Gnuse Robert Karl - Hellenism and the Primary History

Hellenism and the Primary History

This collection of essays seeks to demonstrate that many biblical authors deliberately used Classical and Hellenistic Greek texts for inspiration when crafting many of the narratives in the Primary History.

Through detailed analysis of the text, Gnuse contends that there are numerous examples of clear influence from late Classical and Hellenistic literature. Deconstructing the Greek and the biblical works in parallel, he argues that there are too many similarities in basic theme, meaning, and detail for them to be accounted for by coincidence or shared ancient tropes. Using this evidence, he concludes that although much of the text may originate from the Persian period, large parts of its final form likely date from the Hellenistic era.

With the help of an original introduction and final chapter, Gnuse pulls his essays together into a coherent collection for the first time. The resultant volume offers a valuable resource for anyone working on the dating of the Hebrew Bible, as well as those working on Hellenism in the ancient Levant more broadly.

Robert Karl Gnuse is the James C. Carter, S.J./Chase Bank Distinguished Professor of the Humanities at Loyola University in New Orleans, where he has taught since 1980.

His degrees are from Vanderbilt University (Ph.D., 1980; M.A., 1978) and Christ Seminary in St. Louis (S.T.M., 1975; M.Div., 1974). He is author of 18 books, most recently The Elohist (2017) and Trajectories of Justice (2015).

Copenhagen International Seminar

General Editors: Ingrid Hjelm, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Emanuel Pfoh, National Research Council, Argentina

Editors: Niels Peter Lemche and Mogens Mller
both at the University of Copenhagen
Language Revision Editor: Jim West
Ming Hua Theological College

Japheth Ben Alis Book of Jeremiah
A Critical Edition and Linguistic Analysis of the Judaeo-Islamic Translation
Joshua A. Sabih

Origin Myths and Holy Places in The Old Testament
A Study of Aetiological Narratives
Lukasz Niesiolowski-Span

The Emergence of Israel in Ancient Palestine
Historical and Anthropological Perspectives
Emanuel Pfoh

Syria-Palestine in the Late Bronze Age
An Anthropology of Politics and Power
Emanuel Pfoh

Plato and the Creation of the Hebrew Bible
Russell E. Gmirkin

Archaeology, Heritage and Ethics in the Western Wall Plaza, Jerusalem
Darkness at the End of the Tunnel
Raz Kletter

Jeremiah in History and Tradition
Edited by Jim West and Niels Peter Lemche

Hellenism and the Primary History
The Imprint of Greek Sources in Genesis 2 Kings
Robert Karl Gnuse

https://www.routledge.com/Copenhagen-International-Seminar/book-series/COPSEM

Hellenism and the Primary History

The Imprint of Greek Sources in Genesis 2 Kings

Robert Karl Gnuse

First published 2021
by Routledge
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2021 Robert Karl Gnuse

The right of Robert Karl Gnuse to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
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ISBN: 978-0-367-46246-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-02943-4 (ebk)

Typeset in Times New Roman
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India

I would like to dedicate this work to my beloved

wife of 38 years, Beth Hammond Gnuse

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