The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives by Thomas L Thompson

The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives by Thomas L Thompson

Archaeology seems to have become an active partner in the attempt to prove the historical truth of the Bible. Biblical archaeologists have gone to the field in search of Noah's ark or the walls of Jericho, as if the finding of these artifacts would make the events of scripture somehow more true or real.

Thomas Thompson is one of the most vocal contemporary critics of biblical archaeology. His simple but powerful thesis is that archaeology cannot be used in the service of the Bible. Focusing on the patriarchal narratives-the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-he demonstrates that archaeological research simply cannot historically substantiate these stories.

Going further, Thompson says that archaeological materials should never be dated or evaluated on the basis of written texts. Looking to the patriarchal narratives in Genesis, he concludes that these stories are neither historical nor were they intended to be historical. Instead, these narratives are written as expressions of Israel's relationship to God.

Thomas L. Thompson is Professor of Old Testament, University of Copenhagen.
His books include The Mythic Past and The Early History of the Israelite People.

Thomas L. Thompson is Professor Emeritus, University of Copenhagen, whose many works include The Messiah Myth: The Near Eastern Roots of Jesus and David. Philippe Wajdenbaum is Lecturer at the University of Brussels and author of Argonauts of the Desert: Structural Analysis of the Hebrew Bible.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781563383892
ISBN 10	1563383896
Title	The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives
Author	Thomas L Thompson
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Year published	2002-10-01
Number of pages	404
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable