A Brief History of Ancient Israel

Grounded in the latest archeological developments, Victor Matthews'sA Brief History of Ancient Israelpresents a concise history of Israel covering the ancestral period, conquest and settlement, the monarchy, and both the exilic and postexilic periods. Using supplemental figures and insets, the author concentrates on providing a cogent and condensed discussion of events. He examines historical geography, archaeological data, and, where relevant, comparative cultural materials from other ancient Near Eastern civilizations. With an accessible yet high-quality introduction,A Brief History of Ancient Israelwill be of immense value to both students of the Old Testament and the scholars who teach them.

Victor H. Matthews is Professor of Religious Studies at Southwest Missouri State University.

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
Abbreviations	p. xv
The Ancestral Narratives: A Sea of Names and Places	p. 1
Tales of Origins and Heroes	p. 2
The Ancestral Narratives	p. 3
Precedents and Constitutional Experiences in the Ancestral Narratives	p. 5
Covenant Making	p. 5
Abram/Abraham Builds an Altar	p. 6
Abraham Purchases His Family Burial Plot	p. 6
Jacob Obtains the Covenantal Blessing	p. 7
Jacob Makes a Treaty with Laban	p. 8
The Israelites Move to the Delta Region of Lower Egypt (Goshen)	p. 9
Dealing with the Wealth of Names	p. 9
Conclusions	p. 13
Exodus and Settlement Period	p. 15
Putting the Story Together	p. 17
Superpower Politics and Diplomacy	p. 17
Aids to Chronology and Historical Reconstruction	p. 23
Archaeological Data	p. 30
Precedents Important for Later History	p. 33
Early Monarchy Period (ca. 1030-900 B.C.E.)	p. 35
Judges Period as a Political Transition	p. 35
Saul and the Establishment of a Chiefdom	p. 39
David and the Kingdom of Israel	p. 41
Solomon and the Organization of a Monarchy	p. 45
Reconstruction of the Tenth-Century Monarchy	p. 47
Precedents Formed in the Early Monarchic Narrative	p. 49
Period of the Divided Kingdom (ca. 925-586 B.C.E.)	p. 53
Extrabiblical Sources and Historicity	p. 55
Division of the Kingdom	p. 55
Jeroboam's Sin and the Pattern of Leadership in Israel	p. 60
Dynastic Changes in the Northern Kingdom	p. 63
The Household of Omri	p. 65
The Eighth Century and the Mounting Assyrian Threat	p. 70
Judah Stands Alone (ca. 720-586 B.C.E.)	p. 77
Hezekiah's Reform	p. 80
The Last Days of Judah	p. 85
Josiah, Reform, and Disaster	p. 88
The Last Kings of Judah	p. 94
From Exile to Alexander (ca. 597-322 B.C.E.)	p. 101
Aftermath of 587	p. 104
Those Who Remained Behind	p. 104
Those Taken into Exile	p. 105
Restoration Period	p. 112
Those Who Returned	p. 113
The Role of Ezra and Nehemiah	p. 119
Alexander of Macedon and the Beginning of the Hellenistic Age	p. 125
Major Events During the Monarchy Period	p. 129
Glossary	p. 131
Bibliography	p. 137
Index of Ancient Sources	p. 157
Author Index	p. 163
Subject Index	p. 167
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

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A Brief History of Ancient Israel

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