Machar Member Special Series: A History of the Jewish People in Antiquity (Part I)~

On Mondays, October 5, 12 and 19, longtime Machar member David Wittenberg will continue teaching Part I of his course, A History of the Jewish People in Antiquity, for Machar members.

The course will be presented in two parts.  Part 1 will cover the rise of a proto-Israelite entity and cover the history of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah up to the time of the “Babylonian Captivity.”  Part 2, presented at a later date, will continue with a description and analysis of that important event, will survey the ascendancy of monotheism and priestly rule, and end with an account of Roman rule and the revolts that followed.

Over the last several decades, historians have benefited from the exciting findings of researchers, principally in the fields of archeology and cross-cultural studies of ancient civilizations.  Much progress has been made in understanding the genesis and dynamics of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

These researchers, and the historians who interpret the results of their work, have attempted to answer many questions.  This course will address those same questions.  Who were the first Israelites?  Where, geographically, did they establish themselves?  Why did some Hebrew-speaking tribes succeed in building their culture more readily than others?  What are the origins of the Jews and of their religion?  How successful was monotheistic Judaism in taking root within Judah?  To what extent did other Near Eastern and Mediterranean cultures influence the development of Israelite and Judahite culture, government and religion?  And finally, to what extent can the Bible be relied upon to provide us with an accurate picture of the events of this time in the history of the Jewish people?

Two books are recommended for those who would like to delve more deeply.  These are The Bible Unearthed: Archeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman, and Israel’s History and the History of Israel, by Mario Liverani.  If you have an edition of A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People, edited by Eli Barnavi, that might be of help as well.  However, you do not have to read these books to benefit from the course.

Please contact Tara Newhouse, Congregational Administrator, at administrator@machar.org if you are interested in learning more about registering for this series.

PLEASE NOTE: Unlike other sessions in the Texts on Tuesday program, this series will not be recorded. If you wish to participate, please make sure to register in advance and join in during the live events.

You can view previous Texts on Tuesday sessions HERE.