The Mythic Past: Biblical Archaeology And The Myth Of Israel

The Jewish people's historical claims to a small area of land bordering the eastern Mediterranean are not only the foundation for the modern state of Israel, they are also at the very heart of Judeo-Christian belief. Yet in The Mythic Past, Thomas Thompson argues that such claims are grounded in literary myth, not history. Among the author's startling conclusions are these:• There never was a "united monarch" of Israel in biblical times• We can no longer talk about a time of the Patriarchs•...