Jerusalem before the Reform: Memory, Nostalgia, and Antiquarian Interest in 2 Kings 23:7-13

The description of Josiah's reform in Jerusalem in 2 Kgs 23:7-13 contains an unusual cluster of topographical indications. The article analyzes this cluster from critical and literary-ideological perspectives. The analysis proves that at least some of the topographical indications are late glosses. It also reveals the antiquarian interest which prompted the accumulation of such indications in this short section. That interest, shared by different authors and editors who were involved in the textual development of 2 Kgs 23:7-13, attests to a perception of Jerusalem's landscape as a changing space and of Josiah's reform as an act of space transformation by a monarch. Finally, the article suggests that a nostalgic sentiment towards the cultic activities which Josiah uprooted is reflected in this cluster of topographical indications.