The great advantage of this new History of Israel is its clarity, comparative brevity and simplicity. Not that it treats superficially the complex problems in which the history of Israel abounds. But at every stage Dr Jagersma states clearly the problems and the evidence available for solving them, and then makes his choice, leaving readers to differ if they understand the evidence in another way. Where there is insufficient evidence for a conclusion, he is not afraid to say We do not know.