| Title | : | Hasmonean Realities behind Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles: Archaeological and Historical Perspectives |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | Published September 21, 2018 |
In this collection of essays, Israel Finkelstein deals with key topics in Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, such as the list of returnees, the construction of the city wall of Jerusalem, the adversaries of Nehemiah, the tribal genealogies, and the territorial expansion of Judah in 2 Chronicles. Finkelstein argues that the geographical and historical realities cached behind at least parts of these books fit the Hasmonean period in the late second century BCE. Seven previously published essays are supplemented by maps, updates to the archaeological material, and references to recent publications on the topics.
Features:
Analysis of geographical chapters of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles
Study of the Hasmonean period in the late second century BCE
Unique arguments regarding chronology and historical background
Israel Finkelstein is Professor Emeritus of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and correspondant étranger of the French Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres. He is the author or editor of more than 350 articles and many books, including The Forgotten Kingdom: The Archaeology and History of Northern Israel (2013). He serves as editor of the journal Tel Aviv.
Hasmonean Realities behind Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles: Archaeological and Historical Perspectives Reviews
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This is a compilation of Finkelstein’s academic articles evaluating the Biblical books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Chronicles. Dense and heavily footnoted, be prepared to give attention. This is not restful evening reading.
His first steps into applying his archeological work into the realm of biblical criticism, Finkelstein continues to come down in the camp of old testament minimalism. If you’re unfamiliar with that term, look it up. It offers a mind blowing view on the historicity (or lack) of the bible.
Finkelstein makes it clear that the archeological evidence does not support the bible as a historic document, but a cultural one, documenting the ideological goals of it’s authors rather than their actual understanding of the history of the Levant. He also brings clear evidence from the text and the archeology that many of the books of the Old Testament were written much later than most main stream biblical scholars continue to contend.
Finkelstein’s main criticism of main stream biblical scholarship is that it continues to hold with a text only understanding of the bible largely unctriticised for centuries, and disregards the robust archeological work which heavily questions it’s assumptions.
If you’re a fan of Finkelstein’s work, this is no surprise. If you’re unfamiliar, I recommend starting with some of his earlier work, particularly his collaboration with Neil Asher Silberman, The Bible Unearthed. -
i think that this book very important and heplfull for my study
