An Introduction to the History of Israel and Judah.

• Author: Rainey, Anson F.

Professor Soggin writes "acceptable" history. As a textbook this volume is intended for students and for lecturers who teach the history of Israel or "biblical history." The new edition has taken account of various discussions on important points that have ensued during the decade since the first edition appeared (1984). Each chapter and major section is accompanied by useful bibliographies.

Soggin's treatment of most controversial subjects is disappointing. For example, when reviewing the so-called sociological theories of the Israelite settlement process so popular in the 1980s, Soggin says: "Mendenhall, recently followed by Gottwald . . . in fact puts forward with absolutely valid evidence an alternate version both to the traditional theory of an invasion from outside and conquest, and to the theory of a gradual penetration into peripheral regions which were sparsely inhabited" (p. 159; italics mine). In reality, there is not one scrap of valid evidence, biblical or non-biblical (especially not in the Amarna letters) in favor of the theory. Soggin is simply being swayed by the large number of people who have accepted the sociological explanation. On the other hand, Soggin reviews some serious counter-arguments in the ensuing pages (pp. 160-63). The result is the conclusion that "we are not dealing with groups of semi-nomads engaged in transhumance but with groups which have a past history in the cities, thus originating from the territories of the city-state. So this is not a settlement of populations from outside, but a movement of populations within. In this sense, if we rule out the theory of a revolt from the countryside, the proposals of Mendenhall and Gottwald prove correct" (pp. 162-63; [sections]8.6.1, 8.6.2). Such a bland attempt at reconciliation may find acceptance among those who teach history by consensus and will be echoed in lectures and other college textbooks. However, it is nothing but an attempt to accept the popular sociological fads without breaking with the traditional explanations of Alt and Noth.

One positive feature of Soggin's history is the recognition that the "United Monarchy" (including Judah) was a decisive factor in the history of the Israelite people. The chapters on "David and his Empire" (pp. 44-69) and "The Empire under Solomon" (pp. 70-86) precede the discussions of theories concerning the origins of Israel. In a decade when the "deconstructionists" want to deny altogether the existence of a united monarchy (e.g., Davies 1992; Thompson 1992), it is refreshing to see Soggin's...