Israel Finkelstein, “Archaeology as a High Court in Ancient Israelite History: A Reply to Nadav Na’aman”

Journal of Hebrew Scriptures - Volume 10: Article 19 (2010)

Israel Finkelstein, “Archaeology as a High Court in Ancient Israelite History: A Reply to Nadav Na’aman”
Abstract: This is a rejoinder to N. Na'aman, "Does Archaeology Really Deserve the Status of A ‘High Court’ in Biblical and Historical Research?," B. Becking and L.L. Grabbe (eds.) Between Evidence and Ideology (OtSt, 59; Leiden: Brill, 165–183) that claims that although archaeological evidence can be fragmentary and may be misinterpreted, when solid data from well-excavated sites is compared to assumptions regarding the nature of biblical texts and their date of compilation, the former should prevail, at least until tested by new archaeological evidence or extra-biblical texts.

To access the article directly please go to:

http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/Articles/article_147.pdf

Several new reviews have been published by the end of 2010:

• Blum, Erhard, Textgestalt und Komposition: Exegetische Beitrüge zu Tora und Vordere Propheten (ed. Wolfgang Oswald; FAT, 69; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2010). (Reviewed by David M. Carr)
• Brueggemann, Walter, Divine Presence amid Violence (Eugene, Ore.: Cascade, 2009). (Reviewed by Richard Hess)
• Contreras, Elvira Martín, and Guadalupe Seijas de los Ríos-Zarzosa, Masora: La transmisión de la tradición de la Biblia Hebrea (Instrumentos para el estudio de la Biblia, 20; Estella [Navarra]: Verbo Divino, 2010). (Reviewed by Aaron D. Rubin)
• Stuckenbruck, Loren T., 1 Enoch 91–108 (Commentaries on Early Jewish Literature; Berlin: de Gruyter, 2007). (Reviewed by Anke Dorman)
• Van Wolde, Ellen, Reframing Biblical Studies: When Language and Text Meet Culture, Cognition, and Context (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2009). (Reviewed by Anthony R. Pyles)