BAS Publication Awards

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The biennial Biblical Archaeology Society Publication Awards recognize the best new books on archaeology and the Bible. Made possible by a generous gift from the Leopold and Clara M. Fellner Charitable Foundation through its trustee, Frederick L. Simmons, the 1997 awards are for books published in 1995 and 1996.

Best Scholarly Book on Archaeology

Judges:

Lawrence E. Stager, Harvard Semitic Museum
Andrea Berlin, University of Minnesota
Robert L. Hohlfelder, University of Colorado

The Archaeology of Society in the Holy Land

Thomas E. Levy, Ed.

(New York, NY: Facts on File, 1995), 624 pp., $85.00

The Archaeology of Society in the Holy Land is a milestone in Near Eastern and Mediterranean archaeology. Beginning with the earliest appearance of humans in the Levant, it surveys the archaeological and historical evidence from every period of human history up to the present—making it probably the most up-to-date. authoritative and comprehensive reference tool available. Organized chronologically, this stimulating work presents an intelligible picture of sweeping cultural changes in chapters written by a veritable “Who’s Who” of archaeology in the Holy Land.

Best Popular Book on Archaeology

Judges:

Lawrence E. Stager, Harvard Semitic Museum
Andrea Berlin, University of Minnesota
Robert L. Hohlfelder, University of Colorado

The Sea of Galilee Boat: An Extraordinary 2000 Year Old Discovery

Shelley Wachsmann

(New York, NY: Plenum Press, 1995), 420 pp., $24.95

This archaeological thriller should carry a warning label: Easy to start, but impossible to put down! A 2,000-year-old boat appears in the mud flats of the Sea of Galilee. News of the find quickly spreads. Soon the “Jesus Boat,” as it is dubbed, is threatened by the sea’s rising waters and potential looters. Will archaeologists save the day? And what does the boat tell its about the time of Jesus? Shelley Wachsmann, the nautical archaeologist called on to rescue the ancient craft, deftly handles this true story, marrying state-of-the-art science and just plain fun.

Best Book Relating to the New Testament

Judges:

Stephen Patterson, Eden Theological Seminary
Beverly Gaventa, Princeton Theological Seminary
Marcus Borg, Oregon State University

1 Peter: Hermeneia

Paul J. Achtemeier

(Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1996), 423 pp., $50.00

The word “hermeneutics” refers to a detailed, systematic exposition of a scriptural work, and the Hermeneia series of commentaries is providing just that—thorough investigations of every book in the Bible by first rate scholars. Paul Achtemeier’s contribution is a comprehensive examination of the First Epistle of Peter, written in Rome to offer encouragement to the earliest Christian churches of Asia Minor. Achtemeier’s commentary makes substantial advances in our understanding of this intriguing text; it will undoubtedly establish itself as the standard reference work on 1 Peter.

Best Book Relating to the Old Testament

Judges:

Phyllis Trible, Union Theological Seminary
Baruch Halpern, Pennsylvania State University
Joseph Blenkinsopp, University of Notre Dame

The Iconography of Job Through the Centuries

Samuel Terrien

(University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1996), 308 pp., $65.00

Do artists who depict Biblical scenes study the texts that inspire them? Do scholars pay attention to artists as interpreters of the Bible? And what do representations of Biblical events tell us about the people who created them? Samuel Terrien seeks to answer precisely these questions in this survey of the iconography of the Book of Job, from the third century A.D. to modern times. The moving story of Job’s life—his suffering and subsequent redemption—is laid out in beautifully produced illustrations and in Terrien’s rich commentary on the Biblical text.

The biennial Biblical Archaeology Society Publication Awards recognize the best new books on archaeology and the Bible. Made possible by a generous gift from the Leopold and Clara M. Fellner Charitable Foundation through its trustee, Frederick L. Simmons, the 1997 awards are for books published in 1995 and 1996. Best Scholarly Book on Archaeology Judges: Lawrence E. Stager, Harvard Semitic MuseumAndrea Berlin, University of MinnesotaRobert L. Hohlfelder, University of Colorado The Archaeology of Society in the Holy Land Thomas E. Levy, Ed. (New York, NY: Facts on File, 1995), 624 pp., $85.00 The Archaeology of Society in the Holy […]