Two conflicting reviews of the same book, Biblical Peoples and Ethnicity: An Archaeological Study of Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, and Early Israel 1300–1100 B.C.E. by Ann E. Killebrew,1 appeared in the April 2006 issue of RBL (Review of Biblical Literature).
From one reviewer (Gerald A. Klingbeil of the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, the Philippines):
A well-documented fascinating study … Killebrew assembles an impressive amount of data … and generally presents them in a very didactic and attractive way … Killebrew has presented academia with a relevant and data-packed synthesis of current research and thinking.
From another reviewer (Diana Edelman of the University of Sheffield, England) in the same issue of RBL:
This book is a curious mixture that reads as though it is a collection of lecture notes, possibly amplified for publication, that have been used in teaching a segment of an undergraduate course for a number of years on the history of the southern Levant … There is no new contribution visible in this book … Killebrew has misunderstood the minimalist discussion concerning ancient Israel … Overall, I did not find that this book met my expectations, especially in light of the author’s reputation as a careful and thorough site excavator … Killebrew’s expertise in pottery analysis and technology shines through but throws into bold relief her lack of corresponding interest in other aspects of material culture and, particularly, her lack of expertise in the analysis of biblical and extrabiblical texts.
To buy a hardback copy of the book (251 pages, plus bibliography and indices), be prepared to shell out $164! If this tips you off that academic publisher E.J. Brill in Leiden, the Netherlands, is involved, you know your academic book market. If you’re willing to settle for a paperback, however, it’s only 40 bucks.
Two conflicting reviews of the same book, Biblical Peoples and Ethnicity: An Archaeological Study of Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, and Early Israel 1300–1100 B.C.E. by Ann E. Killebrew,1 appeared in the April 2006 issue of RBL (Review of Biblical Literature). From one reviewer (Gerald A. Klingbeil of the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, the Philippines): A well-documented fascinating study … Killebrew assembles an impressive amount of data … and generally presents them in a very didactic and attractive way … Killebrew has presented academia with a relevant and data-packed synthesis of current research and thinking. From another reviewer (Diana […]
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