The History of the Old Testament

Biblical textual criticism is dedicated to unraveling the origins of the many biblical texts. The second research program is a wholesale re-evaluation of the archaeology of Palestine. Until that time, almost everyone digging in the dusty earth of ancient Palestine would unearth finds that would prove the Bible's account of Israeli history. That cozy complacency was assaulted in the 1970s by a new wave of archaeologists and scholars. Their work has radically altered our understanding of the Old Testament.