Between Text and Artifact: Integrating Archaeology in Biblical Studies Teaching (Archaeology and Biblical Studies)

OESSEL:1/\SEARCHOFTIlEGOODBOOK 97

contexts,aswellasthebiblicalnarrativesthemselves.Inlaterchaptersbib-

licaltopicsandthemesarc usedaspointsofdeparturetoelucidatethe

over.:t1Jhistol)'andarchaeology.So,forinstance,CarolHedmountusesthe

exodusst0l)'toevemuaJlydiscusstheLate BronzeAgefroma moreStrictly

historicalandarchaeologicalperspeclive.K8[nchapter5,CarolMeyersuses

thethemeofkingshipandkinshipinthe[ronAgeIItoelucidateaclear

discussionofboththeconstructionofmonarchyasfoundinthebiblical

narrativesanda morearchaeologicalunderstandingofslateformation.Ii')

OneofthemostunusualbutsuccessfulbooksinthiscategoryisLife

inliiblicallsraelbyPhilipKing:.lndL;,l\vrenccStager,a criticalmeldingof

biblicalhislOl)'<lndarchaeology.90Thisis a wonderfulvolumethatuses

archaeologytoexploreeverydaylife inbiblicallimes. ThetopicsIhem-

selvesare gleanedfrom the biblicalnarrativesand representthemost

importantaspectsofbiblicalsocietyandculture.DoughlsKnight,thegen-

eraleditoroftheseriesinwhichthisbookappears,TheLibraryofAncient

Israel,clearlystatestheunambiguousgoal ofthevolume: ''Thepresent

volumeis devotedto precisely that level ofsocial existencethat was

scarcelyknowntostudentsofthel3ibleuntiltheadventofarchaeology.In

fact,onlyinrecentdecadeshavearch,leologiststrainedtheirsightsonthis

mostfundamentalaspectinthehistoryofantiquity-theeverydaylifeof

Israelites."9^1 Theauthorsthemselvesseetheirtaskas"Utilizinganarrayal'

textsand;1I1if:l.IS 10 ollilinplht> m,lin ff';)1l1fPSoflifpinthphihli.al

world.While focusingontheIron Age,in order 10 contextualizea vast

amountofmaterial. we also called upon the ambient culturesofthe

ancientNearEast."92

Is thisa return toan Alhrightian-styled biblical archeology,oris it

moreofanallemptto marshala tremendousamountofnewdata and

apply them to the texts in an appropriate andsensitive fashion?The

authorsclearlyrecognizetheissuesinvolvedwithintegratingarchaeology

andscripture,butbecausetheirgoalsaresoclearlystatedanddiscrete,the

textisallowedtohreathefreely,withoutpressurefromunstatedtheoretical

agendas.KingandStagerunderstandthecontextofthel3ibleasbelonging

totheIronAgeandgoonintelligentlytoutilizelhevastamountofnew

Iron Age archaeologicald~lla. Thelife ways King and Stagerconsider

I*lC3rolA.Redl11ounl, "Billerl.ives:hr.-ldin3ndUlilofEgypt:inCoogan,Oxford
I-listOlyoffbeBlhlicalIf-brld.58-B9.
R9CarolMeyers,"Kinl>hipandKingship:TheE3rly,\ton3rchy:'inCoogan.OxfordWs-
IOTJIoftheBihlicalWorld, 16')-205.
90 PhilipJ.King<lndL:.lwrcnn:-E.~l:tger./.ifeillWblicalIsme/lLotllSVllle:\Ve.~lmlnSler
JohnKnox, 200 I).
91 DouglasA.Knight."Foreword:inKing<lndSlager.I.ifeilllJrblicallsrael.xviii.
')2KingandSI3,l,>er.LifeillI3iMcafIsmd.xix