Book excerpt: This study deals with the intricate problem of the deuteronomistic composition of the book of Kings. Its particular aim is to reconstruct the compositional process underlying the final chapters of Kings. The literary-critical assessment of these chapters is a central issue in various theoretical models on the composition of the Deuteronomistic History. The author draws attention to the - often crucial - importance assigned to the Manasseh pericope and related passages in this assessment. He notes that in many models the appraisal of these texts appears to result from general theoretical concerns rather than from an independent literary-critical analysis. This study fills the need for such an analysis. The results lead the author to advance a fresh view on the composition of the last section of the Deuteronomistic History.