Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables     viii
Preface     ix
Introduction     1
Archaeology and the Quest for Historical Israel in the Hebrew Bible     3
A Summary Assessment for Part 1   Brian B. Schmidt     5
Digging for the Truth: Archaeology and the Bible   Israel Finkelstein     9
On Archaeology, Biblical History, and Biblical Archaeology   Amihai Mazar     21
Using Archaeology to Assess the Bible's Traditions about "the Earliest Times"     35
A Summary Assessment for Part 2   Brian B. Schmidt     37
Patriarchs, Exodus, Conquest: Fact or Fiction?   Israel Finkelstein     41
The Patriarchs, Exodus, and Conquest Narratives in Light of Archaeology   Amihai Mazar     57
The Historical Origins of Collective Israel     67
A Summary Assessment for Part 3   Brian B. Schmidt     69
When and How Did the Israelites Emerge?   Israel Finkelstein     73
The Israelite Settlement   Amihai Mazar     85
The Tenth Century: The New Litmus Test for the Bible's Historical Relevance     99
A Summary Assessment for Part 4   Brian B. Schmidt     101
King Solomon's Golden Age?: History or Myth?   Israel Finkelstein     107
The Search for David and Solomon: An Archaeological Perspective   Amihai Mazar     117
On More Secure Ground? The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah in the Iron II Period     141
A Summary Assessment for Part 5   Brian B. Schmidt     143
The Two Kingdoms: Israel and Judah   Israel Finkelstein     147
The Divided Monarchy: Comments on Some Archaeological Issues   Amihai Mazar     159
So What? Implications for Scholars and Communities     181
A Short Summary: Bible and Archaeology   Israel Finkelstein     183
Concluding Summary: Archaeology's Message   Amihai Mazar     189
Further Reading     199
Subject Index     209
Index of Biblical Passages     221