In his pathbreaking Israel in Egypt James K. Hoffmeier sought to refute the claims of scholars who doubt the historical accuracy of the biblical account of the Israelite sojourn in Egypt. Analyzing a wealth of textual, archaeological, and geographical evidence, he put forth a thorough defense of the biblical tradition. Hoffmeier now turns his attention to the Wilderness narratives of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. As director of the North Sinai Archaeological Project, Hoffmeier has led several excavations that have uncovered important new evidence supporting the Wilderness narratives, including a major New Kingdom fort at Tell el-Borg that was occupied during the Israelite exodus. Hoffmeier employs these archaeological findings to shed new light on the route of the exodus from Egypt. He also investigates the location of Mount Sinai, and offers a rebuttal to those who have sought to locate it in northern Arabia and not in the Sinai peninsula as traditionally thought. Hoffmeier addresses how and when the Israelites could have lived in Sinai, as well as whether it would have been possible for Moses to write down the law received at Mount Sinai. Building on the new evidence for the Israelite sojourn in Egypt, Hoffmeier explores the Egyptian influence on the Wilderness tradition. For example, he finds Egyptian elements in Israelite religious practices, including the use of the tabernacle, and points to a significant number of Egyptian personal names among the generation of the exodus. The origin of Israel is a subject of much debate and the wilderness tradition has been marginalized by those who challenge its credibility. In Ancient Israel in Sinai, Hoffmeier brings the Wilderness tradition to the forefront and makes a case for its authenticity based on solid evidence and intelligent analysis.

Hoffmeier finds evidence to support Biblical narratives for the years spent by the Israeli tribes in the wilderness, & explores alternative theories on the location of Mount Sinai.

The Old Testament tells the story of a particular nation, ancient Israel, from its origins to its collapse in the face of foreign invaders. But what sort of story is this? How does it fit in with the findings of archaelogical explorations of ancient Syro-Palestine? This book picks up the two aspects of the story told in the books from Joshua to 2 Kings, that of an actual historical society and that of a literary presentation of a nation, told from a religious perspective. By exploring the contents of these books the student is led into the use of basic tools for biblical study, such as historical criticism, narrative criticism and ideological criticism, in order to engage in a structured manner with the task of reading and interpreting biblical texts in a 20th-century world.Specifically written for students of biblical studies, this book uses the basic critical tools necessary for students considering the Hebrew Scriptures as story, history, and theology.

Of the many ancient civilizations we are aware of, few are smaller than the ancient Kingdom of Israel. Small both in geographical area and population, it was barely noticed by the major civilizations of the time in Egypt, Mesopotamia and elsewhere, which either ignored or crushed it. Yet, several millennia later, Israel is the civilization we remember most acutely, which we know - or think we know - the most about, and which has even been revised 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. For these very reasons, because Ancient Israel means so much to us and because we actually know so little for sure, this Dictionary is particularly important. It examines the usual sources in the Old Testament and surveys the findings of more recent archaeological research to help us determine just what happened and when, a far from simple task. It includes entries on most of the persons, places, and events which are generally considered, and shows more broadly what the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah were like and what role they played in the ancient world, but it also defines them as closely as possible according to the latest data. While the results may differ from traditional views, they are essential correctives.

“The best introduction I know to the Jewish faith presented in the Hebrew Scripture.” —Eugene B. Borowitz, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion A treasury of religious thought and faith—places the symbolic world of the Bible in its original context. “A challenging, exciting work in Jewish theology. Not to be missed.” —Ruth Segal Bernards, Sh’ma “A significant advance in Jewish-Christian understanding could be made if Christians would read Sinai & Zion.” —John Simpson, Provident Book Finder “Beautifully written, theologically sensitive, and ecumenical.” —Richard J. Clifford, S.J., Weston School of Theology “It is a book which has been longed for. It is also a very good book.” —T. R. Hobbs, Biblical Theology Bulletin “In this eminently readable work of biblical scholarship of the highest order, Levenson enables that Bible’s many voices to speak for themselves and yet communicate a coherent religious vision.” —Robert L. Cohn, Journal of Religion

This work is composed of three outstanding lectures about the emergence of the ancient Israelites and their religion presented at a symposium held at the Smithsonian Institution in the fall of 1991. Professors William Dever, Baruch Halpern, and P. Kyle McCarter Jr., specialists in the fields of biblical archaeology and Near Eastern studies, present provocative theories on the arrival of the Israelites in ancient Canaan and the provenance of their religion. Did the Israelites enter Canaan according to the books of Joshua and Judges or were they already there as part of the indigenous population? Is there any reality to the biblical account of the Exodus? Where and when did belief in the God Yahweh originate? Edited under the aegis of Shanks, the well-known editor of Biblical Archaeological Review and Bible Review, this work can easily be understood by interested lay readers. Highly recommended for larger collections. Robert A. Silver, Shaker Heights P.L., Ohio. Library Journal.