Read Dr. Isbell’s article “History and Writing.” According to him, what is the biblical text disclosing? What is the relationship of the Bible with History?
For David Isbell, the biblical text clearly disclosed that there is a wide gap between modern understanding of the word “history” and pre-modern state (3), which is a great treat to the biblical historicity today. The Bible is considered more of prophetic, a moral, and a Yahwistic interpretation of the true meaning of the history than the term “history” perceives by the modern scholars (13). Because the biblical narratives were simply not sophisticated enough to understand (1). Rather they were more like evaluation of the kings and their nations in different times and events.
The records of the ancient biblical history are found in the annals of the Kings, supported by additional information of the chronicles (5), which is preserved in the royal archives, but they are no longer with us today and it is the dilemma of the biblical historicity. Nevertheless, they do have enough evidence of their own internal witness to its purpose and to prove that they did right to what they set out to do (3). Only modern scholars and theological students misunderstood the word “history.” It is for sure is that “all history is somebody’s opinion” (1) and Bible is one of such history that has its own goals that had been accomplished.
Some of the relationship of the Bible with history could be that the kings, chronicles, and the prophets used cross-referenced for additional information and sources where more historical events and evidence could be found but not all (15). This directs the modern history to research more possible evidences and facts of biblical times. The prophetic message and interpretation was studied, copied and transmitted from ages to ages and it is never to question, the divine intervention of God’s miracles in the realm of time and space were irrefutable as well. The fact is that the Bible is not interested in “Just the facts” (19) that the modern historian meant to search for but the pre-modern searches for the true influence of people to live or survive.
Reference:
The Holy Bible (NIV). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996.
Kaiser, Walter C. A History of Israel: From the Bronze Age Through the Jewish Wars. Nashville, Tennessee: Brodman & Holman Publishers, 1998.
Isbell, Charles David. “History and Writing” Louisiana State University, August 2003.
Very good!
98.