En de Bijbel heeft toch gelijk - De wetenschap bewijst de historische juistheid

by Werner Keller, Joachim Rehork (Contributor), Ted Logeman (Translator)

Terecht is dit wereldberoemde boek destijds 'een geschiedenisboek zonder weerga' genoemd. De bijbelse archeologie heeft in de laatste decennia zo'n enorme vooruitgang geboekt dat de vraag naar de historische juistheid van veel bijbelse verhalen voor een zeer groot deel bevestigend kan worden beantwoord. Uit het puin der eeuwen is een zo overweldigende hoeveelheid getuigenissen aan het licht gekomen, dat het voor wetenschapsmensen mogelijk is geworden de historische feiten uit de bijbelse overleveringen te distilleren. Het is de onnavolgbare verdienste geweest van Werner Keller, dat hij deze bijkans onoverzienbare overvloed van feitenmateriaal heeft gerangschikt en aan de bijbelcitaten heeft getoets.
Het resultaat is nog altijd buitengewoon indrukwekkend.
In het jaar 1955 verscheen de eerste oplage van dit wereldberoemde boek. Het werd in 24 talen vertaald en gebruikt bij werkcolleges over de bijbel op universiteiten en bij de bijbelstudies van christelijke en joodse godsdiensten.
De oplage bedraagt over de gehele wereld al meer dan 10 miljoen exemplaren. Sinds die tijd heeft de bijbelse archeologie met gebruikmaking van nieuwe technieken en de modernste methoden van onderzoek tot dan toe onbekende feiten aan het licht gebracht. Teneinde het boek niet aan wetenschappelijke betrouwbaarheid te laten inboeten, werden de jongste resultaten van het wetenschappelijk onderzoek erin verwerkt door de bekende Duitse expert op het gebied van bijbelonderzoek, dr. Joachim Rehork.
Een boek dat ten volle de aandacht verdient van een ieder die geïnteresseerd is in de bijbelse geschiedenis.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity, Christian, Archaeology, Theology

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

Reviews

[Kalliope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been sitting in my library for too many years and it has suffered to have been put in boxes and moved from one place to another. Buried in boxes or in other books. But I finally dug it out so that it could come to life and tell me its story.

What prompted its rescue was the series of Lectures that the Prado Museum is currently offering. The cycle will last till the spring and the running theme is the Bible and Art. Since I have visited the Book of Books so very little, I hoped that this read would help me bridge the gap, of my knowledge, and of the passage of time of thousands of years – quickly.

First published in 1955 under the better title (Und die Bibel hat doch Recht - And the Bible is Right After All), it was soon translated into very many languages. Twenty years later came the revised edition. I just wish we had something now that followed in the same lines because I felt sometimes as if the history of the digging of biblical sites had been left in suspension. Later times would have been able to bore deeper in the past.

Keller’s account is foremost archaeological in kind and structure. He reviews the chronology of archaeologists of his last hundred years and their finds, along the chronology of the Events as presented in the Sacred Scriptures. It assumes that the reader knows, and very well, the Biblical narration, composition and origins. I was not therefore, its ideal reader.

Keller’s conclusion is stated in his original title. Yes, the archaeological findings do support the veracity of the core in the narrative of the Bible. And his main attention is devoted to the Old Testament, occupying the greatest part of the book. But in a brilliant postscript written by Joachim Rehork, he reminds us of several other aspects. One is that yes, it was a history but understood differently from the way we do now; second of its prophetic nature that would palliate its imperfections and inconsistencies; and finally the sheer literary magic of its text.

What was an additional surprise for me when I rescued this volume was to find out about Werner Keller, and I now wonder if a biography has been devoted to him.

Keller, born in 1909, was a man of many abilities. He studied Engineering, Law and Medicine and worked as a Civil Servant under Albert Speer but sought and managed nonetheless to save the lives of many Jews. Consequently he put his own life at a great risk, and was lucky to save it at the very last moment, for the Americans arrived just in time.

