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Deuteronomistic

Deuteronomistic refers to elements derived from or associated with the Deuteronomistic tradition in the Hebrew Bible. In scholarship, it most often describes the Deuteronomistic History, a term for the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, alongside the Book of Deuteronomy, assembled under a common editorial vision that interprets Israel’s history through the lens of covenant obedience to Yahweh and the centralization of worship in Jerusalem.

The term was introduced by Martin Noth in 1943. He proposed that these books were composed by

Core features include a focus on covenant fidelity, blessings and curses linked to obedience, the centralization

Scholarly debates continue over how many editors contributed, with proposals of multiple redactors (sometimes labeled Dtr1

The Deuteronomistic perspective shapes interpretations of biblical history, law, and prophecy, and remains influential in discussions

a
single
Deuteronomistic
historian
or
school
during
or
after
the
Babylonian
exile,
connecting
earlier
sources
to
present
a
coherent
theological
narrative
about
faithfulness,
reform,
and
exile.
of
worship
(especially
in
Jerusalem),
the
moral
evaluation
of
kings,
prophetic
critique,
and
the
exile
as
judgment
for
covenant
violation.
and
Dtr2).
Dating,
sources,
and
the
relationship
to
other
biblical
strands,
such
as
the
Documentary
Hypothesis,
are
actively
discussed.
of
the
Hebrew
Bible’s
composition,
theology,
and
historical
memory.