Blurb:

Much has been written on the development of “authoritative texts” in Persian Yehud, but there remains little consensus on what authority itself means or the relevant social structures in which it operated. This essay sketches a framework for analyzing authority and emphasizes the impact of the social structure of Yehud on authority with reference to the memory of Davidic kingship and the presence of Persian kingship. Since the evidence for social structure is currently inconclusive, the essay will outline several potential scenarios and explore how authority may have functioned in each instance.