Sit at my right hand : the Chronicler's portrait of the tribe of Benjamin in the social context of Yehud

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The book of Chronicles is a form of consensus-building literature. The Chronicler'sportrayal of Benjamin in relation to Judah reflects an inclusive vision of 'all Israel that walks afine line: simultaneously valuing Benjamin as an equal partner with Judah (as his 'right hand), yetstill protecting the primacy of David as YHWH's chosen ruler, the Levites as the priestly tribe, andJerusalem as the proper cultic center.Chronicles' portrait of Benjamin differs from that of the Deuteronomistic History, whichportrays Benjamin's relation to Judah as varied and complex. The Chronicler attempts to smoothover these difficulties by highlighting the historically close relationship between the two tribes. Inthis regard his goals and strategy differ from that of the Deuteronomist, who presents both the highand low points of Judah-Benjamin relations.The Chronicler's reconstrual of the Judah-Benjamin relationship reflects the socio-politicalsituation of late Persian Yehud, in which the relatively poor Jerusalem cult struggled to gainmaterial support from landed nobility in the region. Material evidence indicates that the historicallyBenjaminite regions prospered during the Neo-Babylonian and early Persian periods. The Jerusalemcult competed with historically Benjaminite and Josephite cultic locations for the support ofwealthier Benjaminite landowners. The Chronicler rewrote Israel's narrative partly in order togarner Benjaminite support for the Jerusalem cult.This study attempts to synthesize both literary and historical observations: demonstrating aliterary phenomenon-the divergent portraits of Benjamin in the Deuteronomistic History andChronicles-and situating that phenomenon within the historical context of Persian Yehud. Thestudy contributes to the understanding of Yehud during this period, elaborates an important motif inthese two sections of the Hebrew Bible, and furthers the investigation of the so-called 'Benjaminite substratum in the Hebrew Bible.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University