Ancient Israel in Sinai: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Wilderness Tradition | 
 enlarge | Author: James K. Hoffmeier
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $55.00
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Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 353210
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 284
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6 x 1.2
ISBN: 0195155467
Dewey Decimal Number: 222.12095
EAN: 9780195155464
Publication Date: October 6, 2005
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Product Description
In his pathbreaking Israel in Egypt, James K. Hoffmeier refuted the claims of scholars who questioned the historical accuracy of the biblical account of the Israelite sojourn in Egypt. Analyzing a wealth of textual, archaeological, and geographical evidence, he put forth a thorough defense of the biblical tradition. Hoffmeier now turns his attention the Wilderness narratives of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, and to those minimalist scholars who deny the plausibility of the biblical account. As director of the North Sinai Archaeological Project, Hoffmeier has led several excavations that have uncovered important new evidence supporting the Wilderness narratives. This volume will present these archaeological findings as part of a thorough examination of all the evidence. The major focus of the book will be on the actual location of Mount Sinai, which some scholars have sought to locate in northern Arabia and not in the Sinai peninsula as traditionally thought. Hoffmeier's work will serve as a rebuttal to this and other challenges to the authenticity of the Wilderness narratives.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Bible background support March 15, 2006
Aaron F. Ott (Fate, TX USA)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
Extremely helpful to place the Exodus events in context. Hoffmeier does not try to "prove" the Bible, but instead assumes the historicity of the Exodus narrative. Bible scholars will find this helpful for interpretation and explanation of the OT narrative. Plus it offers support for the historicity of the biblical narrative without being sensationalist.
A convincing study of the evidence for the Exodus May 4, 2008
David Oldacre (Sutton, Quebec)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
One of the reasons I bought this book is that Kenneth Kitchen in his "On the Reliability of the Old Testament" draws extensively upon the research findings of Professor Hoffmeier in the Sinai and elsewhere. In this book, Professor Hoffmeier uses his extensive knowledge of the archaeology and geography of the Sinai to review the many suggested alternatives put forward as to the location of the various toponyms cited in the description of the Exodus from the biblical books of Exodus and Numbers, and states that "What this study attempts to do is to draw attention to the wilderness episodes in the light of archaeological evidence, textural materials, geography, toponym, and personal names."
Chapters 1 and 2 are on the subject of the Wilderness Tradition and the Historians of Religion, which includes a critical review of the Origins of the Israel Debate, and the various positions put forward by past and present scholars, as well as a thorough review and justification for using a "Phenomenological" approach to the study of the religion of Ancient Israel - which is to say, that the theophanies of the prophets must be considered from the view point of the believer, and "suspends judgment on the phenomenon in question and examining it empathetically"
Chapters 3 and 4 examine the geographical nature of the Sinai and its climate, and the geography of the Exodus as described in the Biblical sources. The main toponyms referred to in the Hebrew versions of the biblical sources which are examined in these chapters are Rameses, Pithom, Succoth, and Etham. The discussion focuses on the various alternatives put forward as to the possible geographical locations of these places, taking into account the latest archaeological findings and the possible derivation of these names from the original Egyptian.
Chapter 5 is on the subject of the location of the Red (Reed) Sea, and starts with a discussion on the account in Exodus 14:2 - "Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol, and the sea, in front of Baal Zephon ...". In a tightly reasoned and detailed analysis, and the author concludes that the place names associated with the Red Sea (yam sup) demonstrates that the author has a specific location in mind, and that the terms correspond best to Egyptian toponyms of the 13th century.
Chapter 6 is on the subject of "The Mountain of God", in which the author reviews the itineraries from Exodus and Numbers, and provides a detailed analysis of the proposed locations which have been put forward in Northern and Central Sinai, locations outside the Sinai Peninsula, and in Southern Sinai.
Chapter 7 is on the subject of the journey from Egypt to Sinai and the requirements for traveling and living in the wilderness. There is a full discussion on the perplexing problem of the number of Israelites, the possible locations of the toponyms which are referred to after the crossing of the "Red Sea", as well as culinary considerations such as the source of food (i.e. Manna and Quails) and the lack of vegetables
Chapters 8 - 10 cover the subject of the Sinai Legislation, the Desert Sanctuary, and Egyptian Personal Names and other Egyptian Elements. The purpose of these chapters is to show, quite clearly, that all of these could have had an origin in Egyptian practices of the 13th to 12th centuries BCE.
