Interesting for those curious about the interplay of the Hebrew Bible and historicity. Feld does not take a stance on which is more accurate, archaeology or biblical accounting, but instead discusses the interplay between the two. In essence, he suggests that different authors and editors, writing the words of Torah are responding to historical conditions, particularly the Babylonian exile of Jews from northern Israel. When Assyria conquered the Northern highlands, where 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel resided, they shipped off the leaders–priests, bureaucrats, businessmen–to Assyria.
In so doing, Judea, the weaker, southern Jews od ancient Israel expanded geographically and spiritually. Meanwhile, Jews “weeping by the waters of Babylon” yearned for their homeland and lamented their destroyed Temple. What ensued was an expansion of Jewish interpretation and additions to the Torah. Babylonian Jews retold and slightly reinterpreted stories and the relationship between God and the Israelites. Ultimately, Jews returning to the Land of Israel had to integrate exilic interpretations of their religion with those of Judeans who had never left home.
Feld’s insights and hypotheses about Leviticus, Kings, Psalms, Joshua, and the eras in which they were redacted are absolutely fascinating. Unfortunately, his unedited repetitiveness is mindnumbing.