Ebook: The Bible Unearthed : Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts

In this iconoclastic and provocative work, leading scholars Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman draw on recent archaeological research to present a dramatically revised portrait of ancient Israel and its neighbors. They argue that crucial evidence (or a telling lack of evidence) at digs in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon suggests that many of the most famous stories in the Bible—the wanderings of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, and David and Solomons vast empire—reflect the world of the later authors rather than actual historical facts.
Challenging the fundamentalist readings of the scriptures and marshaling the latest archaeological evidence to support its new vision of ancient Israel, The Bible Unearthed offers a fascinating and controversial perspective on when and why the Bible was written and why it possesses such great spiritual and emotional power today.

“The boldest and most exhilarating synthesis of the Bible and archaeology in fifty years.”
— Baruch Halpern, author of The First Historians: The Hebrew Bible and History

“A bold and provocative book, well researched, well written, and powerfully argued. It challenges many of the assumptions developed by the literal religious minds of the ages, opening traditional possibilities to new conclusions.”
—John Shelby Spong, author of Here I Stand: My Struggle for a Christianity of Integrity, Love, and Equality

“A brutally honest assessment of what archaeology can and cannot tell us about the historical accuracy of the Bible... presented with both authority and panache."
— Jonathan Kirsch. Los Angeles Times