Creative Imitation in the Story of Josiah

Until the 1990s, the biblical description of King Josiah’s cult reform was usually considered to be more or less accurate, but that is now debated. This essay contributes to the debate by showing that most of the story of King Josiah is a creative imitation of the story of King Jehoash of Judah. Thus, there is no evidence for a book having been found in the temple nor for a prophet having confirmed the authenticity of the book. Instead, the story appears to be a cover-up for a new book, just as the story of Jehoash was a cover-up for a new dynasty. Josiah’s cult reform alludes to a much less comprehensive cult reform in the story of Jehoash, leaving the former without a reliable historical source. Josiah’s death in Megiddo alludes to the death of Jehoash’s father in Megiddo, raising doubts about the whereabouts of Josiah’s death. However, this allusion also shows that Josiah’s death is part of the first version of the story. Therefore, the story of Josiah was composed after his death.