Periodization in Biblical Historiography: On the Structure and Unity of Israel’s Story

Sa？etak The history of Israel recorded in the Hebrew Bible is structured around eight pivotal passages (Exodus 19:1–24:11; Joshua 22–24; 1 Samuel 8–15; 2 Samuel 5–8; 1 Kings 8; 1 Kings 18; 2 Kings 22:1–23:30; Nehemiah 7:72b–10:40) that describe moments of crucial change in the socio-political and religious make-up of this people. It is argued that these passages are related to each other, revealing a specific spiral model of historical periodization. The structure thus provided brings the various historical narratives of the Hebrew Bible together into a coherent, unified message