Edelman, Diana V.

Diana V. Edelman is a biblical scholar specializing in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies, with particular expertise in ancient Israelite religion and prophecy. Her work has significantly contributed to understanding the social and literary construction of prophecy in ancient Israel and the Persian period province of Yehud. In "The Production of Prophecy: Constructing Prophecy and Prophets in Yehud," Edelman examines how prophetic texts and the concept of prophecy itself were shaped during the Persian period (539-332 BCE), challenging traditional assumptions about the nature and development of biblical prophecy. Her research employs historical-critical and social-scientific methods to investigate how religious authority was constructed and legitimated in ancient Jewish communities. Edelman's scholarship has been influential in demonstrating that prophecy was not merely a spontaneous religious phenomenon but a carefully constructed literary and social institution that served specific communal needs in the post-exilic period.