The History Of The Religion Of Israel

The history and religion of Israel are inseparable and yet stand in sharp contrast to each other. The history of Israel is in one sense only a minor feature in the broad complex of ancient Near Eastern history. With the possible exception of the reigns of David and Solomon, Israel never attained imperial status.

The history and religion of Israel are inseparable and yet stand in sharp contrast to each other. The history of Israel is in one sense only a minor feature in the broad complex of ancient Near Eastern history. With the possible exception of the reigns of David and Solomon, Israel never attained imperial status.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1883.

'Shahak subjects the whole history of Orthodoxy ... to a hilarious and scrupulous critique.' --Christopher Hitchens, The Nation

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The historical and literary questions about ancient Israel that traditionally have preoccupied biblical scholars have often overlooked the social realities of life experienced by the vast majority of the population of ancient Israel. Volumes in the Library of Ancient Israel draw on multiple disciplines -- such as archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and literary criticism -- to illumine the everyday realities and social subtleties these ancient cultures experienced. This series employs sophisticated methods resulting in original contributions that depict the reality of the people behind the Hebrew Bible and interprets these scholarly insights for a wide variety of readers. Individually and collectively, these books will expand our vision of the culture and society of ancient Israel, thereby generating new appreciation for its impact up to the present.Patrick Miller investigates the role religion played in an expanding circle of influences in ancient Israel: the family, village, tribe, and nation-state. He situates Israel's religion in context where a variety of social forces affected beliefs, and where popular cults openly competed with the "official" religion. Miller makes extensive use of both epigraphic and artefactual evidence as he deftly probes the complexities of Iron Age culture and society and their enduring significance for people today.

Excerpt from The History of the Religion of Israel: An Old Testament It has been thought best to present the whole History of Israel in one course of lessons. This could not be done without great compression of the matter; but it is hoped that the Primer in this shape will not be beyond the grasp of children of twelve years and upwards. Where the condensation is so great, much is necessarily left to the knowledge and discretion of the teacher. He must treat the various subjects as he thinks best for his class, - abridging here, and expanding there; dividing one lesson into two, or throwing two into one; omitting one or more lessons, if he thinks fit, and substituting for them other matter. He most freely discuss the opinions expressed in the Primer, dissenting from and modifying them according to his best judgment. One or two suggestions may be made as to the conduct of the lessons. It is very desirable that the teacher should bring himself into hearty sympathy with the period studied, so as to give his pupils a vivid picture of its outward circumstances and its thought. The cultivation of the historical sense will be worth more than the acquisition of facts. To aid him in this task a short list of books of reference is appended to each lesson. Only such books are mentioned as it is believed will be useful to Sunday-school instructors. Every Sunday-school should have a reference library. (See the List of Books on page xi; also Catalogue of Books recommended by the Ladies' Commission, Boston, 1871.) About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.