Bible Archaeology Book Recommendations?

[teaearlgreyhot]

Any recommendations for books on the latest and best understanding concerning Bible archaeology and history that isn't written by apologists? Preferably written for a lay person like me (but I can stretch my brain a bit though). Infidels has this book listed: http://www.infidels.org/kiosk/book954.html

But reviews say that since its release in 2001 much of it has become dated.

Thanks.

[libalchris]

I would LOVE to answer your question. But I have the same one myself. I recall hearing a recommendation that dealt with the old testament, but I can't remember the name

[padraic]

I have read one recently,which I think is excellent. Currently reading another beauty; a biography of Saul/Paul of Tarsus,which is history based on archeaology.

Quote:The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts[1] is a 2001 book about the archaeology of Israel and its relationship to the origins of the Hebrew Bible. The authors are Israel Finkelstein, Professor of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, and Neil Asher Silberman, a contributing editor to Archaeology Magazine.

Quote:Methodology

The authors describe their approach as one "in which the Bible is one of the most important artifacts and cultural achievements [but] not the unquestioned narrative framework into which every archaeological find must be fit." Their main contention is that
“ ...an archaeological analysis of the patriarchal, conquest, judges, and United Monarchy narratives [shows] that while there is no compelling archaeological evidence for any of them, there is clear archaeological evidence that places the stories themselves in a late 7th-century BCE context. ”

On the basis of this evidence they propose
“ ...an archaeological reconstruction of the distinct histories of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, highlighting the largely neglected history of the Omride Dynasty and attempting to show how the influence of Assyrian imperialism in the region set in motion a chain of events that would eventually make the poorer, more remote, and more religiously conservative kingdom of Judah the belated center of the cultic and national hopes of all Israel. ”

As noted by a reviewer on Salon.com[2] the approach and conclusions of The Bible Unearthed are not particularly new. Ze'ev Herzog, professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University, wrote a cover story for Ha'aretz in 1999 in which he reached similar conclusions following the same methodology; Herzog noted also that some of these findings have been accepted by the majority of biblical scholars and archaeologists for years and even decades, even though they have only recently begun to make a dent in the awareness of the general public.

The full Wiki article is Worth reading,but the book is better.


The other is "Paul;the Mind of An Apostle" 'by A N Wilson.

Quote:Review: "In a worthy companion volume to his 'Jesus: A Life,' novelist-biographer Wilson adeptly recreates the milieu of Christianity's greatest interpreter and missionary. An ex-believer no longer certain about Christianity's historical verities, Wilson is still awed by its power to speak to a broken world. Contrary to the recent, politically correct view of the apostle as a misogynistic, possibly self-hating homosexual, Wilson makes a case for him as 'a prophet of liberty, whose visionary sense of the importance of the inner life aniticpates the Romantic poets more than the rule-books of the Inquisition.' The author works through irony and carefully nuanced suggestion, turning over each shard of broken evidence from the ancient world for a clue as to how Paul's "richly imaginative, but confused, religious genius' developed....Whilson overstates the case for Paul, rather than Jesus, creating the beliefs in the Eucharist and in Christ as savior that form the heart of Christianity, but he eloquently shows why Paul was 'perhaps the greatest poet of personal religion.' "

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/PAUL-Mind-Apos...4458304/bd

[Phil]

(6th May 2012 01:02)padraic Wrote:  a biography of Saul/Paul of Tarsus,which is history based on archeaology.

When was Paul shown to be historical and what evidence is there for him in archeology.

[padraic]

Quote:When was Paul shown to be historical and what evidence is there for him in archeology.

"Archaeology" is a broad term,which includes discovered documents. eg Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient documents. My apologies if my use of the term was misleading..


It was only my intention to recommend a book which interests me,not to get into a debate.

Perhaps have a glance at the book before offering a critique.

[Phil]

(6th May 2012 02:25)padraic Wrote:  

Quote:When was Paul shown to be historical and what evidence is there for him in archeology.

"Archaeology" is a broad term,which includes discovered documents. eg Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient documents. My apologies if my use of the term was misleading..


It was only my intention to recommend a book which interests me,not to get into a debate.

Perhaps have a glance at the book before offering a critique.

I have the book. I just asked a question not offered a critique.

[Minimalist]

In addition to The Bible Unearthed you might take a look at William Dever's "Who Were The Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From" for a somewhat different view than Finkelstein's. In addition, Dever's "Did God Have A Wife" is fascinating.

For a somewhat deeper look there is The Quest for the Historical Israel which is a set of essays on common topics by Finkelstein and Amihai Mazar.

None of these books are archaeological texts...which can be sleep-inducing, I grant. When you get through those you can start on some of the really heavy stuff.

[DeeTee]

(5th May 2012 21:30)teaearlgreyhot Wrote:  Any recommendations for books on the latest and best understanding concerning Bible archaeology and history that isn't written by apologists? Preferably written for a lay person like me (but I can stretch my brain a bit though). Infidels has this book listed: http://www.infidels.org/kiosk/book954.html

But reviews say that since its release in 2001 much of it has become dated.

Thanks.

So instead of reading contrary thought and using critical thinking, you just want to read those authors who tell you what you want to hear. Typical.

You want to read up on BIBLE archaeology, seems to me that you will not get a very good handle on it if you only read secular works who disagree with the Bible and point people in the wrong direction. Oh and the correct term is Biblical Archaeology.

A student of archaeology would read all authors and weigh their words, compare it to the evidence and make up their own minds.

Doesn't matter the age of the book, they all contain insight that 'up-to-date' ones do not have.

[Minimalist]

Ancient preachers masquerading as archaeologists have already been dismissed, Arch. We have been through this many times before. Science moves ahead...unlike your fairy tales which remain on the same childlike level forever.

I repeat my question which you have dodged so many times before. Would you go to a doctor who had not read a medical text published after 1912?

[Tobie]

(6th May 2012 21:56)DeeTee Wrote:  

(5th May 2012 21:30)teaearlgreyhot Wrote:  Any recommendations for books on the latest and best understanding concerning Bible archaeology and history that isn't written by apologists? Preferably written for a lay person like me (but I can stretch my brain a bit though). Infidels has this book listed: http://www.infidels.org/kiosk/book954.html

But reviews say that since its release in 2001 much of it has become dated.

Thanks.

So instead of reading contrary thought and using critical thinking, you just want to read those authors who tell you what you want to hear. Typical.

A student of archaeology would read all authors and weigh their words, compare it to the evidence and make up their own minds.

Doesn't matter the age of the book, they all contain insight that 'up-to-date' ones do not have.

If you'd have bothered to read Tegh's intro, you'd have learnt he was raised by fundies, so I think he's heard more than enough of the other side of the argument.