The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives
Encyclopedia
The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives (Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/New York, 1974) is a book by biblical scholar Thomas L. Thompson
, Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of Copenhagen
.
Subtitled "The Quest for the Historical Abraham", Thompson's book, together with John Van Seters
's "Abraham in History and Tradition
" (1975), marked the culmination of a growing current of dissatisfaction in scholarly circles with the then-current consensus (or near-consensus) on the Patriarchal narratives. The consensus can be summarised as the view that, even if archaeology could not directly confirm the existence of the patriarchs (Abraham
, Isaac
and Jacob
), it nonetheless confirmed that these stories originated in a second millennium BC setting based on the fact that many personal names, place names, and customs referenced in the Genesis narratives were unique to that era. This view was expressed by John Bright in his influential "History of Israel" (1959, 2nd edition 1960) in these words: "[O]ne is forced to the conclusion that the patriarchal narratives authentically reflect social customs at home in the second millennium rather than those of later Israel". Thompson and Van Seters pointed out that in fact none of the archaeological evidence cited by the dominant scholars of the time (notably William F. Albright
, E. A. Speiser, Cyrus Gordon, and Bright himself) actually provided irrefutable proof for the historicity of the Patriarchal narratives. "Not only has archaeology not proven a single event of the patriarchal traditions to be historical, it has not shown any of the traditions to be likely." Albright's reputation never quite recovered from the publication of Thompson's book.
Thomas L. Thompson
Thomas L. Thompson is a biblical theologian associated with the movement known as the Copenhagen School. He was professor of theology at the University of Copenhagen from 1993–2009, lives in Denmark and is now a Danish citizen.-Background:Thompson obtained a B.A...
, Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
.
Subtitled "The Quest for the Historical Abraham", Thompson's book, together with John Van Seters
John Van Seters
John Van Seters is a scholar of the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East. Currently University Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina, he was formerly James A. Gray Professor of Biblical Literature at UNC. He took his PhD at Yale University in Near Eastern Studies...
's "Abraham in History and Tradition
Abraham in History and Tradition
Abraham in History and Tradition is a book by biblical scholar John Van Seters.The book is divided into two parts, Abraham in History and Abraham in Tradition. In Part I part Van Seters argues that there is no unambiguous evidence pointing to an origin for the stories in the 2nd millennium BC...
" (1975), marked the culmination of a growing current of dissatisfaction in scholarly circles with the then-current consensus (or near-consensus) on the Patriarchal narratives. The consensus can be summarised as the view that, even if archaeology could not directly confirm the existence of the patriarchs (Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
, Isaac
Isaac
Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
and Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
), it nonetheless confirmed that these stories originated in a second millennium BC setting based on the fact that many personal names, place names, and customs referenced in the Genesis narratives were unique to that era. This view was expressed by John Bright in his influential "History of Israel" (1959, 2nd edition 1960) in these words: "[O]ne is forced to the conclusion that the patriarchal narratives authentically reflect social customs at home in the second millennium rather than those of later Israel". Thompson and Van Seters pointed out that in fact none of the archaeological evidence cited by the dominant scholars of the time (notably William F. Albright
William F. Albright
William Foxwell Albright was an American archaeologist, biblical scholar, philologist and expert on ceramics. From the early twentieth century until his death, he was the dean of biblical archaeologists and the universally acknowledged founder of the Biblical archaeology movement...
, E. A. Speiser, Cyrus Gordon, and Bright himself) actually provided irrefutable proof for the historicity of the Patriarchal narratives. "Not only has archaeology not proven a single event of the patriarchal traditions to be historical, it has not shown any of the traditions to be likely." Albright's reputation never quite recovered from the publication of Thompson's book.