The Bible Unearthed: Archeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin [View All]

[nadinbrzezinski]

of its Sacred Texts

by Finkelstein and Silberman


fascinating read

The whole Abraham, Isaac, Jacob family lineage is truly not myth but... get ready for this... allegory for the actual people's inhabiting the area... oh in the seventh century B.C.E

Hey it was written by several groups of people and while Isaac and Abraham were popular cultural heroes of the South (Judah), Jacob was far more popular in Israel, up North by the Jasrael Valley... so he became part of the family as the King Josiah meant to get a national identity going and fully jelled. Why Judah is the dominant son of the 12 tribes... it was not about a future role of Judah, but the present role of Judah.

Hell, the thought that Edom was a product of incestuous relationship made me chuckle realizing Judah and Edom didn't get along... at all.. talk of dehumanizing an enemy.

Hell David was probably real... but a small time chieftain... not the powerful king the Bible presents (though that was adequate for King Josiah, a long time descendant of David)

So in case you wonder... no the patriarchs didn't really exist... but were a way to use collective memory to create a history out of whole cloth... not unlike Washington Irving's stories of General Washington, who we all know could not tell a lie. Just about to read on the Exodus, which many experts agree never actually happened, why that special on the History Channel made me chuckle at multiple levels... and I will give them this... the special effects were incredible.

One of those where I am going...once I am done with my copy should I drop it in my brother's house? NAH... he believes too much of this crap... while for me the REAL history is far more fascinating.

Oh and I did get this at a Barnes and Noble really, and I mean this REALLY cheap in the Remnants... Got it to read for research for fantasy novel... and have found this to be more than fascinating. I guess Fundie's heads (regardless of religion) would explode if exposed to this.