Israel's Past

The book explores the complexities of writing a history of Ancient Israel, highlighting the debate between minimalists and maximalists regarding the Hebrew Bible's reliability as a historical source. It presents a third perspective, employing philosophical insights and offering a dozen case studies from David to the Samaritans. The authors utilize Manfred Weippert's framework, emphasizing the importance of landscape, climate, archaeology, and epigraphy before considering the biblical text. Ultimately, it acknowledges the challenges in establishing a stable historical narrative amidst ideological biases.