Page "History of ancient Israel and Judah" Paragraph 9

By the 1920s, the idea of an Israelite conquest of Canaan-the story of the book of Joshua-was not supported by the archaeological record.

The response of the time was to propose that the main biblical idea was still correct, but that the Israelites entered Canaan peacefully instead of through conquest.

Later, this compromise was abandoned, and the Israelites were interpreted to be indigenous Canaanites.

The revision of Israelite origins has implications for Israelite religion: whereas the Bible had depicted them as monotheists from the beginning, the new understanding is that they were polytheists who harboured a small and ultimately successful group of monotheistic revolutionaries.