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David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition Paperback – April 3, 2007

by Israel Finkelstein (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 134 ratings
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There has been an explosion of recent discoveries in biblical archaeology. These finds have shed powerful light on figures and stories from the Bible -- and completely changed what we know about some of its most famous characters. The reputations of the first great kings, David and Solomon, evolved over hundreds of years. In David and Solomon, leading archaeologists Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman focus on the two great leaders as a window into the entire biblical era. David and Solomon covers one thousand years of ancient civilization, separating fact from legend and proving that the roots of the western tradition lie very deep.
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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 3, 2007
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0743243633
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0743243636
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A bold and provocative book, well researched, well written, and powerfully argued. It challenges many of the assumptions developed by the literal religious minds of the ages, opening traditional possibilities to new conclusions." -- John Shelby Spong, author of Here I Stand: My Struggle for a Christianity of Integrity, Love, and Equality

"A brutally honest assessment of what archaeology can and cannot tell us about the historical accuracy of the Bible, presented with both authority and panache." -- Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times

" . . . an intellectual high-wire act. Their audacity and skill is admirable . . . The book's most stunning accomplishment is its skillful reconciliation of competing perspectives within the biblical text." -- Archaeology Magazine

About the Author

Israel Finkelstein is a professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University. He is a leading figure in the archaeology of the Levant and the laureate of the 2005 Dan David Prize in the Past Dimension—Archaeology. Finkelstein served for many years as the Director of the Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University and is the co-Director of the Megiddo Expedition. He is the co-author, with Neil Silberman, of The Bible Unearthed and the author of many field reports and scholarly articles.

Neil Asher Silberman is director of historical interpretation for the Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation in Belgium. He is a contributing editor to Archaeology magazine and the author of The Hidden Scrolls: Christianity, Judaism, and the War for the Dead Sea Scrolls; The Message and the Kingdom; and Digging for God and Country, among other books.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Free Press (April 3, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743243633
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743243636
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 134 ratings

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  1. Israel Finkelstein

    Israel Finkelstein

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  2. Neil Asher Silberman

    Neil Asher Silberman

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    I was born in Boston and trained in Archaeology in Jerusalem, and I've spent most of my career writing and thinking about the power of historical myth. The characters of the past are always part of the present whether they are King Arthur, George Washington, or David and Solomon. After completing a series of books about the history of Archaeology in the Middle East, I teamed up with my good friend and colleague Israel Finkelstein to see what we could accomplish in the re-construction of modern views of biblical history and the ancient societies in which the Hebrew scriptures arose. And still later, I turned to fiction writing, crafting an over-the-top comic novel of time travel from a TV studio in Manhattan to a medieval castle called Camelot, with another lifelong friend and video pioneer, Michael Rosenblum. I hope that both my non-fiction books about the politics of archaeology and my novels persuade you to reconsider how our conventional (and often badly mistaken) visions of the past subtly yet powerfully influence our modern understanding of the present and future in every region of the world.

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
134 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Intellectual Warrior
5.0 out of 5 stars David and Solomon the mythological archetypal biblical monarchs
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2021
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A tour de force for authors Tinkle stein and Silverman who apply the best archeological data to the perplexing and controversial question: was the resplendent United Kingdom of David and Solomon a national myth that ultimately became the universal foundational text for divinely ordained monarchy or was it real? I think, as in their previous book " The Bible Unearthed," another brilliant work, the authors definitively demonstrate that the United Kingdom tradition is essentially a national politically important narrative based on the changing context of the Kingdom of Judah particularly during the late eighth and seventh centuries before the common era when Kings Hezekiah and, more importantly, his grandson Josiah used the myth to legitimize their attack on polytheism in a campaign to centralize power through monotheism. They show that during the early tenth century, Judah and Jerusalem were under populated centers incapable of supporting a Davidic empire; therefore, at best, David and his heirs were no more than local chieftains.
These claims have characterized the minimalist school of biblical archeology, championed by the authors and others, notably Thomas Thompson. They are opposed by the maxims list school, which argues that the biblical record should be given the benefit of the doubt unless it is actually discredited. This school has many champions, starting with Yigael Had in and Benjamin Mazar. It is currently championed by A. Mazar, Baruch Halpern and William Dever. Minimalist views however are gaining ground by using clear data and by basing itself of archeological finds rather than on shaky chronological arguments divorced from finds, although there is one controversial find that is pitting the two schools against one rather. We will have to see how it is settled.
4 people found this helpful
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jj
5.0 out of 5 stars Revelatory
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2023
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Once again the authors produce more than sufficient receipts to correct biblical propaganda and show how the David and Solomon legends developed, evolved, and have been propagated and molded for various purposes
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Peter G. Barth
4.0 out of 5 stars The stories of David and Solomon as told in the ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2015
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The stories of David and Solomon as told in the old testament are not matched by any written document from neighbouring states.
By a thorough analysis of what has been recorded from outside the area that was once governed by these kings, intelaced with archeologic findings in the area itself, a revised history is compiled of Judea and Israel. One important point raised by the authors is the probability that the histories of David and Solomon were not documented in written texts during their reigns, but orally transmitted and therefore liable to exaggeration, distortion and intermingling with saga from different areas and times, ultimately finding their place in the bible once these histories were written down after 900 BC,
2 people found this helpful
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Montague Whitsel
5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightened treatment of two major biblical figures
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2008
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It is so refreshing to read a book like this! For too long, biblical romantics have fantasized that archaeology would `verify' the history constructed by the biblical text itself; the narrative account. More recently, "revisionists" have argued that the biblical text is so divorced from history so as to be nothing more than an ideologically grounded fiction! Finkelstein and Silberman show, through a clear and readable account, just how far archaeology has come in demonstrating that the history out of which the Bible arose - in this case, the stories of David & Solomon - is different from the account given in the biblical text, while simultaneously revealing that the actual history behind the text; the stories of the two great heroes and many of the details of the books of Samuel and Kings--were not just "made up" by later writers. As such, archaeology is disproving both the biblical literalists (who think that history must reflect what the Bible says, and who therefore distort archaeology and history to their own ends) and those who dismiss the Bible as having no historical veracity at all.

This book is a must read for anyone - religious or not - who wants to understand the relationship between the biblical text and our growing understanding of what actually happened in the ancient Near East between 1000 BCE and the time of Christ.

The authors show how the two kingdoms - Israel and Judah - developed differently; how the writers of the stories of David & Solomon were responding to contemporary conditions and problems. Yet they also incorporated authentic details, remembered from earlier times, into what became the biblical text. Finkelstein and Silberman allow the reader to follow the development of the stories of David and Solomon, from the 9th and 8th centuries BCE down through the time of Christ and the early church; showing how the roles of David and Solomon have changed over the centuries. They even allude to the way David and Solomon are depicted in mediaeval art and the role their stories have played in modern politics and revolutions.
13 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Harrison Riley
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2019
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I really enjoyed, what I considered to be a well written, well researched and objective narrative regarding David and Solomon. Recommended.
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Dell Walker
4.0 out of 5 stars Something to think about
Reviewed in Germany on January 27, 2013
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I like Israel Finkelstein. He is an archaologist who is not afraid to speak out against the accepted scientific line.
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Ser Laughalot
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book, readable and well researched
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 13, 2015
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Good book, readable and well researched. Nice explanation of where the first part of the OT came from, and where the David and Solomon myths came from. Fundies will NOT like it.
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Strv 74
4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2012
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The Subject of what part of the Bible that can be proven and can be considered historical interests me. This Book covers a minor part of this but a very interesting one. The Authors are well qualified to write this story and they have produced a book that is interesting and convincing.

The Authors want to use archeology to prove or disprove the story of David and Solomon and also a number of other linked subjects. They have chosen to put a lot of the archaeological findings in appendixes at the end of the book instead of covering it in the main text. There are a lot of archaeological findings in the main text also but from my point of view it would have been better to have it all in the main text since parts of the main text have a tendency of becoming a little to theoretical. To follow this it helps a lot if you are very familiar with the Old Testament of the Bible and I have to admit that in a few places I was struggling with this.

But it is a good book well worth reading. There are a lot of interesting facts that are stuck in your memory for a hopefully long time. To find out that we are not even sure that David and Solomon ever existed, that Jerusalem was a tiny village instead of this fantastic city the Bible claims and that Goliath, if he existed, could have been a Greek Hoplite warrior was well worth the read.

I will now try to get my hands on their other book "The Bible Unearthed" in order to find out more about the period before 10 BC.
5 people found this helpful
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Dave, Hertford Town
5.0 out of 5 stars Good value
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2019
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Big fan of these authors if you want to know what real history can be found in the bible
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