The earliest history of Israel. An unpublished text by Pau Termes Ros

Abstract

This article analyses an unpublished text by Canon Pau Termes Ros entitled Libros históricos del Antiguo Testamento, which contains his notes for a course he taught at the Balmesiana Foundation between 1960 and 1961. The document reveals the exegetical conservatism of Termes, who strove to defend the historical reliability of biblical narratives against contemporary approaches. Although he was familiar with those critical theories, Termes often presented them in a biased manner in order to refute them and uphold the validity of the traditional biblical narrative. Ultimately, the work presented and analysed here offers valuable insight into the debate between tradition and renewal in Catholic biblical studies in the mid-20^th century.