A History of Israel

by John Bright

Unsurpassed for nearly half a century, and now with a new introduction and appendix by William P. Brown, John Bright's A History of Israel will continue to be a standard for a new generation of students of the Old Testament. This book remains a classic in the literature of theological education.

Genres: History, Biblical Studies, Religion, Old Testament, Israel, Christian, Christianity

533 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

John Bright was an American biblical scholar, the author of several important books including the influential A History of Israel, currently in its fourth edition. He was closely associated with the American school of Biblical criticism pioneered by William F. Albright, which sought to marry archaeology to a defence of the reliability of the Bible, especially the earlier books of the Old Testament.

Reviews

[Lukerik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most interesting book I've read all year. It's an attempt to tell the story of the Jews from the earliest times to the Maccabean revolt using the Bible, archaeology and the general history of the area. In the absence of other evidence – or common sense – Bright defaults to the Bible (using a critical approach).

The danger with this, of course, is that new facts emerge from the ground all the time. Even I, with my very sketchy knowledge of the period noticed a few points where more recent interpretations differ. I am given to understand that he published three revised editions. But that's not to say that the first edition isn't worth reading, if that is what you have available. I read it because I've been thinking of leafing through the Bible and a wanted a narrative history so I wouldn't be all at sea. I got so much more than that. The book has true literary qualities that I just wasn't expecting to find.

There's a wonderful tension in the stories. Take Abraham. Now obviously there's no archaeological evidence for Abraham or for anything up to the Exodus. What Bright does is paint a picture of the times when Abraham might reasonably have lived, if he did. What emerges from the stories told about Abraham – his cultural practices and the journey he made – is that he is being presented as Mr Norman Normal. Yet on the other hand here is a man in direct communication with God. There's that tension between daily life on the one hand and the divine on the other.

Later you have a people with the most grandiose conception of God and of their place in the world on the one hand. On the other the mundane truth – that they are an obscure hill-people who cannot hold their kingdom together and are apparently incapable of winning a major battle.

That tension also characterises Bright's approach. His use of faith and reason to tell the story, each straining in the opposite direction and yearning for freedom. I sensed that same tension in Bright himself. He's obviously come to his subject because of it's importance to his own faith (he was Presbyterian) but he has to understand and has to know.

[Rob Markley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is quite old and I read the 1972 second edition - I expected more. There is at least a certain value in this work, but the issues are many. Really Bright is an Old Testament academic, of his academic era, with overall insufficiently broad enough knowledge to properly do his topic justice.

Ironically the best part of the book is the patriarchal section (from Abraham, with the direct ancestors of Israel rather than the whole Old Testament history ) where there is very little actual historical material to go on, and therefore Bright has to put everything into context based on external sources. Bright offers some quite useful broad context and interpretation, albeit that he fails to explore options and alternative explanations e.g. for the location of Mt Sinai. Overall he confirms the reasonableness of the account found in the bible.

However once we reach the actual historical books, from Joshua into Kings, then really all Bright is doing, is simply recounting and interrelating material from the bible and only very occasionally digging deeper or wider - presumably where it is important to his own internal narrative e.g.there's a lot of discussion on the date of Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem because Bright considers Ezra to be critically significant.

Despite repeatedly stating it isn't his place to tell broader stories of the world political situation he always does so, but of course this is important to do (why even say it?). However overall there is far too little effort to find links and cross references with extra biblical material( except perhaps the considerable effort to discuss Hezekiah's survival versus Sennacherib). Basically anyone with a passing knowledge of ancient history and a good biblical knowledge could have done this equal justice.

This pattern by and large, except perhaps with the Ezra exception, continues with the exile and post exile period. Then the book finishes off at the end of the Old Testament, merely giving a preview of the Maccabean uprising. Surely Bright can't have it both ways - either he is telling the history of the Old Testament where he has to start earlier, or he has to take the history of Israel up to its end - at least Roman times or perhaps to 70AD? This is just laziness as it stands.

