The First Historians: The Hebrew Bible and History [Hardcover]

Baruch Halpern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1988

This volume examines the Hebrew Bible and its history, challenging the established understanding and views of the subject.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

''The First Historians is a book that no one with serious interest in biblical scholarship can afford to neglect. Halpern is one of the most fertile, exuberant, and audacious minds of his generation. He is witty, learned, and outrageous in turn, a Momigliano of Hebrew historiography. One learns more from one book by Halpern than from a dozen by his plodding peers.'' --Frank Moore Cross, Harvard University

''With characteristic imagination, erudition, and wit, Halpern challenges the established understanding. . . of the Former Prophets. His designation of those books as historiography will surprise those who think that genre began with the Greeks. No one concerned with the roots of historical thinking in the West or with the relationship of the Bible to history can afford to miss this extraordinary volume'' --Jon D. Levenson, Harvard Divinity School

''It is an impressive and extremely important book. My only regret is that someone didn t write these things long ago-Halpern shows himself to be a master of literature, history, Semitic linguistics, ancient Near Eastern texts, and archaeology. No one in his generation controls all of these tools of the trade as Halpern does.'' --Richard Elliott Friedman, University of California, San Diego --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Baruch Halpern is Chair in Jewish Studies and Professor of Ancient History and Religious Studies at Penn State University. His books include The Hebrew Bible and Its Interpreters, edited with W. H. Propp and D. N. Freedman (Eisenbraun, 1990) and Law, Politics, and Society in the Ancient Mediterranean World, edited with D. W. Hobson (Sheffield, 1992). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 285 pages
• Publisher: Harper and Row; 1 edition (August 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0866839909
• ISBN-13: 978-0866839907
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,860,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting perspective from a true scholar, March 21, 2001

By 

Gary D. Lipkin "GaryDL" (Springfield, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Historians: The Hebrew Bible and History (Paperback)

I cannot pretend to have the depth and breadth of academic knowledge in this area as the other reviewer or the author. I am merely a well-educated layman with an interest in the subject matter. Viewed from that perspective, Professor Halpern's book was worth my time and effort. It is a thought-provoking and extremely well-organized work.

A personal note: I was a High School classmate of Professor Halpern and the intelligence and intellectual inquiry that are exemplified by this work were facets of his character back then. It is no surprise that he wrote a scholarly work of this sort. I look forward to his future efforts.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Historians, June 20, 2008

By 

Theodore D. Ehrlich (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: First Historians, The: The Hebrew Bible and History (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book concerning Hebrew historians and their effort to write a history of the monarchy. Dealing with folktale and written court history, these historians attempted to give order and analysis to the diverse sources they had at their disposal. The book becomes at times somewhat too detailed for the lay reader ,but the overall result is very worthwhile. Theodore D. Ehrlich

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable book presents recent ideas in Biblical criticism., December 20, 2001

By 

James Williams (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Historians: The Hebrew Bible and History (Paperback)

Halpern is well known and is always enjoyable to read. This book is an excellent introduction to the ideas of this important Textural Critic. Halpern describes the “Deuteronomist,” a person (or group) that has collected together the material that forms the bulk of the Biblical histories of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. His thesis is plausible and consistent and has been supported by recent archeological work by Finkelstein and others. His writing is detailed and specific but his wit and humor always keep the reader interested.

Due to their subject matter, biblical archaeology and criticism have been alternately plagued and supported by religion and politics. Halpern, Finkelstein and their associates are often under attack, not always because of their arguments and research, but rather on the basis of religious beliefs and Middle Eastern politics. (...).

Time will tell if further developments will support or contradict Halpern’s position. Nevertheless, whether you agree with his position or not, Halpern’s book gives an exciting glimpse into one of the most important current trends in Biblical archeology and criticism.