A History of Israel

Rating:
Summary: Deep and Powerful
Review: A History of Israel is an in depth (and I mean DEPTH) journey back into time. Taking the reader back to the very edge of the mists of prehistory, John Bright then lays out, in a point by point fashion, the whole sweep of time in the near east up until the appearance of a certain Galilean who forever changed the world.

A History of Israel is very in depth, very packed with useful information. Bright has written a wonderful book. It did (as most history books are likely to) set off my anti-scholarship allergy a few times. However, it is very worthy of being read.

I give this book a very high recommendation. Bright's presentation is clear, at certain points even lively. It thoroughly deals with the developments in each time period. It delivers the reader to one heck of a destination-one of eternal significance-that beautiful moment in time where the Messiah asked a very pointed question that many are still in need of answering: "Who do you say that I am?"

Rating:
Summary: The Old Reliable OT Background Book
Review: At sem this was required reading to achieve an accurate, full understanding of the historical context of the OT books.

Bright is intense, thorough and up-to-date with archaeological finds, coming out of the Albright school.

He updates his text with the Dead Sea scrolls as well as the Ebla tablets and other findings which provide additional insight into the historical setting.

Conflicting views are given attention along with excellent footnotes for further reading and a well stocked bibliography.

Rating:
Summary: Almost does it
Review: For a long time I had been looking for a history of Israel in which the conclusions are based on the same kinds of evidence as any other history. Bright's wonderful book is almost it. I do not understand why he says things like "that Moses was an actual person can scarely be doubted" or something to that effect. He vacillates between an historian's examination of data and the same old deference to Scripture from which I've needed a relief for decades. He does say that sometimes the only source we have is the scripture, but he still seems to be influenced by what people have found sacred, such as the existence of Abraham as a real person or the event of the Exodus. All in all though, it is the best I've seen.

Rating:
Summary: The Bible Will Never Look Quite the Same
Review: I bought this book after it was recommended to me by a beloved professor whose field is Ancient Jewish history. He considered it essential reading. Now, after having read it, so do I.

Make no mistake, this is not an easy read. I am used to scholarly treatises, but I still found myself having to reread portions of text in order to follow. Also, Bright feels the need to "set the scene;" to introduce each historical period by giving a quick summary of the surrounding world. This is important information, of course, but much of it felt tangential, and the pace of these intros is so breathless that I lost track of names and places (was that the nineteenth or the twenty-first dynasty? ). Lastly, some of this information is out of date (the core of the book was written in the 1950s, and most recently updated in 1981). Before you dismiss this book too quickly, remember this: "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" is still read, and it was written in the 1700s.

This book is a remarkable piece of scholarship. The revelations in the book are detailed, footnoted, and positively thrilling. It provides a tremendous way to re-examine the bible: as an historical document. Essentially, this book deconstructs the biblical text, and compares it to archeological evidence to give a fuller picture than the bible could have given on its own.

If you view the bible is above historical verification, this book is not for you. For the rest of us, this book is a masterpiece. The greatest wonder of it all, however, is that the bible turns out not to be so often wrong, but that it was so often RIGHT.

The same beloved professor who recommended this book recommended that immediately upon finishing this book, you should read Shanks's "Ancient Israel." It is a much more recent text, and is a good companion to this one.

Rating:
Summary: The Bible Will Never Look Quite the Same
Review: I bought this book after it was recommended to me by a beloved professor whose field is Ancient Jewish history. He considered it essential reading. Now, after having read it, so do I.

Make no mistake, this is not an easy read. I am used to scholarly treatises, but I still found myself having to reread portions of text in order to follow. Also, Bright feels the need to "set the scene;" to introduce each historical period by giving a quick summary of the surrounding world. This is important information, of course, but much of it felt tangential, and the pace of these intros is so breathless that I lost track of names and places (was that the nineteenth or the twenty-first dynasty? ). Lastly, some of this information is out of date (the core of the book was written in the 1950s, and most recently updated in 1981). Before you dismiss this book too quickly, remember this: "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" is still read, and it was written in the 1700s.

This book is a remarkable piece of scholarship. The revelations in the book are detailed, footnoted, and positively thrilling. It provides a tremendous way to re-examine the bible: as an historical document. Essentially, this book deconstructs the biblical text, and compares it to archeological evidence to give a fuller picture than the bible could have given on its own.

If you view the bible is above historical verification, this book is not for you. For the rest of us, this book is a masterpiece. The greatest wonder of it all, however, is that the bible turns out not to be so often wrong, but that it was so often RIGHT.

The same beloved professor who recommended this book recommended that immediately upon finishing this book, you should read Shanks's "Ancient Israel." It is a much more recent text, and is a good companion to this one.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not objective
Review: I had to write this when I saw the other reviews. I purchased the book because I felt that it would be an objective analysis of the archeological findings from the region. Israel and Palestine are some of the most heavily excavated real estate in the world. If there had been a palace of Salomon and David, it would have been found by now - and properly identified in time. Much of the work in this book I would describe as wishful thinking. Its fine to take the Hebrew Bible as a guide, just as others took Homer's Iliad as a guide to Troy. But no one seriously feels that finding some evidence for a historical Troy means that Hector, Paris and Helena were real people. Nice story, but without some factual evidence, it's still just a nice story, no matter how strongly you believe.

That's where this book falls down. It looks at the evidence in the best light for what he want to prove (that's perfectly acceptable) but then he over-reaches and makes claims that can not be supported by any evidence. 2 + 2 do not equal 8 no matter how fervently you believe it.

Despite this, there is some very good analysis in the book, and I look forward to using some parts of it as reference in future. I am glad I purchased it, but just be advised of its shortcomings. It's not the objective read that the reviews trumpet.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not objective
Review: I had to write this when I saw the other reviews. I purchased the book because I felt that it would be an objective analysis of the archeological findings from the region. Israel and Palestine are some of the most heavily excavated real estate in the world. If there had been a palace of Salomon and David, it would have been found by now - and properly identified in time. Much of the work in this book I would describe as wishful thinking. Its fine to take the Hebrew Bible as a guide, just as others took Homer's Iliad as a guide to Troy. But no one seriously feels that finding some evidence for a historical Troy means that Hector, Paris and Helena were real people. Nice story, but without some factual evidence, it's still just a nice story, no matter how strongly you believe.

That's where this book falls down. It looks at the evidence in the best light for what he want to prove (that's perfectly acceptable) but then he over-reaches and makes claims that can not be supported by any evidence. 2 + 2 do not equal 8 no matter how fervently you believe it.

Despite this, there is some very good analysis in the book, and I look forward to using some parts of it as reference in future. I am glad I purchased it, but just be advised of its shortcomings. It's not the objective read that the reviews trumpet.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: I read what was probably the first edition of this book more than 30 years ago. It was being used as a textbook in Scripture class at a Catholic Seminary preparing men for the Priesthood. It left such a lasting impression one me that I'm considering buying this latest copy and reading it again.. It was written clearly and to the point. One can follow history from Abraham to Roman times in the Bible. It really helps one to understand and follow the writings of the Old Testament of the Bible.