Chieftains of the Highland Clans: A History of Israel in the Twelfth And Eleventh Centuries B.C.

by Robert D. Miller II

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2005

Overview

An illuminating social history of ancient Israel, Chieftains of the Highland Clans offers an unusually thorough and original reconstruction of Israelite society prior to the 1000 BC rise of the monarchy. Using the latest archaeological research and anthropological theories, Robert Miller presents an intriguing picture of what life was like in early Israel.

Ethnographic evidence from diverse cultures suggests the “complex chiefdom” model as the most appropriate for the archaeology of twelfth- and eleventh-century highland Palestine. This volume explains that model, detailing the economic and political realities of pre-state societies with ascribed rank and hierarchical political control. As he applies and fine-tunes the complex chiefdom model, Miller illustrates areas of potential correspondence and contradiction between his reconstruction and the biblical text. Students of archaeology, Palestine, and the Hebrew Bible will not want to miss Miller’s fresh and fascinating conclusions about the sociopolitical nature of early Israel.

Delve into God’s Word like never before! With the Logos edition of Chieftains of the Highland Clans, Scripture references link directly to the Bibles in your library—both to the original-language texts and to the English translations. Double-clicking any word automatically opens your lexicons to the relevant entry, making Hebrew words instantly accessible.

Key Features

• Bibliographical references and an index
• Maps and charts

Contents

Top Highlights

“a chiefdom is a society where there is no specialized administrative control apparatus and legal system” (Page 7)

“Archaeologically, a distinct settlement occupied the highland area between Jerusalem and the Jezreel Valley” (Page 16)

“The people did raise animals—sheep and goats, mostly, not cattle—and for dairy products, not meat.” (Page 98)

“Society in the 12th- and 11th-century highlands of Palestine was village based.” (Pages 97–98)

“Israel, once archaeology has established the continuity” (Page 2)

Praise for the Print Edition

[Chieftains of the Highland Clans] is important because it is one of the first comprehensive studies of the highland settlement system to take seriously the biblical text and attempt to reconstruct both social and political history from both the archaeological and textual evidence.

—Review and Expositor

No longer will the period of Israelite beginnings be considered a dark age. With meticulous and brilliant attention to method, Robert Miller uses the materials from a stunning array of archaeological excavations and surveys along with anthropological models to illuminate the highland settlements of the Iron I period. This pioneering study at last tells us what early Israel was really like.

—Carol Meyers, Mary Grace Wilson Professor in Religion, Duke University

In this volume Robert Miller supplies a missing piece in the social history of the central highlands of Palestine in the twelfth and eleventh centuries B.C.E. . . . Miller carefully defines and employs the complex chiefdom model to clarify social and political developments in that critical era prior to the establishment of the Israelite monarchy.

—Victor H. Matthews, professor of religious studies, Missouri State University

Product Details

• Title: Chieftains of the Highland Clans: A History of Israel in the Twelfth And Eleventh Centuries B.C.
• Author: Robert D. Miller II
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 206

About Robert D. Miller II

Born in Ohio, Robert D. Miller II is a Secular Franciscan, married (wife Anne-Marie) with four boys. He earned a PhD in Hebrew Bible from the University of Michigan. His book, Chieftains of the Highland Clans: A History of Israel in the 12th and 11th Centuries BC, and related articles have made him a recognized authority on Early Israel. He is also greatly interested in Biblical Theology, having organized several conferences on the subject and recently edited the volume, Syriac and Antiochian Exegesis and Biblical Theology for the 3rd Millennium. He taught at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD —where he was also chair of the department of Sacred Scripture, and at the Summer Institute for Clergy of Seton Hall University. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the American Schools of Oriental Research. More recently, he has been a member of the Board of Control of the New American Bible for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.