Die oorsprong van Israel volgens resente navorsing

A debate regarding the origin of Israel gave rise to much controversy which developed during the twenties. This debate saw an upsurge of interest during the sixties and seventies. Researchers identified themselves with three schools of thought. In this article negative as well as positive elements in the various schools are focused on. Consensus has been reached by researchers that the greatest obstacle in the way of the reconstruction of Israel's early history is the lack of verifiable sources. This study has looked for a new key, i.e. the creation of a broad scenario of the life in Canaan during the transition of the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age 1. If such a scenario could be reconstructed as correctly as possible, it would be possible to establish the conditions of Israel’s origins. This study intends to play an elucidating role, illustrating the ways in which the people of Canaan lived and worked in the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age, for it was under these circumstances that Israel had its origins.