The history of biblical Israel, as it is told in the Hebrew Bible, differs substantially from the history of ancient Israel as it can be reconstructed using ancient Near Eastern texts and archaeological evidence. In A Concise History of Ancient Israel, Bernd U. Schipper uses this evidence to present a critical revision of the history of Israel and Judah from the late second millennium BCE to the beginning of the Roman period. Considering archaeological material as well as biblical and extrabiblical texts, Schipper argues that the history of “Israel” in the preexilic period took place mostly in the hinterland of the Levant and should be understood in the context of the Neo-Assyrian expansion. He demonstrates that events in the exilic and postexilic periods also played out differently than they are recounted in the biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah. In contrast to previous scholarship, which focused heavily on Israel’s origins and the monarchic period, Schipper’s history gives equal attention to the Persian and early Hellenistic periods, providing confirmation that a wide variety of forms of YHWH religion existed in the Persian period and persisted into the Hellenistic age. Original and innovative, this brief history provides a new outline of the historical development of ancient Israel that will appeal to students, scholars, and lay readers who desire a concise overview.
The definitve guide to the history of ancient Israel. The History of Ancient Israel covers the epic story of Jewish civilisation from its beginnings to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the Temple in AD 70. It deals with Israel's relations with the great empires which shaped its development and with the changing internal structure of the Jewish state, drawing both on excavation and the Hebrew Bible.
This book examines the complete history of ancient Israel--from Abraham to the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D. Provides numerous color and black-and-white photos, maps, charts, and timelines. Adds and updates evidence, analysis, and insights of events, based on developments since the book's first edition. --From publisher's description.
Winner of the Jewish Book of the Year Award The first comprehensive yet accessible history of the state of Israel from its inception to present day, from Daniel Gordis, "one of the most respected Israel analysts" (The Forward) living and writing in Jerusalem. Israel is a tiny state, and yet it has captured the world’s attention, aroused its imagination, and lately, been the object of its opprobrium. Why does such a small country speak to so many global concerns? More pressingly: Why does Israel make the decisions it does? And what lies in its future? We cannot answer these questions until we understand Israel’s people and the questions and conflicts, the hopes and desires, that have animated their conversations and actions. Though Israel’s history is rife with conflict, these conflicts do not fully communicate the spirit of Israel and its people: they give short shrift to the dream that gave birth to the state, and to the vision for the Jewish people that was at its core. Guiding us through the milestones of Israeli history, Gordis relays the drama of the Jewish people’s story and the creation of the state. Clear-eyed and erudite, he illustrates how Israel became a cultural, economic and military powerhouse—but also explains where Israel made grave mistakes and traces the long history of Israel’s deepening isolation. With Israel, public intellectual Daniel Gordis offers us a brief but thorough account of the cultural, economic, and political history of this complex nation, from its beginnings to the present. Accessible, levelheaded, and rigorous, Israel sheds light on the Israel’s past so we can understand its future. The result is a vivid portrait of a people, and a nation, reborn.
In this much-anticipated textbook, three respected biblical scholars have written a history of ancient Israel that takes the biblical text seriously as an historical document. While also considering nonbiblical sources and being attentive to what disciplines like archaeology, anthropology, and sociology suggest about the past, the authors do so within the context and paradigm of the Old Testament canon, which is held as the primary document for reconstructing Israel's history. In Part One, the authors set the volume in context and review past and current scholarly debate about learning Israel's history, negating arguments against using the Bible as the central source. In Part Two, they seek to retell the history itself with an eye to all the factors explored in Part One.
