The Archaeology of Ancient Israelite Knowledge

Biblical Literature

By: Robert S. Kawashima

Narrated by: Simon Barber

The Archaeology of Ancient Israelite Knowledge reconstructs in carefully researched detail the worldview of the ancient Israelites writers responsible for the Hebrew Bible. What was the role of God in their lives? How did they see the relationship between God, nature, and themselves? Contrary to prevailing scholarly understanding, Robert Kawashima argues that the ancient Israelites saw God in a radically different way than the peoples around them. God no longer interconnected everything—humans, nature—but became seen as sharply separated from nature.

Elegantly written and powerfully argued, The Archaeology of Ancient Israelite Knowledge is essential listening for anyone wanting to grasp the Hebrew Bible and the ancient world that gave rise to it.

The book is published by Indiana University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2022 Robert S. Kawashima (P)2024 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A brilliant book, filled with insights and beautifully written..." (Ronald Hendel, University of California, Berkeley)

"This is a stunningly original work of scholarship with profound and far-reaching implications." (Tod Linafelt, Georgetown University)

"A work of erudite and original scholarship." (Ilana Pardes, Author of The Song of Songs: A Biography)

Fascinating but dense

Narrated superbly. A fascinating exposition of the fundamental way civilizations moved through the stages (epistemes) of their conception of reality & the divine. The author make heavy use of “in other words” & “which is to say” to help us to follow his argument. As a general reader, I’m glad I could simply listen to Mr. Barber read to me rather than struggle through the dense thickets of text by myself.