Thomas L. Thompson

A thoroughly interesting and accomplished study of ancient Palestine / Israel / Judea based firmly on the principle of taking only archaeological findings and contemporary texts and inscriptions prior to even trying to place or interpret the biblical texts / traditions. The strength of this approach is that what it can establish, it does firmly, and it also integrates the history of Israel / Judea with that of the region as a whole. Its weakness is that the imposed restrictions on the matter limit the nature of what may be inferred, and it becomes easy to slide from absence if evidence to evidence of absence.

Thompson has little use for even qualified conclusions of source or redaction criticism; in the context of his programme, something like even a heavily qualified form of the amphyctiony hypothesis of Noth is not on; but it's also worth noting that a unifying religious network of any form would leave few traces of the sort he wants as evidence. A temporary domination of an area by a charismatic leader with committed followers which falls apart in a generation or two is certainly not unknown to later history; but its very span would tend to limit the archaeological traces it leaves - and that is one way of seeing a possible United Monarchy.

This therefore has to be read in the context of more general debates, with awareness of where it reflects consensus and where it takes a more outlying position. With that caveat, though, it is a worthwhile, careful, and thought-provoking work.… (more)

This book strikes me as the blindingly obvious wrapped up as great intellectual discovery.
The great discovery is that a predominantly oral history leads to a merging of fact with myth: no, surely not! From this inspiration, Mr. Thompson seems to dismiss all biblical claim to historic fact. I am not a professional historian, but I would guess that were one to take this view of all pre fifteenth, or sixteenth century history, we could dispel such theories as Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. I read on in the hope that the book would put something in the place of the dismissed history, but no: even when external historical documentation appears to support the bible, this is not to be allowed.

I read this book in the hope of learning more as to the boundaries between history and myth but this work seems to want to wipe the slate with nothing replacing the alleged fallacies.
Disappointing.… (more)