"Danny Yee" <> wrote in message . | Rowland Croucher <> wrote: | >Two questions on this one Danny: | > | >1. Who is this writer? Haven't heard of him... | | Thompson is an academic from Copenhagen Uni (which is apparently a | hot-bed of people who think along the same lines).

G'day Folks,

T.L Thompson is a capable liberal scholar who follows in the footsteps of men such as Wellhausen, von rad, Noth & other Euro scholars of the minimalist camp. In earlier writings he concentrated on the history of the Patriarchs. His book "The historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives: The quest for the Historical Abraham" (1974) basically confirmed Wellhausen's belief that a search of Abraham was as useful as urinating in teh wind (scholastically speaking of course) . However, it is considered a formidable contribution by many scholars. Thomson like Van Seters (another leading minimalist) are far more militant & controversial (than Wellhausen) because they seek to establish the unrecoverable nature of the Patriarchal history etc (like Wellhausen)

predicated on the belief that they are totally fictional (which goes further than their predecessors).

Essentially, Thompson believes that the many of the figures of the O.T are the result of a creation ex nihilo (ie the entire patriarchal history & more)

by the covenant community. He rejects the archaeological approach of other scholars (Glueck, Albright, Gordon) in favour of a literary critical studies of the O.T.

There are two schools, with two approaches to the history of Israel & consequently two contrasting results. Thompson et al take an historical critical method using both external & internal sources, concluding the history of Israel is unrecoverable & questionable (Thompson is a militant who goes further by claiming pretty much all of it is fictional). In contrast, the conservative school primarily use archaeology as evidence for the reliability of the O.T as can be seen in the work of such scholars as Glueck & Albright who use archaeological evidence to conclude the history of the O.T is beyound reasonable doubt (see Albright, "A History of Israel").

Regards Darren Middleton -- When is a door not a door? When it's ajar! In other words restraining evil is not the same as promoting good. The Christian life is not so much a life of restraint, as it is a life of service.