Hebrew Bible: Text, Culture, and Archaeology

Dear Colleagues,

The text of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible has held a sacred place in the hearts and minds of Jews, Christians, and many others for thousands of years. Generations of rabbis, priests, and other scholars have examined the text through the eyes of faith as a source of guidance, comfort, and as a framework for understanding the deep meaning of the world and our place in it. A dramatic shift in the scholarly approach to scripture began to occur with the advent of the Enlightenment. Humanists found the Bible to be a fertile source of material for examining the human world that is reflected in the text: the culture and minds that produced the words of scripture held value and interest in their own right for these scholars. From that time forward, there has been an increasing trend of separating the study of the Bible from its spiritual significance. In addition, a pervasive culture of skepticism has taken hold regarding the historical foundations of the text.

More recent scholars began to increasingly break free from the parameters of the textual accounts, and to reconstruct a wide variety of highly speculative scenarios under the assumption that most of the biblical text is (1) far removed in time from the events it recounts, and (2) a product of writers who re-told and re-shaped earlier traditions for their own needs. While critical examination of the Bible was and continues to be tremendously important, it had the unintentional consequence of allowing some scholars to feel free to (3) also re-tell and re-shape their understanding of the text to focus on a variety of modern social and political issues. Both secular and sectarian scholars, and those of both the maximalist/conservative traditions and “minimalist” orientations, have been guilty of this type of agenda-driven overlay of modern views onto the ancient text.

Partially countering this has been the explosion of archaeological discoveries in the Ancient Near East in the latter part of the 19^th and early 20^th century and continuing today. These discoveries have brought with them the potential to connect the material world of the ANE Iron Age with the biblical text. For many Christians, this was seen as an opportunity to confirm the events described in the Bible. However, the result of these explorations has shown to be far more complex than “simple proof.” For example, no evidence has been found for “early” events such as described in Genesis through Deuteronomy, and excavations at places like Jericho do not support the biblical accounts of Joshua. Tremendously important finds from the later biblical period, such as the Taylor Prism and the Cyrus Cylinder, do show strong parallels with the biblical text, but include significant differences from the way in which key historical events are portrayed in scripture. A third category of “spectacular finds,” such as the Mesha Stele, the Tel Dan Stele, Merneptah Stele, the scarab of Queen Jezebel, and evidence regarding the 701 siege of Jerusalem, do support the biblical text. Finally, a wide range of carefully planned and executed excavations in Israel and Jordan over the past 50 years have increased our knowledge of everyday life in the biblical world during the Iron Age. From Tel Dan, to Megiddo, Beth Shan, Beersheba, Tel Rehov, and many more, the work is ongoing.

It is within the scope of these textual and archaeological connections that we are pleased to invite the contribution of articles, field reports, and related research which will further the study of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible in its Iron Age context. Of particular interest for this Special Issue is scripture as reflective of the events and culture of the real world in which it was written. Given the recent glut of overly speculative and sometimes agenda-driven biblical scholarship, this Special Issue of Religions seeks to engage with the historical and archaeological Iron Age context, and the people and things that shaped and were shaped by the text.

This Special Issue aims to introduce historical research and archaeological and material evidence into the conversation on the text of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. The journal Religions (ISSN 2077-1444) is “an international, open access scholarly journal, publishing peer reviewed studies of religious thought and practice. It is available online to promote critical, hermeneutical, historical, and constructive conversations. Religions publishes regular research papers, reviews, communications and reports on research projects.” The scope of the journal Religions includes comparative studies in religion and politics, the history and sociology of religions, and the role of religion in culture and society.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, reports, and reviews are welcome, and research areas may include, but are not limited to:

• Research Area A: The Hebrew Bible in its Iron Age Context—cultural studies of Ancient Israel and its neighbors, and the impact of social, political, economic, and military developments on Israel and the Ancient Near East in the Iron Age.
• Research Area B: Archaeological Intersections with the Hebrew Bible—field work which sheds light on the OT/HB—field reports and new developments in the archaeology of Ancient Israel and its neighbors, as well as art and artifacts shedding light on commonplace, informal, daily life as well as high status and ritual contexts.
• Research Area C: Textual Studies—the spoken and written word in the HB/OT: close readings of texts, word studies, comparative studies of texts related to the HB/OT, and connections with the textual and inscriptional evidence of Israel’s neighbors.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

References:

William G. Dever. 2017. Beyond the Texts : An Archaeological Portrait of Ancient Israel and Judah. Atlanta: SBL Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=nlebk&AN=1622854&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Shawna Dolansky. 2008. Sacred History, Sacred Literature: Essays on Ancient Israel, the Bible, and Religion in Honor of R. E. Friedman on His Sixtieth Birthday. Winona Lake, Ind: Eisenbrauns. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=nlebk&AN=448175&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Israel Finkelstein. 2001. The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of its Sacred Texts. New York, NY: The Free Press Simon and Shuster

Israel Finkelstein. 2013. The Forgotten Kingdom: The Archaeology and History of Northern Israel. Ancient Near East Monographs. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=nlebk&AN=770651&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Frederick E. Greenspahn. 2008. The Hebrew Bible: New Insights and Scholarship. Jewish Studies in the 21st Century. New York: NYU Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=nlebk&AN=221201&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Dr. Rachel Nabulsi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Israel in the Iron Age
• scripture and archaeology
• Ancient Near Eastern studies
• culture and daily life in Ancient Israel and Judah
• Hebrew Bible studies