Strong advocates for single-word answers to the question of whether biblical accounts of early Israel are historically accurate have argued for decades, but a centrist school is emerging that holds the biblical traditions, material culture data and ancient written sources are all relevant. These papers, based upon lectures delivered at the October 2005 colloquium, explain this position and describe the roles of archaeology and the Hebrew Bible, archaeology's uses in assessing the Bible's traditions, the historical origins of collective Israel, the tenth century as the test case for the Bible's historical relevance, evidence from the kingdoms of Israel and Judah in the Iron II period, and the implications for scholars and communities. Specific topics include the truth of exodus and conquest, the real roles of the patriarchs, the emergence of the Israelites and their settlements, and evidence of the golden age of King Solomon. The Society of Biblical Literature publishes the paperbound edition; Brill publishes the hardbound. Annotation 2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
