What is Deuteronomistic History?

Answer

Deuteronomistic History is the term used to refer to the collection of books known as the “Former Prophets” in the Hebrew Bible (Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 2 Kings), along with the book of Deuteronomy. Advocates view the Deuteronomistic History as originally a unified work created during the period of exile. The Deuteronomistic History theory suggests that, instead of being documented during the events themselves, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and the books of Samuel and Kings were compiled later to elucidate why it seemed that God had abandoned Israel, leading to their defeat by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. The Deuteronomistic History is considered an expansion of the theology of Deuteronomy—particularly the blessings and curses outlined in chapter 28.

Martin Noth, an Old Testament scholar from the University of Bonn, is most commonly linked with the Deuteronomistic History theory, which emerged in the first part of the 20th century. Noth proposed that the book of Deuteronomy served as an introduction to the historical books, rather than a recapitulation of the preceding legal texts. He believed that Deuteronomy shared fewer similarities in terms of literary style and theological themes with the initial four books of the Bible than with those that followed. Consequently, proponents of Noth’s theory refer to a Tetrateuch instead of a Pentateuch.

Certain aspects of the Deuteronomistic History theory are plausible. For instance, there is nothing in the biblical text that would rule out the possibility of the “Former Prophets” being the product of a single author. Similarly, the dating of the work to the period of exile and its perspective, which highlights God’s mercy in repeatedly warning the kings who persisted in idolatry, do not pose significant issues. While a few kings in the southern kingdom of Judah attempted reforms, the majority succumbed to idolatry, ultimately leading to the downfall of both kingdoms.The prevailing disposition of the kings after David was to disregard the commands of God. The author or authors of the “Former Prophets” would naturally have had a specific perspective and theological agenda guiding the creation of their work, under the overseeing inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The books in question do not assert to be firsthand accounts, and the author(s) make reference to source materials that were available at the time of writing «And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. », (e.g., the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel, mentioned in 1 Kings 14:19).

Conservative scholars typically dismiss the notion that the “Former Prophets” are the product of a single author due to stylistic variances among the individual books. Since Scripture does not specify the author(s) of the “Former Prophets,” both a single author and multiple authors are plausible. Additionally, conservative scholars commonly place the works in question slightly earlier, nearer to the time of the actual events. Since Scripture never states the dates of these books’ composition, one’s view on the dates they were written is not a matter of inerrancy or inspiration. The exception might be Deuteronomy, which explicitly claims to be largely the work of Moses «And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel. », (Deuteronomy 31:9). Jesus also affirmed Mosaic authorship of Deuteronomy in Matthew 19:8.

Whether the books of Joshua through Kings were authored or edited by a single individual at a later, exilic date or whether they were written by various individuals closer to the timeAs the recorded events unfolded, there is no issue with referring to Deuteronomy and the “Former Prophets” as Deuteronomistic History since they indeed share a similar viewpoint.