ABSTRACT
This essay reviews the development of the debate concerning the value of historical memory in the Primary History over the past generation. It summarizes the thought of some of the key scholars. The essay then assesses, in particular, the contributions of William Dever, who seeks to determine what archaeological research can verify about historical memory in the biblical texts. The essay attempts to take a moderating stance between the minimalists and the maximalists, but tends to concur primarily with minimalist scholars. The discussion about history is intimately connected to the discussion about the Hellenistic origins of many texts in the Primary History. Though the Primary History takes final shape in the Hellenistic era, it does have some very general memories of the pre-exilic era preserved in what is primarily theological fiction.
