A brief history of ancient Israel / Victor H. Matthews.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Matthews, Victor Harold.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Old Testament.

Jews--History--To 70 A.D.

Jews.

History.

Bible. Old Testament--History of Biblical events.

Bible.

History of Biblical events.

Palestine--History--To 70 A.D.

Palestine.

Sociology, Biblical.

Jews--Civilization--To 70 A.D.

Jews--Civilization.

Palestine--Social life and customs--To 70 A.D.

Physical Description:

xv, 171 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Louisville, Ky. : Westminster John Knox Press, [2002]

Summary:

Grounded in the latest archaeological developments, Matthew'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.

Contents:

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

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.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 137-156), glossary and indexes.

ISBN:

0664224369

OCLC:

50681617