrificeslike foreigners do, it will act like foreigners, as well. This is why the story of Jephthah’s sacrifice is followed immediately by the story of the tribe of Ephraim, which acts just like the Ammonites, the foreign nation in thisaccount, by invading Gilead.
The Violent Gift traces the narrative of the exilic author of the Deuteronomistic History, a narr... more The Violent Gift traces the narrative of the exilic author of the Deuteronomistic History, a narrative that provides an explanation for the trauma that the Judean community in Babylon suffered. As the book follows this explanation through the History, however, it also reads Dtr through the lens of trauma theory. Massive psychic trauma is not something that can be captured within narrative explanation, and trauma intrudes into the narrative’s explanation of the exiles’ trauma. Trauma challenges the claims upon which the narrative’s explanation is based, thus subverting this attempt to make sense of the exile.
This work uses anthropological theory and field studies to investigate the social function and me... more This work uses anthropological theory and field studies to investigate the social function and meaning of sacrifice. All rituals, including sacrifice, communicate social beliefs and morality, but these cannot be determined outside of a study of the social context. Thus, there is no single explanation for sacrifice - such as those advanced by Rene Girard or Walter Burkert or late-19th and early-20th century scholars. The book then examines four different writings in the Hebrew Bible - the Priestly Writing, the Deuteronomistic History, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles - to demonstrate how different social origins result in different social meanings of sacrifice.
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Papers by David Janzen
divorce with just cause, an idea present throughout the ancient Near East and in first-century Judaism. Just cause includes actions on the part of the woman that constitute the man's right to divorce without repayment of the dowry. Matthew
excludes the possibility of divorce without just cause, and limits just cause to
porneia, sexual intercourse during betrothal, or marriage with someone other than
the wife's husband.
Deuteronomistic theology, only one king in a royal house need cause the people to sin to
mandate the destruction of the entire house. Since Manasseh also causes the people to
sin, we might assume that the Deuteronomic History (Dtr) intends the same fate for the
Davidides. However, Dtr is deliberately ambiguous in regard to the future of the
Davidides following the exile—besides the specific reference to Manasseh's sin, it also
includes (but does not explicitly annul) the unconditional covenant with David, and
includes a conclusion that permits readers to interpret the narrative as forecasting either
hope for Davidic restoration or annulment of the Davidic covenant. This ambiguity suits
the exilic period of composition of Dtr, when the fate of the Davidides was unknown, and
so should not be taken as evidence for redaction.
Books by David Janzen
divorce with just cause, an idea present throughout the ancient Near East and in first-century Judaism. Just cause includes actions on the part of the woman that constitute the man's right to divorce without repayment of the dowry. Matthew
excludes the possibility of divorce without just cause, and limits just cause to
porneia, sexual intercourse during betrothal, or marriage with someone other than
the wife's husband.
Deuteronomistic theology, only one king in a royal house need cause the people to sin to
mandate the destruction of the entire house. Since Manasseh also causes the people to
sin, we might assume that the Deuteronomic History (Dtr) intends the same fate for the
Davidides. However, Dtr is deliberately ambiguous in regard to the future of the
Davidides following the exile—besides the specific reference to Manasseh's sin, it also
includes (but does not explicitly annul) the unconditional covenant with David, and
includes a conclusion that permits readers to interpret the narrative as forecasting either
hope for Davidic restoration or annulment of the Davidic covenant. This ambiguity suits
the exilic period of composition of Dtr, when the fate of the Davidides was unknown, and
so should not be taken as evidence for redaction.