Böcker av Jacob L. (Emory University Wright

Demonstrating how the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible represents the first, and one of the most elaborate, projects of 'peoplehood,' Wright tells the dramatic story of the Bible's origins in relation to 1) a longstanding political division between North and South (Israel and Judah) and 2) the traumatic experience of defeat.

Drawing on the intriguing interdisciplinary research on war commemoration, the book shows that war pervades the pages of the Bible because its authors were engaged in an effort to forge a corporate identity for Israel, one that can both transcend deep divisions within the population and withstand military conquest by imperial armies.

This book presents a new thesis on the history of Israel: David was originally king of Judah, not of Israel. The tales of his encounters with Goliath, Saul, Jonathan, Michal, Bathsheba, Absalom, and Solomon are later additions to the account. The work develops a new model for the study of biblical literature.