Bob Becking, PhD. (1985) in Theology, Utrecht University, is Senior Research Professor in the Faculty of Humanities at Utrecht for Bible, Religion and Identity. He published extensively on historical matters and was co-editor of the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (Brill 1995).Lester L. Grabbe, PhD (1975) in Religion, Claremont Graduate University, DD (1993), University of Hull, is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at the University of Hull. He has published extensively on the history of Second Temple Judaism and the history of ancient Israel. Founder of the European Seminar in Historical Methodology and editor of the monograph series of the same name.

• Introduction Lester L. GrabbeDavid between Ideology and Evidence Bob BeckingMercator in theWilderness: Numbers 33John R. BartlettOrigins of Israel between History and Ideology Meindert DijkstraThe Case of the Corrupting Consensus Lester L. GrabbeThree Hasidisms and their Militant Ideologies: 1 and 2 Maccabees, Psalms 144 and 149Harm van GrolThe Old Testament as a Diachronic Corpus Marinus KosterPharaoh Shishak’s Invasion of Palestine and the Exodus from Egypt Andrew D.H. MayesThe Greek Esthers and the Search for History: Some Preliminary ObservationsJill MiddlemassDoes Archaeology Really Deserve the Status of a ‘High Court’ in Biblical Historical Research? Nadav Na"amanHistory and Prophecy in the Book of Judges Klaas SpronkResisting the Past: Ancient Israel inWestern Memory KeithW.WhitelamFigures and Maps Index of Authors Index of Textual References

Bob Becking, PhD. (1985) in Theology, Utrecht University, is Senior Research Professor in the Faculty of Humanities at Utrecht for Bible, Religion and Identity. He published extensively on historical matters and was co-editor of the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (Brill 1995).Lester L. Grabbe, PhD (1975) in Religion, Claremont Graduate University, DD (1993), University of Hull, is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at the University of Hull. He has published extensively on the history of Second Temple Judaism and the history of ancient Israel. Founder of the European Seminar in Historical Methodology and editor of the monograph series of the same name.

• Introduction Lester L. GrabbeDavid between Ideology and Evidence Bob BeckingMercator in theWilderness: Numbers 33John R. BartlettOrigins of Israel between History and Ideology Meindert DijkstraThe Case of the Corrupting Consensus Lester L. GrabbeThree Hasidisms and their Militant Ideologies: 1 and 2 Maccabees, Psalms 144 and 149Harm van GrolThe Old Testament as a Diachronic Corpus Marinus KosterPharaoh Shishak’s Invasion of Palestine and the Exodus from Egypt Andrew D.H. MayesThe Greek Esthers and the Search for History: Some Preliminary ObservationsJill MiddlemassDoes Archaeology Really Deserve the Status of a ‘High Court’ in Biblical Historical Research? Nadav Na"amanHistory and Prophecy in the Book of Judges Klaas SpronkResisting the Past: Ancient Israel inWestern Memory KeithW.WhitelamFigures and Maps Index of Authors Index of Textual References

Bob Becking, PhD. (1985) in Theology, Utrecht University, is Senior Research Professor in the Faculty of Humanities at Utrecht for Bible, Religion and Identity. He published extensively on historical matters and was co-editor of the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (Brill 1995).Lester L. Grabbe, PhD (1975) in Religion, Claremont Graduate University, DD (1993), University of Hull, is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at the University of Hull. He has published extensively on the history of Second Temple Judaism and the history of ancient Israel. Founder of the European Seminar in Historical Methodology and editor of the monograph series of the same name.

• Introduction Lester L. GrabbeDavid between Ideology and Evidence Bob BeckingMercator in theWilderness: Numbers 33John R. BartlettOrigins of Israel between History and Ideology Meindert DijkstraThe Case of the Corrupting Consensus Lester L. GrabbeThree Hasidisms and their Militant Ideologies: 1 and 2 Maccabees, Psalms 144 and 149Harm van GrolThe Old Testament as a Diachronic Corpus Marinus KosterPharaoh Shishak’s Invasion of Palestine and the Exodus from Egypt Andrew D.H. MayesThe Greek Esthers and the Search for History: Some Preliminary ObservationsJill MiddlemassDoes Archaeology Really Deserve the Status of a ‘High Court’ in Biblical Historical Research? Nadav Na"amanHistory and Prophecy in the Book of Judges Klaas SpronkResisting the Past: Ancient Israel inWestern Memory KeithW.WhitelamFigures and Maps Index of Authors Index of Textual References