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< Back to Archaeology, History and Culture Reviews Archaeology, History and Culture ReviewsDigging through the Bible: Understanding Biblical People, Places, and Controversies through Archaeology by Richard A Freund
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Two words: caveat emptor. In the introduction to this book, modestly titled “A Crash Course in Biblical Archaeology,” one finds 46 pages of rambling text but not even the bare rudiments of a crash course in Biblical archaeology. Instead, there is a stream-of consciousness mishmash that lurches from an initial 26-page discussion of the Bible, its redaction and the Documentary Hypothesis, with a twopage aside on the minimalist-maximalist debate, to a nine-page discussion of possible forgeries, including stories of George Washington and some lady who thought she had a Dead Sea Scroll in her sock drawer, then back again for another four pages on minimalists and maximalists, and a final six pages titled “The Three Roles of Archaeology in the Study of the Bible” but which have nothing to do with archaeology and everything to do with Freund discussing the Zohar, plus a paper that he presented in Rome in the early 1990s, and, for some reason, baby Moses in a basket of bulrushes. There is a lot of writing on these 46 pages, but nobody reading them will come away with any more knowledge about how to conduct Biblical archaeology than they had before they began. The same holds true for the bloated first-person narrative in the rest of the volume, which seems to include just about every waking thought that Freund has ever had about archaeology, religion and the Bible. While readers may not actually learn anything useful about digging through the Bible, they will learn a lot about Freund, his life, his thoughts, the “personal and intellectual connection to Qumran” that he apparently feels, his meeting with the Pope, every single TV documentary he has ever been in, etc., etc., etc. Who knew that Rowman & Littlefield had turned into a vanity press?  Eric H. Cline is the chair of the department of classical and Semitic languages and literature at The George Washington University, associate director of the Megiddo expedition and codirector of the Tel Kabri Project.
"Crash Course" reviewA harsh review of Freund's work, but much of the subject matter the author covers is dealt with in undergrad and seminary courses, so I see why much of the criticism was waged. I am currently looking to older, more in depth books by the Kenyon's & Cornfeld as I begin my own series of Bible commentaries. What newer titles would you recommend so that my information can be at least as detailed as well as more up to date? I'm only moderately familiar with detailed archaeological info. • • • • • • • Biblical Archaeology@John: Well, since you asked, I would recommend my own brief introduction, which was published last year by Oxford University Press. Entitled _Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction_, it is available on Amazon.com for about ten dollars...At the back of the book I included a section entitled "Further Reading" which provides suggestions for those who want to delve further and deeper. Cheers, EHC • • • • • • • Book ReviewOne might add that the book author is one of the two advisers working with The Naked Archaeologist film maker, Simcha Jacobovici. When I questioned them why they would stoop so low, when most colleagues with any integrity are boycotting him, they replied 'they want more public exposure ! Looks as if the content of the book, archaeologically speaking, is on par with the documentaries they are making. • • • • • • • Crash Course in Biblical ArchaeologyWhile I appreciated the extensive warning on why I should avoid buying this book, I would have loved to see a recommendation as to what book is on the market that gives an up-to-date "Crash Course in Biblical Archaeology." How about it, Dr. Cline? What book on the market would be your choice for such a title? • • • • • • • "Digging Through The Bible....""Life is Short; and Art is Long," about sums up the Value of this book, if the BAR Review is roughly Correct, that is, "Who has the Time to Waste?" If one could live forever, and if one had a weekend in which one was snowed in, and had no other more interesting books to read, one might be tempted to read "Digging through the Bible......" • • • • • • • |
 The Biblical Archaeology Society is an educational non-profit 501c(3) organization. Make a tax-deductable gift today. BRAND NEWTel Aviv University Scholars Discuss Jewelry Discovery at Megiddo May 23, 2012 Jerusalem Cabinet Invests in Biblical Sites in Jerusalem May 21, 2012 Oil Pipeline Threatens Ancient Babylon and World Cultural Heritage May 18, 2012 Babylonian Talmud Translated into Arabic May 17, 2012 4,000 Year Old Texts Survive the Attacks of Time and 9/11 May 16, 2012 MOST POPULARA New Dead Sea Scroll in Stone? Why Is the Newest Bible Translation in Modern Hebrew? What Jews (and Christians too) Should Know About the New Testament FREE BIBLE AND ARCHAEOLOGY ARTICLESAncient Inscription Refers to Birth of Israelite Monarchy FIRST PERSON: Relics vs. “Real” Archaeology BIBLICAL VIEWS: Spirited Discourse About God Language in the New Testament ARCHAEOLOGICAL VIEWS: An Anthropologist’s View of Early Israel THE BIBLE IN THE NEWS: Self-Help for Doctors and Others SCHOLAR’S STUDYA Minimalist Disputes His Demise February 19, 2012 Allan J. Pantuck: Response to Tselikas Handwriting Analysis August 19, 2011 Agamemnon Tselikas: Response to Allan J. Pantuck August 19, 2011 Oded Golan’s Commentary on the Expert Witnesses of the Case March 2011 Advertisement |
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