A Guide to Sources and Methods

Contents

Introduction
1 Historical Geography
2 Archaeology
3 Literary Approaches
4 Social Sciences
5 History and Historiography

Extracts from Introduction

There is a curious imbalance between the large number of reference and textbooks available on the Bible and the relatively small number of volumes that deal with the world of the ancient Near East. This sometimes gives the impression that the Bible was created in a social vacuum, despite the many references to other peoples and nations. Certainly, there are many reasons, both theological and historical, why it is important to know what is in the Bible. It is, however, equally important to study the world of the ancient Israelites within its literary, social, and historical context. This volume is therefore designed as a sort of hybrid focusing on the biblical and ancient Near Eastern sources and anthropological, geographic, historical, literary, and sociological methods that will make the study of the ancient Israelites more complete.

But why do we want to communicate with another culture — especially one that is separated from us by a vast gulf of time and space? In the case of ancient Israel, the answer to this question is based on a number of factors. One, of course, is the strong interest in the Bible as an essential element in so much of our society’s thinking and beliefs. Modern literature is filled with references to biblical stories or characters, and many of the values expressed in biblical law are still being debated by politicians. Furthermore, the society that is featured in and that helped to produce the Bible had an enduring influence on the development of three great religious movements—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Yet another reason for a close study of ancient Israel is to be found in our fascination with the ancient world in general, with archaeology and the findings of excavators throughout the world of the Bible. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to make a live field study of the ancient Israelites, nor can we visit their villages and towns to interview them, to examine their homes and workshops, or to analyze their everyday behaviors as eyewitnesses. The ravages of time and the destructiveness of the elements and the subsequent human inhabitants of their lands have extinguished all hope of completely reconstructing their world. Therefore, in order to attempt a practical study of the ancient Israelites it is necessary to take into account these limitations and to take stock of what scholarly tools best facilitate this endeavor, for it is in the synthetic task of putting together a plausible picture of an ancient culture that we come to grips with its origins and development and thereby come to understand its particularities as exemplified in the received text or the unearthed artifact.

Thus the purpose of this volume is to provide a guide to the study of the world of the ancient Israelites that can serve as a supplement to larger textbooks or provide guidance for personal study as a companion to the Bible or to gain a better understanding of the issues that are voiced and the disputes that still drive the political situation in the Middle East. By applying scholarly tools to biblical material and artifactual evidence, we will have a better chance of creating a synthetic picture of the ancient Israelites that will help us navigate through some of the challenges encountered when looking at particular details. Since its focus will be broader, although less detailed than an atlas, a history, or an introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, it can more efficiently introduce students to the tools and data available for studying the ancient Israelites and their social context. Some attention will also be given to why such a study can become contentious and controversial. The intent here is not to take sides, but rather to describe the tensions, being respectful of all perspectives. By providing readers with an orientation to the study of the ancient Israelites, this volume can place them on a better footing for navigating these controversies. In other words, it is intended to be a starting point and hopefully a catalyst for further study and investigation.

Navigating through the Sources

One of the most important considerations when writing a book is deciding to whom it is being addressed. If I were writing exclusively for scholars, I would make certain assumptions about their training and level of knowledge, and I would employ a much more technical style and vocabulary. In this case, however, my intended audience is students, laypeople, and their instructors. With that in mind, I do not want to bog readers down with an overly technical approach, and at the same time I do not want this to be so elementary that it fails to provide the coverage necessary for further research and study. As a result, in each chapter I carefully explain the methods used by scholars in a variety of disciplines and discuss the artifactual and textual remains that have survived from antiquity. I also try to make this more user-friendly by creating a large number of insets and sidebars that summarize or highlight information. To indicate my sources and to aid further research, I provide select bibliographies at the end of the first and last chapters, plus a comprehensive reference list at the end of the volume.

The other consideration in writing is mapping out the text. During the process of putting this book together, I rearranged the chapters several times while trying to decide exactly where my starting point should be. In the end I decided on a path that literally would take the reader from the ground up. Thus I will present the world of the ancient Israelites by first taking the readers through the basics of historical geography. We will then turn to archaeology and see how its values, limitations, and excavation techniques contribute to a reconstruction of life in the ancient Near East. A look at the various literary methods that have been developed over the last century will assist us in a more effective reading of the Bible.

Moving from physical artifacts to social context, we will employ sociological and anthropological theories to suggest how customs, traditions, legal pronouncements, and the biblical narrative contribute to a better understanding of their social world. Taking us back to available sources, a brief summary of the history of the ancient Israelites also deals with the issue of historicity as it relates to the Bible and ancient Near Eastern records.

Chapter 1: Historical Geography

What do topography, ecology, and climate have to do with shaping the culture and identity of ancient Israel?

I begin with a chapter on historical geography, but this is not a dry litany of facts and strange place names. Instead I address here one of the chief deficiencies of students — not being able to visualize the physical stage upon which ancient Near Eastern history and biblical events took place. ...

Chapter 2: Archaeology

How does archaeology contribute to the study of the ancient Israelites?

Once a basic familiarity is achieved in placing the Israelites within their geographic and environmental setting, our focus will shift to the scientific tools available for studying the physical remains of the cultures of the ancient Near East.

There is a popular myth that the veracity of the biblical account can be proven by archaeological discoveries. Let me assure you that it is very unlikely that the next shovelful of dirt lifted from the ancient tells in Israel or Palestine will provide absolute proof of the events in the Bible. The reality is that archaeology has real limitations ...

Chapter 3: Literary Approaches

What insights into ancient Israelite culture can come from a critical study of the Bible and the literature of the ancient Near East?

It may be easiest to draw a reader into the world of the ancient Israelites by starting with what is most familiar, the biblical text itself. Of particular interest to many readers of the Bible is simply the narrative and how it functions as an indicator and shaper of both ancient and modern cultural values and development. ...

Chapter 4: Social Sciences

How can the social sciences help us reconstruct the world of the ancient Israelites?

Given the limitations of archaeology and the growing body of social-scientific methods (ethno-archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and psychology) that have been developed to analyze modern cultures, it is appropriate to utilize these methods in the service of our task. ...

Chapter 5: History and Historiography

What are the sources that contribute to the creation of a history of ancient Israel and Judah?

While topography and climate are major factors in the development of the culture of ancient Israel, an equally decisive factor was the continually evolving political situation between 1200 BCE and 500 BCE. ...

... The task of this chapter is to provide not only a basic orientation to the history of ancient Israel, as documented in ancient Near Eastern texts and the biblical narrative, but to discuss the writing of their history by the ancient Israelites. ...

Scope of the Study

Studying the ancient Israelites is always going to be a work in progress. Each of these chapters is designed in its own way and collectively to provide a path to the world of ancient Israel. It has been my experience as a historian and a biblical scholar that one must explore a variety of paths and methods while keeping in mind that these avenues of research are infinite and constantly evolving. As I note in chapter 3 when discussing literary analysis of the textual resources of the ancient Near East, the clues that contribute to our study are like pieces of an ancient mosaic floor. No single tile can provide a sense of the whole image. We must therefore put them together very carefully, testing to see if they fit the pattern. In the end we may then make tentative statements about the artist(s) as well as the social world that contributed to their creative ideas. The process of drawing conclusions is the reward for a careful examination of the data. I hope that this volume will provide my readers with the tools to draw their own educated conclusions about a world that has vanished and yet lives on in its sources and in the echoes that it has produced in our own world.