Approaching Yehud: New Approaches to the Study of the Persian Period (Society of Biblical Literature Semeia Studies) (Society of Biblical Literature Semeia Studies)

The long-held view that the Persian period in Israel (known as Yehud) was a historically derivative era that engendered little theological or literary innovation has been replaced in recent decades by an appreciation for the importance of the Persian period for understanding Israel’s literature, religion, and sense of identity. A new image of Yehud is emerging that has shifted the focus from viewing the postexilic period as a staging ground for early Judaism or Christianity to dealing with Yehud on its own terms, as a Persian colony with a diverse population. Taken together, the thirteen chapters in this volume represent a range of studies that touch on a variety of textual and historical problems to advance the conversation about the significance of the Persian period and especially its formative influence on biblical literature. Contributors include Richard Bautch, Jon L. Berquist, Zipporah G. Glass, Alice W. Hunt, David Janzen, John Kessler, Melody D. Knowles, Jennifer L. Koosed, Herbert R. Marbury, Christine Mitchell, Julia M. O’Brien, Donald C. Polaski, Jean-Pierre Ruiz, Brent A. Strawn, and Christine Roy Yoder. Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org) Contents......Page 6 Abbreviations......Page 8 Approaching Yehud......Page 12 Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the Persian Period*......Page 18 Intertextuality in the Persian Period......Page 36 What Mean These Stones? Inscriptions, Textuality and Power in Persia and Yehud*......Page 48 Scholars, Witches, Ideologues, and What the Text Said: Ezra 9–10 and Its Interpretation......Page 60 “How Lonely Sits the City”: Identity and the Creation of History......Page 82 “A World under Control”: Isaiah 60 and the Apadana Reliefs from Persepolis*......Page 96 An Exile’s Baggage: Toward a Postcolonial Reading of Ezekiel......Page 128 Diaspora and Homeland in the Early Achaemenid Period: Community, Geography and Demography in Zechariah 1–8......Page 148 The Strange Woman in Persian Yehud: A Reading of Proverbs 7......Page 178 Qoheleth in Love and Trouble......Page 194 Psalms, Postcolonialism, and the Construction of the Self......Page 206 Response: In the Beginning—Again......Page 214 From Exile to Empire: A Response......Page 220 Bibliography......Page 226 Contributors......Page 258 Approaching Yehud / Jon L. Berquist Pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the Persian period / Melody D. Knowles Intertextuality in the Persian period / Richard Bautch What mean these stones? : inscriptions, textuality and power in Persia and Yehud / Donald C. Polaski Scholars, witches, ideologues, and what the text said : Ezra 9-10 and its interpretation / David Janzen "How lonely sits the city" : identity and the creation of history / Christine Mitchell "A world under control" : Isaiah 60 and the Apadana reliefs from Persepolis / Brent A. Strawn An exile's baggage : toward a postcolonial reading of Ezekiel / Jean-Pierre Ruiz Diaspora and homeland in the early Achaemenid period : community, geography and demography in Zechariah 1-8 / John Kessler The strange woman in Persian Yehud : a reading of Proverbs 7 / Herbert R. Marbury Qoheleth in love and trouble / Jennifer L. Koosed Psalms, postcolonialism, and the construction of the self / Jon L. Berquist In the beginning again / Alice W. Hunt From exile to empire : a response / Julia M. O'Brien. The long-held view that the Persian period in Israel (known as Yehud) was a historically derivative era that engendered little theological or literary innovation has been replaced in recent decades by an appreciation for the importance of the Persian period for understanding Israel's literature, religion, and sense of identity. A new image of Yehud is emerging that has shifted the focus from viewing the postexilic period as a staging ground for early Judaism or Christianity to dealing with Yehud on its own terms, as a Persian colony with a diverse population. Taken together, the thirteen chapters in this volume represent a range of studies that touch on a variety of textual and historical problems to advance the conversation about the significance of the Persian period and especially its formative influence on biblical literature. --From publisher's description