The Bible Unearthed

The Bible Unearthed
Author: Israel Finkelstein
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2002-03-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0743223381

In this groundbreaking work that sets apart fact and legend, authors Finkelstein and Silberman use significant archeological discoveries to provide historical information about biblical Israel and its neighbors. In this iconoclastic and provocative work, leading scholars Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman draw on recent archaeological research to present a dramatically revised portrait of ancient Israel and its neighbors. They argue that crucial evidence (or a telling lack of evidence) at digs in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon suggests that many of the most famous stories in the Bible—the wanderings of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, and David and Solomon’s vast empire—reflect the world of the later authors rather than actual historical facts. Challenging the fundamentalist readings of the scriptures and marshaling the latest archaeological evidence to support its new vision of ancient Israel, The Bible Unearthed offers a fascinating and controversial perspective on when and why the Bible was written and why it possesses such great spiritual and emotional power today.

Unearthing the Bible

Unearthing the Bible
Author: Titus M Kennedy
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2020-06-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0736979166

“A much-needed resource for those serious about biblical studies.” —Mark M. Yarbrough, president, Dallas Theological Seminary The Bible has long been dismissed as a book of myths, legends, fairy tales, and propaganda. Yet when we examine the archaeological evidence, its accuracy comes to light. In Unearthing the Bible, Dr. Titus M. Kennedy presents 101 objects that provide compelling evidence for the historical reliability of Scripture from the dawn of civilization through the early church. Gathered from more than 50 museums, private collections, and archaeological sites, these pieces not only reinforce the reliability of the biblical narratives, but also provide rich cultural insights into the ancient world. Using this visual guide, you can find context for your faith as you make your way through the Bible. Dr. Kennedy’s photographs and detailed descriptions enable you to examine each piece of fascinating evidence for yourself. From the earliest tablets of creation to artifacts connected with the life and resurrection of Jesus, Unearthing the Bible shows you can be confident there is an abundance of archaeological support for the history told in the Scriptures.

Hasmonean Realities behind Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles

Hasmonean Realities behind Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles
Author: Israel Finkelstein
Publisher: SBL Press
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2018-09-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0884143090

A thorough case for a later date for of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles In this collection of essays, Israel Finkelstein deals with key topics in Ezra, Nehemiah, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, such as the list of returnees, the construction of the city wall of Jerusalem, the adversaries of Nehemiah, the tribal genealogies, and the territorial expansion of Judah in 2 Chronicles. Finkelstein argues that the geographical and historical realities cached behind at least parts of these books fit the Hasmonean period in the late second century BCE. Seven previously published essays are supplemented by maps, updates to the archaeological material, and references to recent publications on the topics. Features: Analysis of geographical chapters of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles Study of the Hasmonean period in the late second century BCE Unique arguments regarding chronology and historical background

Secret Origins of the Bible

Secret Origins of the Bible
Author: Tim Callahan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 484
Release: 2002
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780965504799

Callahan strictly interprets the Bible through the lens of comparative mythology, where the mythic content of Biblical stories is illustrated as a way to understand the purpose the stories served for the people who wrote them. Biblical history is merely a mythic representation of human psychology and meaning-making in human conscience. Callahan contends that most of the histories and stories were written and manipulated centuries after the events described. He cautions against literal interpetation of the Bible, but seeks to understand why society validates the myth.

David and Solomon

David and Solomon
Author: Israel Finkelstein
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2007-04-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1416556885

The exciting field of biblical archaeology has revolutionized our understanding of the Bible -- and no one has done more to popularise this vast store of knowledge than Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman, who revealed what we now know about when and why the Bible was first written in The Bible Unearthed. Now, with David and Solomon, they do nothing less than help us to understand the sacred kings and founding fathers of western civilization. David and his son Solomon are famous in the Bible for their warrior prowess, legendary loves, wisdom, poetry, conquests, and ambitious building programmes. Yet thanks to archaeology's astonishing finds, we now know that most of these stories are myths. Finkelstein and Silberman show us that the historical David was a bandit leader in a tiny back-water called Jerusalem, and how -- through wars, conquests and epic tragedies like the exile of the Jews in the centuries before Christ and the later Roman conquest -- David and his successor were reshaped into mighty kings and even messiahs, symbols of hope to Jews and Christians alike in times of strife and despair and models for the great kings of Europe. A landmark work of research and lucid scholarship by two brilliant luminaries, David and Solomon recasts the very genesis of western history in a whole new light.

Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Author: Randall Price
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Total Pages: 556
Release: 1996
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781565074545

Discover new technology that helps translators with previously unreadable Scroll fragments, supposedly "secret" scrolls in hiding, and the furious debate about who rightfully owns the Scrolls. Includes never before-published photographs.

