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

120 B~'WEENTEXTANDARllFACf

.mdauthorshipofthesestoriesbutwhetherornotthestories

canbeusedatall forhistorywriting.In thisregardIamalso

goingtooperateontwootherbasicpresuppositions:thatthe

DHisa complex,layeredliteraryproductionwhosefinalform

doesnotantedatetheseventhcenturyB.C.E.;andthatregardless

ofthehistoryornonhistoryofthe storiesinthiswork,they

havebeenplacedbytheauthor(s)inwhaliscalledarchaeolog-

ically Iron Age I (ca. 1200-1000B.C.E.)andIron Age II(ca.

1000-587/540B.C.E.).Inanycase,the majoremphasiswillbe

onthe archaeologicaldataknownfromthesetwoperiods.

9. Thesame kindsofarchaeological/historicalquestionscan be
   askedforthepropheticmaterialfoundinthebooksoftheso-
   calledthreemajorprophets(Isaiah,Jeremiah,Ezekiel)andthe
   twelveminor.I amnotreferringheretothepossibilityof"prov-
   ingarchaeologically"thatanIs<liahoranAmoslivedaspersons
   ina certaintimeandplace.R;:lIher,dowehavearchaeological
   data that reflectthesocial,economic,political, and religious
   conditions discussedbythese books'authors, whoeverthey
   mayturnouttohavebeenandfromwhateverdatetheymay
   havebeencomposed?I raise the issuewithoutexpectingto
   havethespacetodealwitheachprophet,butwhat,forexam-
   ple,wouldherefJlIired1.0seeifthearchaeolnginlldamnow
   knownfromeighthcenturyB.C.E.northernIsraelreflectthecul-
   tural situationaspresentedin thebookofAmos?Can~Amos"
   beexcavated from the ruinsofSamaria?(I am indebted to
   DominicCrossanforphrasingthequestionthisway.)

TOPIc."FORDISCUSSIONINARCHAEOLOGYANDTilEHEBREWBIBLE

Idonotknowofjustonewaytodoanyofthis,andthetopicsthat
couldbechosenaremany.ThefollOWingproposalsaresimplysuggestions
thatcanenableateachertointroducetostudentsoftheHebrewBiblethe
difficulliesand,onewouldhope,thevalue(s)ofusingarchaeologyasa
criticaltoolforhelpingonetobecomeaTlloreresponsibleinterpreterof
theBible(orat[eastpartsofit).
Thequestionsand problemssurrounding(heemergenceofanciem
Israel(LateBronzeAge/IronAgeI)is agoodplace 10 begin.Thereis cur-
rently a lively controversyamongscholars over the particularsofthe
historyoftheappearanceof"ancientIsraeL"Fromwheredidthepeople
whoshouldbeincludedinthisgroupcome?WhenwasthereanIsrael?
Whatcountsforethnicmarkers in Israel'scase?Was thereanexodusof
anybiblicalproportion?a conquest?Whowherethepeoplewhosettled
thecentralhillcountryofCanaanduringIronAgeI?How~lrethesepeople