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Israel Finkelstein

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Israel Finkelstein is an Israeli archaeologist and academic. He is currently the Jacob M. Alkow Professor of the Archaeology of Israel in the Bronze Age and Iron Ages at Tel Aviv University and is also the co-director of excavations at Megiddo in northern Israel. Previously, he served as Director of the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University from 1996-2002

Born in Petah Tikva, he completed his studies at Tel Aviv University, writing his Ph.D. thesis on the The Izbet Sartah excavations, for which he was also the Field Director.

Controversies

Finklestein is a well known archaeologist worldwide and has been described as being a "lightning rod" for controversy. Some critics see in his writings' unconventional interpretations regarding biblical history and timelines, especially in regards to when books of the Bible may have been authored and the extent of the Kingdoms of David and Solomon. Finkelstein has explicitely rejected the ultra-minimalist position that places the composition of the Bible in the Persian or Greek period, i.e., after the return from the Babylonian exile, however, his description of tenth century Jerusalem, the period associated with the Biblical Kings David and Solomon, as a mere "village" or tribal center is rejected by most biblical scholars and archaeologists working in the region. The professor has said in regards to the discussions that "New archaeological discoveries should not erode one's sense of tradition and identity".

Collaborations

Together with Yuval Goren and Nadav Na'aman, Finkelstein has coordinated the mineralogical and chemical analysis of the Amarna tablets. He also co-authored, with Neil Asher Silberman, The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts. "Most" of Finkelstein's "peers in archaeology and biblical studies strongly rejected its conclusions.

References

Selected Publications

  • The Archaeology of the Israelite Settlement, Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1988.
  • The Archaeology of the United Monarchy: An Alternative View, Levant 28 (1996).
  • Living on the Fringe, 1995.
  • The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, 2001, ISBN 0-684-86912-8.
  • David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition, 2006, ISBN 0-7432-4362-5.

External links



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