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

(^152) HI:.'WF.EN11~XTANDARTIFACf
integratingor"mainslreaming"archaeology,althoughallschohtrsaretoa
highdegreedependentoninferencesanclconclusionsthatrelyonarchae-
ologicalinformation. Itmaycomeasa surpriseto readersthatweare
particularly well informed abOllt the Persian and Roman portions of
SecondTemplearchaeologyandthattheHellenisticorGreekperiodisthe
leastwell-knowncomponent ofSecondTemplehistory. So it isallthe
moresurprisingtofindsomanyofthebiblical"minimalists"placesomuch
ofbiblicalwritinginaneraaboutwhichweknowsolittleexceptfromthe
pointofviewofJosephus,thefirst-centuryJewishhistorian.Ontheother
hand,someofthemostdistinguishedscholarsinthefieldofSyro-Palestin-
ianarchaeology have provided verydetailedaccounts ofthe malerial
cultureoftheirfields,especiallytherecentstudyofEphraimSternonthe
Persianperiod^3 ortheexcellentsummaryofAndrea BerlinontheHel-
lenisticperiod,4andtherearenumerousspecializedstudiesincludingthe
archaeologyoftheperiodfromPompey'sinvasionofPalestine(63B.C.E,)
10 thefalloftheSecondTemplein 70 C.E,
OnescholarwhohasmadegreatadvancesinpUllingarchaeology
togetherwiththeliteraryevidenceandallOWingbothdatabasestoinOu-
encehisconclusionsisLeeLevine,especiallyhisStroumLecturesatthe
UniversityofWashington.S[nthatworkLevineundertakestoevaluate
thedegreetowhichSecondTempleJudaismand1'051-70earlyJudaism
has3ccommodatedm~J.nY3spectsofHellenisticcivilization inboth its
religiousmakeupandmaterial world.Heed hasrecentlydonethiSfor
NewTestamentstudiesinaveryaccessiblefashion,6Jhaveattemptedto
dothis ina longessayin the newSchockencultural historyofthe
./ewishpeople.?
Thepurposeofthepresentessay,then, willbetodemonstratethe
importanceofintegratingarchaeologicalmaterialsintotheteachingofthe
SecondTempleperiod.[willpresentmyargumentsbyperiodandwill
offersomeconcludingremarksattheendofthepresentation.Whilethe
bibliographyis selective,itisintendedtointroduceandgUidethereader
j Ephr.timStern, Arcb(lcologyoftbcl.fmdofthcBible, VolumeII; 71)cAs,o,}'riall,
Babylol/ian,lindPersi(1IIPcriods0]2-332B.C.E.)(NewYork,Doublecby,1999).
4 AndreaM.Berlin,"Arch;u:ologic;llSourcesfortheHistoryofPalestine:BelweenLarge
!'orces,l':llcstineinthellellenisticPeriod,"1M 60 OW7):2~SI.
Sl.eeI.Levine,judaism0/1(//leffel/isminAntiqllit)':COl/flictcrCOl/jTllellce?(Samuel
andAltheaStroumLecturesinJewi~hStudies;Seattle:UniversityofWashingtonPress,1998).
6 Jonath:ml..RL"Cd,A,-chaeuJogy{/lid/beCali/elmjesus(llarrisburg,Pa.:TrinityPress
International.~UUO)::mdJohnDommieCrossomandJonathanl..RCL"d, Excw'alillgjeslls:
/JclwatbIbl!Stones,Behind/heTeXiS(SanFrancisco:l-l;lrpcrSanFrancisco,2001).
7 EricM.,,\eyers,"JewbhCullurcinGrcco--Rom:mPalestine,"inCllill/resof/bej(I'U!:>':A
New/li.\f()ry(cd.D.Ili:lle;NewYork:RandomHouse/SChocken,2002),l:t35-79.