Gnostic Secrets of the Naassenes

Gnostic Secrets of the Naassenes
Author: Mark H. Gaffney
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2004-04-19
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1594776156

Reveals the hidden meaning of the Grail and a secret Christian doctrine for achieving higher consciousness • Shows that Gnosticism is not a derivative of Christianity but the revelation of the true message of Jesus • Describes the ancient relationship between water and spirit • Explains the doctrine of immanence taught by Jesus at the Last Supper • Features the translated source text from The Refutation of All Heresies by Bishop Hippolytus, the only existing record of the Naassene Sermon In the third century C.E., the Catholic Bishop Hippolytus composed A Refutation of All Heresies in which his chief target was the Gnostic sect the Naassenes, whose writings included a recounting of Jesus’ actual teachings at the Last Supper. Contrary to Church attacks, the Naassenes were not a heretical derivative of Christianity but the authentic foundation and purveyor of Christ’s message. In fact, much of what passes as Christianity has nothing to do with the original teachings of its founder. The message recorded in the Naassene Sermon was intended for an inner circle of disciples who were prepared for advanced initiation into Jesus’ wisdom teachings. The Grail discussed therein was not an actual chalice but a symbol of the indwelling of the divine. The teachings involved the awakening of spirit and included practices aimed at restoring the soul’s lost connection with God. Immanence, in the true sense intended by Jesus, thus allows for spiritual attainment in this life by ordinary individuals without the intermediary of Church or priest. This was the real meaning of the Last Supper and why the Naassenes believed that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Mystery traditions.

The Lost Books of the Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden

The Lost Books of the Bible and The Forgotten Books of Eden
Author: Rutherford Hayes Platt
Publisher: Nelson Bibles
Total Pages: 660
Release: 1927
Genre: Apocryphal books
ISBN:

Presented here are two volumes of apocryphal writings reflecting the life and time of the Old and New Testaments. Stories told by contemporary fiction writers of historical Bible times in fascinating and beautiful style.

Who Needs the Old Testament?

Who Needs the Old Testament?
Author: Katharine Dell
Publisher: SPCK
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2017-03-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0281077231

Who needs the Old Testament? It might be a literary classic, but what relevance does it have today? How much of it can we believe anyway? Katharine Dell invites you to rediscover the appeal of the Old Testament for the twenty-first century. In doing so she deftly refutes hard-line attacks by writers such as Richard Dawkins; she firmly critiques the atheistic agenda of those scholars who seek to undermine the Old Testament's historical grounding; and she helpfully reassures those within the church who express doubts about its usefulness as a resource for Christian life and thought. Written by a world expert, this book will help many, both inside and outside the church, to gain a more informed appreciation of the different kinds of literature contained in the Old Testament, and a more nuanced understanding of the developing vision of God to which they witness. CONTENTS Preface Introduction PART ONE: Breaking the New Atheist Spell Chapter 1: From Dawkins to Marcion: countering scepticism and atheism. Chapter 2: The character and scope of the Old Testament: Countering a bad press. Chapter 3: Meeting Dawkins head-on: texts in Genesis. Chapter 4: Homing in on Hitchens: Exodus, Numbers and legal texts. Chapter 5: Countering Dawkins: Texts in the ‘histories’. PART TWO: Engaging with the Old Testament Chapter 6: The Writings: a neglected corner of the Old Testament. Chapter 7: The Prophets: a more convincing source of morality? Chapter 8: Back to the Pentateuch and Historical books: the power of story. Chapter 9: Questioning the history of Israel: scepticism within the Academy. Chapter 10: A Christian Perspective on the Old Testament.

The Secret World

The Secret World
Author: Christopher M. Andrew
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 993
Release: 2018-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0300238444

The first-ever detailed, comprehensive history of intelligence, from Moses and Sun Tzu to the present day The history of espionage is far older than any of today's intelligence agencies, yet the long history of intelligence operations has been largely forgotten. The codebreakers at Bletchley Park, the most successful World War II intelligence agency, were completely unaware that their predecessors in earlier moments of national crisis had broken the codes of Napoleon during the Napoleonic wars and those of Spain before the Spanish Armada. Those who do not understand past mistakes are likely to repeat them. Intelligence is a prime example. At the outbreak of World War I, the grasp of intelligence shown by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith was not in the same class as that of George Washington during the Revolutionary War and leading eighteenth-century British statesmen. In this book, the first global history of espionage ever written, distinguished historian Christopher Andrew recovers much of the lost intelligence history of the past three millennia--and shows us its relevance.