Contested Kingship in Late Hellenistic Judea

This article explores local conceptions of kingship in Judea during the late Hellenistic period through a poetic text found at Qumran that refers to “King Jonathan” (4Q448). While scholars generally identify this figure as a Hasmonean ruler, the text’s stance toward the dynasty and its royal office remains debated. To shed new light on this question, the article analyzes the text in relation to encomiastic poetry traditionally associated with courtly settings. Comparing it with poetic passages in 1 Maccabees, it argues that the King Jonathan text participated in the internal reinterpretation of kingship, shaping elite roles within Hasmonean Judea. This study thus offers a revised understanding of Judean perspectives on kings and kingship in Hellenistic times, enriching our view of the post-Seleukid sociopolitical landscape

Elite · Monarchy · Period (music) · Poetry · Reinterpretation · Relation (database) · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Classical Antiquity Studies