Archaeology and the Biblical Record [Paperback]

In the 6th century BCE, Jerusalem and Judea were destroyed by the Babylonians. This traumatic event created the need to construct and articulate a comprehensive past that would give meaningful context to the identity of the Israelites. New modes of communal organization and worship during this period formed the foundation of Second Temple Jerusalem and early Christianity. Readers will be able to revisit familiar Bible stories and reach a better understanding of these events through the lens of modern archaeology. Archaeology and the Biblical Record challenges traditional views of the scripture while respecting the religious sensitivities of the reader. This bold text invites both Jewish and Christian biblical scholars to rethink basic assumptions and reformulate their instructional methods. Accessible and concise, this fresh look at Bible history is written for teachers, members of the clergy, and general readers, providing answers to the many historical dilemmas confronted in the course of studying the Bible.

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Bernard Alpert received a B.S. in earth sciences from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Classical archaeology from Oxford University. He has been excavating in Israel for over thirty years. He is the founding director of Archaeological Seminars Institute at Jerusalem, Israel.

Fran Alpert received a B.A. in education and an M.S. in Classical archaeology from Oxford University. She is an educator, a licensed Israeli guide, and a lecturer known for her creative approach to the Land of Israel.

[This book] offers general readers a new and empirically based look at the relationship between archaeology and the Hebrew Bible. Written in clear and accessible language, it engages the reader in a new conversation about a very important subject. J. Sochen, professor emerita, Northeastern Illinois University

[Their] inspired analysis . . . is based upon data obtals°