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.

"A wholly fascinating study that explores all the stresses and strains of Bible scholarship and exposes the white-hot controversies surrounding archaeology in the Holy Land." Los Angeles Times

"[A]n engaging overview...provides readers with a lovely window onto a little-known set of ideas." Publishers Weekly

"A wide-ranging and engaging book." Gustav Niebuhr, The New York Times

"The last two decades have witnessed a fierce debate in the field of biblical studies....It is surprising that a popular guide to the current 'biblical wars,' written by a knowledgeable investigator, has not appeared until now." Hillel Halkin, The Forward

"Deftly moving from a tourist's approach to the site at Mount Nebo and through a synopsis of the biblical account, Marcus takes us into the drama of repeated searches for evidence of Moses' burial....She is a journalist with an eye for 'story' and details that appeal to a popular audience." Nan Sumner Mack, Providence Journal

"A popular guide to the current 'biblical wars.'...A tapestry that shuttles back and forth between three related foci: the Bible's version of history and contemporary disputes about it; the archaeologists and historians who are the leading players in these disputes; and some of the ways in which these disputes have spilled over into the lives of Arabs and Israelis who, consciously or not, are caught up in national myths that make use of the Bible or particular interpretations of it....The reader is left with a better sense of the ideas the controversy is about." Hillel Halkin, Forward

Amy Dockser Marcus joined The Wall Street Journal in 1988 and from 1991 to 1998 was based in Tel Aviv as the newspaper's Middle East correspondent. She is currently a senior writer at Money.