Attention to empire, monarchy, and potentates within biblical texts proves fruitful for illumining social and religious movements, power dynamics, and complex negotiations of culture and economic realities in the ancient world. Critical imperial studies and postcolonialism, complemented by historical examination and contextual awareness, shed new light on representations of monarchy in Judaism of the second temple period. This historical moment, in which the empires of Alexander the Great and successors, as well as of Rome emerge, witnesses various responses in Judea and in other colonized contexts to domination. The same period gives rise to the second Commonwealth and Hasmonean dynasty. The relationship of the latter with Seleucids and Romans is complex and provides additional vistas on navigating monarchy and power. The articles in this issue explore empire and potentates across texts and traditions of this historic context and in so doing, further clarify biblical texts and related literature.
