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The History of Ancient Israel and Judah

Department of Biblical Studies, University of Sheffield

Writing a `history of Israel' is a task that is vastly different to writing history of modern events, yet this distinction is often not recognized. There are limitations in the written sources, the archaeological record is unable to locate a `biblical Israel' in differentiation from the various cultures that inhabited Palestine in the same period and the bible itself was written with a particular theological agenda many centuries after the events it purports to report. Rather what is preserved in the biblical texts is a collection of snapshots of how Israel has been remembered. This `cultural history' allows for the appropriation of the stories of communities of faith. It is within such layers of memory that the resources can be found to refashion the understanding of the biblical story in a way that finds meaning for successive generations.

Key Words: History of Israel • Archaeology • Palestine • Cultural Memory • Defining Israel

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