Now reissued with a new introduction by the author, this book provides the first monograph length reinvestigation and reinterpretation of the history and theology of centralization of worship. Since de Wette and Wellhausen in the nineteenth century, Old Testament scholarship has thus far largely relied on the consensus that the book of Deuteronomy is the product of late monarchic Judah (7th century BC). However, after examining the Pentateuchal altar laws and the role of the central sanctuary during the premonarchical period in the biblical sources, Pitkanen concludes that Shiloh was seen as...

This book provides the first major reinvestigation and reinterpretation of the history of centralization of worship in ancient Israel since de Wette and Wellhausen in the nineteenth century. Old Testament scholarship has thus far relied on the consensus that the book of Deuteronomy is the product of late monarchic Judah (7th century BC). Pitkanen places the biblical material in its archaeological and ancient Near Eastern context and pays special attention to rhetorical analysis. The author suggests that the book of Joshua, as well as its sources (such as Deuteronomy) may have originated as...