Project Gutenberg 2003-12-01 Public domain in the USA. 329 Wellhausen, Julius 1844 1918 Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels. English Prolegomena to the History of Israel Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prolegomena_zur_Geschichte_Israels This etext was produced by Geoffrey Cowling. "Prolegomena to the History of Israel" by Julius Wellhausen is a scholarly examination of ancient Israel's history, written during the late 19th century. This work delves into the complexities of the Old Testament, arguing against the traditional view that the Mosaic law is the foundation of Israel's history. Instead, Wellhausen proposes that the law is more a product of Judaism that developed after the fall of ancient Israel, significantly altering the understanding of biblical narrative and law's historical evolution. The opening of the text introduces Wellhausen's critical approach to the historiography of Israel, suggesting that the historical books of the Old Testament need to be viewed through a modern historical lens. The author begins by setting up the question of whether the Mosaic law serves as the starting point for ancient Israel's history or Judaism itself. He discusses the implications of assuming the law is older than the narrative history, while also noting the inconsistencies within the texts that suggest a more recent composition. This act of historical reevaluation is intended to provide readers with a clearer understanding of Israel's religious and cultural development, which is essential for interpreting the Old Testament's narrative and its theological significance. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 63.6 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Jews -- History -- To 70 A.D. Judaism -- History -- To 70 A.D. Bible. Old Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, etc. DS Text Judaism Category: History - Religious 1543232 2025-08-02T12:34:38.598670 text/html 1543053 2025-01-09T01:34:14.599735 text/html 648596 2025-08-02T12:34:51.741577 application/epub+zip 670469 2025-08-02T12:34:41.893753 application/epub+zip 657146 2025-08-02T12:34:40.597659 application/epub+zip 1118303 2025-08-02T12:35:00.391602 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1063689 2025-08-02T12:34:50.885609 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1031974 2022-09-03T04:06:17.109160 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1488994 2025-08-02T12:34:37.824691 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 1469241 2023-12-25T13:03:42 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16904 2025-08-02T12:35:00.551536 application/rdf+xml 17289 2025-08-02T12:34:41.092632 image/jpeg 4050 2025-08-02T12:34:40.845638 image/jpeg 639475 2025-08-02T12:34:38.711683 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia