The View from Nebo: How Archaeology Is Rewriting the Bible & Reshaping the ....

"One of the central paradoxes of the Bible is that while it tells readers everything they need to know, they always want to know more. They want to see Nebo for themselves, to climb to the top of the mountain, look out at Canaan, and see what Moses saw. The earliest biblical interpreters were schola [...]
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"One of the central paradoxes of the Bible is that while it tells readers everything they need to know, they always want to know more. They want to see Nebo for themselves, to climb to the top of the mountain, look out at Canaan, and see what Moses saw. The earliest biblical interpreters were scholars--whose work influenced generations of biblical historians. In their books, they would often retell stories from the Scriptures. They recognized what many of the most ardent pilgrims to Nebo did not: whether one is interpreting a biblical passage or an archaeological artifact, the story invariably shifts. The view from the summit of Nebo is never the same. It is always changing as new ,possibilities that weren t considered before suddenly open up. This has never been more true than it is today. The View from Nebo The Bible has long been our guide to the history of the Middle East--a history that resonates with extraordinary force to this day. Now a new battle has erupted in the region over the reality of the Biblical past, with serious consequences for our times. While many events in the early books of the Bible are regarded as more symbolically than historically accurate, the remainder of the Old Testament has long been considered a reliable record of thousands of years of Middle East history. But recent dramatic and controversial discoveries at archaeological sites in the region have raised questions about many of the most widely accepted Biblical narratives. In The View from Nebo, leading Wall Street Journal reporter Amy Dockser Marcus investigates how modern archaeology is changing not only our understanding of the Scriptures, but the face of the Middle East today. With a compelling blend of science, history, politics, and Biblical scholarship, Marcus takes the reader on a tour through the books of the Old Testament to reveal startling new discoveries about the history of that time, including: Contrary to popular belief, the pyramids were not built by Israelite slaves but by Egyptian, artisans and laborers The united monarchy of David and Solomon, considered to be a golden age, was probably not in fact united, as Judah and Israel likely remained distinctly different states with unique cultures The Babylonian Exile is now believed to have been suffered by a relative minority, with life in Judah going on much as before These recent findings, and the many more that Marcus details, present a history of the ancient Middle East that is alternative to the accounts in the Bible. The discoveries are controversial not only for what they tell us about the Bible itself, but for their powerful repercussions on the contemporary Middle East. As the past casts its shadow on the present in the struggle for political hegemony and territory, The View from Nebo explores how the Bible belongs to everyone; how its stories continue to evolve as new information emerges; and how the problems that plague the modern Middle East have their roots in Biblical times--and may find their solutions there as well."