Prolegomena to the History of Israel
With a Reprint of the Article ‘Israel' from the Encyclopaedia Britannica

This is an 1885 English translation of an 1883 German work examining the history of worship and law in Israel.

Julius Wellhausen (Author), J. Sutherland Black (Translated by), Allan Menzies (Translated by), William Robertson Smith (Preface by)

9781108053822, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 19 September 2013

574 pages
21.6 x 14 x 3.3 cm, 0.72 kg

Julius Wellhausen (1844–1918) first published this work in German in 1878. Reissued here is the 1885 English translation of a revised 1883 version. Intended as a multi-volume work, this first book now stands as a self-contained work. A biblical scholar and orientalist, Wellhausen was professor of theology at Greifswald (until resigning for reasons of conscience) and then professor at Halle, Marburg and Göttingen. An early exponent of scientific philology, he placed the Pentateuch in a historical-social context, setting aside theological traditions. In this work, he sets out his method and argues that the Pentateuch is a synthesis of four independent narratives. He then examines the history of worship, sacrifice, sacred feasts, priests, and the law in ancient Israel. Wellhausen is a central figure in modern biblical studies, his theory dominated scholarship for a century, and his pioneering work remains of great interest in the field.

Introduction
Part I. History of Worship: 1. The place of worship
2. Sacrifice
3. The sacred feasts
4. The priests and the Levites
5. The endowment of the clergy
Part II. History of Tradition: 6. Chronicles
7. Judges, Samuel, and Kings
8. The narrative of the Hexateuch
Part III. Israel and Judaism: 9. Conclusion of the criticism of the law
10. The oral and the written Torah
11. The theocracy as idea and as institution
Israel.

Subject Areas: Judaism [HRJ]