A Biblical History of Israel, Second Edition

"The history of Israel and the relevance of the biblical testimony to understanding it continue to be contested areas. Building on the work of their previous edition by clarifying points of dispute and updating their discussion, Provan, Long, and Longman offer a thoughtful and well-reasoned argument in favor of giving serious attention to the Bible's own testimony. A crucial element of this must therefore be a careful reading of the text itself, one that takes seriously its own forms and agenda, because only when this is done can the Bible's testimony be evaluated. One of the real strengths of this work is the way in which it integrates careful exegesis with its wider discussion of historiography and history. This discussion is irenic and well-informed, showing that all our sources for Israel's history need to be interrogated for their testimony. The result is a volume that is epistemologically and methodologically sophisticated and yet accessible to a wider readership and which presents a strong case for making use of the Bible in understanding Israel's history. This should be a standard work for years to come." -David G. Firth, Lecturer in Old Testament and Director of Studies, St. John's College in Nottingham, England "A sober, disciplined, well-reasoned response to the so-called minimalists who have dominated recent discussion of the history of ancient Israel. A Biblical History correctly insists that the 'historical reliability' of ancient texts largely depends on which testimonies to trust. The consequence is that the skepticism that has long dominated Old Testament discussion can no longer claim a privileged position-either epistemologically or morally-but in fact is an ideological advocacy. This book will need to be taken seriously and will be welcomed by all those who engage such issues of the historicity of the biblical text." -Walter Brueggemann, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary