Fabric of History: Text, Artifact and Israel's Past (JSOT Supplement Series)

153 Pages·1991·6.76 MB·English

by  Diana Vikander Edelman

JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
SUPPLEMENT SERIES
127
Editors
David J.A. Clines
Philip R. Davies
JSOT Press
Sheffield
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THE FABRIC OF HISTORY
Text, Artifact and Israel's Past
Edited by
Diana Vikander Edelman
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
Supplement Series 127
Copyright © 1991 Sheffield Academic Press
Published by JSOT Press
JSOT Press is an imprint of
Sheffield Academic Press Ltd
The University of Sheffield
343 Fulwood Road
Sheffield S10 3BP
England
Typeset by Sheffield Academic Press
and
Printed on acid-free paper in Great Britain
by Billing & Sons Ltd
Worcester
A Catalogue record for this book is available from
the British Library
ISSN 0309-0787
ISBN 1-85075-324-5
CONTENTS
Preface 7
Abbreviations 10
List of Contributors 12
DIANA EDELMAN
Doing History in Biblical Studies 13
ERNST AXEL KNAUF
From History to Interpretation 26
THOMAS L. THOMPSON
Text, Context and Referent in Israelite Historiography 65
J. MAXWELL MILLER
Is it Possible to Write a History of
Israel without Relying on the Hebrew Bible? 93
WILLIAM G. DEVER
Archaeology, Material Culture and
the Early Monarchical Period in Israel 103
GOSTA w. AHLSTROM
The Role of Archaeological and Literary Remains
in Reconstructing Israel's History 116
Index of Biblical References 143
Index of Authors 145
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PREFACE
The essays in this volume were presented either in toto or in summary
form at the 1989 Annual Society of Biblical Literature/American
Schools of Oriental Research meeting in a symposium entitled 'The
Role of History and Archaeology in Biblical Studies'. The papers by
Gosta Ahlstrb'm, Max Miller and William Dever were intended to
demonstrate how two historians and one archaeologist approach the
task of historical reconstruction; how they interrelate textual and
artifactual source materials that provide traces of past events within
ancient Israel and Judah to create a reconstruction of the past. Both
the disciplines of history and new archaeology are committed to the
reconstruction of the past through its tangible remains.
Within biblical studies, historians tend to be most fully trained in
the analysis of literary remains, while archaeologists tend to be most
fully trained in the analysis of artifactual materials. Since the final
goal of both groups is to provide a cogent interpretational framework
that interrelates as much of the available textual and artifactual
evidence as possible, in theory the general steps that need to be taken
to accomplish a historical reconstruction should be shared by all three
writers. This is true in spite of potential disagreements over the
evaluation of particular evidence and the weight it should be given.
Historians and archaeologists alike are often required to engage in the
difficult task of evaluating the reliability and appropriateness of both
text and artifact when undertaking their historical investigation. In
many instances, they must rely upon the judgment of specialists in
fields outside their own areas of expertise to make an informed
evaluation about a given piece of potential evidence. Competence in
historical reconstruction requires investigators to know and to accept
their personal limitations. In addition, they must be willing to work
with others outside their own fields and must know enough about the
theories and practica of other disciplines to be able to judge whether
the advice or evaluations of those turned to for assistance is generally
8 The Fabric of History
trustworthy and representative of methods used within the field in
question.
By printing their final essays side by side, it is hoped that a certain
consensus can be found among the approaches espoused by the three.
If there is not, then the reader can use the essays to judge where a lack
of theoretical precision lies and to evaluate the relative strengths and
weaknesses of each scholar's approach.
The essays by Axel Knauf and Thomas Thompson were designed to
explore in a broad way two issues: (1) the relationship between
historical research, historiography, and the Bible, and (2) the impact
of new trends in the literary study of the Bible on historical research
that uses the Bible as a source of evidence. The essay written by
myself was meant to serve as a general summary of the boundaries of
historical investigation within the discipline of biblical studies, which
also touched upon the relationship of historical reconstruction to
newly fashionable investigations conducted within the framework of
social scientific disciplines. Having asked a number of colleagues to
write this essay and having been turned down flatly, I was forced to
undertake the task myself, as organizer of the symposium.
Clearly, the topic and issues addressed in these six essays are not
new, and some may feel that enough ink has been wasted on such
theoretical debates and discussions already. I would counter that not
enough critical reflection has been done within our field about the
nature of history and historical reconstruction and the place of history
within biblical studies. The uncritical and often naive use of both text
and artifact that continues to dominate the majority of histories of
Israel and Judah currently in print, including works that are used as
standard references, resources and textbooks within our field, testifies
to the need for a wider grassroots awareness of the basic issues
involved in doing history as a biblical scholar. Although two main
'schools' associated with the names of Albrecht Alt and William
Foxwell Albright continue to represent the bulk of historical research
produced by those trained primarily as biblical scholars, a ground-
swell of dissatisfaction with both approaches can be detected among
both American and continental scholars representing a variety of
traditional backgrounds. A growing number are questioning the
theoretical underpinnings of both schools and calling for or moving to
an approach that makes a more critical evaluation of both textual
Preface 9
and artifactual material before undertaking its use in historical
reconstruction.
As we are in the midst of what can aptly be described metaphori-
cally as the birth pains of a second child, it seems appropriate to re-
examine the role of history and archaeology in biblical studies and to
reopen discussion of issues raised by and related to the historical
investigation of past events that transpired within ancient Israel and
Judah. The present set of essays is offered in this spirit by a sampling
of the ever-expanding group of scholars who are struggling with the
redefinition of historical studies in the field of the Bible.
Diana Edelman
April, 1991