Is the Bible true? Was the Garden of Eden a real place that can be found on a map? Was there a Flood? Did a Hebrew man rise to great power in Egypt? Were the Israelites slaves in Egypt? Did they escape from bondage and were they saved from the pursuing Egyptians? Did the prophets correctly predict many of the major events in Israelite history? Were Elijah and Elisha agents in a great assassination plot? Did Amos become famous because of an accurate forecast?In thinking about the questions of biblical factuality, some embrace a rigid skepticism and are quick to dismiss the accuracy of the biblical narratives without weighing the evidence. They are content to read the Bible for its metaphorical and literary truths, forgetting that the Bible is based on the history of an ancient people. Fundamentalists, on the other hand, have the strong desire to find hard proof that the biblical facts are facts, only to be disappointed and frustrated. But is it reasonable to expect such proof? Archaeology and comparative texts must be examined for what they realistically can be asked to provide. In a series of readable essays written in an engaging manner and a positive mode, author Benjamin Edidin Scolnic evaluates the biblical texts in the light of all the information we possess at this time. Scolnic asks the reader to join the ongoing dialogue between faith and history by carefully reviewing the textual and material evidence with an open mind. He does not so much seek to prove or disprove the Bible, but rather attempts to find middle ground through the exploration of its historical dimension.
