Biblical scholar Philip R. Davies of the University of Sheffield, England, is a prominent Biblical minimalist; that is, one who denies any substantial historicity to the Biblical account. For example, in a 1994 BAR article he stated: “I am not the only scholar who suspects that the figure of King David is about as historical as King Arthur.”^a

More recently, in Memories of Ancient Israel (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008), Davies finds support for his views in the profession generally. But, as he notes, BAR has not yet gotten the message:

“As a result of recent archaeological work, biblical archaeology is now dead among professional …