"The merit of this solid and stimulating work is that it gives the fullest account available in English of Lemche's assessment of the pentateuchal traditions in relation to what we otherwise know of Bronze Age Syria and Palestine in their sociopolitical, literary, and religious dimensions. He concludes that while the Pentateuch carries cultural and literary traces that would accord broadly with the world in which it is set, these features are too fragmentary and contextless to give us recoverable history. In his view, the Pentateuch's narrative intention was to provide a foundation story for the monotheistic Jewish community of a much later age. Instead of providing us information on Israel's actual beginnings, it is an exceedingly valuable window into the postexilic thought world and communal concerns of those who composed it. Happily, Lemche's argument is free of the scornful polemics that have unfortunately characterized much of the scholarly debate on these issues in recent years, allowing the reader to consider his claims on their own terms. The reference value of the book is substantially enhanced by bibliographies attached to each subsection of the text."
—Norman K. Gottwald, Pacific School of Religion
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Book Description
How useful is the Old Testament for reconstructing the history of early Israel? How accurate is the BibleÂ’s portrait of the ancient Near East over three thousand years ago? Such questions have recently dominated academic discussion and have spilled over even into the popular arena. Prelude to Israel's Past may add fuel to the fire of this often heated debate. Lemche, a scholar at the center of this debate, carefully explores the crucial questions that concern the biblical portrayal of IsraelÂ’s early history. Does that portrait conform to the historical description of Bronze Age Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Mesopotamia that modern-day historians and archaeologists have uncovered? Did the biblical authors record the experiences of IsraelÂ’s ancestors, or did these authors express their own experiences through historical fiction? LemcheÂ’s lucid answers to these and many other questions suggest that the biblical writers, like modern-day filmmakers, wrote tales that spoke to their audiencesÂ’ tastes, intelligence, and (especially) needs. Consequently, the primary task of the modern student of the Bible is not to look to the patriarchs, or Moses, or Mount Sinai for historical reconstructions but to understand the theological context and purpose of these narratives. Only if we read the Old Testament in its literary and theological contexts can the Bible continue to speak to us today.
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German
Original Language: German
About the Author
Niels Peter Lemche is professor of Old Testament studies in the department of biblical studies at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He has written extensively on the historical and methodological issues involving Israel's early history, and he is the founder and editor of the Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding introduction to the biblical world,
By
This review is from: Prelude to Israel's Past: Background and Beginnings of Israelite History and Identity (Hardcover)
This is a thorough introduction to the historical, social, literary, and especially historiographical issues of reading the Bible as a collection of ancient texts. The main emphasis is on the early biblical period, but many of the book's insights are applicable for the whole of the biblical period and the discussion often extends into later parts of the Bible. It is precisely what is needed by those who want to understand the nature of the Bible and its subjects in their ancient Near Eastern contexts. The writer is well informed on the relevant information and bibliography (it is easy to follow Lemche's views to their roots in reputable contemporary scholarship, and on every topic he offers an expertly selected list of suggested supplementary readings), yet most readers will find his style not only accessible but interesting. The biblical world is different from our world, and the Bible was not produced the way we might expect looking back from our own cultural and historical context. Reading the Bible is a cross-cultural experience, and most readers need a reliable guide to its foreign culture. The author has indeed played a role in the dispute over the so-called minimalists in biblical history. This work however is scarcely susceptible to the charges usually levied. The historiographical issues the author addresses are ones that all historians of the ancient world, as well as general readers interested in that world, must come to terms with, and he addresses them with a welcome fairmindedness, circumspection, courtesy, and pointedness. A highly recommended resource.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Review of Lemche's Prelude,
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This review is from: Prelude to Israel's Past: Background and Beginnings of Israelite History and Identity (Hardcover)
This is a quality introduction to the historical archaeology of Israel. It places the biblical period in the context of Near Eastern studies, and performs a comparative analysis of Jewish society and literature. Lemche considers both direct biblical sources and then archaeological sources to gather his evidence. All information is given extensive citations.
Again, I would never call this a shabby history of Israel. However, I will say that other histories, like that of Shanks, for instance, are better organized and generally more appeal than this one. The translation poses no problems.
5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Objective scholarly analysis of a Biblical world,
By "christianrealist" (Palmerston, NT Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Prelude to Israel's Past: Background and Beginnings of Israelite History and Identity (Hardcover)
A clean, refreshing and unbaised look at the Biblical world and its relation to genuine history. Establishing that there is no possible credible relationship between the Bilical world and genuine ancient world the author approaches the logical and only remaining question of what then is the Bible and provides a well discussed thesis on the Biblical texts. Matters are analysed in a thourough, clear and concise way which is accessible to any reader. The book can be recommended on at least the basis that the author sets out neither trying to prove or disprove the historicity of the Bible but arrives at his outcomes on the basis of pure objective scholarship. A most valuable introduction and example to budding historians of how to approach the study ancient documents in an objective way.
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