Archaeologist says “many Old Testament tales are fictitious”

William Atkins
Friday, 06 June 2008 20:01

Science - Biology

In the article, Cohen quotes Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Sam Wolff: “He [Finkelstein] has written more than anybody else in the field in the last 15 years. He’s done us a great service by questioning our traditional beliefs.” He goes on to say, “I can’t name more than a handful of archaeologists who accept his theory. It has made more waves in the popular media than it has in academic circles.”

Finkelstein has written many books. His latest, in 2006, with N.A. Silberman, is “David and Solomon, In Search of the Bible’s Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition.”

For additional information on Dr. Finkelstein, please go to:

Dan David Prize: “Israel Finkelstein”

Within the article by Tel Aviv University, the provider of the Dan David Prize, it states, “Israel Finkelstein is widely regarded as a leading scholar in the archaeology of the Levant and as a foremost applicant of archaeological knowledge to reconstructing biblical Israelite history. He excels at creatively forging links between archaeology and the exact sciences and he has revolutionized many of these fields, either by participating in research groups that study such issues or by contributing to them significantly.”

For additional information on Finkelstein and his statements about the Bible as a historical document, please read the following articles:

Aviva Lori (Haaretz newspaper)/Ralph W. Klein (Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.): “Grounds for disbelief”

The N T. Wrong Blog: “Israel Finkelstein Interviewed in New Scientist”

Many other articles, blogs, and other such information are out on the Web concerning Dr. Kinkelstein and his work.