ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts covered in the preceding chapter of this book. The book devotes the sanctuary established by Gideon presents a thesis concerning the artificially created name "Ophrah". Biblical historiography is unique in the Middle East where there is no work comparable to the description of the deeds of Judah and Israel. The myths about the beginnings of Beer-sheba and Dan had a meaning and sense for the Jews not only when those towns were part of their state, but also when they began their policy of expansion. It is most probable that this ideology was born only as late as the Maccabean revolt. The fundamental proof that Hasmonean ideology influenced the final shape of the Bible is found in the biblical text itself. The Hasmoneans strove to harness religion for political ends, and this can be seen, among other ways, in their building works.
