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

~';To\RBUCK:WilYDEClARETIlE 11 liNGSFORIlIODEN? 107

Whathappens,though,wheneachdisciplineheldinitsowndistinc-

tiveness,connictswiththeother?Bothpsychologyandtheologyhavea

gooddealtosayalXlutsexuality,forexample.Whichperspective,according

totheChalcedonianhermeneutic,shouldholdsway?TheChalcedonian

hermeneuticallensaffirmsnotonlytheindissolubledifferentiationandthe

inseparableunitybUIalsotheindestnlctibleorderoftwointegratedbut

distinctconcepts ForBarththismeantthattherewasa logicalprecedence

ofoneconceptovertheother: thedivineoverthe human.Hunsinger

describesIhis interms ofasymmell)' in relationship. SimplypUI, and

accordingtotheinternallogicoftheorderingofChalcedonianlanguage

itself,"fullyGodandfullyhuman,"anasymmetricallogicalpriorityistobe

giventotheologyoverpsychology.

Whentheseprinciplesareappliedtopaslor-llcounseling,onewouldsay

th:lttheologydependsonpsychologytooperatecompetentlyinitsown

sphere,togiveusreliableknowledgeofhumanpsychologicalfunction-

ing. However,a knowledge ofpsychology,nomatterhowprofound,

c;lI1notprovideuswithwhatwebelieveaboLltGodandtheworldand

ourplaceinit.Whatwebelieveaboutthedeeppurposesofhumanlife,

andtheparticul:lrhumanlifeth:ltisourstolive,canonlybeaddressed

fromthestandpointoffaith.1J

Suchasymmetricallogic:llpriorityshouldheviewedmoreintermsofa final
arbitratingperspectiveratherthan~lfirstvoiceindialogue.Inotherworcls,
theempiricalscience(psychology)islimitedtoa descriptionofhowthings
"are,"whereastheologyseekstodescribewhatthingsare"intendedtobe."
Byanalogy,inthebiblicalstudiesclassroomonemigluwetlenvision
thescripturaltextasthe"patient"andthedistinctfieldsofbiblicaltheology
andancientNearEasternarchaeologyasinterpretivestrategiesforunder-
standingandexplicatingthe"patient."Ifso,theChalcedonianhermeneutic
becomesvilaI.
Intheologicalcontexts, anauthoritarianepistemologythatrendersa
canonofhallowedtexlsmustbegivenfullanddistinctvoice.At{hesame
time,thefaclthattheGodofthecanonicaltextisportrayedbeingintrusive
tothephysicalworldinactualhistoricalsettings,necessitates,ontheother
hand,thefullvoiceofthearchaeologicaldiscipline.Sincetheepistemolog-
ical foundationofarchaeologyisempiricismandnotauthoritarianism,I<I
studentsshouldbeinstnlCtedtoanticipateperiodicepistemologicalconnict
(i.e.,outcomes3-4).AccordingtotheChalcedonianpattern,biblicaltheol-
ogyandancientNearEasternarchaeologyshouldbeapproachedinthe

nIbid.,22.

14 LewisR.I3inford,AnArchlu:otogica{Perspectlve(N~wYork:ACAdemicPress,1972),5-32.