A Basic Biblical Archaeology Library

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The past two and a half decades have witnessed a proliferation of publications in the field of Biblical archaeology designed for the interested layman or student. While some of these works cater to sensation and exaggerated claims, and others are little more than huge and expensive volumes of glossy photos, many others offer solid information, written in clear and nontechnical language.

For the non-professional interested in building a small library of basic books in the field, selections are made difficult by the breadth of choices available. Specialists, moreover, disagree concerning what is most basic. The following titles, however, represent one professor’s suggestions for a beginner’s library. Most of the titles cited are currently in print; those that are not (indicated by “o.p.”) may yet be available in some bookstores.

For a comprehensive introduction to Biblical archaeology, G. Ernest Wright’s Biblical Archaeology (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1962 [2nd ed.], 291 pp., $16.00) has long been a favorite. Organized according to historical sequence, it relates archaeological data to the histories of both the Old and New Testaments. Such a format is the easiest to follow, even if it comes close at points to resembling a Biblical history as such. Wright’s book is available in a paperback abridgment (Westminster, 1960, 198 pp., $2.85), which is recommended, however, only to those on the most limited budgets, as it lacks much of the meaty detail and pictures of the larger edition. If only one book in Biblical archaeology is purchased, Wright’s unabridged work remains the best selection even though some portions are now out-of-date—an unavoidable problem for books in this field unless they are revised constantly, both because of new discoveries and new interpretations of old ones. A generally up-to-date alternative to Wright, one that is similar in organization and comprehensiveness though its photographs are inferior, is Harry Thomas Frank’s Bible, Archaeology and Faith (Nashville: Abingdon, 1971, 352 pp., $6.95).

W. F. Albright’s The Archaeology of Palestine (Gloucester, Ma.: Peter Smith, 1961 [rev. ed.], 271 pp., $5.50) is a classic and well worth the purchase, even though it is dated and written in a style which is sometimes delightful, sometimes tedious. Two other Albright classics are Archaeology and the Religion of Israel, 5th ed. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1956 [1941 reprint], $9.00) and From the Stone Age to Christianity (Garden City, N. Y.: Doubleday, Anchor Books, 1957, paperback, 432 pp., $2.50), which apply archaeological data to an interpretation of early Hebrew 021history and religion, stressing the significance of monotheism.

Another long-respected work (first edition, 1946) dealing with backgrounds to both Old and New Testaments is Jack Finegan’s Light From the Ancient Past (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1969 [2nd ed.], 638 pp., $16.50; paperback, same publisher, 2 vols., $3.95 and $4.45, respectively). Particularly illuminating are the sections dealing with Mesopotamia and Egypt and early Christian manuscripts and churches.

A “must” is Kathleen Kenyon’s Archaeology in the Holy Land, 3rd ed. (New York: Praeger, 1970, paperback, 360 pp., $4.50), which provides a detailed and authoritative portrayal of pre-Biblical Palestine and an up-to-date survey of the Biblical period down to the early post-exilic era. Kenyon does not reconstruct Biblical history and exercises caution in applying archaeological data to the Biblical narrative. Though technical in the descriptions of strata and pottery styles, the book should not be above the head of the interested layman. That Kenyon herself excavated Jericho and Jerusalem, two pivotal sites, gives her book an added attraction.

Kenyon has also written a good beginner’s introduction to excavation and archaeological technique, Beginning in Archaeology (London: J. M. Dent and Sons, Aldine House, 26 Albemarle St., 1964, $2.20 or £1.00) (Since it is not distributed in the United States, I give the address of the London publisher.) Similar information is available in Walter G. Williams’ Archaeology in Biblical Research (Nashville: Abingdon, 1965, o.p.). Another approach to methodological training is found in J. B. Pritchard’s well-written study of a specific site, Gibeon, Where the Sun Stood Still (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1973 [1962 reprint], paperback, $3.45). And Ruth Amiran’s Ancient Pottery of the Holy Land (New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1970, 306 pp., $20.00) introduces the reader to the details and technical aspects of ceramics, a central concern in all dating problems.

One of the most interesting histories of Biblical archaeology is Pritchard’s Archaeology and the Old Testament (Princeton University Press, 1958, 263 pp., $9.50), which captures the excitement and 022drama of excavation and interpretation that has far too often been left to the sensationalists and romanticists. There is no finer introduction for whetting one’s appetite for further involvement in Biblical archaeology.

Studies relating archaeology to the Old Testament far out-number those concerned with the New Testament, for the rather obvious reason that the Old Testament covers a much longer span of history. An important volume of essays describing twenty-eight excavated sites and geographical areas in Palestine and the larger Near East relating to the Old Testament is 1). Winton Thomas’ (ed.) Archaeology and Old Testament Study (Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1967, 493 pp., $15.25). These essays were written by an international group of scholars and bring out relevant points of interest concerning Old Testament history, chronology, geography, literature, religion, and social life. They compose an authoritative and convenient reference work.

As for epigraphical materials, an indispensable tool and the only comprehensive collection of ancient Near Eastern extra-Biblical texts is J. B. Pritchard’s (ed.) Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3rd ed. with supplement (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1969, $37.50). The nonspecialist may prefer the abridged and much cheaper edition, The Ancient Near East: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures, 2nd ed. (Princeton University Press, 1969, 380 pp., $9.50; paperback, same publisher, $3.95), which combines excellent selections from the larger edition and photographs from Pritchard’s (ed.) The Ancient Near East in Pictures, 2nd ed. with supplement (Princeton University Press, 1969, $37.50). A paperback anthology similar to Pritchard’s abridged work is D. Winton Thomas’ (ed.) Documents From Old Testament Times (New York: Harper and Row, Torchbooks, 1961, paperback, 302 pp., $1.95). Though containing fewer texts and photos than the Pritchard paperback, it is well annotated with helpful editorial notes.

