Archaeology and the Religion of Israel (original) (raw)

2002, Penn State University Press eBooks

Sixty-five years have elapsed since the original publication of this influential work. In spite of the many advances and discoveries that have occurred in the field during this time span, this work remains surprisingly somewhat relevant, particularly as an introduction to a way of investigating the past that was dominate in the United States for decades. Th is volume, which is a reprint of the fifth edition of Archaeology and the Religion of Israel published in 1968, is greatly enhanced for contemporary readers by the introduction with hundreds of updated citations by Th eodore J. Lewis (p. xlviii). While situating Albright in his historical context, Lewis displays Albright's affinity for the "history of religions" approach to biblical studies. "Th e methodology of this approach was comparative: to understand the Bible and its religion in light of much earlier cognate texts, especially those coming from Mesopotamia. . ." (p. xvii). Lewis also discusses how Albright argued "for an early date of monotheism (associated with the historical Moses)," and was engaged in "fighting the German source-critical consensus on the academic battlefield" (p. xviii) without completely rejecting source criticism. In fact, Albright was critical of those who did (p. xix). Lewis stresses that Albright utilized an "informed critical approach" and emphasized a typological method in archaeology (pp. xix-xxii). After Lewis lays out some of Albright's theological presuppositions, one sees more clearly the emphasis in his work on the uniqueness of Israel, his great appreciation for the Hebrew Bible with its beauty and morality, and the common practice in his day of "demonizing the Canaanites" (p. xxix). His "overarching purpose was to reconstruct the culture and intellectual history of the ancient Near East in a way that would highlight biblical religion as its crowning achievement." (p. xxii). Lewis concludes with a section on how the field has evolved since the last edition of the book, including brief discussions on child sacrifice, sexual depravity, divination and prophecy, death and afterlife, and sacrifice and blood. Chapter one is surprisingly an integration of psychology and biblical studies. Entitled "Archaeology and the Ancient Near-Eastern Mind," this is perhaps the least helpful chapter of the volume. Chapter two, the "Archeological Background of Old Testament Religion" is broken down into two main sections. Th e first section is a helpful examination of different geographical regions and related archaeological findings: Syria and Palestine, Mesopotamia and Persia, Egypt and Ethiopia, Asia Minor (Hittites), Arabia, and Cyprus and the Aegean (pp. 37-59).