Biblical maximalism is the movement in Biblical scholarship that, as opposed to Biblical minimalism, affirms the historicity of central Biblical narratives, such as those pertaining to the United Monarchy, and the historical authenticity of ancient Israel as a whole.[1] Due to differences between the Bible and 19th- and 20th-century archaeological findings, there exists discordance between these two parties of biblical exegetists: the biblical maximalists argue that prior to Judaism's Babylonian Captivity (the period that spanned the 6th-century B.C.), the Bible serves an accurate historical source and should influence the conclusions drawn from archaeological studies; whereas biblical minimalists assert that the Bible must be read as fiction, unless proven otherwise by archaeological findings, and ought not be considered in secular studies.[2][3]
The debate between the two parties revolves, predominantly, around one major issue in the sphere of biblical interpretation: the existence, or nonexistence, of the united kingdom of Solomon and David.[2] Minimalists argue that this kingdom must have been different from the one presented in the biblical texts—1 Kings and 2 Samuel, for example—stating that the current archaeological evidence does not indicate that a state organization of the kind once existed. Maximalists, on the other hand, hold that the archeological evidence currently uncovered is sufficient to prove the existence of the United Monarchy.[4]
Because of their disagreements, minimalist–maximalist relations have been characterized by inflamed rhetoric and frequent personal attacks.[5]