The Bible Unearthed
Subtitle: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts
Publisher: Free Press
Published: January 10, 2001
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 400
ISBN-13: 9780684869124
Subjects: Bible.; O.T; Bible - Study - Old Testament; Bible Commentary; Biblical Archaeology; Religion; Religion - Church History; Evidences, authority, etc; Antiquities & Archaeology; Biblical Studies - Old Testament; History / Ancient / General; The Bible; O.T.; Archaeology; Biblical Studies - General; Antiquities; Bible
First sentence: In the beginning was a single family, with a special relationship to God.
Description: "In The Bible Unearthed two leading scholars, an archaeologist and a historian, combine a tour of the field of biblical archaeology with a explanation of how and why the Bible's historical saga differs so dramatically from the archaeological finds. They explain what the Bible says about ancient Israel and show how it diverges sharply from archaeological reality.

They then offer a new version of the history of ancient Israel, bringing archaeological evidence to bear on the question of when, where, and why the Bible was first written.".

"As to why the answers are so new, Finkelstein and Silberman draw on evidence from decades of archaeological work and dozens of digs in Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria, to explain that the key early books of the Bible were first codified in the seventh century B.C.E., hundreds of years after the core events of the lives of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, and the conquest of Canaan were said to have taken place.".

"Yet the ultimate message of The Bible Unearthed is not just a correction of the record. Instead, it is a unique and fascinating explanation of the origins of the Bible. The Bible's newly identified authors, threatened with political crisis and the intimidation of nearby empires, crafted a brilliant document, a set of stories and teachings that would eventually appeal to the faithful beyond the boundaries of any particular kingdom."--BOOK JACKET.