oa De historiografie van Israëls vestiging in Kanaän aan de hand van Richteren 1:1-2:5

This article deals with the first chapter of Judges as a part of the historiography of Israel’s settlement in Canaan. Judges 1:1-2:5 has often been characterized as a heap of rubbish without sense, constructed around an ancient list of unconquered Canaanite cities. Current research, however, concentrates on the ideological rhetoric of historiographical compositions and questions their historical value. And indeed, detailed analysis from a historiographical point of view not only shows that the forementioned list did not exist, but also that Judges 1:1-2:5 is a well constructed historiographical composition with a specific meaning. But in spite of its tendentious nature, the text reflects antiquarian interest and respect for the theological traditions from the past.