Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?

A respected archaeologist's engaging, revealing take on ancient Israel For centuries the Western tradition has traced its origins back to ancient Israel. But recently some historians and archaeologists have questioned the historical truth of Israel as it is described in biblical literature. Are the biblical accounts of Israel's origins, the memorable stories of the Exodus and Conquest, "historical" at all in the modern sense? This fascinating book by leading authority William Dever examines the controversies and the archaeological evidence behind the well-known Bible stories. Writing for general readers but dealing with very real problems in biblical studies, Dever rejects both the revisionists who characterize biblical literature as "pious propaganda" and the conservatives who are afraid to even question its factuality. Through his exhaustive examination of the archaeological evidence, he instead seeks to approach the biblical text and the external data with no preconceptions, singling out where the two lines of evidence converge. A thorough yet readable examination of a much-debated subject -- of relevance also to the current Israeli-Palestinian situation -- this book is sure to reinvigorate discussion of the origins of ancient Israel.