The Religion of Israel to the Fall of the Jewish State: Volume 2

The Religion Of Israel To The Fall Of The Jewish State by Abraham Kuenen is a historical-theological study that surveys the arc of Jahveh-worship from late 8th-century Judah through the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and the subsequent Babylonian exile, then traces the emergence of a centralized, written law and the priestly hierarchy that would anchor Judaism. Volume II analyzes Hezekiah’s religious reforms, Manasseh’s reversals, and Josiah’s Deuteronomistic program, arguing that Hilkiah’s discovery of a law code catalyzed a revolution in Israel’s religion. It discusses the Deuteronomist’s interpretation of Moses’ law, the formation of Deuteronomy as a program for reform, and the later exile’s prophets (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Zechariah) who grapple with faith, justice, and the fate of Israel. The book then describes the exile in Babylonia, the growth of priestly legislation in Babylon, and the later return under Cyrus, Ezra, and Nehemiah, culminating in the reforming act that sanctified the Torah as the basis of Jewish religious life and the birth of a new, canonical Judaism.