Historical Analysis

B. Historical Analysis

Because the origin of the Hebrew Bible is far distant from us, we will need to recover the original historical and geographical setting of the Hebrew Bible in order to understand and appreciate it. In so far as we are able, we must to try to see the world as David, Isaiah, and Ezra saw it. Though not an easy job, it is a rewarding one. To do so we will draw upon the discoveries of generations of historians, archaeologists, and biblical scholars.
    The history of Israel is intertwined with the histories of many ancient nations. In Mesopotamia, the Sumerians pioneered civilization and were followed by Babylonians, Assyrians, Hurrians, Amorites, and Arameans. In addition, the Egyptians, Hittites, Phoenicians, and Philistines interacted with Israel and were significant factors in determining the directions Israel's history was to take. Historians, on the basis of ancient documents and archaeological discoveries, have been able to reconstruct the histories of these peoples, sometimes in remarkable detail.
    Some of the most amazing discoveries have been textual ones. The Rosetta stone discovered in 1801 provided the key to deciphering hieroglyphics. This opened up for interpretation the vast library of inscriptions, letters and texts from Egypt. The Ebla tablets from Syria, dating as early as the third millennium B.C.E., even now being translated and published, are increasing our knowledge of Semitic civilizations in western Mesopotamia and Syria. Other texts, artifacts, and building structures from Ugarit, Mari, Nuzi, Nippur, and many other sites enable us to reconstruct the context for the Hebrew Bible. Some of these discoveries will be described in more detail as they are relevant to the interpretation of specific texts.
    The Hebrew Bible is itself the major source for the writing of Israelite history. It contains most of the information we have available concerning the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. It has virtually the only information available about the ancestors of Israel. But we have to remember that we cannot read the Hebrew Bible as a straight record of events. It is first and foremost a literary and theological creation that was profoundly shaped by the religious and social world of the writers. While it contains records of certain events, it is not first of all historiography. In other words, it was not intended to be a chronicle of events as they happened, such as modern scientifically researched works of history are. Consequently, it can provide some historical information, but it is not, strictly speaking, history.