The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives

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Thomas L. Thompson’s book The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives: The Quest for the Historical Abraham (1974) challenges the idea that the patriarchal stories in Genesis are historical events. Thompson, a biblical scholar and professor of Old Testament studies in Copenhagen, argues that archaeology has not proven any patriarchal event or made the traditions likely. He suggests that the 2nd millennium BCE setting often assumed for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not reliably supported by evidence.

Along with John Van Seters’s Abraham in History and Tradition (1975), Thompson helped spark a broader doubt about the then-common belief that the patriarchal narratives reflect real history simply because they mention ancient names, places, and customs. He argues that the archaeological materials cited by earlier scholars do not provide solid proof, and none of the traditions can be shown to be likely historical.

Thompson concludes that the quest to find a historical Abraham is largely fruitless for historians and Bible students. The book challenged previous methods and contributed to a shift in scholarly views, even affecting the reputation of prominent supporters of the older view.