I have had the privilege to visit the Tell es-Safi excavation for two days this summer (July 12&14, 2016). Even better than the visit itself was the opportunity to interview a few archaeologists, each responsible for either this or other sites.
As a Jewish Educator, it really interested me to learn about their perspectives on the importance of archaeology in general, and specifically towards Biblical studies. What we learn from archaeology? For the teachers among us – not limited to classroom teachers, but a parent, spouse or friend, planning a museum visit – what can we do differently, with this knowledge in hand? Even if we can’t actually be on the site, ourselves?
When I tell people that I’m going to visit, say, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they often respond in wonder “What is there to see in the Met, which has any Biblical significance?” Most of us just go straight to the overwhelming amount of art galleries, and perhaps walk through the Greek and Roman art, without contemplating the significance they might have to the encounter of Judaism with those cultures. Those statues are decorative, otherwise the hallway to the big pond with the coins would be boring. Perhaps if your kids are reading Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan’s five-part series, 2005-2009), there might be something closer to home about Greek art. It amazes me that people don’t realize the wealth the museum has to offer in terms of archaeology of the ancient world, that that there would be any Biblical significance there. I just found out, for example, that the Ancient Egyptian collection at the Met is the largest in the world, after Cairo (if what their plaque says is accurate). The few hours I’ve spent there were not enough to even scratch the surface, and I can’t wait to go again.
I recommend checking out the other interviews from this experience, including: Prof. Aren Maeir, and Dr. Daniel Warrener
(Disclaimer: Some of the information about the professors is taken from Wikipedia, even if slightly modified)
Interview with Professor Dan Warner
Dan Warner is the Director for The Michael and Sara Moskau Institute of Archaeology and the Center for Archaeological Research, professor of Old Testament and Archaeology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and is a co-director of the Tel Gezer Water System excavation and preservation project. He has also served various roles on other excavations at Tel Kabri, Megiddo, Tel El Farah, Gerar, and Ashkelon.
http://www.nobts.edu/ArchaeologyCenter/
http://www.nobtsarchaeology.blogspot.com/
Transcription of the interview:
What is the value of archaeological excavations in general, and specifically for Biblical studies?
In general, of course, archaeology is important to me. I’ve been doing it for the past thirty years, all over the State of Israel.
Basically, it is exploring the ancient world. It’s showing you the heritage, it’s giving you the culture, the settings, where you came from. So it offers a lot to the general public in relationship to understanding even where we are today. So it’s a very broad area, but at the same time it can be specific to one culture, one ethnic group. So it offers a lot of ideas of where we came from and even where we’re going. Very significant.
Specifically, since I’m in the area of Biblical studies, archaeology in the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, it explains, illuminates, it helps us understand and comprehend the biblical text. So it puts a picture with the text. It draws an illustration…it fills in the gaps that the Bible sometimes doesn’t tell you. So you’re actually handling the physical remains, the material culture, you see the walls. For examples, like Joshua came into the Land of Israel, and they sent the spies in, and they came back saying there are giants in the land, and the cities were too well fortified. What does that word “fortified” mean?
Well, I’ve excavated two major fortifications: One at Ashkelon and one at Tel Gezer, and they are huge earthen ramparts. The one at Ashkelon was over 105 feet tall, the one in Gezer, over 100 feet tall, sloping, massive earthenworks. And they were all plastered white. So “fortification” – when you read that word you think of maybe a nice little wall–but these were massive structures in the time of Moses and Joshua.
That is just one illustration of what archaeology can do for you.
What has Tell es-Safi contributed to our understanding of the Biblical narrative?
Tel Gath has proven itself to be a gold mine of cultural elements that we’ve read about, and people have talked about. But now you actually get to pick them up and handle them in your hands. You get to see ceramics, you get to see the houses, you get to see the fortifications.
Tel Gath has proven itself to be a gold mine of cultural elements that we’ve read about, and people have talked about.
That just gives you a unique picture of who these Philistines were: What their expertise were, what their ideas were, their ideology. It’s a lot more than just reading the word ‘Philistine’. Now you’ve got a whole set of objects and material remains that you can associate with them.
Based on what is found here, what can a teacher do differently in their classroom?
What I always emphasize is a picture. If a picture is worth a thousand words, why aren’t teachers using more illustrations? So anything that you can illustrate with the biblical text, so they can get a visual image – they’ll never forget the visual image. They’ll forget the words, but the image will stay there. So if you can show them the wall, show them the pottery, show them the temples – wow.
But, the other key thing, something that I’m doing, is reconstructing them. If we can make a visual encyclopedia of the ancient world, we’re doing that with Tel Gezer, I’d like to do it with other sites and with Jerusalem, so that I student can walk inside, see the walls.
My company is called “The Virtual Bible Project”. I’ve already launched several different programs with a program called Logos – Bible Software. I’ve just finished Solomonic Temple, Gezer, and I’ve got a ton of projects coming up. A person can just go the the website and download a program.
What is your message to a student or teacher who are thinking about coming to a dig?
Cities are never located because it’s a nice place to live. In the bible, there are over 2,000 cities mentioned. All of them, when the people built the cities, they knew why they were building them, where they were located, what the significance was. We just read “Gath”. But if you don’t see where it connects… it connects with the international trade route, which is right in front of their door. Same thing with Gezer, where I am. All these cities were located because they were near trade routes, they were obviously near water, but they had to have farming lands for farming, and defenses.
Cities are never located because it’s a nice place to live […] when the people built the cities, they knew why they were building them, where they were located, what the significance was
Once you get the visual pictures – everybody thinks that Israel is nothing but a desert, nothing but a bunch of rocks. But then when you come here, and start looking at the sites, you say “Oh, now that makes sense!” Then you can go back to the Biblical texts and you can read about Gezer, Megiddo, all those places, and make a connection.
So the Land is what we call “The Fifth Gospel”. You can have the text, you can have the artifacts – but it’s the geography – that’s what makes it come alive.
So I’d encourage everybody. Get over here on one kind of trip. Specifically if you’re going to teach biblical studies – it’s a must! You’re losing one third of the context. Very important!