John Gray’s Archaeology and the Old Testament World (Santa Fe, N.M.: Gannon, 1962, 245 pp., $9.50) and R. K. Harrison’s The Archaeology of the Old Testament (New York: Harper, Chapel 023Books, 1966, paperback, 162 pp., o.p.) are both highly readable and concise handbooks in Old Testament archaeology. But owners of Wright’s or Frank’s books would find them superfluous except for Gray’s treatment of the Mesopotamian mythological texts.

In New Testament archaeology, one basic work stands out: Jack Finegan’s The Archaeology of the New Testament (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1970, 273 pp., $22.50). The price reflects the fact that it is filled with a great number of illuminating black and white photographs. But unlike the large picture books designed for the coffee-table, this book utilizes photographs to illustrate technical details of New Testament sites. The overall effect is a highly effective, although somewhat technical, treatment of New Testament archaeology.

The significance of Qumran and Masada for an understanding of New Testament backgrounds, as well as for the spectacular nature of the finds themselves, accounts for the large number of books on these subjects. Two modestly priced volumes on Qumran are recommended: either Geza Vermes’ The Dead Sea Scrolls in English (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1962, paperback, 255 pp., $1.65) or A. Dupont-Sommer’s The Essene Writings from Qumran, tr. by Geza Vermes (Gloucester, Ma.: Peter Smith 1961, 428 pp., $6.50). Both contain descriptions of the Qumran community, its beliefs and practices, theories as to its identification, and translations of most of the non-Biblical scroll texts. Dupont-Sommer’s volume is rich in interpretive notes.

The best all-around introduction to the scrolls discovered prior to 1958 is still Millar Burrows’ The Dead Sea Scrolls (New York: Viking, 1955, 435 pp., o.p.) and the same author’s More Light on the Dead Sea Scrolls (New York: Viking, 1968, 434 pp., $6.95), containing the exciting story of the discoveries and subsequent intrigue, exhaustive comparisons of interpretive theories, and excellent translations of the texts. John Allegro’s The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Reappraisal (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1964, paperback, 208 pp., $2.25) is worth buying, the author’s highly speculative theories respecting Essene and Christian parallels notwithstanding. The reader who approaches this book with the necessary caution 026will find it interesting and informative as well. Also highly recommended is Frank M. Cross, Jr.’s The Ancient Library of Qumran and Modern Biblical Studies, rev. ed. (Garden City, N.J.: Doubleday, Anchor Books, 1961, 260 pp., o.p.).

For all about Masada, purchase Yigael Yadin’s Masada, tr. by Moshe Pearlman (New York: Random House, 1966, 272 pp., $15.00), replete with spectacular color and black and white photos illustrating a truly unique site.

Other recommended volumes devoted exclusively to a single site are: Kathleen Kenyon’s Jerusalem: Excavating 3000 Years of History (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967, 211 pp., $9.95) and the same author’s Digging Up Jerusalem (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1974, 288 pp., $12.50), and G. Ernest Wright’s Shechem: The Biography of a Biblical City (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1965, o.p.). More expensive because of the beautiful color photographs, are Yigael Yadin’s informative and highly interesting works: Bar Kokhba (New York: Random House, 1971, 271 pp., $15.00) and Hazor (Random House, 1975, 280 pp., $20.00).

Much important material written by leading Biblical archaeologists during the last three decades has been culled and collected in various anthologies which constitute “histories” of discovery and interpretation for this important period. Among them are: G. Ernest Wright and David N. Freedman, eds., The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 1 (Missoula, Mt.: Scholars Press, University of Montana, 1961, 342 pp., $7.00 [paperback, $4.20]); David N. Freedman and Edward F. Campbell, Jr., eds., The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 2 (Scholars Press, 1964, 420 pp., $7.00 [paperback, $4.20]); Edward F. Campbell, Jr. and David N. Freedman, eds., The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 3 (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Anchor Books, 1970, paperback, 424 pp., $2.45); G. Ernest Wright, ed., The Bible and the Ancient Near East (Doubleday, Anchor Books, 1965 [1961 reprint], 542 pp., paperback, o.p.); David N. Freedman and Jonas C. Greenfield, eds., New Directions in Biblical Archaeology (Doubleday, Anchor Books, 1971, 211 pp., paperback, o.p.).

Finally, one should not overlook one of the handiest sources for articles on a broad gamut of concerns in Biblical archaeology, namely, the four volumes of The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, ed. by G. A. Buttrick, et. al. (Nashville: Abingdon, 1962, approx. 1,000 pp. each vol., $49.95 set), the price of which is by no means exorbitant in view of the length and detail of the work.

This is barely to scratch the surface. But many of the volumes cited provide bibliographies which will direct the reader to a wealth of sources omitted here.

The past two and a half decades have witnessed a proliferation of publications in the field of Biblical archaeology designed for the interested layman or student. While some of these works cater to sensation and exaggerated claims, and others are little more than huge and expensive volumes of glossy photos, many others offer solid information, written in clear and nontechnical language. For the non-professional interested in building a small library of basic books in the field, selections are made difficult by the breadth of choices available. Specialists, moreover, disagree concerning what is most basic. The following titles, however, represent […]