Origin of the History of Israel: Herodotus' Histories as Blueprint for the First Books of the Bible [Hardcover]

Jan-Wim Wesselius (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1841272671 | ISBN-13: 978-1841272672 | Publication Date: July 1, 2002

This book demonstrates that Primary History, the historical work contained in the first nine books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis-2 Kings), was written as one unitary work, in deliberate emulation of the Greek-language Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus (completed c. 440 BCE); the diversity of its books and sections is largely a literary device. The work was most likely written in the period 440-420 BCE, in the period of reform usually associated with the name of Nehemiah. Though this thesis does not directly affect questions of historicity, understanding the literary nature of primary history promises to open new vistas for research into the history of Israel, the Hebrew Bible in general and the history of the Hebrew language.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[The parallels cited by Wesselius] are always interesting and novel and challenging, and Wesselius certainly deserves great credit for bringing them to our attention."
--Louis H. Feldman, Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 2003-2004

"…provocative and daring…I applaud the care and honesty with which W. [Wesselius] confronts intellectual and cultural problems and the simplicity and elegance of his writing…"" -Theological Studies"

About the Author

Dr. Jan-Wim Wesselius is Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Semitic Studies in the Theological University of Kampen, The Netherlands.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 175 pages
• Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841272671
• ISBN-13: 978-1841272672
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,509,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in 1954 in Monster (near The Hague). Studied Theology and Semitic Languages in Leiden. Worked at various universities until 2001, when I became Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Semitic Languages at Kampen Theological University. Would like to be a boring person, but do not always succeed in that.