Wikipedia's first sentence called it “historical novel by james michener”. Today it says “historical novel by james a”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “1965 novel by James”. It now reads “1965 historical novel by James”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
The Source is a historical novel by James Michener . The Source is a fascinating retelling of the history of the Jewish people and the land of Israel from pre-monotheistic days to the travails of the modern State of Israel .1The Source uses for its central metaphor a tel in northern Israel called "Makor," or, "the Source." The novel begins with a Stone Age family whose daughter begins to realize that there is a supernatural source, it then goes into the beginnings of monotheism, the Davidic kingdom, Hellenistic times, Roman times, etc.2It follows the story of the Family of Ur from the age of cave men, who has progeny that live in the Gaililee until modern times. People have existed in the birth of modern religion, Israel throughout the course of history. The novel portrays each story that goes along with each age in this one area of the world in such a way that the reader feels that they are in that era. Master storyteller Michener tells the long and tragic history of the Jewish people and their triumphs when encountering hardships. v t e3
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16906889.
The opening as it stood in 2010 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Source is a historical novel by James A. Michener , first published in 1965.It is a survey of the history of the Jewish people and the land of Israel from pre-monotheistic days to the birth of the modern State of Israel .The Source uses for its central device a fictional tell in northern Israel called "Makor" ( Hebrew : "source").Unlike most Michener novels, this book is not in strict chronological order.A parallel frame story set in modern-day Israel supports the historical timeline.Archaeologists digging at the tell at Makor uncover artifacts from each layer, which then serve as the basis for a chapter exploring the lives of the people involved with that artifact.The book follows the story of the Family of Ur from a Stone Age family whose daughter begins to realize that there is a supernatural force, which slowly leads us to the beginnings of monotheism .The descendants are not aware of the ancient antecedents revealed to the reader by the all-knowing writer as the story progresses through the Davidic kingdom, Hellenistic times, Roman times, etc.The site is continually inhabited until the end of the Crusades when it is destroyed by the victorious Mameluks (as happened to many actual cities after 1291 ) and is not rebuilt by the Ottomans .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 370784794.
The opening as it stood in 2015
The Source is a historical novel by James A. Michener , first published in 1965. It is a survey of the history of the Jewish people and the land of Israel from pre-monotheistic days to the birth of the modern State of Israel . The Source uses, for its central device, a fictional tell in northern Israel called "Makor" ( ). Prosaically, the name comes from a freshwater well just north of Makor, but symbolically it stands for much more, historically and spiritually. Unlike most Michener novels, this book is not in strict chronological order. A parallel frame story set in Israel in the 1960s supports the historical timeline. Archaeologists digging at the tell at Makor uncover artifacts from each layer, which then serve as the basis for a chapter exploring the lives of the people involved with that artifact. The book follows the story of the Family of Ur from a Stone Age family whose wife begins to believe that there is a supernatural force, which slowly leads us to the beginnings of monotheism . The descendants are not aware of the ancient antecedents revealed to the reader by the all-knowing writer as the story progresses through the Davidic kingdom, Hellenistic times, Roman times, etc. The site is continually inhabited until the end of the Crusades when it is destroyed by the victorious Mameluks (as happened to many actual cities after 1291) and is not rebuilt by the Ottomans . Modern first editions - a set on Flickr
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 613895606.
The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Source is a historical novel by James A. Michener published in 1965. It is a survey of the history of the Jewish people and the land of Israel from pre-monotheistic days to the birth of the modern State of Israel . The Source uses, for its central device, a fictional tell in northern Israel called "Makor" ( ). Prosaically, the name comes from a freshwater well just north of Makor, but symbolically it stands for much more, historically and spiritually. Unlike most Michener novels, this book is not in strict chronological order. A parallel frame story set in Israel in the 1960s supports the historical timeline. Archaeologists digging at the tell at Makor uncover artifacts from each layer, which then serve as the basis for a chapter exploring the lives of the people involved with that artifact. The book follows the story of the Family of Ur from a Stone Age family whose wife begins to believe that there is a supernatural force, which slowly leads us to the beginnings of monotheism . The descendants are not aware of the ancient antecedents revealed to the reader by the all-knowing writer as the story progresses through the Davidic kingdom, Hellenistic times, Roman times, etc. The site is continually inhabited until the end of the Crusades when it is destroyed by the victorious Mameluks (as happened to many actual cities after 1291) and is not rebuilt by the Ottomans . Modern first editions - a set on Flickr
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 963267756.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
1965 novel by James A. Michener The Source is a historical novel by James A. Michener published in 1965. It is a survey of the history of the Jewish people and the land of Israel from pre-monotheistic days to the birth of the modern State of Israel . The Source uses, for its central device, a fictional tell (mound/hill) in northern Israel called "Makor" ( ). Prosaically, the name comes from a freshwater well just north of Makor, but symbolically it stands for much more, historically and spiritually. Unlike most Michener novels, this book is not in strict chronological order. A parallel frame story set in Israel in the 1960s supports the historical timeline. Archaeologists digging at the tell at Makor uncover artifacts from each layer, which then serve as the basis for a chapter exploring the lives of the people involved with that artifact. The book follows the story of the Family of Ur from a Stone Age family whose wife begins to believe that there is a supernatural force, which slowly leads us to the beginnings of monotheism . The descendants are not aware of the ancient antecedents revealed to the reader by the all-knowing writer as the story progresses through the Davidic kingdom, Hellenistic times, Roman times, etc. The site is continually inhabited until the end of the Crusades when it is destroyed by the victorious Mameluks (as happened to many actual cities after 1291) and is not rebuilt by the Ottomans . Modern first editions - a set on Flickr
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1138746830.
The opening as it stood in 2025
1965 novel by James A. Michener The Source is a historical novel by James A. Michener published in 1965. It is a survey of the history of the Jewish people and the land of Israel from pre-monotheistic days through the birth of the modern State of Israel and up until 1964. The Source uses, for its central device, a fictional tell (mound/hill) in northern Israel called "Makor" ( Hebrew : מָקוֹר , "source"). Prosaically, the name comes from a freshwater well just north of Makor, but symbolically it stands for much more, historically and spiritually. Unlike most Michener novels, this book is not in strict chronological order. A parallel frame story set in Israel in the 1960s supports the historical timeline. Archaeologists digging at the tell at Makor uncover artifacts from each layer, which then serve as the basis for a chapter exploring the lives of the people involved with that artifact. The book follows the story of the Family of Ur from a Stone Age family whose wife begins to believe that there is a supernatural force, which slowly leads us to the beginnings of monotheism . The descendants are not aware of the ancient antecedents revealed to the reader by the all-knowing writer as the story progresses through the Davidic kingdom, Hellenistic times, Roman times, etc. The site is continually inhabited until the end of the Crusades when it is destroyed by the victorious Mameluks (as happened to many actual cities after 1291) and is not rebuilt by the Ottomans . Modern first editions - a set on Flickr
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1293392494. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “historical novel by james michener”. Today it says “historical novel by james a”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “1965 novel by James”. It now reads “1965 historical novel by James”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
historical novel by james michener
Now
historical novel by james a
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
