Reviewed by: Has Archaeology Buried the Bible? by William G. Dever John Spencer william g. dever, Has Archaeology Buried the Bible? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020). Pp. ix + 158. $25.99. Over many years and in many books William (Bill) Dever has sought to clarify the relationship between archaeology and the Bible. Early on, he strongly argued against what was known as “biblical archaeology,” whose main purpose was to verify as historical the accounts in the Bible. Rather, he wanted an archaeology of the land of ancient Israel/Palestine that sought the best scientific methods and the best available information from the ground. And if that information happened to support or contradict the Bible, so be it. Later he strongly argued against the “minimalist” movement that often denied the veracity of any of the historical accounts in the Bible. On the other hand, he certainly was not [End Page 490] a “maximalist,” one who believes all of the Bible is historically true. Both of these issues appear in this book. The book is designed for the nonspecialist and is more accessible than his earlier book, Beyond the Texts: An Archaeological Portrait of Ancient Israel and Judah (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2017; see the review by Michael Simone, S.J., CBQ 80 [2018] 704–6). Most of the chapters have the same basic structure: D. first retells “The Biblical Narrative,” his recounting of the biblical accounts; he follows with “An Archaeological Critique,” which presents the archaeological evidence; and he concludes with “What Is Left and Does It Matter?,” where he discusses the relationship of archaeology and the biblical accounts. The exceptions to this structure are chap. 1, which functions as an introduction; chap. 7 where he discusses religion; and the book’s “Conclusion.” The volume also contains a list of suggested readings and an index. In chap. 1, “Digging in the Dirt and in the Bible,” D. rehearses the past relationship of archaeology and the Bible, noting how it was changed over time; he particularly rejects the “biblical archaeology” approach. He also introduces some of the concepts to be used in the book. Chapter 2, “Patriarch, Matriarch, and Migrations: Where Is the Promised Land?,” covers the patriarchal period. D. calls this material myth and deems the stories to be didactic and largely fictional. Archaeology can provide information only on the context in which the stories may have taken place; it cannot verify the accounts themselves. Chapter 3, “Yahweh versus Pharaoh: Holy War,” deals with the story of the exodus, the wilderness wanderings, and the materials in Joshua and Judges. D. admits that there is no archaeological evidence to support the exodus or wilderness wanderings and labels the material in Joshua as fiction. Only Judges provides some possibility of historical reality. D. also notes that some sections verge on genocide but considers such stories to be “negative lessons” that “must be rejected by any sensitive and decent person” (p. 41). In chap. 4, “Israel Settles in Its Land of Promise—or Peril?,” D. focuses primarily on the origins and emergence of Israel after the collapse of the Late Bronze Age Canaanite community. He sees Israel as starting as rural farmers and herdspeople in the highlands, who lived in small villages, in a society that was egalitarian, leaderless, and lacking any formal religion. He also discusses the various models of the “conquest,” applauding George Mendenhall’s idea of Israel emerging from the rural peasantry. D. goes on to try to identify Israel’s “characteristics,” using middle-range theories, and what he sees as the ethnic markers of Israel. Chapter 5, “Yahweh Comes to the Rescue: Divine Kingship,” is concerned with the united monarchy under Saul, David, and Solomon. D. rejects arguments that deny the historicity of David. Similarly, he argues for the reality of the building projects of Solomon, including copper mines and “Solomon’s gates.” Along the way he discusses the relationship of Canaanites and Israelites, although the distinction is not very clear, and he firmly rejects the “low chronology” that Israel Finkelstein and others have proposed. Chapter 6, “Israel, a Nation among the Nations: Divine Destiny—and Disaster,” covers the time of the divided monarchy and discusses the southern bias of the biblical...
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Apr 1, 2024
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