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

DESSEJ.:INSF-ARCllOFTHEGOODBOOK 71

carefulexplicationofmanyofthemostimportanttrendsandcontrover-
siesstillextantinthediscipline.Perhapsthemostimportantissueisthat
ofthe influenceofreligious beliefson interpretation,which Albright
downplays.

IIistnlethatsomearchaeologistshavebeendrawntoPalestinebytheir

interestintheBible,andthatsomeofthemhadreceivedtheirprevious

trainingmainlyasbiblical scholars.Thewriterhasknownmanysuch

scholars,butherecallsscarcelya Singlecasewheretheirreligiousviews

seriously influenced their results.. their archaeological conclusions

werealmostuniformlyindependentoftheircriticalviews.^13

ThiSoptimisticconvictionwasappropriateforthetime,especiallyas
Albrighthimselfsawgreat historicalaccuracyin thebiblicaltexts.At the
conclUSionofthiSvolumeAlbrightclearlystatedhisviewontheroleand
purposeofarchaeology:

Thougharchaeologyand geographycanthusclarifythehistoryandgeog-

mphyofancientPalestine,itcannotexplainthebasicmiracleofISr:<leI's

faith,whichremainsa uniquefaclorintbeworldhistory.Butarch:leolo-

gycanhelpenormouslyinmakingthemiraclerationallyplausibletoan

intelligentpersonwhosevisionisnotshonenedbya materialisticworld

view.IIGillshowIheabsurdityofextremesedarianpositions.. A~ainst

these.Illelotbermodernformsofancientmagic,archaeologywagesan

unceasingwar. 14

Thegraphicsinthisvolumearebeautifullyrendered,andthroughtheir
presentationAlbrightsuccessfullymadeavailabletothepublicimagesthat
werethenhardtoobtain.Theyincludearchitecturalandstratumplans,line
drawingsofartifacts(especiallypotteryfromTellBeitMirsim),andthirty
platesofwondetfulblackandwhitephotographsofimportantartifactsand
sites,suchasMegiddoandBethShanastheyappearedinthe 1 940s.
Thisvolumerenectsanexceptionalclarity.Itwasthemostsignificant
formulationofa coherentculturehistoryoftheregionyetproduced,andit
establisheda pedagogicalframeworkforthestudyofthismateriallhathas
lastedtothepresent.tSAlbright'sattentiontofieldmethodology,thehistory
ofthediscipline,andthemorecriticalintegrationofthearchaeological
data,biblicaltexts,andextrabiblicalNearEasterndocumentaryevidence

13 Albright.ArdJaeologyofPa{estitw,219.
11 Ibid.,256.
t5!.atcrbibliC"JllirchaeologyhandbookshavecontimlllUyUpd1tOOAlbright'sbasicstruc-
ture,almostalwaysfocusingonlheBronzeandIronAges. EvennowwelackIIgood
llrchaeologicalhandbookfortheclas~iC:IIperiodsinthesoulhernLevant.