5. Studies on Specific Books: II. Former Prophets II. Former Prophets (Joshua,Judges,Samuel,Kings)

Faust, Avraham, and Zev I. Farber, The Bible’s First Kings: Uncovering the Story of Saul, David, and Solomon (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2025), pp. xvi + 464. £35.00. ISBN 9781009526333 (hardback).

This monograph is a departure from many contemporary studies. At present, it is mainstream to doubt the historicity of the Saulide and early Davidic United Monarchy. F. and F., drawing on both archaeology and anthropology, present an alternative understanding of the non-biblical evidence. Part I of their book explores the biblical narrative in contemporary scholarship. The tone is conversational as F. and F. point out the discrepancies between the different textual sources that form the basis of the extant text. It also outlines why an early dating of Samuel lost its once dominant position, with special attention given to those archaeologists and biblical scholars who have doubted earlier archaeological findings. The section ends with a pithy statement about ‘skepticism about the skepticism’. Part II, which forms the core of the monograph, surveys the archaeological data from the tenth century bce. The discussion of the findings boils down to the fact that a group of towns appear ‘out of nowhere while a host of villages disappears off the map’ (p. 254). The final part III turns to definitions and comparisons. F. and F. argue, among other things, that history shows that empires can appear rather suddenly. The final chapter offers a creative compromise between archaeology and biblical account, where F. and F. tell a possible historical account behind the ideologically motivated sources that compound the book of Samuel. Although speculative, it is neither unreasonable nor provable. This is an important study that will create necessary debate.

Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer