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In this study, Stephen Germany investigates the literary function of the Philistines and Arameans in the books of Samuel and Kings and reconstructs the compositional history and historical background of the narratives in which they appear. Within these narratives, the Philistines and Arameans serve as archetypal aggressors against Israel and Judah, casting the monarchic period as one continually defined by external threats. At the historical level, this portrayal draws on and reframes a received cultural memory of Assyria's conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE, creating new images of earlier defeats of Israelite kings by the Philistines and Arameans as a typological anticipation of this major turning point in the history of Israel and Judah.
Price: £124.10
Pages: 290
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Imprint: Mohr Siebeck
Series: Orientalische Religionen in der Antike
Publication Date:
29 August 2025
ISBN: 9783161645150
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:
1. Introduction
1.1. Methodology and Structure of this Study
1.2. Key Concepts
1.3. Contributions to Current Research
2. Philistines and Arameans in the Story of the Israelite Monarchy
2.1. Philistines in Samuel–Kings
2.2. Arameans in Samuel–Kings
2.3. The Narrative Function of the Philistines and Arameans
3. Observations on the Formation of Samuel–Kings
3.1. The Formation of the Book of Kings
3.2. The Formation of the Book of Samuel
3.3. The Link between the Books of Samuel and Kings
4. The Development of the Philistine Theme in the Book of Samuel
4.1. The Philistines in the Saul-David Narrative (1 Sam 9–2 Sam 8)
4.2. The Philistines in the “Overture” to the Book of Samuel (1 Sam 1–8)
4.3. The Philistines in the “Appendix” to Samuel (2 Sam 21–24)
4.4. Synthesis: The Development of the Philistine Theme in Samuel
5. The Philistines in History and in the Book of Samuel
5.1. Extrabiblical Sources for the History of Philistia, ca. 1200–200 BCE
5.2. The Philistines in Samuel in Light of the Extrabiblical Evidence
5.3. Result
6. The Development of the Aramean Theme in the Book of Kings
6.1. Aram in the Annalistic Notices in Kings
6.2. Aram in the Elijah-Elisha Narratives (1 Kgs 17–2 Kgs 13)
6.3. The War Narratives in 1 Kgs 20–2 Kgs 7 + 2 Kgs 13
6.4. Synthesis: The Development of the Aramean Theme in Kings
7. The Arameans in History and in the Book of Kings
7.1. Extrabiblical Sources for the History of the Central Levant, ca. 1200–200 BCE
7.2. The Arameans in Kings in Light of the Extrabiblical Evidence
7.3. Result
8. Conclusion
8.1. The Approach of this Study and its Contributions to Scholarship
8.2. The Philistines and Arameans in the Story of the Israelite Monarchy
8.3. Observations on the Formation of Samuel–Kings
8.4. The Development of the Philistine Theme in the Book of Samuel
8.5. Historical Contexts behind the Dynamic Image of the Philistines
8.6. The Development of the Aramean Theme in the Book of Kings
8.7. Historical Contexts behind the Dynamic Image of the Arameans
8.8. Concluding Synthesis