The religious mindset informing the biblical authors : the Book of Judges as a case study

Abstract

Biblical archaeology primarily aims to describe, in this case, the history of the early Israelites using only rationalistic reasoning while disregarding the revelation that informs the biblical text on which the archaeology is based, leaving only a fragmented image of the early Israelites in Judges. This study has endeavoured to illumine the mindset informing the authors of Judges as a legitimate worldview. This was done by an examination of the lived experiences of the people who brought about the events in the Book of Judges that were perceived as authentic by them and the author/s responses to these occurrences. The examination encompassed an account of individuals, locations, eras, and holy edifices, such as those that contribute to gaining understanding of the perspective held by the author/s of Judges. This perspective primarily revolves around the revelation of God through a distinct covenant, religion, and way of life that He intended for the Israelites to perpetually uphold. Thus, in the Book of Judges, a mindset becomes evident that was supposed to lead to a way of life which was distinct in the polytheistic setting of the ancient Near East. It is a religious perspective that is consequently always polemical because it insists that there is only one true God who requires sole worship within a covenantal relationship. The Israelites had the divine mission of presenting the Sinaitic covenantal lifestyle to the ancient Near Easterners. Thus, the religious mindset presented by the authors/ of Judges, ideally abolished polytheistic religious attitudes, the all-encompassing aspect of divination and associated lifestyle, ancient Near Eastern hierarchical societal, economic, and religious structures and way of worship. It is perhaps because of this radical transformation of religious worship and life that mono-YHWH worship had to be opposed and ironically by the idolatrous Israelites themselves. The themes within the narratives of Judges reveal much of what the mindset of the author/s of the Book of Judges is all about: a promotion of covenant and covenant loyalty, idolatry, judgment, and ultimately redemption. It is a mindset based on the love of YHWH who seeks to have a relationship with a people who frequently abandons Him and breaks His heart. The multi-disciplinary approach used was intended to bring to light the world and people and thus the mindset behind the text. Judges follows the pattern of the rest of the biblical narratives offering a mindset based on both logic and revelation. The people presented in the narratives are free to choose YHWH’s revelation and redemption or not. Ultimately, the worldview held by the author/s of Judges expresses the concept that people may live holy and successful lives but that this is only possible if they exclusively worship and serve the God of the Israelite covenants.