A History of Israel (Westminster AIDS to the Study of the Scriptures)

For anyone interested in biblical history, this is still one of the standard texts. Bright presents great scholarship and very insightful analysis that makes one look at OT in a different light.

Bright does nothing to insult or diminish the traditions of religous persons; nor does he ask those with pure scholastic interest to carry beliefs in line with any given tradition. Instead, he articulates the scripture's statements of history and infuses external sources in a lively narrative reading that provides much insight into the history of Israel. Hebrew Scripture is not dismissed with harsh disregard for its riches; external evidence is not dismissed either. Tensions are allowed to remain and presented to the reader.

For a long time I had been looking for a history of Israel in which the conclusions are based on the same kinds of evidence as any other history. Bright's wonderful book is almost it. I do not understand why he says things like "that Moses was an actual person can scarely be doubted" or something to that effect. He vacillates between an historian's examination of data and the same old deference to Scripture from which I've needed a relief for decades. He does say that sometimes the only source we have is the scripture, but he still seems to be influenced by what people have found sacred, such as the existence of Abraham as a real person or the event of the Exodus. All in all though, it is the best I've seen.

At sem this was required reading to achieve an accurate, full understanding of the historical context of the OT books.Bright is intense, thorough and up-to-date with archaeological finds, coming out of the Albright school.He updates his text with the Dead Sea scrolls as well as the Ebla tablets and other findings which provide additional insight into the historical setting.Conflicting views are given attention along with excellent footnotes for further reading and a well stocked bibliography.

I read what was probably the first edition of this book more than 30 years ago. It was being used as a textbook in Scripture class at a Catholic Seminary preparing men for the Priesthood. It left such a lasting impression one me that I'm considering buying this latest copy and reading it again.. It was written clearly and to the point. One can follow history from Abraham to Roman times in the Bible. It really helps one to understand and follow the writings of the Old Testament of the Bible.