Of all the ancient civilizations that will be included in this series none is smaller than the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah, otherwise known as ancient Israel. Small both in geographical area and population, they were barely noticed by the major civilizations of the time in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and elsewhere, which either crushed or ignored them. Yet, several millennia later, ancient Israel is the civilization we remember most acutely, which we know (or think we know) the most about, and which has even been revived after a manner. Alas, what we know (or think we know) about Israel comes partly from the Old Testament and partly from fragmentary and sometimes distorted bits of historical evidence. So it has been doubly hard to figure out just what is true and what is false, what can be proven historically and what must be left to conjecture. This is a second way in which the subject matter of the Historical Dictionary of Ancient Israel differs notably from other books in the series.
This makes it considerably more problematic to determine the suitable coverage of a reference work, since it is necessary to include in the dictionary entries on persons, places, and events about which there is painfully little solid data and where even the Bible may be ambiguous or confusing. But they must be there, and they are, with as much information as can be mustered. The same applies to the broader environment: historical, political, and economic, as well as anthropological and sociological, since they give useful clues as to what life in ancient Israel was like. To put things in their proper place as much as possible, the introduction plays a significant role. And the chronology, actually this time two chronologies, can give us a feel for the sequence of events in Israel and surrounding areas. Naturally, since opinions still vary so much, from an older maximalist to a newer minimalist view, the bibliography is crucial not only to learn more and understand better but also to find different interpretations of the evidence.
Obviously, all this does not facilitate the compilation of the volume on ancient Israel. It is necessary for the author to acquire considerable information; part gleaned from the biblical and related literature, part won from archaeological and related research. And it is also essential to decide how much credit to give to the former and the latter. The author, Niels Peter Lemche, certainly has the background and experience. Receiving his doctorate at the University of Copenhagen in 1985, he had already served as an associate professor at the University of Aarhus, and after a brief stint at the University of Hamburg, he became and remains professor of theology at the University of Copenhagen. He has lectured and written widely on prehistoric and early Israel and on the Canaanites and other early peoples. He has a broad knowledge of the whole region, including the major civilizations. And he has also delved into the archaeology and anthropology of the period. It should doubtlessly be added that, although a minimalist. Dr. Lemche is aware of the maximalist positions, and therefore makes an attempt to encompass a broader view. For such reasons, he is an unusually reliable guide through an era that can be more confusing and misleading than most.
Jon Woronoff Series Editor
World History