As I continue to explore the Bible, I have opted to step down a few levels – in difficulty but not in depth – and am currently reading...


But I may reread Keller and am eyeing also

[Quirkyreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book about Biblical history. Granted, I am giving it a 3 star because this book was initially written in German using a German translation of the Bible. So reading the passages involves having three additional books along with the text. The three books being, a German translation of the Bible,(specifically the one done by Martin Luther), an English translation of that translation, and a German dictionary. Having some background with the language it did make it somewhat easier for me to read.

I was able to make my way through it as just reading the book as a history book and not one based in scripture.

It was also upsetting reading this, because many of the places talked about in this book no longer “exist” due to geopolitical things that have been happening in the area.

If you have time, read this book because it will give some insights on what was happening around the time when the scriptures were written.

[Andre · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not much to say about this book except that the title is totally misleading as is the book description. Even back then when I was still somewhat wet behind the ears I noticed immediately that the title doesn't fit at all and the book is not what its claimed to be. The book simply finds explanations for certain events described in the Bible, e.g. the sugary "bread" in Exodus is simply sugar produced by lice, which of course do not stop producing simply because its the 7th day of the week. Also the birds God gave the Hebrews after leaving Egypt were simply quails that were exausted from their long flight over the red sea (which could be a translation error and it meant not the sea we know today) and therefore easy to catch. In addition it shows that certain places did indeed exist, which is not so surprising now that I think about it since Jerusalem exists as well. But either way that is all the book does in that account, and these places do not mean that the Bible is history in any way. If you say the Bible is true because some places mentioned in it were found to have existed is the same as saying Troy existed so Homer's Iliad must be actual history.

