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

I)ESS!'.L:INSEARCI-IOFTIlEGOODUooK 87

authoritative.Thereisa cleartrend here: asthescholarlyliteraturehas

becomemoredenseandcomplex,thehandbookshavetendedtobecome

leaner,with farless actual data. Perhaps,then,these"nextgeneration"

handbooksareopel'".uingunderreduclionistpressures,thegoalofwhichis

topresentsimpleandstraightforwardviewsofgreateramountsofdata,

analyzedinmoresophisticatedways.

Threeofthebestofthisnewgenerationareslenderbutwellconceived:

7broughtheAgesinPalestinianArchaeology:AnIntroductoryHandbook,

byWalterRast/,0AnIntroductiontoBiblicalArchaeology,byVolkmarFritZj 61

andArchaeologyandtheBible,byJohnLaughlin.^62 Theyallespousea secu-

larperspectiveandareexplicitlyarchaeologicalintheiroutlook.

Thoughsimilar inorientation,all threeusedifferentterminologyin

theirtilles.RaslusesPalestineinthelitle,thetraditionalgeographicterm

forthesoulhernLevant,signalinghisintenttosticktothearchaeology,

whereasFritz usesBiblicalArchaeology.ForFritz, thiscontroversyover

terminologyis clearlynotanissue.

Recentlytherehasbeen,particularlyinAmerica.a tendencytoreplacethe

Icrlll~biblicalarchaeology"with"Paleslinianarchaeology.~Thisisdirec:.1ed

mainlyagainst 100 closeaconnectionbeingmadebetweenarchaeology

andbiblicalstudies,inpal1.iculara fundamentaliSIone.InGermany,the

term~biblicalarchaeology~hasneverreallybeenusedsoone-sidedlyasa

proofforthehistoric:tltruthofbiblicaltexts. Biblical:lrchaeologyis,

justasthearchaeologyofotherregions,:1scienceaimedat regaining.

definingandexphliningtheheritageofpeoplesformerlyinhabitingIhe

land.Thus,biblicalarchaeologyisameansofestablishingthehistorical

andculturalheritageofPalestine.^63

Laughlin'stitle,ArchaeologyandtheBible,isoneofthemoreinnova-

tive. Byavoidingtheuseofanygeographicalterminology,Laughlinhas

alsocleverlyavoidedthepotenlialpoliticalorreligiousbiasesassociated

withthesenow"loaded"geographicalterms.

Thoughshort(noneexceeds 223 pages),theyarewellwritlen,easyto

read, andprovideasoundandbalancedpresentationofcontemporary

trendsandthecriticaldatainSyro-Palestinianarchaeology.Theirapproach

60 WalterR:ISI.7broughfheAgesillPaleslilliallArchl.'Ofogy:All11ItrodllCforyHr:mdlJOOk
(Philadelphia:TrinityPressInternational.1992).
61 VolkmarFritz.AllImrodllctioll 10 Bibliw{Arch[l(.'OfogyQSOTSup172;Sheffield:)501'
l'rf·"-~.19(4)
62 J.:Lughlin.Archal.'Otogyalld{be/Jib{e(I.ondon:Houllcdge,2000)
63 Fritz,/llfrodlldiollfaIJiblicatArchr:wolagy,12.Fritz'suseofthetemll~(/Ieslilleisinits
traditionalgeographicusage,roughlythe:lfCaundertheBritishMand:uefrom 19~to1948.