ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is concerned with the other narrative books which, with Joshua, the Hebrew Bible calls the 'Former Prophets'. It provides an overview of the material in, and of study of, all the books in the section called 'Former Prophets' in the Hebrew Bible, the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. The book seeks to clarify the implications of detecting such a source for how we understand the work of the author of the biblical books called Chronicles. It focuses on historical issues and was prepared for a consultation in Jerusalem on the origins of the Israelite monarchies. The chapter explores some of the fresh perspectives enabled there for reading the present books of Samuel, the books from Joshua to Kings as a whole, and the Pentateuch.
