A masterly survey of the period running from the eve of the exile to the end of the sixth century BC. It is a period that abounds in problems, and the author shows a fine acquaintance with a vast literature in which they are discussed. He in cautious in judgment. courteous and fair to those with whom he is unable to agree. never dogmatic and always skilful in leading the reader through the intricacies without bewildering him' (The Times Literary Supplement).'If one persists to the end, following, under the guidance of a very fine scholar, what is undoubtedly the hard way, one will get a reward out of all proportion to what one would receive from a facile outline of the period which did not do justice to the complexities of the evidence. Professor Ackroyd is to be congratulated on a fine achievement' (Norman W. Porteous in Theology).Peter R Ackroyd was Samuel Davidson Professor of Old Testament Studies in the University of London.