Bibliographic information:
Richelle, Matthieu. La Bible et l’archéologie. Vaux-sur-Seine/Charols: Edifac/Excelsis, 2011.
Description:
Description:
In this book for the general public (in French), the author not only introduces the reader to what we can and what we cannot learn from archaeology, he also addresses recent debates regarding David and Solomon’s era: Finkelstein’s “low chronology” and the notion that no literature could have emerged in Judah before the 8th century B.C.
Contents:
1. What archaeologists discover
2. Ancient Inscriptions
3. The limits of archaeology
4. The relationship between the Bible and archaeology
5. Current debates concerning David and Solomon’s era
6. Archaeology and the redaction of the Bible
Excerpts from the preface by Alan Millard (University of Liverpool):
“Matthieu Richelle demonstrates the positive contributions archaeology can make to better understanding of the Bible in its ancient world. He uses the most recent discussions about the dates of buildings which might have been erected at Solomon’s orders, or at Ahab’s a century later. He shows how part of the uncertainty results from the way some scholars assume the biblical reports have little factual basis, notably in the book The Bible Unearthed, and partly from the attempts to use the Carbon 14 technique to define the dates of the structures. The debate continues, but through this book readers will be better able to disentangle the factual from the hypothetical as they try to evaluate the evidence.”
“These well organized chapters present a choice from the contributions archaeology makes, with judicious and fair assessments which make it a reliable introduction to the subject.”
Publisher:
Edifac/Excelsis (website: http://www.xl6.com/librairie/la_bible_et_l_archeologie_9782755001495.php)