Right across the whole history there is a failure to address any matters that speak of miracle, predictive prophecy or actual intervention from God. Of course this is not really the purpose of this book, but why ignore the book of Esther, the plagues of Egypt, Gideon etc? How can it be a history of Israel without even mentioning these? I certainly get the feeling that Bright is a 'Christian' agnostic i.e. teaches and practices at a Presbyterian seminary, but doesn't really believe himself in the truth of what he belongs to. Thus there is a suspicion that datings of various books e.g. Daniel is based post exile entirely on the assumption that it could not have prophesied the future, while simultaneously ignoring Ezekiel's mention of Daniel. Basically Bright is too bound to the agnosticism of his academic era and merely parrots the conventional wisdom of that day, without critical examination or justification.

This also largely holds true, albeit with a mildly conservative stance, when it comes to interpretation of Old Testament theology. There is also a too common tendency to reach sweeping conclusions on both historical matters and theological thinking without giving any evidence or argument to support that conclusion. That is to say - he just accepts the 'party line' without giving the reader any background to how that position was derived at.

I'm not saying at all, we needed a spiritual history as such with this book; in fact that would defeat its purpose, but simply Bright's prejudices prevented any thoroughgoing analysis as good history. All this being said the book would be a useful enough background for those wanting an overall background history except that it is far too wordy for such a purpose. There is far too much speculation, wild and unjustified extrapolation, repetition, verbiage and general fluff - these 465 pages could have been easily edited down a good 200+ pages without any content loss, then we might have been left a useful resource, especially considering the chronological charts and maps that are included.

[Colin Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young eager Theological College student raised in a conservative Christian church I trembled as I read Bright for the first time because he challenged everything I knew about the times and dates of the history of Israel from my Sunday School lessons and the wispy nature of the teaching by child and youth workers. About ten years ago I picked it up and it was like reading the newspaper.

I love it and recommend it to a serious Bible reader. it would be particularly useful to read it before touring Israel.

[Shuli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book - balance and objective analysis instead of dogmatic opinions.
The book links available archeological evidence to the Scriptural descriptions of the history. As a Christian, I learn from this book a valuable lesson: Scriptural inerrancy is upheld while interpretations may vary due to corrupt texts and/or our limited understanding of the historical - social, economical, and cultural backgrounds.
The author uses more extra-biblical references in the first few chapters or the very early part of Israel history (almost "pre-Israel"). With the arrival of the ages of Kings, the united Kingdom under David and Solomon, the divided Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and the exile, and later history, the author relied more on the Scripture as the writings were abundant and contemporary, therefore reliable.
I wish I had read it while studying the OT. Never too late to read a book though. Highly recommend.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of date in countless ways, having been written in the era when when scholars took the OT as more or less straightforward history and not a mostly post-Exilic collection of historical fiction. But it was the main textbook for my first course in OT studies, and I remenber it fondly.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this journey through the Old Testament from Abraham to the War of the Maccabees. I found it fascinating to put various stages of Israel's existence and particular players in the context of what was going on in the rest of the world. Lots of conclusions drawn from archeological evidence. I imagine this is probably used as a college textbook, so I'm not likely to read from cover to cover again, but it's definitely a good reference book to go back to when reading an Old Testament story.

[Sharon Gilpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in addition to my required reading for a degree in Biblical Studies. I was researching to understand more about the beginnings in that area as to connect to the Old Testament Scripture. In understanding Old Testament Scripture one has to understand the people and their history. This is a classic of theological education. This helps the student or serious researcher to understand the faith of the Jewish people throughout their history. Highly recommend this book (4th Edition).

[Allein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted a comprehensive HISTORY of ancient Israel. The author has a little too much faith in the bible to accomplish this task. That, and he has several annoying writing habits ("we have seen," "We may suppose," "as we have seen," ... all in the same paragraph!) All that said, I think I'm just the wrong audience for what is otherwise a very handy synthesis of history and the bible.

[James Prothero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considered a classic, Bright spends so much time explaining what he doesn't know about Israel up until the reign of David, the front third of the book is useless. Very good after that. One wonders what he might have written had he read David Rohl's work.

[Mark Deardorff · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the great histories from a biblical scholar. Recommended over Philip Johnson's popular account which lacks detail from textual criticism.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A History of Isreal is now out of publication but is still an excellent introduction to the History of Israel for those studying the Old Testament. I first was introduced to this book as an A level student in the 1980s and then again when I went to University, it was a set text.

