Grabbe - The Dawn of Israel

The earliest mention of the name ‘Israel’ in history is found in an inscription by Merenptah from about 1208 BCE (§6.3.4). We know, therefore, that an entity called Israel had its origins already in the second millennium BCE. If that entity in Merenptah’s inscription had anything to do with the historical kingdom of Israel - which most scholars accept - then Israel (in some form) originated probably as early as the mid-second millennium and perhaps even earlier. It is part of the purpose of the present study to explore these roots.

The biblical text of course has the ancestors of Israel active already by this time. In the text only a few generations separate Abraham from the worldwide flood (Gen. 11:10-26), and a past generation of scholars commonly dated Abraham to about 2000 BCE. As we shall see, the biblical text cannot be taken at face value in this case (§ 1.2), but it illustrates that were we to be guided by the text, much of Israel’s prehistory would fit quite comfortably into the second millennium BCE. We shall see whether this is ultimately likely to be historical, but it gives us reason to want to know more about what was happening in the ancient Near East during this important millennium.

The aim of the present study is to give a survey of ancient Near Eastern history as a context for events in Canaan where the kingdoms of Israel and Judah existed in the first millennium все. The focus will be on the area of Canaan, often referred to - and this is a neutral geographical term without political or ideological implications - as Palestine. Primary sources (archaeology, inscriptions and contemporary texts) will be emphasized as the basis for any history of the time, though the views of present-day scholars will be considered where possible. The present study will thus link up with Ancient Israel: What Do We Know and How Do We Know it? (Grabbe 2017), which is primarily set in the first millennium BCE, though the contents relating to the earlier chapters of that book will be considered here in more detail.

Lester L. Grabbe – The Dawn of Israel – A History of Canaan in the Second Millenium BCE

London – New York – Dublin: T&T Clark, 2023. – 375 p.

ISBN 9780567663221 (hardback)

ISBN 9780567663214 (paperback)

ISBN 9780567663238 (pdf)

ISBN 9780567663245 (epub)

Lester L. Grabbe – The Dawn of Israel - Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Part I. INTRODUCTION

• Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION

• Chapter 2. THE THIRD-MILLENNIUM CONTEXT

Part II. MIDDLE BRONZE AGE (C.2000-1600 BCE)

• Chapter 3. ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN CONTEXT

• Chapter 4. SYRIA AND PALESTINE

Part III. LATE BRONZE AGE (C.1600-1200 BCE)

• Chapter 5. ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN CONTEXT, INCLUDING SYRIA

• Chapter 6. PALESTINE

Part IV. EARLY IRON AGE (C. 1200–900 BCE)

• Chapter 7. ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN CONTEXT , INCLUDING SYRIA AND TRANSJORDAN (1200–900 BCE)

• Chapter 8. PALESTINE (1200–900 BCE)

Part V. CONCLUSIONS

• Chapter 9. THE ORIGINS OF ISRAEL – A HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE