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Ancient Israel’s History: An Introduction to Issues and Sources

Publisher:
, 2014
ISBN: 9781441220745
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Overview

Ancient Israel’s history is frequently debated by Old Testament scholars. On one side, minimalists find little of historical value in the Hebrew Bible. On the other side, those holding a traditional view assume the biblical text is a precise historical record. But many serious Bible students find themselves somewhere in the middle, and would benefit from a careful exploration of issues in Israelite history.

Bill T. Arnold and Richard S. Hess’ history values the Bible’s historical contribution without overlooking critical challenges. Drawing on recent scholarship, the book introduces students to the current state of research on issues relevant to the study of ancient Israel. The editors and contributors, all top biblical scholars and historians, discuss historical evidence in a readable manner, using both canonical and chronological lenses to explore Israelite history.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Get more on Israel’s history with Jacob Neusner’s five-volume epic A History of the Jews in Babylonia (5 vols.).

Resource Experts
  • Offers a balanced engagement with critical issues in Old Testament history
  • Examines the historiographical value of the Old Testament
  • Studies historical evidence from a canonical, evidentiary, and chronological perspective
  • “The Genesis Narratives,” Bill T. Arnold
  • “The Exodus and Wilderness Narratives,” James K. Hoffmeier
  • “Covenant and Treaty in the Hebrew Bible and in the Ancient Near East,” Samuel Greengus
  • “Early Israel and Its Appearance in Canaan,” Lawson G. Stone
  • “The Judges and the Early Iron Age,” Robert D. Miller II
  • “The Story of Samuel, Saul, and David,” Daniel Bodi
  • “United Monarchy: Archaeology and Literary Sources,” Steven M. Ortiz
  • “The Biblical Prophets in Historiography,” James K. Mead
  • “Late Tenth- and Ninth-Century Issues: Ahab Underplayed? Jehoshaphat Overplayed?” Kyle Greenwood
  • “Eighth-Century Issues: The World of Jeroboam II, the Fall of Samaria, and the Reign of Hezekiah,” Sandra Richter
  • “Judah in the Seventh Century: From the Aftermath of Sennacherib’s Invasion to the Beginning of Jehoiakim’s Rebellion,” Brad E. Kelle
  • “Sixth-Century Issues: The Fall of Jerusalem, the Exile, and the Return,” Peter van der Veen
  • “Fifth- and Fourth-Century Issues: Governorship and Priesthood in Jerusalem,” André Lemaire
  • “The Hellenistic Period,” David A. deSilva

Top Highlights

“There is no good explanation for these Egyptian linguistic and technological elements in the book of Exodus if the narrative is ‘a brilliant product of the human imagination.’179 Rather, they suggest that the narratives preserve these Egyptian features because the Israelites had spent several centuries in Egypt and brought with them terminology and practices learned in Egypt that they appropriated in Sinai while they were establishing their first religious sanctuary.” (Page 88)

“We famously have literary parallels in creation accounts (especially from Mesopotamia), comparative materials in creation concepts (including from Egypt), and cultural features from the ancient world that are suggestive as parallels to certain elements in the ancestral narratives. But in terms of archaeological context, or extrabiblical confirmation of the characters and events of Genesis, we are left completely without trace.” (Page 24)

“For example, this includes the initial call of Abram to leave his father’s house, which was essentially a call to launch out as a new paterfamilias. He did this even though he was childless and had no assurance that he himself would in fact become a father and therefore be able to establish a new ‘house’ (Gen. 12:1).” (Page 39)

“In these texts the word for ‘linen,’ šēš, is the Egyptian word for ‘linen.’ The use of this word is significant because there is a Hebrew word (bûṣ) for ‘linen’ used regularly outside of Exodus, and Genesis 41:42 also uses šēš (in the Joseph story, set in Egypt!).” (Page 88)

“‘vassal treaties,’ where the participants are described as ‘father and son’ or ‘master and slave.’20” (Page 98)

Equipped with these insightful investigations of the biblical text and the ancient world, readers can now offer an informed defense of the historical credibility of the Old Testament.

—John H. Walton, professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College

A superb collection orienting readers to historical data and debates relevant to ancient Israel—judiciously weighed, accessibly presented.

—Mark J. Boda, professor of Old Testament, McMaster Divinity College

An excellent new resource for those interested in taking seriously all the evidence, both biblical and extrabiblical, bearing on the history of ancient Israel and in thinking carefully about how to weigh that evidence and integrate it into a coherent account.

—Iain Provan, Marshall Sheppard Professor of Biblical Studies, Regent College

Bill T. Arnold is Paul S. Amos Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author or editor of many books, including The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches, and Encountering the Book of Genesis: A Study of Its Content and Issues, and Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey. He has also written numerous commentaries, including 1 and 2 Samuel, in the >NIVAC series, and is the editor of Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books.

Richard S. Hess is Earl S. Kalland Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Denver Seminary in Littleton, Colorado, and editor of the Denver Journal. He is the author or editor of more than 25 books, including Israelite Religions: An Archaeological and Biblical Survey, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms: Song of Songs, and the commentary Joshua in the Tyndale Commentary Series.

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