[Chuck Engelhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent choice for me. It was refreshing to read a book examining the Bible, written by an unbeliever, yet treating treating it with respect. Too often, challenges today are presented with so much scorn that they fail to present reasoned arguments or recognize that intelligent people find the Bible reliable. Warner is not afraid to say that in certain cases the Bible appears to differ from the archealogical evidence, but he does so with evidence and respect. The finds he discusses are too numerous to mention, and I know that I was impressed with the research and encouraged in my faith. I highly recommend this to build a historical foundation for Bible reading, especially the Old Testament.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author really doesn't know the bible. He knows some things about the bible, and knows the basic idea of the bible, but he really doesn't get it. Second, he does a terrible job at investigated the translations that he uses. Third, he is very clearly not a theologian, archaeologist or authority on the subject that he is writing on. It's as though he had a hobby that he was descent at, and convinced himself he was great at it, then wrote a book. Fourth, this work is very dated and should really only be read in light of more recent finds. If you don't know anything about archeology, or history, stay away from this book because you'll just confuse yourself. As you read, it is important not to consider things as infallible. History will tell us one thing, but then we find out that it's not that simple. Science shows us the possibility of one thing happening, and gives us probability, but there are many things widely accepted that cannot be absolutely proven and tested in the confines of science. Archeology can show us something, but only a fool is too confident in what can be known about the ancient past. It is good to have a healthy level of skepticism with many things, especially in the light of many recent things that have been proven in recent years. With that being said, the author had too many rushed conclusions. He saw problems where they didn't exist, and often delved into an area of skepticism that was not healthy. It was very common for the popular scholars at the time to view the bible with over-board skepticism, and he was obviously a product of that line of reasoning. Throughout the entire book, there is the assumption that there cannot be a god and that miracles cannot exist - even though such assumptions come from bias, and not fact. If someone claims a miracle, it cannot be rejected simply because it does not fit in the confines of a pre-conceived bias. It has to be analyzed, observed, and studied scientifically. There have been many well-documented cases which suggest there is more than just the physical, things from demonic activity to supernatural, unexplainable, miracles. He has a lot of assumption present, even when it doesn't make the most logical and obvious sense. He doesn't look at all the evidence but only the evidence that supports his view: that some things in the bible are sort of right, from a certain point of view. He tries to be objective, but his bias is too often shown, and though he sets out to show the bible as historical, he fights against himself without making the most sense of the data. He takes a very long time to say a very little, and then contradicts himself - all things that could be said in the space of a paragraph. In the end, he sees the bible from the view of an almost atheistic, completely naturalistic partially true pseudo-historical account. He ignores the limitations of present knowledge, archeology, science and historical accounts. People see insurmountable problems that don't exist, and then those problems are resolved and people imagine more problems. He often even treats the bible as inferior to other historical works, which doesn't make sense since it is a historical work. He assumes it was written for reasons it was not. The bible contains history, but it's not interested in saying things in a modern, scientific, and chronological pattern. It is unconcerned with evolution and many other things that modern minds are concerned about. Finally, the guy who worked on the revised edition said it best:
It would be foolish to criticize these texts because their authors did not yet adhere to the standards which we are now accustomed to apply to the writing of history and which in their turn are not destined to be eternal... We must not squeeze the bible into the procrustean bed of our demands for historical truth and scientific objectivity... The bible does not attempt to be a neutral, objective account (437)
Thank God the editor realized the limitations that the original author was too arrogant about. The writer assumes he knows more than people who were there, as though he is more advanced than they. Yes, we are more "civilized" in ways, but that doesn't mean that people back then were idiots. He often doesn't follow evidence and reason but the skepticism of others. He also includes the books of maccabees and the works of josephus. He makes broad claims that are unfounded and just roles with them. For instance, in chapter 26 he assumes that Judaism and its monotheistic beliefs were a natural progression from polytheism, even though human systems become more complicated over time, not less. Also, it has been well argued that history and archeology points to polytheism coming after monotheism, a major view of Wilhelm Schmidt. There are many reasons to believe in such a system, yet the author decided what he wanted to believe and assumed the evidence guaranteed his view. There are many differences between YHWH and other gods, but he ignores them. There are reasons to believe that the texts were written long before he states, but he ignores that too. The bible has been shown in more modern works to not be a product of its time, see for instance "the bible among myths". As time goes on, more and more proof surfaces to prove the historical value of the bible. Israel never got rid of all the Canaanites, who continued to live among them. The bible also says that the Israelites started repeating their practices. So of course we find that in archeology as well. His conclusion? The laws was a product of years and years of rewriting history, and Israel wasn't really monotheistic. The law has no contending traditions for what happened yet it's not believed. The New Testament has sects and cult-galore, and it's not believed either. Some people will never be satisfied with the obvious, but instead will try to disprove things that are more than likely probable, simply because they don't want it to be true. The bible gives details of what happened, and people make stuff up anyways. If it would have given more details, people would have missed the message and the main point. If it would have given less details people would reject the message as not factual. The truth is, people are looking for things to be preoccupied with so they don't have to accept the message. But still, this book is not about faith, but about the bible as history. His refusal to acknowledge miracles and God is natural, because he wants to show history. Still, he missed the purpose of the bible, he rushed conclusions, and he assumed what was not definite. Thank God there are better books than this to give us a fuller picture.

[Seth Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but didn't love it. I think the author jumps to some unwarranted conclusions and perhaps exaggerates and embellishes the evidence a bit from time to time. But nevertheless, it does my soul good to know that at least many of the people, places, and things mentioned in the Bible can indeed be verified 100% through modern day archeology. In fact, many of the findings simply cannot be disputed. The truth is like that and I find it very refreshing. I'm still waiting for the book entitled 'The Book Of Mormon as History'. I have a feeling I'll be waiting a very long time for that one.

[Aaron Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

For an interesting look into the history of the bible as proven by archaeology this book should be on your short list. The majority of the book deals with the Old Testament, but there is a decent sized section on the New Testament. Some of the finds really make the words of the bible much more understandable. I recommend it to everybody who asks me about history and the bible, and desire a good introduction to the subject.

[Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems to be almost a rule today that Biblical scholars assign a degree of fiction to the narratives outlined in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. It makes sense to a degree. Who ever heard of the Philistines, the Moabites, the Edomites, the Amalekites, and where do we read about the great defeat of Pharoah's army in the annals of Ancient Egypt? In this very readable work, Werner Keller takes a look at the Old Testament narrative, and even some of the New Testament chronicles, and examines them in the light of history and archeology.

The main thrust of Keller's arguement is that the places mentioned in the Bible are real, and have been discovered by archeologists in the past century of so. Ur, the city where Abraham was born, is a real place. There actually is tall ziggurat in the city of Babylon which could have been the tower of Babel. A number of ancient settlements in the Dead Sea area have been identified, and two of them may have been Sodom and Gommorah. The tunnel into the sewers of Jerusalem, the place where David's army is described as entering the city and conquering it from the Jebusites, has also been found. Finally, the city of Capernaum has been found, and some of the places that were referenced in the gospels seem to be there as well.

While archeology can only go so far to validate the claims of the Bible, the fact that the places described are real places is a good start. This book, however, is old, and there have been many more finds in Biblical Archeology which have confirmed more aspects of the Biblical accounts. The Qumran scrolls alone have shed a tremendous amount of light on the nature of Judaism and ascetic Jewish practices at the time of Jesus. Discovery of records in the ancient cities of Mesopotamia have shed more light on the events described in the Old Testament. It seems that the more archeologists learn about the world in Biblical times, the more that the Biblical accounts make sense. If this book had been written today, it would have been far more compelling.

If you are interested in biblical history, this is a great book to start with.

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title implies, the purpose of this book is to prove that The Bible is not fiction. Rather, it is historical and the book really succeeded in proving that. The Old Testament part (which is 2/3 of the book) is quite confusing because it covers several generations of prophets, kings, etc. However, the New Testament was a breeze. I think it could have been an easier read if the reader is very familiar with the Old Testament. This book is one that I will remember for the rest of my life and thanks to Kuya Simon for giving this old but still readable copy to me when I was in San Diego in 2005. This being timeless, I could not wait for the next edition (updated version) so I can read this book again. This is a very appropriate lenten season read as it strengthen my faith and belief to the Almighty!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Take into account that this book was published in 1956 and was written by a German author who was neither archeologist nor historian. The author's intent was to demonstrate through current (at the time) archeological and other information that the Holy Bible is in fact historical. It was sometimes dull and sometimes fascinating. In any case, a student of the Bible, and especially of the Old Testament, will find the book intriguing. Putting many Old Testament stories and prophets in chronological rather than canonical order made it more understandable. I would guess this book is out of print many years ago, but it might be on the shelf of a library or in someone's private collection. My mother-in-law lent it to me.

[Bookwyrmgyrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a good book! It takes you through a great deal of modern archaeology as related to the Bible. A wonderful read!

[Claire Scorzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A extensão de informações, de dados, de registros das descobertas que formam boa parte da arqueologia bíblica faz deste um livro que merece ser lido, relido e consultado; o senão fica por conta do tom racionalista por parte do seu autor - mas não empana a importância e riqueza apresentada na obra.

[Wesley Machiela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read that looks at the historical angle of the Bible.

[Katy M · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-a book published in the month of your birth.

Very interesting, lots of information on archaeology, carbon dating, history, etc.

[Fabiano Parmesan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho letto una prima edizione.
Encomiabili gli sforzi di interpretare in chiave storica le vicende più rilevanti dell'antico testamento. Talvolta ci riesce bene.
Superbo l'apparato cartografico che aiuta la comprensione dei testi.

[Marta Di · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume interessantissimo ricco di notizie utili. unico neo il non considerare affatto l'aspetto religioso della Bibbia

[Michael D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never before had I been interested in Archaeology. Until now. I could not put this book down, causing me to stay up too late, routinely. But it was so worth it. Every night was like "what are they going to discover next?" So, it's definitely on my short list of personal favorites, and I earnestly recommend it to anyone who wants a clear, palpable ride through a most fascinating chunk 0f ancient history.

