This article by Daniel Lazare is very interesting. Through his research and that of others he shows how many of the stories and occurrences that are found in the Bible are not entirely accurate. He shows how, in some cases, these stories are just that, stories. Take for example the Davidic Empire. Archeologists once thought it was comparable to the Roman Empire. The research points to this not being the case. The Davidic Empire appears to be some sort of invention of the Jerusalem-based priest.
All of this research/documentation can be considered a controversial topic for many. Mr. Lazare is re-writing the history that many Christians/Jews know to be the history of Christianity/Judaism. He is bold to state, “Judaism appears to have been the product not of some dark and nebulous period of early history but of a more modern age of big-power politics in which every nation aspired to the imperial greatness of a Babylon or an Egypt.” He is able to boldly state this due to his research concluding that the Israelites are now thought to be a culture developed on the west side of the Jordan River rather than that “band of invaders” that battled their way into the Holy Land.
In addition to speaking on the actual time and place that biblical cultures lived in comparison to what research shows and refutes (ie. The exodus never happened. That is backed up by mounting evidence such as border defenses or lack of camp sites), he also speaks about biblical figures. Given the knowledge we have today about Israelite origin, research leads us to believe that a character such as Abraham never existed. The same can be said about Moses. These characters seem to be no more real than the Greek Gods.
Mr. Lazare continues with describing how this “new generation of archeologists [have] taken everything its teachers said about ancient Israel and stood it on its head.” His questioning and that of many others has shown that many things aren’t as they are taught in the Bible. They questioned because they exposed a mistake of the first archeologists. The first archeologists, “…rather than allowing the facts to speak for themselves, they had tried to fit them into a preconceived theoretical framework.” This could be one of the main reasons why the relationship between the Bible and science has become cold again.
Personal Reflection –
Traditionally I can see where individuals can have a problem with research and findings such as these. His research all but tells me I’m crazy for believing the writings found in the Bible. He is telling me that everything I know concerning the Bible and its history is false. Abraham and Moses are not real. The best way to describe the feeling that it creates is like telling a child that Santa does not exist. All that being said, I do believe his research is enlightening. It offers a different take on what most everyone I know does not question. The element of faith in what is written to be true comes into play here. I did not feel as though he was preaching opinion, but relating the facts, nothing more.
