Book One: Introduction--A Chose People

BOOK ONE

A CHOSEN PEOPLE


The Significance of the History of Israel and the Role of the Historian When Considering Biblical Literature

            The purpose of this first book is to lay out, ever so briefly, the important details of the history of Israel and its significance for Early-Christianity. It is evident that the Christian movement of the first century C.E., as well as the activities of Jesus of Nazareth which precipitated it, did not occur within a vacuum. They occurred instead within an historical context. This contextuality is important for these events to have meaning. To attempt to relay history without establishing its context is like telling a punch line without first telling the joke.

             The difficulty for the historian in dealing with the topic of Israel is that there is clearly a history of Israel and a story of Israel, which are not necessarily the same thing. Nevertheless, many people assume that they are interchangeable. Add to this the impossible ambition of objectivity, to which the historian aspires, and often convinces herself that she has achieved, and a truly accurate picture of history is impossible to attain.

            When historians ignore their biases they allow themselves to become misled by them. Very often, those who attempt to examine the history of biblical events either begin by assuming that the story of Israel that is relayed in the Bible is essentially an accurate depiction of history, laying out evidence in such a way that confirms their previously held conviction; or they assume that the story of Israel relayed in the Bible is largely a fabrication, believing that a meticulous historical examination will completely refute and discredit that story in favor of a historical one. Either way, neither group ever achieves the objectivity that they so desperately seek, establishing instead a distorted and sometimes grotesque caricature of history.

            A proper historical account must accept that the story of Israel is not, nor was it ever intended to be, an objective history of Israel. Nevertheless, it is a very important piece in the establishment of that history. Indeed, the story of Israel is more than a mere story, it is the narrative that provided the basic structure of plausibility upon which the culture of Israel was founded. The existence of Judea in the first century C.E. and the events that took place within it may have been the products of history, but the Jesus movement and the early Christian movement that operated within it certainly understood their own significance in light of the story of Israel, considering themselves a continuing element in that story. Therefore, the story of Israel, without actually being history, possesses the weight of history.

            The historian requires verifiable evidence in order to construct a valid historical narrative. This evidence must be something tangible such as artifacts, myths, folk songs, etc., and the historian is limited by that evidence. Unfortunately, much of the story of Israel cannot be verified by evidence outside the pages of the Bible. This does not mean that these elements of the story should be ignored by the historian, after all, the story provided a “realness” that was taken for granted by Israelite culture. It does mean, however, that the historian cannot comment on the historical veracity of such narratives as Moses speaking with a burning bush or receiving the Law on Mount Sinai; yet, the historian may comment on the significance of such stories and their impact on the culture of Israel.