FromtheeighthtosecondcenturiesBCE,ancientIsraelandJudahwerethreatenedanddominatedbyaseriesofforeignempires.Thistraumatichistorypromptedserioustheologicalreflectionandrecalibration,specificallytoaddresstherelationshipbetweenGodandforeignkings.Thisrelationshipprovidedacruciallocusforthinkingtheologicallyaboutempire,foriftherivalsovereigntypossessedandexpressedbykingssuchasSennacheribofAssyria,NebuchadnezzarofBabylon,CyrusofPersia,andAntiochusIVEpiphaneswastoberenderedmeaningful,itsomehowhadtobeassimilatedintoaYahwistictheologicalframework.InKingofKings,JustinPannkuktellsthestoriesofhowthebiblicaltextsmodeledtherelationshipbetweenGodandforeignkingsatcriticaljuncturesinthehistoryofJudahandthedevelopmentofthisdiscourseacrossnearlysixcenturies.PannkukfindsthatthebiblicalauthorsconsistentlyassimilatedthepowerandactivitiesoftheforeignkingsintoexclusivelyYahwisticinterpretiveframeworksbyconstructinghierarchiesofagencyandsovereigntythatreaffirmedYHWH’spositionofultimatesupremacyoverthekings.TheseactsofassimilationperformedpowerfulsymbolicworkontheproblemspresentedbyempirebyframingthemasexpressionsofYHWH’sownpowerandactivity.Thisstrategyhadthecapacitytorenderimperialdominationtheologicallymeaningful,butitalsocamewiththeologicalconsequences:witheachimperialencounter,theideologiesofruleandpoliticalaggressiontowhichthebiblicaltextsrespondedactuallyshapedthebiblicaldiscourseaboutYHWH.Withitsbroadhistoricalsweep,engagementwithimportanttheologicalthemes,andaccessibleprose,KingofKingsprovidesarichresourceforstudentsandscholarsworkinginbiblicalstudies,theology,andancienthistory.Itisanimportantresourceforunderstandinghowthevagariesofhistoryinformourongoingnegotiationswithconceptsofthedivine.
