Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Ancient Israel's Faith and History: An Introduction to the Bible in Context by George E. Mendenhall, Gary A. Herion ISBN: 0664223133 Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press Pub. Date: June, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Rating: 3
Summary: Pleasant but lightweight
Comment: This book appears to be designed as a text book. Each chapter has a section which outlines further reading and the book is full of illustrations and diagrams.
The book deals with a difficult subject but is generally pleasant and non dogmatic. It is reasonably short and easy to read.
To put the book into context, some years ago it was thought that the bible was an accurate historic record of both Israel and the Jewish people. Modern archeology has created some big doubts about the historical accuracy of the bible.
For example the book which discusses Abraham mentions the use of camels. It would appear that in the relevant period camels had not been domesticated. An examination of Egyptian records shows no mention of the tribes of Israel as a captive source of labour at any time in its history. There is no mention of their escape and the destruction of an Egyptian Army in the Red Sea.
The bibilical account of the conquest of the holdy land by Joshua describes the siege of larged walled cities such as Jerico. An examination of the historical record shows that these cities to the extent that they existed were small and unfortified. Lastly it would seem that there is no real evidence that the Davidic Kingdom existed as descibed in the bible.
These findings have led to a number of schools of thought. One school suggests that the books of the bibal which purport to be a historical record are in fact things which were written centuries after the occurance as a means of providing a rallying call for the state of Judah. That the writtings were more of a form of propoganda to inspire the present than being a record of the past.
Mendenhall's book is an attempt to find a sort of middle way, which can reconcile parts of the biblical record with the historical record. He thus suggests that the basis events in the bible occured but they have been subsquently exagerated. Thus the exodus did occur but it would have been a smaller group. There would have been some form of Davidic Kingdom but it would have been smaller.
One interesting part of the book is the section on the ten commandments. Mendenhall argues convincingly that instead of being "laws"these were more commitments that would identify individuals as the members of the religous group.
In general terms a pleasant book, but one in which the basis of the writting is one of faith rather than hard evidence.
Rating: 4
Summary: An Unbiased look at Biblical Archeology.
Comment: Written mainly from a Near Eastern context and an archeological perspective, this is one of the few texts that are written about the historical elements of the Bible that does not attempt to fictionalize the stories within. Although, the author clearly does not take each piece of scripture literally this book should not offend anyone but the most stubborn. So if your convictions are rigid, you will not like this book. However, if you are open to other perspectives outside the Christian dogma, you will find this text educational and not offensive.
The three main points that lead me to recommend this book are; 1. The author's exposition of the Ten Commandments which will surprize most Christians but not Hebrews. He mainly confirms the reason why Hebrews refer to them as the "Ten Utterances," or as the author prefers, the "Ten Commitments." He does so with a comparison to the ancient treaty construction which I found refreshing. 2. His basic outline of how and in what order religion evolves. What I appreciated most concerning this was his treatment of Christ as a reformer and not some revolutionary with some brand new religion as he is mainly portrayed by most even within the Church. All of which, fall right into line with those Christians that understand their Hebraic roots. 3. The diversity of those involved with the Exodus and the subsequent nature of the kingdom. All of these points are widely misunderstood among Christianity.
Unfortunately, although not necessarily uncalled for, the author provides ample evidence of Israel's idolatry. I'm not quite sure why this isn't common knowledge and I'm not sure why this idolatry necessarily negates a principle faith in God, but it does in some people's minds and therefore this exposition is probably necessary.
The only real disagreement I had with the author is the assumption that the Bible teaches a massive invasion and subsequent wipeout of the indigenous people of the land. For instance the Bible makes it clear that God would allow the Hebrews to conquer the land gradually as shown in Exodus 23:29-30. Although the author prevents evidence to support these verses, his assumption is that the few instances of Joshua's utter annihilation were the norm, or at least perceived to be the norm. If his assumption is the former, I strongly disagree, if the later I can appreciate the manner in which his case was made.
Overall, this is a well written text written in a non-combative style that is a nice change from most of the other archeological texts concerning the Bible.
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellant overview of the topic.
Comment: When I studied ancient near eastern history years ago, one of the more frustrating regions to gain insight into was the Levant. The area was rife with petty and ephemeral kingdoms contending for supremacy among their peers and for survival in the face of the imperialistic enterprises of the mightier rulers on their world scene. Rarely were these more than infrequently mentioned names. The notable exception was, not surprisingly, ancient Israel whose history, mythology, and culture are still known to most of us through the mechanism of the written work popularly known as The Old Testament. Though it contains information about many of the players in the political drama played out in the region over several thousand years, it is not an easy document to use. Dr. Mendenhall in his book Ancient Israel's Faith and History has done a superlative job of presenting the material in a very clear, organized, and informative manner.
