ABRAHAM’S FAMILY HISTORY – BIBLICAL, REDEMPTIVE HISTORY "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods” (Joshua 24:2). Society of Biblical Literature Ancient Israel and Its Literature Steven L. McKenzie, General Editor Editorial Board Suzanne Boorer Victor H. Matthews Th omas C. Römer Benjamin D. Sommer Nili Wazana Number 9 LEVITES AND PRIESTS IN BIBLICAL HISTORY AND TRADITION. Early History of Israel . — (Society of Biblical Literature ancient Israel and its literature ; number 14) Includes bibliographical references and index. p. cm. A BRIEF HISTORY OF ISRAEL The history of the Jewish people, and their roots in the Land of Israel, spans thirty-five centuries. There, a significant part of the nation's long history was enacted, of which the first thousand years are recorded in the Bible; there, its cultural, religious, and national identity was formed; and there, its physical presence has been maintained through the centuries, even after the majority was forced into exile. Much of what scholars know about Israel’s ancient history comes from the Hebrew Bible. M. D. Coogan (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 149–51, 171–72. The birthplace of the Jewish people is the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael). 8. ISBN 978-1-58983-749-2 (paper binding : alk. The gap between the evidence and the claims for the text has grown so wide as to be unbridgeable, given current assumptions. biblical events in the life of Israel have proven fruitless. Their history and presence in this land has been continuous and unbroken throughout the centuries, even after the majority of Jews were It is here that the culture and religious identity of the Jewish people was formed. See Lawrence E. Stager, “The Archaeology of the Family in Ancient Israel,” BASOR 260 (1985): 25–28; idem, “Forging an Identity: The Emergence of Ancient Israel,” in The Oxford History of the Biblical World, ed. paper) — ISBN 978-1-58983-750-8 ... redactional history suggests a significant span of time between the earlier