Kingdom of priests : a history of Old Testament Israel / Eugene H. Merrill. [print]

1. Origins

10. The Dynasty of Jehu and Contemporary Judah

11. The Rod of Yahweh: Assyria and the Divine Wrath

12. Fading Hope: The Disintegration of Judah

13. The Exile and the First Return

14. Restoration and New Hope

2. The Exodus: Birth of a Nation

3. The Conquest and Occupation of Canaan

4. The Era of the Judges: Covenant Violation, Anarchy, and Human Authority

5. Saul: Covenant Misunderstanding

6. David: Covenant Kingship

7. David: The Years of Struggle

8. Solomon: From Pinnacle to Peril

9. The Divided Monarchy

Chronological Tables

Introduction: The History of Israel and Historiography

Maps

An Introductory Overview -- The World Situation During the Exile -- The Jewish People During the Exile -- The World Situation During the Period of Restoration -- The First Return -- Problems Following the Return -- Encouragement from the Prophets.

Egypt and Israelite Independence -- The Ammonite Wars -- The Beginning of David's Domestic Troubles -- Jerusalem as Cult Center -- The Rebellion of Absalom -- David's Efforts at Reconciliation -- Additional Troubles -- David's Plan for a Temple -- The Solomonic Succession -- The Davidic Bureaucracy.

Factors Leading to Israel's Fall -- The End of the Dynasty of Jehu -- Assyria and Tiglath-pileser III -- Menahem of Israel -- The Last Days of Israel -- The Impact of Samaria's Fall -- Judah and the Fall of Samaria -- Hezekiah of Judah -- The Viewpoint of the Prophets.

Israel at Moab -- The Purpose of the Torah -- The Story of the Patriarchs.

Preliminary Considerations -- Problems Faced in the Production of a Moder-Day History of Ancient Israel -- The Present Approach to the History of Israel.

Problems of Transition -- The Failure of the Opposition to Solomon -- The Conclave at Gibeon -- International Relations -- The Building Projects of Solomon -- Cracks in the Solomonic Empire -- Solomonic Statecraft -- Spiritual and Moral Apostasy -- Solomon and the Nature of Wisdom.

The Demand for Kingship -- The Chronolog of the Eleventh Century -- The Selection of Saul -- The First Challenge to Saul -- The Decline of Saul -- Theological Considerations -- The Rise of David.

The Lack of Nationhood Before David -- David at Hebron -- Chronicles and Theological History -- Jerusalem at the Capital -- The Establishment of David's Power -- An Introduction to a Davidic Chronology.

The Land as Promise Fulfilment -- The Ancient Near Eastern World -- The 'apiru and the Conquest -- The Strategy of Joshua -- The Date of Joshua's Conquest -- The Campaign Against the Anakim -- Alternative Models of the Conquest and Occupation -- The Tribal Allotments -- The Second Covenant Renewal at Shechem.

The Legacy of Hezekiah -- Manasseh of Judah -- Amon of Judah -- The International Scene: Assyria and Egypt -- Josiah of Judah -- The Fall of Jerusalem -- The Prophetic Witness.

The Literary-critical Problem in Judges -- The Chronology of Judges -- The Ancient Near Eastern World -- The Judges of Israel -- The Bethlehem Trilogy.

The Meaning of the Exodus -- The Historical Setting of the Exodus -- The Date of the Exodus -- The Dates and Lengths of the Egyptian Sojourn -- Patriarchal Chronology -- The Wilderness Wandering.

The Middle East in Pentateuchal Times -- Canaan in Patriarchal Times -- The Exodus -- Arrival in Transjordan -- The Middle East in the Times of Joshua and the Judges -- The Conquest of Canaan -- The Tribal Allotments -- Israel During the Age of the Judges -- The Kingdom of Saul -- The Middle East During the United Monarchy -- The Kingdom of David -- Jerusalem in the Days of David and Solomon -- The Twelve Districts of Solomon's Kingdom -- The Divided Monarchy -- The Assyrian Empire -- The Babylonian Empire -- The Persian Empire.

The Persian Influence -- Subsequent Returns: Ezra and Nehemiah -- Malachi the Prophet.

The Reign of Jehu of Israel -- Athaliah of Judah -- The Role of Other Nations -- Joash of Judah -- Jehoahaz of Israel -- The International Scene -- Jehoash of Israel -- Amaziah of Judah -- Jeroboam II of Israel -- Uzziah of Judah -- The Ministry of the Prophets.

The Roots of National Division -- The Immediate Occasion of National Division -- The Reign of Rehoboam -- The Reign of Jeroboam -- The Pressure of Surrounding Nations -- Abijah of Judah -- Asa of Judah -- The Reemergence of Assyria -- Nadab of Israel -- The Dynasty of Baasha of Israel -- Omri of Israel -- Jehoshaphat of Judah -- Ahab of Israel -- The Threat of Assyria -- Ahab's Successors -- The Anointing of Hazael of Damascus -- Jehoram of Judah -- The Anointing of Jehu.

The Sequence of the Bronze Age -- The Patriarchs -- Dynasty 12 of Egypt -- Dynasties 18 and 19 of Egypt -- The Life of David -- The Kings of the Divided Monarchy -- The Neo-Assyrian Kings -- The Neo-Babylonian Kings -- The Persian Kings.

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