Thomas L. Thompson > Quotes

“The linguistic and literary reality of the biblical tradition is folkloristic in essence. The concept of a benei Israel ... is a reflection of no sociopolitical entity of the historical state of Israel of the Assyrian period”
― Thomas L. Thompson, Early History of the Israelite People: from the Written and Archaeological Sources

“Far from offering structures to any history of the past, this kind of desert emptiness and exile is akin to the wilderness traditions of the monastery and the desert fathers.”
― Thomas L. Thompson, The Mythic Past: Biblical Archaeology And The Myth Of Israel

“When we set ourselves the task of understanding the patriarchal narratives, we are not so much involved with the history of Israel as with the history of the development of Israel's literature.”
― Thomas L. Thompson, The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives: The Quest For The Historical Abraham