Reviews : Gaalyah Cornfeld (with David Noel Freedman, Consulting Editor), Archaeology of the Bible: Book by Book. Adam & Charles Black: London, 1977, 334pp., L 7.50
Abstract
ReviewsGaalyah Cornfeld (with David Noel Freedman, Consulting Editor), Archaeology of the Bible: Book by Book. Adam & Charles Black: London, 1977, 334pp., L 7.50 SAGE Publications, Inc.1979DOI: 10.1177/030908927900401407 Alan J. Hauser Department of Philosophy and Religion Appalachian State University Boone, North Carolina 28608 U.S.A. The writer has undertaken an ambitious project, namely, to relate the finds of modern archaeology to every book.of the Bible. Each of the sixty-six books is given individual treatment, and interspersed within this book-by-book analysis are discussions of other topics Cornfeld deems important, such as the evolution of the alphabet, the nature of classical prophecy, and the Essene movement. One could point to many items that might have been included, but were not. Yet, in all fairness, a great deal of material is covered in these pages. One must certainly applaud the copious photographs and illustrations, virtually all of which are clearly reproduced and carefully integrated with the text. It is also noteworthy that the book often speaks of very recent archaeological work, as with Ebla, the Deir (Allah Inscriptions, and the extensive digging being done in and around Jerusalem. Nevertheless, the book has serious flaws. The first of these concerns the audience to