Ancient Israel: What Do We Know and How Do We Know it? »

In Ancient Israel Lester L. Grabbe addresses the most basic questions about the history of ancient Israel: What do we know and how do we know it? What are the sources for the history of Israel and how do we evaluate them? How do we make them 'speak' to us through the fog of centuries?

A number of 'histories of Israel' have been written over the past few decades yet the basic methodological issues are not always examined. Grabbe sets out what we know through a survey of sources and how we know it by bringing to light methodological pitfalls. Ancient Israel makes an original contribution to the field while also providing an enlightening overview and critique of current scholarly debate.

About the Author:
Lester L. Grabbe is Professor of the Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at the University of Hull, UK

Abbreviations     xiii
Preface     xix
Introduction     1
Principles and Methods of Investigating the History of Ancient Israel     3
Aims     3
Concepts and Complications: The Question of Sources and Methods     4
The Place of the Social Sciences     4
The Longue Duree     5
Using Archaeology as a Source     6
General Comments     6
Terminology of Archaeological Periods     10
Use of Survey Data     11
The Debate over the 'Low Chronology'     12
The Stratigraphy of Samaria     16
Reinterpretation of the Jochan Seal     16
Problems with Forgeries     16
Ethnicity     18
Ideology and Neo-Fundamentalism     21
'Maximalists', 'Minimalists' and the ad hominem Argument     23
The Contemporary Practice of Writing Israel's History     25
Developments in General Historiography     25
Forty Years of Debate Among Biblical Scholars     30
Principles of Historical Method Used in this Book     35
Historical Investigations     37
Second Millennium: Middle and Late Bronze Ages (2000-1300 BCE)     39
Sources     39
Archaeology     39
Egyptian Texts     42
Execration Texts     42
Amarna Letters     42
The Story of Sinuhe     43
Ugaritic Texts     43
Mesopotamian Texts     44
Biblical Text     44
Analysis     45
Peoples/Ethnic and Social Groups     45
Hyksos     45
Amorites (Amurru)     46
'Apiru/Haberu     48
Shasu (Shosu, S3sw, Sutu)     49
Canaanites     50
Question of the Patriarchs     52
Synthesis     55
First Part of the Second Millennium (ca. 2000-1600/1500 BCE)     56
Egypt     56
Old Assyrian Period (ca. 2000-1750)     57
Old Babylonian Period (ca. 2000-1600)     57
Hittites     58
Northern Syria     58
Second Part of the Second Millennium (ca. 1600/1500-1200 BCE)     59
Egypt     59
Mesopotamia     60
Hittite Empire (ca. 1400-1200)     61
Mitanni Kingdom (ca. 1600-1350)     61
Ugarit     64
Palestine     64
Late Bronze II to Iron IIA (ca. 1300-900 BCE): From Settlement to Statehood     65
Sources     65
Archaeology     65
Analysis     74
Merneptah Stela     77
Medinet Habu and Related Inscriptions     80
Report of Wenamun     80
Shoshenq I's Palestinian Inscription     81
Biblical Text     83
Pentateuch     83
Deuteronomistic History (DtrH)     83
Analysis     84
The Question of the Exodus     84
The Sea Peoples and the Philistines     88
Transjordan     93
From Settlement to Statehood     98
Joshua and Judges     98
The Settlement: Recent Models in Biblical Studies     100
'Tribes' and 'Nomads'     105
Anthropological Models of Statehood     107
The Saul, David and Solomon Traditions     111
Writing, Literacy and Bureaucracy     115
Synthesis     118
Iron IIB (900-720 BCE): Rise and Fall of the Northern Kingdom     123
Sources     123
Archaeology     123
Hebrew Inscriptions     128
Aramaic Inscriptions     129
Tel Dan     129
Melqart Inscription     130
Zakkur Inscription     130
Mesha Stela     131
Assyrian Sources     131
Phoenician History of Menander of Ephesus     136
Biblical Text     136
1 Kings 16.15-2 Kings 17.41 (2 Chronicles 18-28): Outline of the Contents     137
Analysis     140
Analysis     142
Ahab     142
Israel and Moab     144
The Aramaeans     146
Fall of Samaria     149
Development of Religion     150
The God Yhwh     150
Other Deities and Worship     153
Temple Religion versus 'Popular'/'Folk'/'Family' Religion     159
Development of Monotheism     161
Synthesis     163
Biblical Data Confirmed     164
Biblical Data not Confirmed, though They may be Correct     165
Biblical Picture Incorrect     165
Biblical Picture Omits/has Gaps     165
Iron IIC (720-539 BCE): Peak and Decline of Judah     167
Sources     167
Archaeology     167
Conclusions with Regard to Archaeology     176
Palestinian Inscriptions     178
The Adon Papyrus      178
Mesad Hashavyahu     179
Arad Ostraca     179
Lachish Letters     180
The Ashyahu Ostracon     180
Seals and Bullae     180
Assyrian Sources     185
Sargon II (721-705 BCE)     185
Sennacherib (705-681 BCE)     185
Esarhaddon (681-669 BCE)     186
Ashurbanipal (669-627 BCE)     186
Babylonian Sources     187
Nabopolassar (626-605 BCE)     188
Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BCE)     188
Jehoiachin Documents     189
Texts from al-Yahudu and Nasar     190
Egyptian Source: Psammetichus Inscription     190
The Biblical Story: 2 Kings 21-25 and Parallels     191
2 Kings//2 Chronicles     191
Jeremiah     193
Ezekiel     194
Ezra     194
Daniel     194
Analysis of the Text     194
Analysis     195
Hezekiah     195
Manasseh     201
Amon     204
Josiah     204
Jehoahaz     207
Jehoiakim     208
Jehoiachin     208
Zedekiah      208
The Case of Jeremiah     209
The Case of Nebuchadnezzar     210
The 'Exile'     211
Synthesis     212
Biblical Data Confirmed     212
Biblical Data not Confirmed, though They may be Correct     213
Biblical Picture is Most Likely Incorrect     214
Biblical Picture Omits/has Gaps     215
Conclusions     217
'The End of the Matter': What Can We Say about Israelite and Judahite History?     219
Bibliography     227
Index of References     283
Index of Subjects     289
Index of Modern Authors     301