[Naísia Xavier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eu acho que preciso começar falando sobre editorialização, especificamente.
Por exemplo, sobre quando se dá a um livro um título que, em comparação com seu real conteúdo, pode ser considerado sensacionalista. Senão, vejamos:
O que originalmente, em inglês, é The Bible as History, em português, é vendido como E a Bíblia tinha Razão... Como a ciência comprova os acontecimentos descritos na Bíblia". Aumentou, heim?

Me parece que a Editora Melhoramentos não deveria tentar passar um livro de popularização da ciência arqueológica como se fosse um livro de apologética cristã, simplesmente porque ele não é.

Basicamente, este é um volume que trata da autoridade da Arqueologia em relação à informações descritas na Bíblia, e não da autoridade da Bíblia sobre o que quer que seja. Teologicamente, no máximo, teríamos aqui Teologia Liberal. Por isso, é inapropriado embrulhá-lo para aquele tipo de público que quer fundamentar suas razões na Bíblia.

Dito isso, e desfeito o equívoco comercializante, vamos ao texto em si: Magnífico, se é um livro sobre História Antiga que você procura.

> Acho que não se fazem muito mais autores como Werner Keller hoje em dia. Não há uma frase neste volume que não seja elegamente escrita e prazerosa de ler.

>> O livro tem muita informação. No começo, pode parecer um pouco puxado, embora, desde sempre, muito interessante. E quando você se esforça um pouco e pega o ritmo, fica cada vez mais difícil deixá-lo de lado.

>>> Raro é um capítulo em que não haja pelo menos uma passagem fascinante, e não há nenhum deles que não seja excelentemente bem-escrito.

E de fato, a Bíblia tem razão em muitas coisas a respeito das quais foi a única testemunha durante séculos.

Para o leitor leigo, será uma surpresa descobrir que muito do conteúdo sobre as civilizações da Mesopotâmia e Crescente Fértil na Antiguidade, que preenche os nossos livros de História no Ensino Médio hoje, passou muitos séculos desacreditado, simplesmente porque sua única fonte histórica era a Bíblia.

The Bible as History é a narrativa de uma grande aventura que começou na metade do Século XIX, quando escavadores, profissionais e diletantes - incluindo missionários -, muitos por motivações religiosas, resolveram tomar as informações do texto bíblico com boa fé e desenterraram milênios de civilizações que jaziam nas areias do deserto, de forma que cada vez mais se comprovou arquologicamente a fidegnidade das escrituras como fonte de conhecimento histórico.

Porém, aqui vem o aspecto faca de dois gumes:

1. Se você já acredita na Bíblia, vai acreditar mais. Se não acredita, também vai acreditar mais.
2. Mas se já acredita, também vai perceber que, às vezes --ou melhor, com frequência--, essa abordagem reduz impropriamente o que se sabe que é verdade, pela fé; explorações propriamente teológicas, hermenêuticas e homiléticas comentam de forma muito mais satisfatória e rica acontecimentos e aspectos os quais, as limitações inerentes ao paradigma adotado nessa obra em particular, põem em dúvida, restringem ou empobrecem.

Para a textualidade em si, especialmente fruto da erudição e estilo do senhor Werner Keller, em poderia dar 4 ou 5 estrelas. Mas, pela aderência à Teologia Liberal pressuposta em sua abordagem do texto bíblio, eu jamais poderia endossar uma recomendação, a não ser com restrições e cuidados. Por isso, 2 estrelas.

[Cesar Gil · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the time it was published, little was thought of the bible as more than a collection of symbolic stories with some symbolic meaning. The number of discoveries made helped confirm much of what the bible said, although many of the author's explanations are rather disappoint eg, the supposed global flood was little more than a regional flood, albeit extensive. Some other explanations are a forced match, though concrete in their real findings but requiring a lot of flexibility and interpretation in their matching to the biblical text.
That is not to say that it doesn't add anything to the credibility of the bible. At the time it was published, so little was thought of the plausibility of the biblical stories that this was a great advance. However, nowadays there are much better books on biblical archaelogy and apologetics that make this book seem dated. Also in the face of much more rigorous demands, what was once found to be great advance now seems lacking under a much more rigorous, almost mathematical scrutiny.
This book still has its value, though being dated. It contains lots of useful information, and being one of the first of its kind, it will always have its merits.

