Earlier this year, I was fortunate to attend the biblical archaeology conference in honor of William Dever held at the Lanier Theological Library in Houston (see Debating the Future of Biblical Archaeology). In assessing the state of the field, the presenting scholars discussed the many divisions that challenge how the academy defines biblical archaeology. Is it the Bronze and Iron Age archaeology of ancient Israel, or does it also include the Hellenistic and Roman world of Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity? Should archaeology be divorced from the biblical text, or does the Bible provide critical context to material remains […]
