Israel's Past in Present Research

The debate over history, history-writing, and the scientific study of history is reaching an apex in the late twentieth century and shows no signs of abating in the near future. The literature on the topic is prodigious. The time is thus ripe for an anthology of essays of the sort that Professor Long has collected, essays that trace the history of the issues that have fed into the debate. The classic and contemporary essays presented here provide an overview and introduction to the topic, bringing together the most essential of these in a handy compilation. The book is organized in six sections:

(1) The State of Old Testament Historiography

(2) Ancient Near Eastern Historiography

(3) Ancient Israelite Historiography

(4) Method in the Study of Ancient Israelite Historiography

(5) The Historical Impulse in the Old Testament

(6) The Future of Israel’s Past

Long’s goal is to provide a context for Israelite history-writing within the milieu of the ancient Near East, expose the methodologies and assumptions of various approaches and perspectives on historiography, and provide access to essays that examine the contribution of the Hebrew Scriptures themselves to the origins of history-writing. The final essay, by Long, points the way to future research and topics that will move the discussion forward into the next millennium.

Professor V. Philips Long teaches Old Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis.