S1 · E1 — The Patriarchs
The Bible is both a religious and historical work, but how much is myth and how much is history?
1. The Patriarchs
Dawn breaks on the land of Canaan. A land in which, according to the Bible, the Patriarchs lived: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Megiddo and other archeological sites of the Levant, the investigation begins. How has archaeology dealt with the great biblical accounts in the past? What does it tell us today about Abraham, his son, and his grandson? Did they really exist? In what period? Why did the authors of this account as recorded in Genesis tell their tale in this way? The film ends with the destiny of the Bible's patriarchal figures: offering the people who wrote these texts a family, a genealogy. The first "pillar" of what was to become Judaism.
2. The Exodus
The archeological and historical investigation continues in Egypt where, according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham, including Joseph and Moses, once settled. Moses set the Hebrews free from slavery before leading them on an Exodus to the Promised Land. Did this episode of the Old Testament actually happen? When and why was it written? What do we know of the kingdom of Juda and King Josias? What part did Josias play in the writing of the Book of the Covenant and of these Laws which were to become the second "pillar" of Judaism?
3. The Kings
This episode brings back to life the history of the Israelite nation in Canaan as told in the Bible: Moses entrusted the conquest of Canaan to Joshua. During a lightning war, a confederation of Israelite tribes took possession of Canaan and settled there. The archeological investigation is at variance with this account. This episode then takes a closer look at Kings David and Solomon. What do we actually know about them? And what of the two Israelite kingdoms situated on the territory of Canaan: Israel to the north, rich and powerful, and Juda, to the south, small and poor. What role will the antagonism between these two 'friendly' kingdoms play in the writing of the Bible? What is the King of Juda, Josias's ambition after the destruction of the kingdom of Israel to the north? How does the death of Josias, a descendant of King David, bring about the emergence of the third "pillar" of Judaism: the Messianic idea?
4. The Book
The investigation now turns to the people who put the biblical texts down on paper. Who were the original Israelites? How did they appear in the region? What part did the sudden emergence in the Levant of the Peoples of the Sea play in the birth of the Israelite nation? What can we find out about what characterized the original Israelites, their customs and beliefs; the reform which led to the writing of the Bible's fifth Book, Deuteronomy; the place of the writing in the birth, for the first time in these societies, of an authoritative text, the Bible; and the fall of Juda and the Israelites' Exile in Babylon?
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