The Origin of the History of Israel: Herodotus' Histories as Blueprint for the First Books of the Bible

Description

This book aims to demonstrate that "Primary History", the historical work contained in the first nine books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis-2 Kings), was written as one unitary work, in deliberate emulation of the Greek-language Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus (completed circa 440 BCE), so that the diversity of its books and sections is largely a literary device. The work is believed to have been written in the period 440-420 BCE, in the period of reform usually associated with the name of Nehemiah. Though this thesis does not directly affect questions of historicity, understanding the literary nature of "Primary History" promises to open new vistas for research into the history of Israel, the Hebrew Bible in general and the history of the Hebrew language.

Dr. Jan-Wim Wesselius is Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Semitic Studies in the Theological University of Kampen, The Netherlands.

"[The parallels cited by Wesselius] are always interesting and novel and challenging, and Wesselius certainly deserves great credit for bringing them to our attention." --Louis H. Feldman, Journal of Hebrew Scriptures 2003-2004 "...provocative and daring...I applaud the care and honesty with which W. [Wesselius] confronts intellectual and cultural problems and the simplicity and elegance of his writing..."" -Theological Studies" * Blurb from reviewer *