'Intended primarily as a textbook for undergraduates, this volume has the following major divisions, each divided into chapters: I. An introduction to the People (including the essential stance of the biblical material, methods of analysis, and the geographical setting); II. The Origins of the People (including a brief history of Old Testament criticism, the patriarchal traditions, the exodus event, and the covenant at Sinai); III. The Growth of the People (from the wilderness period to the time of Elijah); IV. The Demise of the People (from the emergence of the literary prophets to the time of the exile); V. The Renewal of the People (from the Second Isaiah through the end of the Old Testament period). There is an extensive bibliography (arranged topically and by chapters), indexes of authors and subjects, and photos and maps scattered appropriately throughout the volume.' 'Concerning many basic issues a range of scholary opinions is cited, followed by a judicious evaluation and a list of the author's conclusions. Only occasionally may the average informed reader want to take serious issue with the author. . . . Each chapter dealing with the biblical text is accompanied by a list of passages which the student is to read in conjunction with it, a helpful procedure. . . . Treatment of a particular segment of biblical material often includes discussion of its theological stance. . . . The author has included coverage of many more topics than introductions of comparable size.' --From The Journal of Biblical Literature, review by Lloyd R.Bailey, Duke University: 'Professor Kuntz has written a very helpful introductory text. The traditions and texts of the Hebrew Bible are set within a historical framework, but the text is more than a history of ancient Israel. Kuntz presents, in a succinct fashion, major historiographical and interpretative positions. . .He has included an excellent bibliography which includes commentaries, atlases, journals, as well as bibliographies structured along the lines of the table of contents. . .Kuntz has written a very readable and thorough introduction to the Hebrew Bible.' --From The Journal of the American Academy of Religion, by Richard D. Hecht, University of California, Santa Barbara 'Although the subtitle includes the three areas of literature, history, and thought, this volume is primarily concerned with the literature of the Old Testament. A vast amount of information is made available in a breezy, well-articulated and engaging style. . .Kuntz keeps his readers informed on presently controversial issues, but he does not allow the intricacies of such current debates to obscure the flow of the work as a whole. Each chapter is amply footnoted, and an extensive annotated bibliography concludes the volume. . .Some seventy photographs enhance an already clear and concise presentation. . .The vigorous and open stance of the work, evident in its lack of defensive or apologetic intent, finds confirmation in the author's statement: to engage in the Old Testament hermeneutical task is to engage in a dialogue with ancient Israel. As that dialogue unfolds, the interpreter will be required to place his own view of the world on trial. . . .Kuntz has ably demonstrated that the major task of introducing the Old Testament to the interested layperson can be accomplished successfully without jargon and sophisticated detail. This volume deserves a wide readership and will serve as a very fine foundation in introductory courses to the entire Old Testament.' --From The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, by David P. Reid, SS.CC., Washington Theological Coalition, Silver Spring, Maryland:
"Rereading my introduction to the revised edition, I seem to reflect the view that we now have a definitive history of ancient Israel that can be carved in stone, that will need no change. Of course that is not so. Our knowledge and insights continue to expand--and do so excitingly. New excavations are constantly producing new material--and the new finds need interpretation to be understood. Moreover, the broader fields of history, anthropology, sociology, to say nothing of new scientific techniques in the field of archaeology are continually bringing new light and sometimes new debates concerning the history of ancient Israel. So, in all candor, we can only present this as a tentative reconstruction of the history of ancient Israel. Yes, the main lines seem to have been fixed, but the nuances, the details, are constantly changing and broadening our understanding. At whatever level you are coming to this text, however, you are in for a treat. You are getting on a moving train that will continue over the years to open new vistas."--Introduction to the third edition, page xiv
"On the walls of buildings . . . on leather and papyrus, Israelites living under the monarchy (1000-587 B.C.E.) penned or scratched texts ranging from food and crop inventories . . . to memorials. . . . Smelik . . . (has compiled these) remnants of early writing . . . in light of their historical, social, and biblical contexts".--Douglas A. Knight, Vanderbilt University.
Getting a fix on the social context of the Hebrew Bible is imperative for anyone reconstructing either the "story" of the text or the "history" behind the text. Resources in this area often prove overspecialized and arcane, and can require highly sophisticated skills in cultural anthropology or Semitic languages just to read the table of contents. Social World of Ancient Israel, 1250-587 BCE, offers those interested in learning about the biblical world a more user-friendly framework for viewing the broader picture; at the same time it relies upon the latest methodologies of cultural anthropology and biblical analysis in its presentation. Painting a picture in broad but precise strokes, the authors portray the landscape of ancient Israel in new and exciting colors that expert and student alike will appreciate. Social World of Ancient Israel takes a unique look at the most prominent social institutions of the world of early Israel and the period of the monarchy, and then shows how properly understanding these social institutions is essential for sound biblical interpretation. Immersing the reader into five major areas of daily life in antiquity -- politics, economics, diplomacy, law, and education -- Matthews and Benjamin explore the ways in which knowing how "players" function in these institutions, such as "father/mother," "prophet/wise one," "host/stranger," can shape our understanding of earliest Israel. Perhaps most significantly, the book gently exposes the inefficiency of past anthropological models for interpreting the relationships, attitudes and social conventions of earliest Israel. Its corrective insights will enable scholar and student alike to plot new approaches for studying the Hebrew Bible and the ancient people of Israel.--Publisher's description.
