Philip R. Davies

Philip R. Davies (1945-2018, University of Sheffield, England) is said to be one of the most prominent representatives of the minimalist school in biblical studies. The first edition of this book, in 1992, caused a great deal of commotion because it questioned the historical value of the Hebrew Bible in a very polemical way. This had of course happened before, and at the same time others (see the Copenhagen School) were also asking very critical questions, but Davies added extra color to the show more debate with his rhetorical talent and radical formulations. His position was somewhat simplistic: the Bible should be regarded almost exclusively as a fictional document that served political and religious interests, and therefore had virtually no value as a historical source. As far as I can tell now (I am almost 2 months into my intensive reading program on the earliest Israel) many of the skeptical views of the minimalist movement have been more or less accepted in academics, certainly when it comes to the very early period (the Egyptian sojourn, the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan, and the United Kingdom). Incidentally, not all of these views were that controversial. But the radical way in which Davies and his ilk formulated their positions caused quite a bit of bad blood and led to a sometimes very personal polemic (cf. the articles by Baruch Halpern and William Dever). Personally, I have no problem with critical or skeptical attitudes; a good debate always helps the development of insights forward. And that seems to have happened here too: the debate between minimalists and maximalists is apparently still raging, and although there is a cautious – and perhaps temporary – consensus on certain points, it will probably continue to rage for quite some time. From a scientific point of view, this is a very good thing: with word and counterword, progress in insight is possible. Although I must honestly say that there still is a large movement among Bible experts (especially in the United States) who are very wary of fundamentally questioning the historical truth of the Bible texts. Nuance and caution are always appropriate, but when obstinate ideology is involved (from whatever direction, then in my opinion things are going the wrong way.
As for this 2nd edition of Davies' book: it has only been updated in the Preface. I am not qualified enough to judge whether the unchanged original text still is 100% relevant, but more than 30 years after the first publication that seems very unlikely to me, especially in a field of research that is so dynamic.
Disclaimer: This review is only about the Bible as a historical source, not about the theological value of the texts; these are two very different things. show less

Since the first scrolls were found in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls have been the subject of passionate speculation and controversy. This book, written by three noted scholars in the field, draws together all the evidence and presents the first fully illustrated survey of every major manuscript, from the Copper Scroll, the Community Rule, and the Temple Scroll to less well-known scripts such as the Florilegium and New Jerusalem. "The Scrolls Revealed" takes the reader through the discovery of show more the scrolls, and discusses the long and controversial publication process. "The Ancient World of the Scrolls" presents the dramatic historical backdrop against which the scrolls were written and describes Jewish religious life, the pivotal role of the Jerusalem Temple, and competing Jewish sects from the Essenes and Pharisees to the Early Christians. "Inside the Scrolls" provides a unique illustrated catalogue of the contents of all eleven scroll caves, including detailed analysis of every major scroll, and considers the methods of interpretation employed. "The Qumran Settlement" discusses recent archaeological work at the ancient site. "The Meaning of the Scrolls" examines the heated debates over the meaning for ancient Judaism and for Christianity and draws conclusions on the controversy surrounding their authorship. show less

I saw the dead sea scrolls at the Franklin institute in Philly. It was outrageously expensive. I saw this book there. It is picture book-like, but covers the history, content and significance of the scrolls well (as near as I can tell).

Davies is very sceptical about Scripture, truth, and even critical scholarship