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The Book of Genesis (The Begining) is set in the Fertile Crescent
between 2000 and 1000 B.C.E. It places Israelite origins in
Meso-potamia, the "land between" the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers. From the time of Abraham to the destruction
of the First Temple this history includes the lives of the
early Israelites, the enslavement in Egypt, the formation
of a nation with the conquest of the land of Israel, and the
exile into Babylon.
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Where and how are we to discover the origins of the Jewish people?
Until the 20th century, most people would have replied that one
need only open the Bible and read. The modern inquirer, however,
has new information available drawn from archaeology and recently
discovered ancient Near Eastern literature. These new sources help
deepen our understanding of Israelite history as told in the Bible.
They help us understand to what extent the early Israelites were
a typical Near Eastern people and to what extent they were unique. |
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