The Quest for the Historical Israel: Debating Archaeology and the History of Early IsraelThree decades of dialogue, discussion, and debate within the interrelated disciplines of Syro-Palestinian archaeology, ancient Israelite history, and Hebrew Bible over the question of the relevance of the biblical account for reconstructing early Israel’s history have created the need for a balanced articulation of the issues and their prospective resolutions. This book brings together for the first time and under one cover, a currently emerging “centrist” paradigm as articulated by two leading figures in the fields of early Israelite archaeology and history. Although Finkelstein and Mazar advocate distinct views of early Israel’s history, they nevertheless share the position that the material cultural data, the biblical traditions, and the ancient Near Eastern written sources are all significantly relevant to the historical quest for Iron Age Israel. The results of their research are featured in accessible, parallel syntheses of the historical reconstruction of early Israel that facilitate comparison and contrast of their respective interpretations. The historical essays presented here are based on invited lectures delivered in October of 2005 at the Sixth Biennial Colloquium of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism in Detroit, Michigan. |
Contents
3 | |
5 | |
9 | |
On Archaeology Biblical History and Biblical Archaeology | 21 |
Using Archaeology to Assess the BiblesTraditions about the Earliest Times | 35 |
Summary Assessment for Part 2 | 37 |
Fact or Fiction? | 41 |
The Patriarchs Exodus and Conquest Narrativesin Light of Archaeology | 57 |
History or Myth? | 107 |
An Archaeological Perspective | 117 |
On More Secure Ground? The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah in the Iron II Period | 141 |
A Summary Assessment for Part 5 | 143 |
Israel and Judah | 147 |
Comments on Some Archaeological Issues | 159 |
So What? Implications for Scholars and Communities | 181 |
Bible and Archaeology | 183 |
The Historical Origins of Collective Israel | 67 |
A Summary Assessment for Part 3 | 69 |
When and How Did the Israelites Emerge? | 73 |
The Israelite Settlement | 85 |
The Tenth Century The New Litmus Test for the Bibles Historical Relevance | 99 |
A Summary Assessment for Part 4 | 101 |
Archaeologys Message | 189 |
Further Reading | 199 |
209 | |
219 | |
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The Quest for the Historical Israel: Debating Archaeology and the History of ... Israel Finkelstein,Amihay Mazar No preview available - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
Ahab Amihai Mazar ancient Israel ancient Near East Arad Aramean Assyrian Beer-sheba Beth-shean Bible biblical archaeology biblical narrative biblical story biblical text biblical traditions Canaan Canaanite Canaanite cities central hill country cult David and Solomon Deuteronomistic History earlier early Israel Edom Egypt Egyptian eighth century B.C.E. emergence ethnic excavations Exodus Gezer Hazael Hazor Hebrew highlands history of Israel identified ideological important inscription Iron Age Iron IIA Israel and Judah Israel Finkelstein Israelite Jerusalem Jezreel Judah Judahite Judean king Lachish Late Bronze Age late-eighth century B.C.E. late-monarchic later Levant material culture Mazar Megiddo mentioned Middle Bronze millennium B.C.E. Moab Negev ninth nomadic northern Israel Northern Kingdom palace Patriarchal stories Philistine population pottery realities reconstruction region Rehov Samaria scholars second millennium settlement settlers seventh century B.C.E. Shephelah Sheshonq southern Stepped Stone Structure Tel Dan temple tenth century B.C.E. territories tion Transjordan United Monarchy Valley Yadin