THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF
THE BIBLE

James K. Hoffmeier

Text copyright © 2008 James K. Hoffmeier

This edition copyright © 2019 Lion Hudson IP Limited

The right of James K. Hoffmeier to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by

Lion Hudson Limited

Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Business Park

Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England

www.lionhudson.com

ISBN 978 1 9125 5217 7

e-ISBN 978 1 9125 5221 4

First hardback edition 2008

Acknowledgments

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide, www.zondervan.com. The ‘NIV’ and ‘New International Version’ are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ UK trademark number 1448790.

Unless otherwise stated, all maps and diagrams by Richard Watts of Total Media Services. Map p.63 courtesy of NASA.

Cover image: Sumerian artefact © swisshippo / istockphoto.com

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

To Alfred J. Hoerth

Teacher, Colleague and Friend

CONTENTS

Preface

Chronological Chart with Approximate Dates

Part 1

Introduction to Archaeology and its Application to the Old Testament

1. The Birth of Archaeology

2. The Bible, Archaeology and Interpretation

3. Genesis: The Origins of the World and Israel

4. Israel In and Out of Egypt

Part 2

The Land and Kings of Israel

5. Taking the Promised Land

6. Judges, Prophets and Kings

7. The Kingdom Comes

8. The Tale of Two Kingdoms: Israel and Judah

9. From Babylon to Jerusalem

Part 3

New Testament Times

10. The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament

11. The Life and Ministry of Jesus of Nazareth

12. The Death and Burial of Jesus

13. The Birth and Spread of Christianity

Epilogue

References

Index

PREFACE

I was born in Egypt, not far from the famous Cairo Museum and less than 6 miles (10 km) from the Giza Pyramids, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. My father enjoyed history and archaeology, and so as a child I was taken to wonderful sites from one end of Egypt to another. When I was 10 we visited Lebanon, Syria and Jordan and were able to explore Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, Jerusalem, Jericho and other sites. Early on, no doubt because of my father’s love for the Bible, we would discuss how this site or that object fits into Bible history. These experiences made my decision to study biblical archaeology very easy when the time came to ‘declare a major’ at university. At Wheaton College (Illinois), Professor Alfred Hoerth, to whom this book is dedicated, taught me much ...