The Reforming Kings: Cult and Society in First Temple Judah (Library Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies)

An illuminating examination of the emergence of deuteronomic theology in pre-exilic Judah. Judaean deuteronomism grew as a response to the social unrest of the Assyrian period, channelling popular discontent away from the Davidic monarchy and towards foreign imperialism. The author brings together different strands of current scholarship, studying the economy of monarchical Judah and Israel, and examining the commanding social role of the Davidic monarchy. Lowery also discusses Ahaz and the economic and religious impact of Assyrian imperialism, and concludes with a discussion of the Manasseh narrative in Kings as a systematic rejection of the pre-deuteronomic First Temple status quo.