Customer Reviews

Life in Biblical Israel (Library of Ancient Israel)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Life in Biblical Israel, despite its conversational tone and appealing visual layout (it contains copious and remarkable photographs, many of them in color), rests on a simple premise: great ideas are as much an expression of a culture as the shape of the pots it uses for wine or the letters it uses for writing. This is the central tenet that undergirds the excellent new volume by L. E. Stager (Harvard) and P. J. King (Boston College). In the case of Biblical Israel, of course, the main artifact bequeathed by the Israelite culture to the modern era is the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures, or Old Testament. The idiom of the texts that comprise the canon, King and Stager argue, is as much rooted in the reality of Iron Age western Asia (1200-540 B.C.E.) as are habits of personal adornment (ingeniously illuminated by the authors) or domestic architecture. Biblical texts, therefore, at once express the culture of the Iron Age which archaeologists can reconstruct and are illuminated by that culture. For readers who recognize the productivity of this dialogue and seek the means to enhance it, they can do no better than acquire this book. Ancient interpreters, beginning with biblical authors themselves (who glossed alien terms of antiquity with ones familiar to their audience) and continuing with such seminal figures as Philo and Origen, wrestled with the language, customs, and manners described in the texts. Why? Because texts are not disembodied, even when long traditions of interpretation continuously make those texts meaningful in new contexts. Thus, for anyone who takes the texts seriously, engagement with them requires engagement with the realia of Biblical Israel, from calendars, to family structure, to the implements of war, and the names of pots (ill. 70a-b). These and many other topics are meticulously presented by King and Stager, with insights that go beyond recitation of the data available in standard reference works (including not a few interesting philological observations about the meaning of Hebrew words). This book, then, presents the highest caliber of scholarship in a package that is readable, enjoyable, and very important. It also demonstrates persuasively that the culture of ancient Israel in the Iron Age II-not in the Persian or Hellenistic periods-was the one in which the greater part of the Hebrew Scriptures was conceived and transmitted.

Though written for the layperson, this book is still an excellent resource for the scholar in Bible, ancient Near Eastern studies, or any study of culture. Life in Biblical Israel describes the setting of the Hebrew Bible, but not in terms of wars, leaders, and elite society. Professors King and Stager recognize, like Fernand Braudel and Annales historians, that a large part of society is often neglected by its own histories. Thus, they seek to describe how that silent majority lived their everyday lives. The authors of Life in Biblical Israel attempt to describe all of the aspects of the lifeways of the Israelites - how they produced their food, built their houses, procured water, defended their cities, organized their society, kept themselves healthy, expressed themselves through clothing, art, and music, and how they interacted with the divine.

For those skeptical of the Bible's credibility, the book may seem to be a simple attempt to draw archaeological correlations, that is artifactual evidence, for Biblical terminology. Certainly, the book does this, but not out of any theological or apologetic attempt to prove the Bible as accurate. Accepting that the archaeological record and the Bible provide two types of descriptions of the same society, King and Stager gather all of the information they can from both sources. The many photographs and drawings in the book show many examples from the archaeological source. A quick glance at the Scriptural Index at the back of the book shows how thoroughly the authors combed the Biblical text. At the same time, the authors use each source to supplement the defficiencies of the other. For example, artifacts can often be identified as to their uses, but they have no names in their native languages, and how they are used is often not known. King and Stager do an excellent job with the details of exactly how the ancient people accomplished what they did.

There have been very few other attempts to so document ancient Israel as a cultural and social entity. Previous works using both the textual and archaeological evidence in concert mostly have focused on one aspect of the culture, usually something relevant to the upper classes or the political or military establishment. Others have subsumed their archaeological and biblical discussion beneath other arguments, in which case they have reduced the amount of evidence and increased the number of conclusions to be drawn. King and Stager, on the other hand, have written a book which deals primarily with the culture of all of Israel as expressed through its material and literary remains; they have no other axe to grind, and they present more data and fewer conclusions. Instead they are working first and foremost to describe as best they can how people lived in the Iron Age in Israel.

This book will serve as an excellent textbook both in archaeology and Bible courses. It can also serve as a reference work both for the layperson and the scholar interested in either subject. Perhaps the best reason to use this book, however, is that it succeeds in its aim of portraying the details of ancient Israelite life. The many illustrations truly enable readers to visualize each aspect of the culture.

