Marshall Cunningham - 'The Invention of Second Temple Judaism and the Persistence of the Radical Rupture Model in Biblical Scholarship”

The Babylonian Exile is understood as a critical, if not THE critical, turning point in the development of Israelite religion, culture, and political structure among contemporary scholars of the Hebrew Bible. This was, however, not always the case. It was only in the 19th century, with the rise of German nationalism that the period came to take on this importance. In this paper Divinity School PhD student Marshall Cunningham will attempt to trace the genesis of this phenomenon while mapping out the continued significance of its most influential tenet, the “radical rupture model,” into the biblical scholarship of the 20th and 21st century. Refreshments will follow. For information, contact the workshop coordinators, Sun Bok Bae (sunbok@uchicago.edu) or Marshall Cunningham (mcunningham1@uchicago.edu).