Martin Noths „Das System der zwölf Stämme Israels“

Martin Noth’s study Das System der zwölf Stämme Israels first appeared in 1930. For nearly 50 years, his reconstruction of the development of the Israelite tribal system met with widespread approval, but in the last 40 years it has lost its appeal and nowadays it is hardly taken seriously in scholarly discussions. While the latter is doubtlessly justified when it comes to the idea of an ancient Israelite tribal amphictyony, the paper argues that the study nevertheless remains a worthwhile read in the current debates on the origins of the Israelite tribal system. Noth’s study not only names observations and requirements that any attempt to trace the development of the tribal system must take into account, it also sheds light on some problematic presuppositions and arguments still recurring in recent contributions. Moreover, Noth’s argument also is instructive where it tends to be self-contradictory, because here points come into view which seem to be essential for any convincing explanation of on the origins of the tribal system. Such points are illustrated using the example of a recent contribution by Christian Frevel

Art · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity