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

LAUGHUN:ONTIlECONVERGENCEOF'ffiXTSANDARTIFAct'S 119

eventoonewhoisnostrangertothediscussion.Thatotherscholarsin
the field might, and probably do, have a different setofoperating
assumptionsis bothrecognizedandappreciated.Nevertheless,thefollow-
ingminimalobservationswillunderliewhatfollows. Itismyhopethatthe
implicationsoftheseassumptionswillleadtoa consciousandresponsible
attempttomakeuseofcurrentarchaeologicaldata/methodsin teaching
theHebrewBible.tO

1. Yourstudentsareprobablyaswoefullyignorantofallofthis
   discussionasaremine.


2. Yourprimaryemphasisisgoingtobeonthebiblicaltextsand
   notonarchaeology.


3. YourapproachtoteachingtheHebrewBiblewillbethoroughly
   groundedinhistorical-criticalassumptions/methodologiesregard-
   lessofyourownpredilectionsandidiosyncrasies.


4. Youmayhavelimitedtimeand/orinteresttodealdirectlywith
   archaeologicalissues.


5. You willhavelimitedvisualresources(buta picturerealtyis
   wonha 101 ofwords--especiallyinthecaseofarchaeology).


6. 111ereis hnleifanyrecoverableUhistory"fromthestoriesmaking
   upwhatisnowcalledthePentateuch.I realizethattherearestill
   altemptsamongcertainconservativescholarstoshowthatthe
   patriarchsreallylivedandthatMosesreallydidbringmillionsof
   peopleoulofEgypt,butI haveneverseentheobjective(read:
   archaeological)evidencetosupportsuch conclusions. Conse-
   quently, I willnotdealwiththesestories.Thatthey,aswellas
   otherstoriesinthismassofmaterial,mayhaveprofoundmoral
   and/ortheologicalmeaningsisnotthcissuehere.^11


7. ThereislittleornodirectarchaeologicaldataforthePsalms,
   wisdomliterature,andotherbooksconstitutingtheWritings.
   Consequently,thesesectionsoftheBiblewillalsobeignored
   forourpurposes.


8. If archaeological data and biblical texts can "lalk" to each
   other,ourbesthopeisinthosestoriesmakingupwhatiscom-
   monlyknownastheDeuteronomicHistoryofIsrael(hereafter
   01-1), foundbasically inthebiblicalbooksofJoshua,Judges,
   Samuel,and Kings.Thequcstionhereisnotthefinaldating

10 Seeibid.,97-157.
IIFor<lbriefbUlirnponantdiscussionofIhebiblicalstoryofthe"exodus-fromtheper-
specliveofEgyplianhistoryand:trchaL'"Ology,seeErneSl$.Frerichs:tndLeonardH.Lesko,
eds.,ExodUS:1be!1KJptiallJ:"videl/ce(WinonaI..:.ke,Ind.:Eiscnbr.l.uns.1(97).