Enews: The Point of Biblical Archaeology

Archaeology is the study of material culture which is left from previous civilizations. Therefore, biblical archaeology is traditional archaeology, but it is conducted in the lands of the Bible: Egypt, Jordan but primarily Israel. I see biblical archaeology as any excavation or study of epigraphic materials that shed light on the biblical narrative or broaden the context. There are many archaeologists working in Israel that do not refer to themselves as biblical archaeologist. They resent the term. Archaeologist Bill Dever, for example, has proposed that the label be changed to Syro-Palestinian archaeology. That is cancel culture for you in the world of historians. Another question that comes up is what is the point of biblical archaeology? Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” So we have to be careful to always prioritize faith over evidence. God credits faithfulness as righteousness. Biblical Archaeology does have apologetic value, but I believe its greater contribution is to hermeneutics. The Bible addresses the physical realm and the spiritual realm. Archaeology can only shed light on the physical realm, but that it does very well. It is immensely important with biblical translations and understanding biblical chronology and geography. Archaeology gives an environmental, social, and political background to the narratives we love but can not always imagine. One thing that I find I must be careful in my own journey of studying archaeology is that the Bible does not become a textbook but remains primarily a source of inspiration. The Bible must always get priority over archaeology.