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

104 BETWEENTEXTANDARTIFACT·

whetheranintegrationofthetwofieldsisneeded,butifandhowitcan
bedone.

ANINTEGRATIVETllEOLQGlCALHERMENEU11C

Allowingeach fieldofstudygivenvoiceinthebiblicalsilldiesclass-
roomtoh:lveitsownmethodologicalimegrityisnotonlydesirablebuta
necessity,Ifanygenuineintegrationcantakeplace.Atthesametime,an
integrationofarchaeologicalstudiesandbiblicalstudiesintheologicalcon-
text must rest on an epistemological verification other than historical
posilivism.WithinthetheologicalcontextIh:oHI workandteach, I have
founda Barthian"incarnational"hermeneutic[Qofferausefulepistemo·
logicalparadigmshirtthatequipsstudentswithanonposItivisticmodelby
whichtoholdthetwoscholarlymethodologiestogetherwithoutfragmen~
tation ordilution. It is intelligibletostudentsbecausethemodel itself
derivesfroma centraltheologicalperspective.Itisrhetoricallypersuasive
inandasmuchasitsimplicationscanbeanticipatedanalogouslyfromthe
disciplineofpastoral counseling(adisciplinewith whichmoststudents
haveaworkingawareness).
Ofcourse,an"incarnational"hermeneuticishardlya novelsuggestion.
A decadeago W. Waite WillisJr. suggested a Similarepistemological
schematic.Seekingtoavoida positivisticapproachthatrejectsaprioriany
archaeologicalresultthatquestionsthehistoricalaccuracyoftheBible,or
itsconverse, a positivisticapproach that blindlyacceptsarchaeological
theorybydismissingbiblicalaccountsOulofhand,Willispositsan"open~
ness" totheChristianunderstandingofGod'sincarnationinJesusChristso
thattheincarnation itselfisconsideredanopenandongoingevent.As
such,theincarnation

revealsthewayinwhichGodhasalwaysactedandcontinuestoactin

andthroughhistory.Thisincarnationaleventisopentowardsthepastasit

perceivesGod'sworkinandindentificationwithancientIsrJeIasnarmted

intheHebrewBible,notmerelyintheso-calledgreatactsbutprimarilyin

God'sindwellingwiththepeople.Thisincarnationaleventisopentothe

futureaswell.GodcontinuestoworkintheSpiritinhistory.S

Willisholdsthatthecooperationbetweenthehuman,whichishistorical
andfallible,andthedivine,whichisguidedbytheSpirit,canadequately
explainhow.ontheonehand,thebibliGl1textscanbeshown 10 beat

8 W. Waite WillisJr.. -111CArch;lcolo~y ofPale~tincandtheAn:hat.:ology ofFaith·
!3etwccnaRockanda I-lardPbcc:inCh;lrlcswol1handWC;l\'cr.WbtltHtlSArchaeo{olV'toDo
uoithFaitb.HJ2.