Bright leads the reader through the history of the Levant and the near East before 2000 B.C to give the read some background for what they are about to read and study. As the book proper is split into six parts, which relate to various parts of the Old Testament.

Part One, deals with the beginning of Israel’s history as part of the Age of the Patriarchs, so it digs deeper into Israel’s origins guiding them through the period of Genesis or as the Hebrew Bible says, The Beginnings. Part two covers the ‘formative period’, which is the Exodus and Conquest of the Promised Land.
Parts three and four cover the period of Israel under the Monarchy when Israel moved from a tribal confederacy to a dynastic state under Saul. Before moving on to the Monarchy in crisis and its downfall. We also see the prophets during the last days of the Kingdom of Judah.

Part five covers tragedy and beyond, which are the exilic and post exilic periods in the Old Testament and discusses the plight of the Jews after 587 BC and the last days of the Babylonian Empire. It also covers the completion of the Temple complex in Jerusalem. Part six covers the end of the Old Testament period and what is seen as the formative period of Judaism. It also covers the religious crisis and rebellion and the Maccabean Rebellion.

This has always been and will continue to be an excellent introduction to Old Testament history for English speakers with no Hebrew reading skills. The book is easy to read for both student and the general reader and remained the best of the books that introduced students to the history of the Old Testament. While there are newer publications, some of them do not reach the heights of scholarship in this book.

It is still one of the best Introductions to Old Testament History.

[Hadelynn Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a really comprehensive history of Israel. It reads as a textbook, so it's extremely dense and I already had some predisposition to the information throughout the book. I would recommend this to someone that has experience reading historical text books, just becuase there is a lot and it's extremely hard to keep up with if you don't know what you're expecting to find.

Becuase of its density, this book is hard to follow and I even found myself getting lost for a little while. I have a bachelor's in history so I've had experience reading this style of book and this was one of the hardest reads I've had to read. There is so much context and jumping through different cultures and areas that unless you know where you are, you should probably have a couple of maps.

I enjoy reading about historical places in the ancient world and have a degree in this area and the cultures here, so being able to jump into the book and read with that context was extremely helpful. Reading about these cultures and understanding their lives helps greatly when understanding the biblical accounts that I read daily.

“Like David uniting Judah and Israel, but to no avail, Bright’s textbook facilitated an uneasy union between theology and history that has not held among most historians today. Two histories, one biblical (Geschichte) and the other the product of archaeology and sociological reconstruction (Historie), have for the time being seemingly gone their separate ways. For Bright, however, genuine history and genuine theology, as evidenced in Israel’s faith, were one and the same.”

[Richard Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent basic history. It marries archaeology with extensive historical research and is winsomely written. It is a bit dated, but Bright always carefully indicates where future research may uncover new information. He is not dogmatic about anything but writes with a sureness that is well deserved. The earlier and later parts of the book are the strongest. The part about Israel's monarchy often reads more like a Bible study than a more critical historical investigation. Overall, the book is well worth engaging.

[Mary Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really unique, intellectual telling of the people and land of covenant. Especially appreciate Bright’s humble candor to the mystery of the topic, and acknowledgment of his own foreignness.

Written prior to even WWI, the history is quite limited given the past century of Israel’s history (interesting point that he refers to the land often as “Palestine”). Would love to talk to Bright today and hear his thoughts on the past 100 years!

[Brandon Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive overview of the history of Israel, from the time of the patriarchs until the Maccabean revolt. Really helpful context given, to place the narrative of Israel’s history into its contemporary time. Bright writes concisely and clearly as well, consistently arguing his points and making historical claims.

[Michael Seselja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad I found this one. Although Bright doesn’t seem to be writing as a Christian, he takes the Bible seriously as a source and uses it to weave a masterful narrative and give insights into the religious landscape of Old Testament Israel and Judah.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magisterial work. I have had this book on my want-to-read list for decades. I should have read it sooner. It turned on dozens of lights.

[Michael Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book based on the Old Testament. It is a classic work of ancient Israel.

[Giuseppe Circiello · Rating 4 out of 5]

In questo libro sulla Storia dell'Antico Israele, John Bright, studioso della Bibbia e della storia ebraica, cerca di unire, per quanto possibile, fonti storiche e racconto biblico, per darci un quadro della nascita e dell'evoluzione della civiltà ebraica dai suoi inizi, con Abramo, Isacco e Giacobbe, fino alla rivolta dei Maccabei.

