Silberman, I mean not “Sibler.” (How did THAT typo get by me?)
Posted by Diogenes the Cynic:
In his review of the book, Dan Lazare asserts that in Biblical times, a people’s title to their land was more firmly and reputably based on conquest than indigenous occupation; and I think this is probably true. So the Israelites and/or Judahites, at some point in their history, contrived a history that included their invading Caanan from the desert and taking it by force, and in some cases, genocide. This was intended to increase their status and legitimacy as a nation.
It has been noted in this thread that The Bible Unearthed undermines modern Israel’s “historical” claim to the Occupied Territories, etc. But consider: By the standards of today’s international community, Finkelstein and Silberman’s theory – that the Hebrews, or Jews, are the original people of Caanan/Palestine/Israel – actually strengthens their claim to the region – doesn’t it? (Just ask the Basques and the Kurds!) And they do note that some of the earliest archaelogical remains in the Jerusalem area are those of a tribe that, unlike its neighbors, never kept or ate pigs. I forget how old those remains are, but the authors say they offer the earliest known documention of a Jewish custom. At some point, a group of Bronze-Age-or-earlier people in the region of Jerusalem, who might have been ancestors of the modern Jews, decided not to eat pork.
Just a note on Finkelstein’s credentials: He is the Director of the Institute of Archaeology at Tel-Aviv University.
TAU is a HIGHLY respected university - worldwide, not only in Israel - not, by any standard, a diploma-mill or quack-infested institution. So, while Finkelstein may be somewhat maverick in his views, he is not, by any means, a lone rider out in left field.
I know Dex didn’t mean it, but to me his remark intimated that our friends here are “a shard short of reconstructing an ancient pot” :), so I just felt I had to point this out.
Now, Silberman I don’t know from Adam…
I wouldn’t say “a pack of lies” so much as “a hodgepodge collection of dubious assertions and rambling grandpa-simpson-esque stories.”