The mythic past
Subtitle: biblical archaeology and the myth of Israel
By: Thomas L. Thompson.
Edition: 1st U.S. ed.
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 412
Subjects: Bible. O.T. -- History of Biblical events; Bible. O.T. -- Controversial literature; Bible. O.T. -- Criticism, interpretation, etc; Bible. O.T. -- Theology; Bible as literature; Middle East -- History -- To 622
Description: "The Mythic Past is the first accessible overview and synthesis of two decades of scholarship on various aspects of early Palestine history - linguistic, economic, agricultural, and archaeological.

While its controversial conclusion - that the Old Testament offers absolutely no historical evidence for the early history of Israel - will surely draw fire from conservative Jews, Catholics, and Evangelicals alike, the author's insistence on the Old Testament as a great collection of literature offers refreshing new ways to read it.

By separating the Bible from history, we are not getting rid of the Bible; instead, we are reading it as it was meant to be read - as stories and legends, as some of the world's most beautiful poetry, pious, lyrical, and erotic, as epic narratives and wondrous folktales, often stunningly profound and evocative, as romances and adventure stories both moralistic and sentimental."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [xvii]-xix) and index.