Preface

Throughout the writing of this book, its working title was. Prolegomena to a History of Israel: What Do We Know and How Do We Know it? In the back of my mind, though, I think I realized it would not be the final title. It was the publisher who objected on the grounds that it would not be readily understood by some of its intended readership. The subtitle expresses what I have been trying to do, and the ‘Aims’ (§1.1) explain in detail. It is with some regret that it has not been possible to use my original title, but perhaps to have done so would have been an act of hubris - at least, some of my colleagues might have thought so.

This book is, however, not a history of Israel but the preparation - the prolegomena - for such a history. It is aimed initially at scholars, with the intent of contributing to the current debate. By laying out as clearly as possible the main primary sources and drawing attention to the areas of debate and the arguments being advanced, I hope to give a snapshot of the field at the present time. Yet as always, I want to reach other audiences as well and have attempted to make some concessions for them, such as giving both the Hebrew script and transliteration. These secondary audiences include scholars who do not work primarily in history but who would like a useful overview and reference; scholars who may be historians but not specialists in Hebrew Bible or ancient Israel; students who might find that the book would serve as a useful text. In that vein, I have tried to make the data accessible and provide sufficient information even to non-specialists, even if this is sometimes by way of referring the reader to some relevant bibliography. Such a small book can cover only so much, but within the confines of the space allotted I hope to have given a helpful - and thoughtful - account about the problems and methods for writing a history.

Preface

There are many people whom I could thank for discussion, inspiration and other help provided, but this could be a very long list. In addition to those to whom the book is dedicated, I shall limit my thanks to the following: Jim Eisenbraun, for making available a copy of the Amihai Mazar Festschrift before formal publication; Benyamin Sass, for a copy of his book on the alphabet; my student Kwanghyun Ryu for bringing some bibliographical items to my attention.

My first class in the history of Israel was in 1970 with Professor Loren R. Fisher. Although my perspective at the time was not in line with his, I still managed to learn a great deal and to begin a journey on the road to learning a critical approach to the Bible.

In the decade since the European Seminar on Methodology in Israel’s History (now shortened to European Seminar in Historical Methodology) had its first meeting, I have learned an enormous amount from my peers in the UK, on the Continent, from Israel and elsewhere. My main reason for founding the Seminar was to get scholars of different views and approaches to talk to each other. I was also hoping for a gradual narrowing of the range of opinions, which does not seem to have happened, but I think we have all become clearer about our own opinions and also those of others in the Seminar. In the process, I think some useful volumes have been produced for the wider scholarly world.

British universities have traditionally focused on undergraduates. For almost 25 years I have offered an optional module in the History of Israel on a regular basis. Because students in the class are new to the subject, most of my learning has come from repeatedly having to go over the material in preparation for the class rather than directly from students. But during that time I have had some interesting essays and found teaching the class very rewarding.

Kingston-upon-Hull, UK 13 October 2006