Mythic Past: Biblical Archaeology and the Myth of Israel
The Jewish people's historical claims to a small area of land bordering the eastern Mediterranean are not only the foundation for the modern state of Israel, they are also at the very heart of Judeo-Christian belief. Yet in The Mythic Past, Thomas Thompson argues that such claims are grounded in literary myth, not history. Among the author's startling conclusions are these: There never was a "united monarch" of Israel in biblical times We can no longer talk about a time of the Patriarchs...
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A major new synthesis and interpretation of findings over the past twenty-five years in biblical archaeology. Thompson’s conclusions are sure to spark intense debate.BooknewsClaims to the small area of the Eastern Mediterranean known as Israel have been the source of bloody conflicts throughout history. The author argues that historical claims to the region by the Jewish people are founded on myth drawn from intellectual, philosophical, and mythological traditions of the great empires of antiquity. He examines linguistic, economic, agricultural, and archaeological aspects of early Palestine history, contending that the Old Testament offers no evidence for the early history of Israel, and provides refreshing new ways to read the Hebrew scripture as literature. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)
Preface: the academic debatePt. 1How Stories Talk about the PastCh. 1History and origins: the changing past8Ch. 2Confusing stories with historical evidence34Ch. 3How the Bible talks about the past62Ch. 4Myths of origins82Pt. 2How Historians Create a PastCh. 5Beginnings105Ch. 6A Mediterranean economy130Ch. 7Palestine's many peoples155Ch. 8Under the shadow of empires179Ch. 9Historians create history200Pt. 3The Bible's Place in HistoryCh. 10The Bible's social and historical worlds234Ch. 11The Bible's literary world267Ch. 12The Bible's theological world I: how God began293Ch. 13The Bible's theological world II: the myths of the sons of God323Ch. 14The Bible's theological world III: Israel as God's son353Ch. 15The Bible's intellectual world375Maps398Chronological table402Index of texts cited408
\ BooknewsClaims to the small area of the Eastern Mediterranean known as Israel have been the source of bloody conflicts throughout history. The author argues that historical claims to the region by the Jewish people are founded on myth drawn from intellectual, philosophical, and mythological traditions of the great empires of antiquity. He examines linguistic, economic, agricultural, and archaeological aspects of early Palestine history, contending that the Old Testament offers no evidence for the early history of Israel, and provides refreshing new ways to read the Hebrew scripture as literature. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)\ \