There are many gems in this book that will explain otherwise difficult biblical texts. The authors are interested in using the latest archaeological data to shed light on the Scriptures (see, for example, King's earlier commentary on Jeremiah). It will take time for all of the information in this book to make it into popular biblical commentaries (it is cutting edge information, as the authors themselves are active archaeologists). This book is a concentrated collection of journal quality insights written at a popular level.

Before I bought this book, I heard one of the co-authors (Dr. Stager of Harvard) lecture on his contribution to the book. He is a master investigator of the ancient near eastern ideas of temple and garden. Stager brilliantly communicates how Israel's Temple and Garden Story relate to (and are informed by) their original contexts. Adjective fail me, I can only say that his work is staggering.

I would be remiss if I did not make this plug: the pictures alone are worth the price of the book. The book is printed completely on photo quality paper with full color images throughout.

This book is a must have for any student of archaeology, the Bible or Israel.

This book provides a comprehensive coverage of every aspect of daily life in the biblical period. Using their impressive and comprehensive knowledge of archaeology, text, history, and theory, the authors present the evidence that brings the peoples of these times to life in a clear and easy-to-read fashion. The information from the biblical text is analyzed in light of other written records from the ancient Near Eastern world, as well as through a detailed examination of the material culture from archaeological sites throughout the region. The text is complemented by a vast array of well-presented drawings and color photos, which help to illustrate the points made throughout the book. This book is an excellent resource for laypeople who wish to learn more about the subject and expand their understanding of biblical history, for students at all levels, as well as for professionals. This book is highly recommended; it is an extremely informative and enjoyable read.

As a student of archaeology with a particular interest in the biblical world, I have found few consistently excellent reference tools. "Life in Biblical Israel" is one of those tools. The indexes are clear, comprehensive, and exceedingly useful. I am impressed by the large number of high quality, integrated color illustrations and photographs that have been packed into this volume. Few other works on the market approach this number of color illustrations, and these volumes seem to sell for at least twice the cost of "Life in Biblical Israel." The authors' exploration of everyday life has illustrated details frequently, and unfortunately, overlooked by many scholars. I particularly enjoyed the interplay of current archaeological discoveries with the biblical text. This is a work that I shall value above all others on my ever-growing book shelf.

I purchased this book hoping to learn more of the daily life of ancient palestine. It is true that the book makes an extensive coverage of this subject ( food and its preparation, cereals, grains... how people dressed, jewelry, family order, houses and villages, etc. ) and with plenty of photographic material (in this the book excels many others ) but nevertheless it doesn't seem sufficient, on almost each of the chapters I was left with the feeling that the book lacked of something, maybe I expected it to be more centered on how life was organized, read the temple and the palace, economy is not really covered either. The style of the writters maybe considered very easy to follow, like if you were reading a tale, this may not necessarily be bad, on the contrary, but you may end wanting it to be more like other scholar works, more "dry". Read carefully the index and some excerpts and decide wether it is what you are looking for or not. Hope this review may help you.

This is one of the best, most accessible, resource books I own on Biblical archeology from the Patriarchal Period through the Roman Empire. The illustrations are sublime. The information is organized intuitively and are relevant to the needs of a Biblical interpreter. It is well-organized and clearly-written and surely sparks curiosity in anyone interested in this subject matter. I have used it countless times to trace my travel in the Middle East, write sermons and prepare Bible studies for groups. It presents substantial data alongside Biblical references, without pushing any theological agenda. I recommend this for both the scholar and the lay person. The hardback edition (I don't know of any paperback versions) is a maneuverable size, with slick pages and many color photos and illustrations. My favorite sections are the water systems of Megiddo and Hazor, and on linen. For the price listed of about $50, it is a real steal!

This book is an excellent resource for lay people and biblical scholars alike. At once it succeeds at being extremely informative and very readable. For anyone who wants to understand better the social, cultural, and physical context of the Old Testament, this is the book. I highly recommend it for anyone who has so much as a passing interest in the Bible.

I really enjoyed this book. There is some redundancy from chapter to chapter, but not too bad. The authors use a LOT of Scripture which I really appreciated. My only problem with it, I'd say, is that they make some interpretive assumptions that are based on really worn out theories of textual criticism. On the whole, however, it helped me to really grasp the cultural undergirding of what the Old Testament has to say.

Abstract

Life in Biblical Israel (King & Stager, 2001) is an attempt recreate the daily lives of the common people of Iron Age Israel during the pre-exilic period of 1200 to 586 B.C. The authors draw from a vast array of archeological sources, using the text of the Hebrew Scriptures as the main framework of reference for their presentation of life in Iron Age Israel.