Chapter 11, the final chapter, is on the Wilderness Tradition and the Origin of Israel in which the author states that his study tends to support the view that Israel entered Canaan from the outside, either as invaders or peacefully infiltrating emigrants. The topics covered are the origins of Israel's God, the Israelites as "Shasu", and the Israelites depicted in Egypt.
Professor Hoffmeier has been very careful to examine the pros and cons of the various arguments that other scholars have put forward as to why each particular location matches a biblical toponym, and in selecting what he believes to be the most likely locations based on the brief physical descriptions mentioned in the text, he provides a thorough examination of the geographical and physical nature of the various alternatives, as well as what has been recorded about these locations in ancient and not so ancient times. While he clearly believes in the historicity of the accounts of the Exodus, he demonstrates a very objective approach in selecting his own preference as to the most likely route (and numbers) of the Israelites on their journey in the wilderness of Sinai. One of the most striking examples of this is a comparison of names, religious procedures, format of the covenant, etc, with known practices of similar societies of the time in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and other areas of the Middle East.
In his conclusion the author states that "the Bible accurately preserves an authentic picture of the travels and life in the Sinai wilderness during this period." I think the facts he presents are about as complete as one can expect with the current state of archaeological knowledge and is a very thorough exposition of the evidence for the presence of the Israelites in the Sinai following their Exodus from Egypt in or about the 12th Century BCE. I think his analysis and conclusions are well reasoned and convincing. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this thoroughly scholarly book to all those who are interested in the verification of the biblical text with archaeological discoveries on the ground.
Correction for Mr Spangle December 24, 2008
Steven Cowden (Greenville, SC USA)
I assume Mr Spangle in his 2007 review pressed the wrong button for rating this book. His review is "5-star" but his rating is "1-Star". I do not want this kind of mistake to tarnish the reputation of this excellent volume.
Excellent scholarship, not a travel guide December 21, 2005
George T. Hobson (Perry County, IL USA)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
If you're looking for evidence that Israel really did make the wilderness journey described in Exodus, Ancient Israel in Sinai is the best scholarly case to be found anywhere, including the best collection I've seen of Egyptian linguistic evidence found in ancient Israel's cultic apparatus. But if you're looking for an examination of the wilderness route, not only from the Nile to Mt Sinai, but also from Mt Sinai all the way to Transjordan (as I was hoping to find), you may be disappointed. Hoffmaier does a wonderful job examining the first half of the journey, but devotes little attention to the second half. He does do a good job refuting the theory that Mt Sinai is in modern Saudi Arabia. I give it 5 stars for its scholarship, and 3 stars for the in-depth travel guide I was also hoping for.
An Excellent Study on an Important Topic August 9, 2007
D. Becker (Chicago, IL)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Required reading for anyone within, influenced by, or wishing to respond to the historical "minimalist" tradition. Hoffmeier attempts to demonstrate the historical plausibility of the wilderness tradition of Exodus - Numbers by arguing for a second millennium setting, based on evidence such as the geographical knowledge that the writer possessed. Yet that is not all he does. This volume is less of an "apologetic" than his "Israel in Egypt," focusing much more on questions of geography (i.e. the identification of sites listed in the Exodus and Numbers "itineraries."). Particularly helpful are his treatment on the "number of Israelites" problem, his proposals for the locations of places like the Reed Sea and Mt. Sinai/Horeb, his "excursuses" on historical methodology, and the sections in which he details the ways in which the physical geography of northern Sinai differed from that of today (and the first century, for that matter).
Hoffmeier is a top-rank egyptologist, and interacts with the very best scholarly literature. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars out of 5 is because, in a work that concentrates so strongly on geographical issues, there aren't really many good maps to aid the reader in the volume itself. No doubt, there are a few helpful ones, such as the one dealing with his proposed route of the exodus, but I often found myself wishing there was a bit more on that end. Nevertheless, this is an excellent book. Now, if only the cable TV channels would air specials on this!
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