I discuss some of my disagreements with it in the course.

Dr. Carrier,

I hope you will offer some classes on Biblical Archaeology or some critical analysis of Thomas L. Thompson’s work for the neophytes. I’m not interested in arguing with god-believers. That arguing — I guess —keeps their belief alive. I want to get an objective understanding on how the cultural, political, social and economical conditions are reflected into all kind of myths and legends. This is much more evident — I guess, again —in that remote past.

“History originated as myth.” … “Indeed, men cannot live without history; if they possessed none they would invent it — and, in fact, they have.” The Great Cultural Traditions by Ralph Turner

I teach a “historical methods” course for that general purpose (among others). And indeed I’ll be offering that course this September, just the month after next! So keep your eye out for that. It’s not directly what you have in mind, just in the same goal space.

But I don’t do archaeology. And the socio-cultural origins and development of Judaism is not enough of a specialty for me to be the one to build a whole course on it. I will next year start teaching courses on the socio-cultural origins and development of Western science, though. And that may interest you.

I haven’t found one that’s as comprehensive or as useful. Murray covers both liberal and conservative Christian arguments, and a deep variety of them. And he is as charitable as one needs to be; he gets their arguments correct, and points out what’s wrong with them analytically.