Mythic Past: Bibical Archaeology and the Myth of Israel Hardcover – Deluxe Edition, January 1, 1999 
by  Thomas Thompson  (Author)
 
In The Mythic Past, controversial historian and biblical scholar Thomas L. Thompson argues that the stories that appear in the Bible are poetry, myth, and metaphor, not historical fact. These stories may be true to the human heart, but not to historical fact. Placing the Bible in a social and cultural context, Thompson's provocative text offers insight into bibical narratives are confused with historical records.