Genesis 14 in Its Time - Caleb Howard

Genesis 14 gives us more information about its socio-political context than just about any other part of the patriarchal narratives. A classic study by Thomas Thompson in the 1970s cast doubt on the historical authenticity of this part of Genesis, and his arguments continue to be influential in Old Testament studies. The past fifty years have seen significant gains in understanding the historical facets of Abraham’s world, some of which are relevant for Genesis 14. This presentation reviews some of these and argues for the historical authenticity of the account.

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Caleb Howard is a Research Fellow in Old Testament and Ancient Near East at Tyndale House and editor of the Tyndale Bulletin. He studies the texts, history, and scholarship of ancient Mesopotamia and the Levant. His current book project involves the documentation and analysis of personal names in cuneiform tablets from the second millennium B.C., especially those of the ancient city of Alalaḫ. This work will be documented in an online database, which will provide a means of studying the social history of the ancient Near East through personal names.

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