A Brief History of Ancient Israel / Edition 1

by Victor H. Matthews

Overview

Grounded in the latest archeological developments, Victor Matthews's A Brief History of Ancient Israel presents a concise history of Israel covering the ancestral period, conquest and settlement, the monarchy, and both the exilic and postexilic periods. Using supplemental figures and insets, the author concentrates on providing a cogent and condensed discussion of events. He examines historical geography, archaeological data, and, where relevant, comparative cultural materials from other ancient Near Eastern civilizations. With an accessible yet high-quality introduction, A Brief History of Ancient Israel will be of immense value to both students of the Old Testament and the scholars who teach them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780664224363
Publisher:	Westminster John Knox Press
Publication date:	10/30/2002
Edition description:	1ST
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Victor H. Matthews is Professor of Religious Studies at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. He is the author of Untold Stories of the Bible, The Old Testament: Text and Context, and The Social World of Ancient Israel.

Table of Contents

	List of Illustrations	ix
	Introduction	xi
	Abbreviations	xv
1	The Ancestral Narratives: A Sea of Names and Places	1
	Tales of Origins and Heroes	2
	The Ancestral Narratives	3
	Precedents and Constitutional Experiences in the Ancestral Narratives	5
	Covenant Making	5
	Abram/Abraham Builds an Altar	6
	Abraham Purchases His Family Burial Plot	6
	Jacob Obtains the Covenantal Blessing	7
	Jacob Makes a Treaty with Laban	8
	The Israelites Move to the Delta Region of Lower Egypt (Goshen)	9
	Dealing with the Wealth of Names	9
	Conclusions	13
2	Exodus and Settlement Period	15
	Putting the Story Together	17
	Superpower Politics and Diplomacy	17
	Aids to Chronology and Historical Reconstruction	23
	Archaeological Data	30
	Precedents Important for Later History	33
3	Early Monarchy Period (ca. 1030-900 B.C.E.)	35
	Judges Period as a Political Transition	35
	Saul and the Establishment of a Chiefdom	39
	David and the Kingdom of Israel	41
	Solomon and the Organization of a Monarchy	45
	Reconstruction of the Tenth-Century Monarchy	47
	Precedents Formed in the Early Monarchic Narrative	49
4	Period of the Divided Kingdom (ca. 925-586 B.C.E.)	53
	Extrabiblical Sources and Historicity	55
	Division of the Kingdom	55
	Jeroboam's Sin and the Pattern of Leadership in Israel	60
	Dynastic Changes in the Northern Kingdom	63
	The Household of Omri	65
	The Eighth Century and the Mounting Assyrian Threat	70
5	Judah Stands Alone (ca. 720-586 B.C.E.)	77
	Hezekiah's Reform	80
	The Last Days of Judah	85
	Josiah, Reform, and Disaster	88
	The Last Kings of Judah	94
6	From Exile to Alexander (ca. 597-322 B.C.E.)	101
	Aftermath of 587	104
	Those Who Remained Behind	104
	Those Taken into Exile	105
	Restoration Period	112
	Those Who Returned	113
	The Role of Ezra and Nehemiah	119
	Alexander of Macedon and the Beginning of the Hellenistic Age	125
	Major Events During the Monarchy Period	129
	Glossary	131
	Bibliography	137
	Index of Ancient Sources	157
	Author Index	163
	Subject Index	167