The authors are exceptionally well qualified as they are subject matter experts in archeology, ancient Israelite culture and Biblical literature. Philip J. King is Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Boston College, and he is currently Director of the Shelby White-Leon Levy Program for Archaeological Publications. Lawrence E. Stager is Dorot Professor of the Archaeology of Israel, Harvard University. Professor Stager directs the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon in Israel.


Aspects Of Excellence

The text is not written to the layman per se, but presumes a level of academic skill on the part of the reader. That having been said, the section A Day in Micah's Household (King & Stager, 2001, p. 12-19) is a delightful read for the layman and scholar alike. This section is an "...imaginative account of life in Micah's household based on Judges 17-18." (King & Stager, p. 12).

The author's describe the aspects of daily life in meticulous detail. Little of what a common person would do in this exotic and bygone land seems to have been left out. Subjects from weddings to warfare, from baking bread to smelting bronze, are presented in concise synopsis; and always the authors relate the information to the Hebrew Scriptures.

The new insights, into daily life of the biblical Israelite, describe a culture and technology that is much more sophisticated than has often been depicted by non-canonical Church narratives and the secular media. Israel was at the crossroads of the main land route from Mesopotamia to Egypt. Thus Israel was an important segment of the main land bridge linking Europe, Asia and Africa. Judah, however, was a bit off the beaten path of the major international roadways; the Way of the Sea (Via Maris) and the King's Highway (King & Stager, 2001, p. 176). This geographical reality made Israel a strategic military holding, which helps to explain the constant warfare in the region. The roads brought not only conquering armies, but commerce, knowledge and exposure to outside cultures.

The technologies of the Israelites included sophisticated underground water systems of springs, pools, wells, cisterns, and underground tunnels carved in solid rock to supply their cities and agriculture. One of the most famous of these systems is the Gihon Spring which feeds Hezekiah's tunnel and the pools in Jerusalem (2Ki 20:20). International trade often used standardized shipping jars, these so called "Canaanite Jar's" were about thirty liters and were constructed to within a 10% tolerance (King & Stager, 2001, p. 146). The book includes many similar examples of a technology and culture well advanced from the simple nomadic/agricultural Israelite society that is often presented in our modern world.

A Predilection For Denial Of Scriptural Integrity

The authors do not hold to the inerrancy of scripture. They openly subscribe to the JEPD (Jaweh, Elohiym, Priestly and Deuteronomistic) authorship of the Hebrew scripture (King & Stager, 2001, p. 2-3). The authors do make a pretense of attempting to be scientifically objective. Their bias, however, comes out in various comments and presentations, and the book suffers fatally from this prejudice.

When reading an archelogical text that deals with biblical Israel, there is always an expectation of data that appears to discredit Scripture. Such data is seldom problematic to the Christian and Jewish faithful, as scientific "proofs" that repudiate scripture are themselves eventually repudiated as knowledge of the subject advances. The authors give several examples of such "proofs" being repudiated era." ; "... we find a number of correlations of biblical lore, contemporary extra biblical inscriptions, and archaeology that cumulatively lead us to reject the current notions of those critics who consider "biblical Israel" to be a late fiction created in the fourth-second centuries B.C.E. as an expression of the Jewish experience of that era.(King & Stager, 2001, p. 3).
"...in light of the foregoing, this can now be explained as an injunction for those who have accepted the Egyptian circumcision to "improve" on the ritual by undergoing a thorough removal of the foreskin." (King & Stager, 2001, p. 45).

Disparaging comments like "The preposterous patriarchal ages are the ideal not the reality." (King & Stager, 2001, p. 58) and "...in an example of fictive kinship, Perez is later identified as an ancestor of David..." can be accepted as an anticipated incubus when reading scientific texts. Unfortunately, the author's comments impugning the veracity of the Hebrew texts add nothing of value to the presentation of the subject matter. Indeed, these often tangential trajectories from the objective to the subjective bring the specter of lurking parochial underpinnings to the conclusions made by the authors.

The authors' stated intent was to elucidate the Biblical texts using contemporary extra biblical text and archaeology (King & Stager, 2001, p. xix). It is impossible to accept that the authors could keep their personal bias out of their postulations if they were unable to keep their personal bias out of their text. This bias is extremely unfortunate, for if the authors had been able to present their data objectively, such information could have been of incalculable value to the Church in understanding and truth testing.

Conclusion
A parochially nuanced presentation of objective data always becomes problematic in the acceptance of any of the postulates of any author.

Most of the work is scholarly and the pictures are informative, but read at your own risk.