The Legacy Of Israel

"The Legacy of Israel deals with the contribution that has come to the sum of human thought from Judaism and from the Jewish view of the world. It is not in any sense either a history of the Jewish people or an exposition of Judaism, and it is concerned with these topics only in so far as discussion of them may be necessary for the clear setting forth of the proper theme of the volume. It is a companion to the Legacy of Greece and The Legacy of Rome."--Excerpted from Preface, page [v], by E.R.B.; C.S.

This book offers a new way for biblical scholars and archaeologists to envision how the Bible's story relates to history. It presents a fresh case for the urgency and interest of biblical study in historical context, embracing the complications of a text collection with the messy history of transmission and uncertain knowledge of the past. Focusing on structures of politics and society, the analysis is situated in the broad study of antiquity, so that ancient Israel may contribute to understanding problems in the classical world and other domains outside the Near East.