Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Lloyd Barre <barre AT c-zone.net>]

Dear Peter,

They are both relevant issues.  As I have tried to think though the topic, I 
am coming to the conclusion that what was known as "Israel" in the 13th 
century was a confederacy of northern tribes, which by the 12th century are 
those mentioned in the Song of Deborah, some of which rallied against Jabin, 
but some of did not even though Deborah's song presupposes some obligation 
under the banner of Yahwism.  I suspect that it was this victory that 
consolidated all of those tribes and which also brought in Judah.  The United 
Monarchy was essentially a change in the political arrangement over an 
already pre-existing twelve (or thirteen) tribal confederacy a college of 
elders.  If we can take 1 Sam 8 as reflecting the political situation before 
Saul's monarchy, then it would seem that a judge like Samuel and Deborah 
before him served as the leader of the tribal federation along with the 
authority of the elders.  Historians almost always attribute the 
establishment of the monarchy to t!
he Philistine crises.  Against that view is the one in 1 Sam that it came 
about because of the corruption of the judgeship by Samuel's sons.  So while 
factors such as the corruption of the leadership of old order, and the dire 
threat of the Philistines may well have contributed to the monarchy, the 
expansion of the original tribal confederacy of Israel seems to have been 
primarily driven by military victories of the Yahwists, first in the defeat 
of Egyptian vassals in Palestine, and next by the removal of Jabin's 
domination.  That Yahwism came from the outside against the Egyptian vassals 
is reflected in the language the "Yahweh came from Seir/Edom" (Judg 5:4; Deut 
33:2).  Of course, the forces of Yahwism could not have been the only ones to 
fight the Egyptian vassals.  No doubt there were indigenous rulers of other 
cities who rebelled simultaneously to win their freedom that would have been 
joined by other anti-Egyptian groups.  The El Amarna letters show that 
Palestine had f!
or some time had within it many dissident elements, including an accusation 
before Pharaoh from the vassal of Megiddo that the ruler of Shechem was 
disloyal, who also defended his ignorance that his sons were in league with 
the Hapiru.  The so-called Mendenhall-Gottwald model of the taking of the 
land as an internal revolt posits that the anti-Egyptian ideology of the 
"Moses group" consolidated these dissident forces into a revolt.  I am 
inclined to give more importance to the Yahwist as simply ideologists.  When 
Deborah speaks of Yahweh coming from Edom, it was certainly as the god who 
led military forces, not just as an ideological tradition of some group who 
escaped from Egypt under Moses' leadership.  If we could be more specific 
when this assault took place, we may include the problems that Egypt was 
having with the invasion of the Sea Peoples.  Common sense dictates that the 
chances of success in an attack against the Egyptian vassals would have 
exploited Egypt when they!
 military resources were already engaged.  In fact, as I size up the 
situation,  the Egyptian vassal had very little chance or even a motivation 
to remain loyal to Pharaoh faced with such overwhelming anti-Egyptian forces, 
both from without and from within.  It seems that what fighting there was, as 
opposed to surrending, came from the pro-Egyptian coalition led by 
Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem.  With its failure, Palestine was liberated and the 
Yahwistic forces from Edom, probably muster at Kadesh, were free to move in a 
settle down,  with Yahweh emerging as a victorious god and winning the status 
as the god of whatever tribal confederacy was formed within Palestine 
following the victory.  Yahwism was no doubt already strong in Judah with its 
locus in Hebron as indicated by the local association attached to the 
Abrahamic traditions.  One can only speculate to what degree Yahwism 
penetrated the northern tribes with their worship of El immediately following 
the ousting of Egyptian r!
ule.  But the Song of Deborah shows that Yahwism was indeed popular in the 
12th century and Yahweh's victory over Jabin no doubt made him the god of 
Israel.  Even so, Jeroboam's revolt saw an explicit reject of Yahweh and 
David's house and a return to their own Elistic traditions, at least as far 
as his royal house was concerned.  I think it very unlikely that Jeroboam 
rejected the house of David,  Yahweh's central sanctuary in Jerusalem, and 
yet continued to sponsor the worship Yahweh.  I think it was Alright who 
interpreted Jeroboam's bovine iconography as the functional equivalent for 
the cherubim iconography of the ark.  Same god (Yahweh), different 
iconography.  I have my doubts because Ugaritic El is referred to as "Bull 
El."  Is it realistic to interpret here a historical swapping of symbolism 
for the same god at this time, notwithstanding Yahweh's bovine presentation 
at Kintullet Ajrud?  In any effect, I am inclined to see Israel's return to 
national autonomy as includ!
ing a return to the originally worshipped god in the northern sanctuaries 
being the name of El such as Bethel, Peniel and El Berith at Shechem.  Of 
course, this would also include the traditional worship of Baal as well.

Lloyd Barre 

> **--------- Original Message follows... 

>In your scenario, surely the question that remains is not "why the 
divided monarchy?" but "why the united monarchy?" In other words, if 
the Israelites had such a diverse origin, what made them (even 
temporarily) into a single united people, with a single language and 
at least to some extent a single faith?

Peter Kirk   

______________________________ Reply Separator 
_________________________________
Subject: Re: The Origins of the Divided Monarchy
Author:  barre AT c-zone.net at internet
Date:    31/01/1999 10:48


<snip>
Is it not more likely it goes back to separate migrations of the Arameans 
from 
Syria on the one hand and the Hebrews from the regions adjacent to southern 
Palestine on the other during the so-called Patriarchal era?
<snip>

---
You are currently subscribed to b-hebrew as: barre AT c-zone.net
To unsubscribe, forward this message to $subst('Email.Unsub')
To subscribe, send an email to join-b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu.


.
> ** Original Subject: Re[2]: The Origins of the Divided Monarchy
> ** Original Sender: Peter_Kirk AT SIL.ORG
> ** Original Date: Mon, 01 Feb 1999 21:37:12 -0500 (EST)
> **---------

> 

Lloyd M. Barre, Ph.D.

barre AT c-zone.net
http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/AncientIsrael

"Do I dare
  Disturb the universe?"

  T.S. Eliot from, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." (1917)