The Sanctuary of Bethel and the Configuration of Israelite Identity

After Jerusalem, Bethel is the most frequently cited sanctuary in the Hebrew Bible. The book offers a detailed analysis of Bethel and its sanctuary from archaeological and biblical evidence. It reconstructs the history of Bethel and by analysing the presence of pro- and anti-Bethel propaganda, it argues that the latter, with its own pro-Jerusalem/Judah bias, has resulted in an unfair denigration of Bethel as an idolatrous place of worship. The study suggests that Bethel was a legitimate Yahwistic shrine and continued to be so even after the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians. Hence, Bethel in a real sense was the principal means of configuring Israelite identity.

Autorentext

Jules Frances Gomes, University of Cambridge, U.K.

Inhalt

1. Introduction: The Archaeology of Bethel; The Location of Bethel; Bethel as Deity; The Sanctuary of Bethel; The Problem: Sanctuary and Identity, Sources and Method; 2. Bethel in the books of Kings: From Restoration to Destruction; 3. Bethel in the book of Genesis: Sanctuary of the Patriarchs; 4. Bethel in the books of Joshua, Judges and 1 Samuel: Territorial Conquest and Tribal Claims; 5. Bethel in Amos, Hosea and Particular Psalms: House of God or House of Sin?; 6. Bethel in the Post-Exilic Writings: The Revival of a Central Sanctuary; 7. Conclusion