Presented in this book are a series of papers presented to the European Seminar on Methodology in 1998 (Cracow) and 1999 (Helsinki). As Grabbe outs it, the purpose of the papers is to "thrash out questions of historical methodology" and unlike other forums there is a diversity of views. In one way or another all of these essays address Niels Peter Lemche's 1993 essay "The Old Testament -- a Hellenistic Novel?"

Hecataeus of Abdera (c. 300 BCE) who knows of an Exodus tradition is cited by several of the scholars. Albertz finds that the Exodus tradition is not as late as the Hellenistic Period. Barstad finds the similarities between Herodotus and the OT(or Hebrew Bible) are too general and that ANE writings are more similar. Becking finds classical Hebrew (1st Temple Period) in the Books of Kings. But Carroll notes that histories are not always written at the same time as the events they describe. Grabbe notes that the Greeks were the first historians who questioned their traditions; the Israelites, with the exception of Josephus and Eupolemus, did not. And Lemche retells his "3 pub" joke of how the Pentateuch was written in 3 pubs in Babylon.
Each essay is noteworthy and thoughtful.

At the end of the book, Grabbe writes that the topic for the seminar has been too broad and several times the scholars have been able to either talk past each other or ignore questions. Rather than think that this is a deficiency of this book I think it is a strength. This book gives great insights into the still current discussion of the proper methodology to use to study the historicity of the Old Testament.