Histories of Ancient Israel: Present State and Future Potential

Abstract

This review considers the state of historical studies of ancient Israel in light of the publication of two recent books on the subject. While this recent scholarship nuances and advances our understanding of the history of the southern Levant, it also reveals ongoing methodological tensions due to the field’s long-running commitments to post-Enlightenment, European (especially German) approaches to the historical analysis of biblical texts. Simultaneously, these two histories point towards some productive ways in which we might move forward in the study of the history of ancient Israel. These productive potentials include reevaluating our historical methods across specialties and approaches and seeking alternative approaches to history writing that make space for fragmentation, multiplicity, and irresolution.