Les origines d'Israël et de la foi monothéiste. Apports de l'archéologie et de la critique littéraire (Première partie)

This article presents an aspects of the state of the question in current research as to the origin of Israël and of monotheism. It brings together two points of view, which have been separated for quite a while. The two viewpoints are : the literary and historical analysis of biblical texts, and the results of recent archeological evidence, among those such as the works of Israël Finkelstein. This particular archeologist has shown that during the change front the Recent Bronze Age to that of Iron Age I (between 1250 and 1200 BC) , the mountainous region of central Palestine grew from twenty-six inhabited sites to two hundred twenty-eight sites, due to the massive arrival of pasturing people, in the process of establishing a sedentary lifestyle. These new arrivals were probably the descendants of shepherds front the Middle Bronze Age IIB (1750-1650 BC), who had established a sedentary life in this same mountainous region of Ephraim five centuries earlier. These findings allow the results of archeology to be tied to those of literary analysis, such as some of the patriarchal traditions, as well as those of the books of Joshua and Judges. The Benê Jacob, in direct relationship to the group of Laban the Aramean, situated in Transjordania (Gn 31), encountered the Benê Israël. These latter are a small group of former slaves who came from Egypt under the direction of Moses and Joshua, in passing by the east of the Dead Sea and of Jordan. The two groups found a meeting point at the ford of Jabbok (Gn 32, 29) by which to then penetrate into central Palestine and to establish themselves around the first Yahwist sanctuaries : the Tower of Shechem (Jg 9, 46- 49) and Shiloh, principal centers of the Sons of Israël ; and Bethel, central sanctuary of the Sons of Jacob.Van Cangh Jean-Marie. Les origines d'Israël et de la foi monothéiste. Apports de l'archéologie et de la critique littéraire (Première partie). In: Revue théologique de Louvain, 22ᵉ année, fasc. 3, 1991. pp. 305-326