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

172 BE1WEENITX,.ANDARlll'AC!"

descriptionofcla!,1.ThroughoutthehistoryofQumranscholarship,how~
ever,thedistinctionhasoftenbeenblurred,sothathypothesesreachedby
interpretingarchaeologyandtextsInthelightofeachotherarcthentreated
:IShardarchaeologicalclawtouseinIUl1herinterpretation.
Inthisway,thetriangularrelationmodelhasoftenbecomea vicious
circleofself-eonfirmingdata.Tohighlightbutoneexample,inhisacrcmptto
read religious significance from the Qumran burials, Puech notes that
"archaeologygivesa basisforthescrollsandthescrollshelptointerpret
archaeologicaldata.Archaeologyandfe:.:,sshowthatEsseneburialsexisted
undoubtedly,atleast:1(Qumrfln,'Ainel-Ghuweir,Jericho,andjenlsalem."24
Asdiscussedfurtherbelow,it ishighlydebatablewhetherwearedealing
witha consistentformofburialuniquctooneparticularsocialgrouping.
Furthermore,notexL<;discussorprovideexplanationsforthedistinctiveburi-
alsseenatQumranandsomeothersites,butPuechacceptstheburialsas
firmarchaeologicalevidenccofreligiousideasfoundintheDeadSeaScrolls:

It clearlyindicatesanintentional useofthegrJvesbyagroupwho

wantedtoseparatetombsofmen fromthoseofwomenandchildren.

Thesescrupulousobservations1/11"1/inl0factthereligiousbeliefofthe

Esscnecommunityinanafterlife.. thenecropolisofKbi,./)elQumr.ln

hadspecialsignificancefortheEssenesintermsofthebenefitoffuture

salvationandprobablyalsoforn:suITt:ction.2S

Thepredominantsouth-norlhorientation"indicatesa rejectionofan
east-westorientation thatis,towardsJerusalem,becauselheholydry
wasdefiledforan Essene."26FollowingMilik,Puechexplainsthesouth-
northorientationthcologic:lllyasrenectingaviewthat"Paradisewasinthe
north,"onthebasisoftheEnochicOookofWatchers,whichwasrevered
atQumran.Thisexplanationiscertainlyattractiveandcouldbepossible,
butit risksthe~dangcrsofover~interpre(ation"(hatDavieswarnsabout,
when"preconceptionsshapeanalysis."27Acleardifferentiationbetween
daraandhypotheticalsynthesisisnecess;:l1y.

LANGUAGEA~DIMAGE

ThespecialappealofarchaeologyhastodowiththeWIYconcrete-

nessofitsevidence:it hasthepotentialtobringa sitetolifewithpowerful

imagesandlendstheimpressionthatoneisdealingwith"hard"facls,since

24 EmilePucch."TheNe<:ropoliscsofKhirhelQumr:inandAind-Ghuwcirand(he
Es,-,eneBeliefinAfterlife:BASON312(998):29.emphasisadded.
25 Ibid..emphasis;Idded.
26 Ibid.
27 D;l\'ies."HowNot(0DoArchaeology:20';-6.