[Kim Browers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to get some historical background before I undertook reading the Bible cover to cover this year. I don't even know how I acquired this book, but I am so glad I did! I am completely drawn in to Keller's enthusiasm and depth of knowledge of Biblical history and archaeology. I am searching for other works he may have written, because of his writing style and thoroughness! The way he was able to bring to life the peoples, customs, and cities that are mentioned or existed during the time of well-known Biblical characters is fantastic. Even a layperson like myself was able to enjoy his candid approach to a heavy and complex subject. While some of the battles and peoples were out of context for me at this point, I believe it will definitely help as I embark on my own journey through the Bible. I highly recommend this for those who have interest in the ancient Near East, Semitic history, Archaeology, and the science and historical context of Biblical times. What a jewel this turned out to be!

[Gerry Haines · Rating 5 out of 5]

In terms of a factual book, looking at one of the great treasures of the Western World, this is a must read. there are those who insist that there must be a 'rational explanation' to everything they meet in Scripture, and those who feel that ' rational explanations devalue the their faith in a miracle working God.

This book attempts to show what historians and archaeologists have discovered about the places and times that the Bible stories we all know were set in. It is not attempting to discredit , or to prove any particular point of view, just show the evidence that exists.

And what emerges is surprising. Places we thought of as merely legend actually existed, and people who we may well think had some basis in history turn out to have adventures very much like mythical heros of pagan lands.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I might not have read had I not challenged myself to read a large quantity of books originally written in German and translated into English.  This is the last book of that series that I have read, and it is a good one.  This is by no means a perfect book, as books written about the Bible by those whose understanding is often lacking will lead inevitably to flaws [1], but by and large this book is an enjoyable one to read that sits at about the "Kitchen line" of texts on biblical history.  That makes this book an acceptable one, and the fact that the author takes the Bible seriously as ancient history is itself an approach that I can appreciate, as well as his honest struggles with understanding the mysterious details included (and omitted) in scripture as well.  This is the sort of book that sets an acceptable minimal standard of how seriously a work is to take the Bible, and if an author shows less respect for the Bible and less understanding of its factual basis than this one, the book can safely be disregarded.

Overall, this is a somewhat lengthy book of more than 400 pages, divided into OT and NT history, and then several parts within those and more than 40 chapters total.  The first section of the book looks at the history of the Old Testament.  The first part of this section looks at the coming of the Patriarchs from Abraham to Jacob and contains chapters on the Fertile Crescent (1), Ur (2), the flood (3), Babylonian flood stories (4), Mari (5), the journey to Canaan (6), and Abraham and Lot in Canaan (7).  After that the author examines Israel in Egypt, with chapters on Joseph in Egypt (8), the long biblical silence during their slavery (9), and forced labor in the delta region (10).  Several chapters deal with the wilderness experience, including Israel on the road to Sinai (11), at the mountain of Moses (12), under desert skies (13), and on the threshold of the promised land (14).  The period of the Judges and Saul takes up the next section with chapters about Israel's invasion of Canaan (15), Israel settling down (16), the invasion of the Philistines (17), and Israel under the yoke of the Philistines (18).  Four chapters cover Israel as an empire under David (19), Solomon as a copper king (20), the Queen of Sheba as a business partner (21), and Israel's colorful daily life (22).  After this the author turns his attention to the divided kingdoms by looking at Israel under the shadow of Assyria (23), the end of the Northern kingdom (24), Judah under Assyrian domination (25), the seductive fertility religions of Canaan (26), the destruction of Assyria (27), and the last days of Judah (28).  The rest of the first section looks at the exilic and post-exilic history of Judah as Judah is educated in exile (29), Babylon falls to Persia (30), Cyrus shows tolerance (31), some exiles return to Jerusalem (32), Judah faces rising Greek influence (33), and the people of Judah battle for religious freedom (34).  The second section of the book looks at the New Testament, with several chapters dealing with the life of Jesus Christ, including chapters on Palestine as a Roman province (35), the star of Bethlehem (36), Nazareth in Galilee (37), John the Baptist (38), the trial and crucifixion of Christ (39), and the Turin shroud (40).  After this the book contains two numbered chapters on the apostles including Paul's life and journeys (41) and the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus (42) as well as unnumbered chapters on the Dead Sea scrolls and rebuilding with the help of the Bible, after which the book closes with a postscript, bibliography, and index.