One of the problems with studying the Bible as a historical document lies in the fact that it has such a diverse history of its own. The authors of various portions of it had their own motives, information sources, and world view, the redactors their own set, modern day interpreters theirs, etc. As Dr. Mendenhall writes in his preface, "Through the ages, whether through ignorance or malice, the Bible has frequently been misinterpreted, misunderstood, and misused (p. xvii)," and he notes that the "scribes were less interested in understanding their own history than they were in exploiting it (p. xviii)."
Nor are the motives of ancient scribes the only source of difficulties. Modern day scholarship has also lent it's particular spin to Biblical interpretations. Again in Mendenhall's words, "Modern biblical scholars--who should be in the best position to help our understanding--are themselves frequently hamstrung by the enormously broad range of requisite knowledge (including ancient history and languages) and by the inability or unwillingness to separate their scholarship from the presumptions and orthodoxies of their peer groups (xvii)."
Dr. Mendenhall does not seem to suffer from any such problem. According to the forward by Gary Herion, the gentleman has an extensive knowledge of ancient languages, a first hand knowledge of modern day local cultures in the Middle East, and a knowledge of the archaeology of the area. In reading the book, I would also add to this list, that I found very little to indicate a religious bias of his own to defend. He approaches the subject with the objectivity and organization of one who is fond of puzzels and their solution.
In writing his book, which bears clear signs of its origin in lecture notes, Dr. Mendenhall has methodically begun at the beginning. The introduction to Ancient Israel's Faith and History begins, not with the biblical narrative, but with a description of religion itself. He asks and answers five questions: What is one's religion, what are religious communities, what does religion actually do, how are religious values transmitted, and how does a religious system change over time? He also enumerates and describes five key "observations" or "laws" about religion: The law of transference, the law of functional shift, the law of elaboration, the law of contrast, and the law of finality. And finally he sets out how religions develop: The prologue to the religion, the formative period, the adaptive period, the traditional period, and the reform period. Armed with this instructive information, the reader is able to follow the author's progress through the various books--and by them the history--of ancient Israel and its religion.
Of most interest to me was the formative period of Israel's post exilic years of which he provides a very cogent discussion. Anyone who has studied the Bible as history knows of the Habiru, of the Hyksos, of the Merneptah stele, and so on, but Dr. Mendenhall brings these early years into far greater perspective. Certainly his discussion of the Ten Commandments as ten commitments makes the history of the Exodus and its later effect on Israel's development and ultimate collapse as an ancient state clearer.
Of some significance is the pertinence of the work to modern day events in the Middle East. In his discussion of the meaning of some of the commandments in the historical context of their development, Mendenhall makes some very important points, especially with respect to values. When one realizes that what one values most and fears the loss of most is what is "worshipped" in one's culture, one can see why those with a stricter sense of "godliness" and commitment, like the members of the Taliban community or of Bin Ladin's followers, would find the western world's habit of valuing possessions to be godless behavior, and to some extent it is.
Of importance too, at least to me, is the gentleman's inclusion of a short bibliography at the end of each chapter which provides the reader with sources of further information. Although Dr. Mendenhall is himself now retired, the bibliographical entries vary widely in date. Included are works like Gurney's The Hittites, Samuel Noah Kramer's The Sumerians, and John Wilson's The Culture of Ancient Egypt, all dating to the 1960s. Later works like Sheler's Is the Bible True? (1999) and Frerichs and Lesko's Exodus: the Egyptian Evidence (1997), suggest that he has kept his overall knowledge base current. Journal articles, however, seem to be 1980 and earlier, which suggest that he may be falling behind in the venue of the professional literature.
Overall I found this a very readable, informative and interesting book. I would recommend it highly to anyone with an interest in the history of the ancient world, in Biblical history, or in the history of the bible itself. It would make a nice gift for a religious person who enjoys studying the bible and who is able to do so with an open mind. For those who are inclined to view the Bible and religion from a more rigid perspective, I suspect it would offend their sense of Divine Word.
 |
Title: The Politics of Ancient Israel (Library of Ancient Israel) by Norman K. Gottwald ISBN: 0664219772 Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press Pub. Date: February, 2001 List Price(USD): $46.95 |
 |
Title: Life in Biblical Israel (Library of Ancient Israel) by Philip J. King, Lawrence E. Stager, Douglas A. Knight ISBN: 0664221483 Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press Pub. Date: 16 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
 |
Title: Reconstructing the Society of Ancient Israel (Library of Ancient Israel) by Paula M. McNutt ISBN: 0664221327 Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press Pub. Date: June, 1999 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
 |
Title: Oral World and Written Word: Ancient Israelite Literature (Library of Ancient Israel) by Susan Niditch, Douglas A. Knight ISBN: 0664219462 Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press Pub. Date: October, 1996 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
 |
Title: Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times by Donald B. Redford ISBN: 0691000867 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 20 September, 1993 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
