Deuteronomistic History

Definition and Meaning

The Deuteronomistic History is a theory in Old Testament scholarship holding that Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, and 1 Kings and 2 Kings were edited into a single continuous historical work with Deuteronomy as its introduction. The editor or group of editors presumed to have compiled these books is called the Deuteronomist (or Deuteronomistic historian). In Korean the theory is also known by terms equivalent to "Deuteronomic history" or "the Deuteronomistic historical books." In the Hebrew Bible these books are grouped together as the "Former Prophets"; Ruth is not included among them.

Biblical and Historical Background

The German Old Testament scholar Martin Noth first presented this theory systematically in 1943. Noth held that a single author wrote this history during the Babylonian exile. Since the 1970s, other proposals have been advanced alongside his, including the double-redaction theory, which posits a first edition in the time of Josiah and a second edition added during the exile, as well as views that distinguish multiple layers of redaction.

Scholars who accept this theory point to the following common themes as evidence:

• The kings are evaluated by the standard of the command to worship only at the one place God would choose (Deuteronomy 12).
• The principle that faithfulness to the covenant brings blessing and its violation brings a curse (Deuteronomy 28) underlies the entire narrative.
• Speeches and commentary such as those in Joshua 23, 1 Samuel 12, and 2 Kings 17 interpret the meaning of the history.

According to this interpretation, the history was written to explain that the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel and the Babylonian exile were the consequences of the people's abandonment of the covenant.

Use in the Korean Church

The term is used mainly in seminary Old Testament introduction courses and in commentaries rather than in preaching. Seminaries of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, and the Korean Methodist Church generally present it as one of the major theories in Old Testament studies. By contrast, conservative Reformed scholarship, such as that associated with the Hapdong, Kosin, and Hapshin branches of the Presbyterian Church in Korea, maintains the traditional position that Moses wrote Deuteronomy. It therefore tends to be critical of the premise that Deuteronomy is a later editorial product. Nevertheless, some conservative scholars acknowledge that the covenant theology of Deuteronomy runs consistently through these books and draw on this insight in reading Scripture.