ABSTRACT
If we are not going to approach Judges as history, it seems that we should study it as literature.1 This contrast between history and literature is well-entrenched in biblical studies, predominantly thanks to John van Seters’ In Search of History (van Seters 1975b: 1), which called attention to Johan Huizinga’s essay “A Definition of the Concept of History.” Huizinga claims that: “The sharp distinction between history and literature lies in the fact that the former is almost entirely lacking in that element of play which underlies literature from beginning to end” (Huizinga 1975: 6). Many scholars would now claim his contrast is too sharp, though it continues to influence the field.2
