Name: Biblical Archaeology
Price: 9.75 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock
Author: Eric H. Cline
ISBN: 9780195342635

Public interest in biblical archaeology is at an all-time high, as television documentaries pull in millions of viewers to watch shows on the Exodus, the Ark of the Covenant, and the so-called Lost Tomb of Jesus. Important discoveries with relevance to the Bible are made virtually every year--during 2007 and 2008 alone researchers announced at least seven major discoveries in Israel, five of them in or near Jerusalem. Biblical Archaeology offers a passport into this fascinating realm, where ancient religion and modern science meet, and where tomorrow's discovery may answer a riddle that has lasted a thousand years. Archaeologist Eric H. Cline here offers a complete overview of this exciting field. He discusses the early pioneers, such as Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie and William Foxwell Albright, the origins of biblical archaeology as a discipline, and the major controversies that first prompted explorers to go in search of objects and sites that would "prove" the Bible.He then surveys some of the most well-known biblical archaeologists, including Kathleen Kenyon and Yigael Yadin, the sites that are essential sources of knowledge for biblical archaeology, such as Hazor, Megiddo, Gezer, Lachish, Masada, and Jerusalem, and some of the most important discoveries that have been made, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Mesha Inscription, and the Tel Dan Stele. Subsequent chapters examine additional archaeological finds that shed further light on the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, the issue of potential frauds and forgeries, including the James Ossuary and the Jehoash Tablet, and future prospects of the field. Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction captures the sense of excitement and importance that surrounds not only the past history of the field but also the present and the future, with fascinating new discoveries made each and every season.

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‘Very Short’, in this brilliant OUP series, does not mean really short, or simple. Here Cline first provides a critical history of archaeology in the Holy Land, of techniques driven by political and personal agendas. Then he evaluates an eclectic range of archaeological findings – geological, site specific, antiquarian including Qumran - against a biblical chronology, from Noah’s flood to early Christianity. Two things emerge. One is that many ‘biblical’ archaeologists have been seeking reassurance – either ‘proof’ of the bible’s narrative ‘truth’, or justification of land ownership. The other is that things are really much more complex. Archaeology has not confirmed ancient events – such as the exodus from Egypt – but can touch on happenings set more recently. It indicates, for example, that Jerusalem was indeed destroyed and burned sometime near 586 BCE. It perhaps, therefore, supports readings of the Hebrew Bible as exilic and post-exilic texts, constructing a people’s past from mythic sources, rather than as an authoritative history. This is a fascinating, wide-ranging book.

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