What do we mean by the “Deuteronomistic history”?
Since the biblical text is a composite document that contains portions of oral tradition, legal pronouncements, historical chronicles, poetry, prophecy, and wisdom literature, it is a standard conclusion among scholars that several groups of editors at one time or another had a hand in creating what eventually became the canonical text of the Bible. One group collectively known as the “Deuteronomistic Historian” has been identified as responsible for much of the material contained in the books from Deuteronomy through 2 Kings. This so-called Deuteronomistic history contains distinctive and identifiably consistent vocabulary, syntax, themes, stylistic formulas, and a well-defined theological perspective on the events in Israelite history. It is also clear from its emphasis on Jerusalem as the place where “God’s name dwells”—and its generally positive presentation of the Davidic dynasty of rulers—that the Deuteronomistic Historian is a scribal voice from the Southern Ki...