History Of The Religion Of Israel

The history and religion of Israel are inseparable and yet stand in sharp contrast to each other. The history of Israel is in one sense only a minor feature in the broad complex of ancient Near Eastern history. With the possible exception of the reigns of David and Solomon, Israel never attained imperial status.

'Shahak subjects the whole history of Orthodoxy ... to a hilarious and scrupulous critique.' --Christopher Hitchens, The Nation

No comprehensive history of Israelite religion has been published for some time now, so this new, encyclopaedic work meets a considerable need. The two volumes cover the history of the religion of Israel and Judah from the earliest recognizable beginnings to the Hellenistic period and constantly take into account not only the other religions of the ancient Near East but also Israelite social history. The history of Israel's religion is described as an interplay between historical demands, religious experiences and theological reactions, as the ongoing struggle between different groups over the appropriate religious response to God and the social practice that needs to go with it. Worked out in conjunction with lectures given over a long period, this history is particularly readable. Its broad approach combines archaeological, historical, social, literary and religious information into a living scenario and consequently not only illuminates its subject but gives the reader a stimulating survey of the whole of Old Testament research at the present time. There are of course full bibliographies which pay particular attentio

Excerpt from The History of the Religion of Israel: An Old Testament It has been thought best to present the whole History of Israel in one course of lessons. This could not be done without great compression of the matter; but it is hoped that the Primer in this shape will not be beyond the grasp of children of twelve years and upwards. Where the condensation is so great, much is necessarily left to the knowledge and discretion of the teacher. He must treat the various subjects as he thinks best for his class, - abridging here, and expanding there; dividing one lesson into two, or throwing two into one; omitting one or more lessons, if he thinks fit, and substituting for them other matter. He most freely discuss the opinions expressed in the Primer, dissenting from and modifying them according to his best judgment. One or two suggestions may be made as to the conduct of the lessons. It is very desirable that the teacher should bring himself into hearty sympathy with the period studied, so as to give his pupils a vivid picture of its outward circumstances and its thought. The cultivation of the historical sense will be worth more than the acquisition of facts. To aid him in this task a short list of books of reference is appended to each lesson. Only such books are mentioned as it is believed will be useful to Sunday-school instructors. Every Sunday-school should have a reference library. (See the List of Books on page xi; also Catalogue of Books recommended by the Ladies' Commission, Boston, 1871.) About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.