Davies, Philip2019-12-132019-12-132019-07-29Davies, P., 2019, ‘Building a nation: The Jeroboams and the creation of two Israels’, HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies 75(3), a5018. https://DOI.org/10.4102/hts.v75i3.5018.0259-9422 (print)2072-8050 (online)10.4102/hts.v75i3.5018http://hdl.handle.net/2263/72813This research is part of the project of Prof Jurie le Roux, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Old Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria.This article represents a short reflective essay in honour of the Old Testament scholar Eben Scheffler. It focuses on the writing of the history of ancient Israel texts; examines different approaches to address the history of texts: minimalist and maximalist; and illustrates a minimalist approach in reference to the figure of the Israelite king Jeroboam II.en© 2019. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.Jeroboam and JeroboamIsraelNationhoodOld Testament scholarshipNorthern KingdomOld testament scholarEben SchefflerOld testament studiesTheology articles SDG-04SDG-04: Quality educationTheology articles SDG-10SDG-10: Reduced inequalitiesTheology articles SDG-16SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutionsArticle