RECENT INSIGHTS FROM BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY REVIEW

I have subscribed to BAR almost from its inception and always look forward to my new issue. Although it would not be considered as a “Christian” publication by any means and some of its articles are way too detailed to be of much interest to me, this magazine generally contains at least one gem or two of use to those involved in Bible study. But the Winter 2021 issue was really packed with items that I would like to share below.

Genesis 6

In response to a letter to the editor (p. 8), Alan Millard explains that the various Hebrew words for “boat” or “ship” are all missing in the Genesis description of Noah's ark. This adds to the supposition that it was in fact more of a box-like wooden structure designed only for floating, not for actual sailing.

Amos 1:1 and Zechariah 14:5

Steinmeyer on pp. 12-13 of this issue of BAR points out the following: Although there is ample archeological evidence in towns throughout Israel for a massive earthquake occurring in the 8^th century BC, as mentioned in these two prophetic texts, it is only recently that excavations in the old City of David area of Jerusalem have shown that the earthquake also impacted the Judean hill country as well.

Ezekiel 27:19

Mark Wilson discusses the various translations of this verse and opts for “and they traded wine from Izal in your marketplace” based on the Septuagint version of this verse. Interestingly, Syrian Christians in the modern city still produce wine there using ancient production methods for use in their Eucharist services. (pp. 16-18)

Isaiah 56:5 and Ezekiel 37:11-14

Kerry Sonia (pp. 20-22) writes an article discussing the care for the dead among the ancient Jews. Whereas the eunuch in Isaiah 56 has no sons or daughters to commemorate him in death through the proper burial practices, as portrayed in Genesis 49:29-32; 50:12-14; and Judges 16:31, God takes on that duty (see also Ezekiel 37).

Archeology and Faith

Pages 23-24 contain a review of William Dever's book titled Has Archaeology Buried the Bible? The reviewer makes the following comments:

    “...very few professional archaeologists working in Israel, Jordan and elsewhere today claim to dig with the Bible in one hand and a spade in the other.”

    “...many came to realize that archaeology had failed to offer evidence for the historicity of certain pivotal biblical events...”

However, Dever (by no means a conservative Christian voice) feels that archaeology can aid readers to “find things they can still believe in reading Bible – things for which they need to offer no apologies.” This is not exactly a ringing endorsement of the truth of the Bible, but it is at least a step back from the skeptical scholarly trend toward biblical minimalism.

Acts 12: 1-4, 21-23

Pages 30-38 summarize studies by Jean-Baptiste Humbert of Ecole Biblique concerning the so-called Tomb of the Kings located in Jerusalem. He concludes that the tomb was originally commissioned to be built by King Herod Agrippa I, who was the one responsible for the execution of the apostle James. However, when Agrippa died suddenly for his almost blasphemous behavior (also narrated in Acts 12), the tomb was still unfinished. Subsequently, Humbert and others believe, the tomb was bought by Queen Helena of Adiabene, who was a convert to Judaism, and she was buried there. So the Tomb of the Kings should really be called the Tomb of the Queen.

Deuteronomy 1:1,6

On pages 39-53, the reader is exposed to both sides of the debate concerning the authenticity of a document (now lost) claiming to be the oldest known biblical manuscript. It contained what looked like an early version of material in Deuteronomy 1, verses 1 and 6. The issues involved are somewhat technical in nature, so you would have to read both sides of the story and make up your own mind whether it was a fake or not. But it does illustrate two things: (1) even experts in the field often disagree on how to interpret the same data and (2) you must be very wary in accepting information obtained from possibly dubious sources.

Plague Stories in the Bible

J. Beltz in pp. 58-59 attempts to draw an analogy between Yahweh as a plague god (as in Habakkuk 3:5; II Samuel 24:10-25; I Chronicles 21:1-30; II Kings 19:35; and II Chronicles 32:21) and other Middle Eastern gods of disease. He concludes by stating that there “are significant differences between the Mesopotamian and Israelite conceptions too...”

Galatians 1:17; II Corinthians 11:32-33; and Acts 9:25

In Galatians, Paul says that he went to “Arabia” after his conversion in Damascus. Ben Worthington, in pages 60-61, clarifies this word by explaining that it does not refer to Saudi Arabia, but to the Nabatean Kingdom just south of Damascus. There Paul probably stayed in its capital city of Petra, where he preached long enough to come to the attention of King Aretas, who tried to capture him when he returned to Damascus (see the II Corinthians passage above). This indicates that the city of Damascus was probably also part of Nabatean territory at the time.

Psalms 101 and 102

On pages 62-54 of this BAR issue, Elizabeth Backfish presents an interesting article demonstrating some examples of Hebrew wordplay present in the Psalms which are often lost in translation.

Thus, Psalm 101:3b is an example of alliteration:

    esoh-setim saneti

    “The work of transgressors I hate”

and in Psalm 104:12, the rare sound oph is found in both lines of this verse.

It turns out that the early writers who produced the Septuagint apparently appreciated this sort of wordplay and tried to duplicate it in their Greek translation of these psalms.