Un'impresa tutt'altro che facile, poiché, in realtà, fonti esterne alle sacre scritture, che confermino quanto in esse è scritto, sono ancora poche e contraddittorie e - quelle che sono state trovate ed effettivamente ci raccontano qualcosa, spesso - ma non sempre - mettono in crisi il racconto dei cronisti biblici (almeno per quanto riguarda la genesi della comunità israelitica e alcuni passaggi evolutivi fondamentali).

È un saggio storico che va letto tenendo conto che su vari aspetti, come date, luoghi e battaglie presunte, ci sono ancora oggi dibattiti in corso, risolvibili solo se, miracolosamente, si troveranno ulteriori documenti.
Tuttavia, l'opera rimane apprezzabile nonostante le inevitabili criticità, che sia Bright che i curatori del libro mettono subito in chiaro.

Fatte queste premesse, per il resto, ho trovato molto stimolante questa lettura e come si sia cercato di provare storicamente quanto scritto principalmente nell'Esateuco, nei Re e in Cronache, tramite le fonti delle civiltà che condivisero il palcoscenico storico con Israele. A partire dall'età dei patriarchi, fino ad arrivare all'era dei Seleucidi e dunque alla rivolta dei Maccabei, passando per il periodo dell'Esodo e di Mose e poi dei Giudici, si ha la possibilità, oltre che di ripetere quelle parti della Bibbia, anche di ripassare nei tratti fondamentali le vicende di civiltà importanti come quella Mesopotamica, Egizia, Assiro-Babilonese, Ittita e Persiana (come di altre ancora). Questo perché, come dice il detto, "nessuno è un'isola" e nei documenti redatti da queste popolazioni, che hanno di volta in volta governato la Palestina, si possono trovare accenni ai loro rapporti con Israele (e Giuda) in determinati periodi storici e si può cercare di capire, contestualmente, come queste culture abbiano anche influenzato la forma statale o il culto o alcuni aspetti della fede.

Ovviamente, il limite di una ricostruzione di questo tipo è che, riguardo ad alcuni periodi, per mancanza di fonti, ci si deve limitare ad una pedissequa trasposizione del racconto biblico in formato storico-critico. Il che rimane, comunque, una speculazione interessante, perché, anche da testi scritti palesemente dopo i fatti narrati, si possono ricavare, attraverso un'attenta analisi, informazioni con una buona approssimazione.

Lo consiglierei questo libro? Sì, perché non solo è un modo per ripetere la storia di Israele in modo più chiaro, rispetto a come raccontato dalla Bibbia, ma anche perché molte cose, come credenze, tradizioni, simboli, rapporti tra tribù o con i gentili e gli altri stati, vengono qui approfonditi e spiegati; così come viene dedicato spazio alla descrizione delle fonti sulle quali tutto il discorso si basa.

Probabilmente, rispetto a quando Bright ha scritto questo testo l'archeologia sarà andata avanti, ma ritengo che il libro possa offrire ancora molti spunti, spiegazioni e che sia stimolante, per chi si interessa di queste materie.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this, Bright's most popular book, at the Union Theological Seminary bookstore (an excellent place at the time!). Of course I didn't get around to actually reading the thing until years later, but by then it was a good refresher since it had been so long since I'd taken a course on the Hebrew Scriptures and the history corresponding to them.

[Jeff Noble]

A history of Israel (Westminster aids to the study of the Scriptures) by John Bright (?)

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has good information about wars, kings, battles, and conquence of Israel. It is not specifically my kind of book it is very much like a history textbook it has very good information and organization.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most useful history of Israel tracing through the Old Testament record and comparing and contrasting other cultures contemporary with historical Israel.

[Covenant Presbyterian Springfield Ohio]

Call Number: 221.02 BRI

Available.

[Tyler]

Very dry. Very informative.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid reference resource.

Bright, J. A History of Israel. 4th ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.

[Sarah]

(2nd ed.) This is so comprehensive and so brilliant. A tad conservative in some places, but so very good. Indispensable.

[Ross McIlvaine]

So boring. Could not read more than 50 pages.

[Rob Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better histories of Isreal