The Bible as History

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Summary: "The Bible is right after all!"
Review: . . . Dr. Keller ended the Introduction to this volume with these words and appropriately so. The Bible stands as the greatest work of literature and history this world has ever seen or will see. It is the all-time bestselling book. There is more tangible physical evidence for the Bible than for any other work of literature. Those who contend otherwise simply have not studied the Bible, relying on hearsay and speculation instead; or refuse to believe its truth; or ignore the crushing weight of historiographical and archaeological evidence the 20th century has produced in corroboration with the Biblical accounts. Dr. Keller's work addresses the last issue: fitting the pieces of peoples past with where and when the Bible said they existed.

"The Bible as History" was the first volume documenting the many archaeological finds in Palestine and the Middle East supporting the Biblical text. Prior to its first publication in 1955, there were no such works--only stacks of assorted reports from archaeologists from their digs. Since 1955, the book has sold over 10 million copies in 24 languages. In the meantime, Biblical archaeology has evolved as a hard science, yielding fresh data by the day.

This work traces all major discoveries relating to the Biblical text from Genesis 1:1 to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The chapters are arranged chronologically to coincide with the Canon. There are three sets of black and white color plates and many illustrations and maps throughout the volume.

The book reads like a detective story. Dr. Keller begins his sleuthing from the Biblical text and works forward through history to attach archaeological finds to the verses. In doing so, he never gives the answer away prematurely, but entices the reader along until he or she truly realizes the impact of the magnificent discoveries. At times, the data contradict what the Bible says. Dr. Keller lays all the facts bare even if they seemingly controvert the Bible.

Every ancient race of people, every historical figure, every geographic place of significance finds mention in this book. "The Bible as History" provides a thorough survey of Biblical culture. This is a marvelous work written lucidly for the lay reader. It will make the Old and New Testament worlds come alive for the reader. Its critics invariably suffer from a lack of objectivity, a lack of interest in the subject, or are unable to face the hard truth that "The Bible is right after all!"

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable read if you take it for what it is.
Review: A good book that tries to link historical evidence to Biblical events and stories. Please understand that it was written in 1956 so all of the evidence is not based on the most recent scientific methods or archeological discoveries. It also is a "history" book so it stays clear of mystical and miraculous proof for events. It does not denigrate these events though.

Rating:
Summary: enjoyable reading that leaves one wanting more recent info
Review: Each chapter of this book begins with a quote from the Bible and then takes off with the author's narrative punctuated by the finds of archeology. Evidence for the Flood begins the correspondence between the Book and scientific findings. A lively account of the Israelites as they wandered in the desert and lived through the period of the kingdoms is dotted with possible, often plausible, explanations for seemingly miraculous events such as that of manna falling from heaven. The closer this book gets to current times, the more the Bible and known history from other sources begins to track until the end of the Old Testament. Frequently the author pulls back to take a broad view of what was happening in the wider world at a given time, Troy being attacked by the Greeks at about the time that the Israelites stood at the Jordan River ready to cross into Canaan, for example.

Most of the archeological work cited dates from the 19th century through the 1930's. The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in the 40's are treated in detail, but I found myself wondering about all that must have been discovered since that time. There is a section near the end that attempts to bring the reader up to date with what was known by the 1970's including an account of the Shroud of Turin.

The writing reveals the time in which the book was written, with the flavor of being directed at Boy Scouts; very earnest and with a sense of adventure. This doesn't mean it's a bad read. It's never boring, frequently educational and it keeps moving from start to finish. Keller doesn't mention something only to drop it; he follows a topic by examining different possibilities that might explain what the Bible relates.

I enjoyed the book for the perspective it gave on the history of the Jews as they lived among many other peoples in the area, sometimes conquering, sometimes being conquered, sometimes being left alone, sometimes being evicted. A whole list of peoples that I had heard of, but would have had difficulty placing, (Hittites, Amorites, Scythians, Samaritans etc.) have been put like pieces into a puzzle by the 3500 year tapestry that Keller presents.

The section on the New Testament reveals how virtually nothing can be said about Jesus by archeology, or written history from the time in which he lived. Keller properly points out how difficult it is to find evidence of a single life, contrasted with architectural constructions of cultures that lasted centuries.

Good reading.

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Summary: Beginning weak, stick with it.
Review: I will admit that the first few chapters of this book were rather disappointing to me. The common thread seemed to be 'Archaeological Dig X gave incredible confirmation to this bible story. It's amazing! But then we discovered that we were wrong all along, and there was no confirmation after all." Next Chapter "Archaeological Dig Y gave incredible..." etc. etc.

I decided to stick with it, though, simply because the way the history is presented is far more interesting than any textbook I've ever seen, and as such, more readable, easier to remember and learn. I'm glad I did, as after the first few chapters, there are some amazing discoveries that are written about.

The best thing is that Keller takes nothing for granted. He's not the kind of scholar to ignore any evidence to the contrary, nor does he ever try to force any preconceived notions on the findings. Due to this, when he does present some amazing stories of corroborations between biblical and extrabiblical discoveries, it is easy to take on face value. Personally, I'm a suspicious reader, so I looked into some other books in the same field and was pleased to see that although the book does not always go into specifics, it never ignores the important ones to prove an erroneous point.

Not only Christians can enjoy this, either. The skeptic will still gain a lot. The purpose of this book is not to prove or disprove the existence of miracles, nor is it really sufficient to prove truth in the Christian faith. All it does is allow you to look at the Bible as a historical document, and evaluate its validity from unbiased grounds, whether you agree with the religion or not. From this point of view, it is quite amazing, and should be respected as one of the most complete and continually corroborated pieces of history we have.

Rating:
Summary: The Bible as History
Review: This book links the events of history with those of the Bible and demonstrates and validates the historical accuracy of the Bible. As a student of the Bible I often try to put myself into the time and circumstances of the events in the Bible. This book does just that - it fills in the political and sociological background for many of the Bible events. I thought is was truly fascinating and left me certain that much is still waiting to be found in the ever changing sands of the fertile crescent.