Synopses & Reviews
The settlement of the Land of Canaan by the Israelite tribes is a central theme in the Bible which is immensely relevant to the Middle East today.
Moshe Weinfeld synthesizes the biblical material on this theme, approaching his subject from three viewpoints: historical, using the Bible as a source; literary-comparatist, comparing Patriarchal stories of settlement with Greek and Roman foundation myths; exegetical, explaining that in Judaism land is a gift from God. He emphasizes the ethical weight of God's Promise of the Land, how failure to achieve it was seen as a reflection of sin and lack of faith, thus illustrating the importance of biblical tradition to one of the most troubled issues of modern history.
Synopsis
"Written by one of the outstanding biblical scholars in the world, this book is very important, not only as technical biblical criticism but also for its treatment of one of the most pressing and controversial issues of our own time."David N. Freedman, co-editor of The Archaeology of the Bible
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [265]-288) and indexes.
About the Author
Moshe Weinfeld is Professor of Biblical Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.