Israel Finkelstein - controversial?

You are probably not as interested in this as I am. Israel Finkelstein is normally classified as a pretty radical Biblical minimalist. He thinks pretty much all of Exodus did not happen. He basically thinks David might have existed as a simple Bedouin tribal chief and that a century later than most suppose.

As an anthropology major and BAR reader of many years I find this very interesting.

Whatever Finkelstein says being controversial makes him important and gets him fame, money, and tenure. It works to his advantage. Being likable also helps a lot.

Here is a link to an interview with editor of BAR Hershel Franks. Franks also is happy to be considered a bit controversial himself. So this interview is a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours endeavor".

If you are at all interested in how modern science of archaeology meets the search for Biblical dating read this interview.