While this book hits all the high notes one would expect in a book that takes the Bible seriously as history, there are definitely some curveballs this book shows as well.  For one, the author pays way more close attention to the Shroud of  Turin than I personally have at least to date, although at least he does not show himself to be credulous in accepting all of the claims about it.  Additionally, the author shows himself to be deeply interested in the common life of people in biblical times and not only in the large scope of epic political history.  There are nevertheless at least a few areas where the author sows himself strangely incurious about various biblical mysteries that other people are fond of, and he does not appear to have an interest in the spread of Christianity via the apostles to far flung areas of the world nor the moral message of biblical prophets by and large.  A book like this one reveals the author's interests and the seriousness he takes the Bible, and includes one intriguing comparison of the Bible with the Assyrian chronicles concerning the overthrow of Pekah the son of Remaliah and penultimate independent ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel.  Overall, this is a book to be enjoyed, if not entirely agreed with.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011...

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. It was easy to read without dumbing down the information. I also liked that the author doesn't spend time trying to justify discrepancies in things, just stated the information, how some historical accounts didn't fit with Biblical accounts, and left it at that.

[Leanne Britt]

I found this on my boyfriend's parent's book shelf. I love archaeology and would like to know more about biblical times...seemed the perfect read. Not exactly a page turner, but definitely interesting so far. I will probably take a while to finish this book.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amazing thing is this is a translation from german and yet is still compulsively readable. Fascinating stuff!

[Margo Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a look at the times and events of the Bible with a historical perspective. It is well-written and fascinating. Definitely worth a second read.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was such a boring read... Couldn't make it to the end.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The light shed by archaeology on the veracity of the Bible.

[Pippin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used this for a research paper. Good and solid, with gobs of information.

[Rob Markley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In defending rating this five stars there are a number of caveats. Firstly I read the 1955 edition and I am troubled what updates and revisions have come to light over the last 70 years - for example there are definite controversies and disagreements on tying in ancient history timelines - the time and Pharaohs of Exodus for example, which are not addressed. However Keller is not writing as an archaeological scholar but rather a journalist and thus the book is not obliged to enter the arguments, merely to tell a story. That is not to say that the story he is telling is an uncritical one. This is in no way a literalist biblical apologetic snatching isolated examples to naively prove biblical infallibility. Rather this writing comes from the end of an era within which the entire canon of scripture had been subject to ridicule in every aspect and written off as a total work of fiction. Therefore Keller is bringing a revelation - that archaeology is finding just how surprisingly insightful even isolated asides of scripture are to what was only then being discovered. The bible is in fact the best and most accurate of all ancient sources (and resources).

Of course there are gaps in the archaeological record (lack of written records for David & Solomon), anachronisms in the bible (Keller is definite that the numbers involved in the exodus are exaggerated) and the bible is naturally an internalised version lacking a global context. However the biblical record really does fit and can no longer be dismissed as irrelevant to scholarship simply because it is the bible.

So what then is the value of Keller's book for 2017? It provides a great introduction to the world of the bible for those whom the bible is important. For those who already have a beginning in the ancient near east it provides important pointers to fit together the ancient narrative. However that sounds underwhelming. Keller brings in lots of wonderful material - archaeology, ancient documents, geology, botany, geography, and sure he jumps around sometimes a little chaotically, but he truly does bring to life 'the bible as history'.