BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY READING

28Oct08

I was actually really impressed with Strauss's book on the Trojan War (read previous post). The details are excellent and as I mentioned earlier, the author does an excellent job of bringing the story to life. He also fills in the gaps from other source written much later that Homer's version; but proceeds with caution. Again, this is a must read for those interested in the topic.

I also had the opportunity to pick up Mary Boyce's Textual Sources for the Study of Zoroastrianism and John Waterhouse's Zoroastrianism; both of which are excellent sources on the ancient religion. With the use of both books, understanding the evolution of the Zoroastrian faith allows the reader to understand the conditions of how the post-Exilic Judaeo-Christian faith evolved from its Pre-Exilic views.

27Sep08

Well, it has been quite some time since I have updated this section and it is not for the reason that I didn't read any books but more along the lines that they were books that were not historical and theological related. My main profession, if many of you do not know already is that of a Senior Firmware Engineer (I write embedded Operating System and Device Drivers) and provide technical consultation on the side, under my LLC. Now that my reading materials have reverted back to the appropriate topic(s), I can now started posting them.

The most recent book which I am currently finishing up is The Trojan War: A New History by author and researcher Barry Strauss. So far I am impressed with the researched conduction and the material really reflects how well of a researcher Strauss is. He brings to life, all the characters from Homer's epic and truly paints the picture of how this war most likely took place in Western Anatolia during the Late Bronze Age Period. I will continue to write more when I finish it. But for anyone interested in topics like the Mycenaeans, the Trojan War, and the Late Bronze Age Period, this book is highly recommended. US and UK

7Jun08

Not too long ago, I had finished reading Israel Finkelstein's and Neil Asher Silberman's David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition. This book is a much more detailed retelling of a chunk of The Bible Unearthed. I was very pleased with it and would also highly recommend this. Both archaeologists make an attempt to pull the reader into the world of the Bible by describing the political situation followed by the population and settlements during these various period of the biblical monarchy (up until the end of the Persian post-Exilic period). The reader gets to understand their interpretation of Saul, David and Solomon from a new light outside of the Bible but still reverting back to it when needed while looking at the historical evidence. Again, this is a good read for those interested in biblical history.

After reading David and Solomon I picked up Antony F. Campbell's and Mark A. O'Brien's Unfolding the Deuteronomistic History. It extends into a more revised version of Martin Noth's research of the Deuteronomistic History (following the Documentary Hypothesis). Anyways, I still have much left of this book so I do not have much to report of it. It shall have to wait until the next time.

20Apr08

The book I am currently reading is literally one of the most interesting ones I have come across recently (right next to Robert Drews' The End of the Bronze Age. This current book is The Bible Unearthed researched and written by archaeologists Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman. This book focuses primarily on the events and characters as early as the Patriarchal Age of the Book of Genesis and concludes with the Babylonian Exile as recorded in 2Kings. The intent by both authors is to provide archaeological confirmation on whether the events in the Bible are more likely fact or fiction driven from older sources and events preserved in the memories of the Levantine forefather and passed down from generation to generation. Now while this book was published in 2001, all evidence presented is still valid to this day.

In the process of proving/disproving the events and characters within biblical scripture, Finkelstein and Silberman provide their own theories with the development of the Hebrew Bible. Coincidently enough, their findings confirm my research and dating 100%. That could be a contributing factor to my excitement with this research. Unfortunately I have never heard of Silberman before but as for Finkelstein, I have seen him on enough History channel based television documentaries and it was a shame for me to finally get a chance to pick up his work this late in my research (as the publisher is currently working with my manuscript for my second book).

I would highly recommend this book to those interested in the field of Biblical Archaeology. You can obtain it here: US or here UK.

29Mar08

I had just recently recieved and began to read Jeff A. Benner's recently published book: A Mechanical Translation of the Book of Genesis. The purpose of the new series of biblical translations is to provide the biblical student/researcher with a literal (word for word) translation of the Hebrew texts. I am really enjoying this material and already know that it will serve me well in future research. I highly recommend it to those who are either studying biblical interpretations or simply learning the Hebrew tongue. To find out more details here is the book's official website: A Mechanical Translation of the Hebrew Bible.

20Mar08

It has been a while since I finished Healy's book but a review is better late than never. Healy has done an excellent job in detailing the events of the battle of Qadesh between Ramses II and the Hittite king. And with details, I mean every known strategy that both sides have been known to undertake on the field. I was extremely impressed and highly recommend it. The author places the reader in the events leading to this epic battle, setting the scene, and follows through with the battle itself.

As for recent books, I came across a book advertised in an issue of Biblical Archaeology Review: Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. and his book Noah in Ancient Greek Art. Initially I was not only intrigued by the title but also by the synopsis. I wondered, was Noah in fact represented in ancient Greek art (to even Greek mythology). The author associates Noah with the ancient Greek deity Nereus while linking other deities/characters with various biblical ones. Unfortunately this was one of those books that I could not get into. Without getting too nasty, I just did not agree, see and understand with what the author was attempting to accomplish. In my personal opinion, it was far-fetched and too repetitive. The author would consistently repeat themes and ideas within the same sections in the same chapters. I had to force myself to get to the last chapter before finally retiring the book.

15Mar08

I just received Mark Healy's Qadesh 1300 BC: Clash of the Warrior Kings. I look forward to starting it this weekend and will give a brief review when completed. You can obtain this book at Amazon US and UK.

19Oct07

I wanted to dedicate a page to the books that I have been recently reading, in hopes of possibly giving personal suggestion on what could be good and reliable material in someone's research. The first book that I wanted to mention is Charlotte Booth's The Hyksos Period in Egypt. I had just recently finished this and while the book was somewhat short (56 pages), it contained a wealth of information on the Hyksos, who controlled Egypt's delta region during the Second Intermediate Period of Egyptian history. I was extremely impressed with the details Booth covered in a period to which we know very little about. To those interested in the history of the Hyksos it is highly recommended alongside Petrie's Hyksos and Israelite Cities. You can obtain Booth's book at Amazon US and UK.

1Oct07

Now what I am currently reading is Robert Drews' The End of the Bronze Age: Changes in Warfare and the Catastrophe ca. 1200 B.C. All I have to say it, "Wow!" I am extremely impressed with the author's research behind the decline and fall of the Bronze Age giving the opportunity for the Iron Age and all Iron Age civilization (i.e. the Greeks, the Israelites, etc.) to rise to power. The author debunks all previous assumptions to what brought the Bronze Age to an end and concentrates specifically on the problem from a military standpoint. His hypothesis sound very plausible and his research does all the speaking for him. This is a great wealth of published details concerning the Sea Peoples and more. You can obtain this book at Amazon US and UK.