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Books in Brief–Historical Essays; The Early Biblical Period, Philip J. King, BAR 12:06, Nov-Dec 1986.

Bible and Beyond

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The Early Biblical Period

Benjamin Mazar

(Jerusalem- Israel Exploration Society, 1986) 266 pp., $24.00

The International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament held its 1986 Congress in Jerusalem to honor its President, Benjamin Mazar, on the occasion of his eightieth birthday. The impressive turnout of scholars from so many countries was a great tribute to one of Israel’s most prominent academicians, whose reputation extends far beyond the Land of the Bible. Mazar’s energy and stamina so evident throughout the week of presentations and symposia belied his octogenarian status. He inaugurated the Congress with his presidential address on Jerusalem, he was actively present at almost all the sessions, and he presided at the gala banquet held in the stately hall of the Knesset as the week came to a close. Mazar holds a rightful place beside leading scholars like Albright and Alt, who pioneered in the field of Near Eastern studies. Having excavated with Albright at Tell Beit Mirsim, Mazar later conducted his own digs at Beth Shearim, Beth Yerah, Tel Qasile and En Gedi before his monumental work at the southern and western walls of the Temple Mount, which has added significantly to our knowledge of Jerusalem during the periods of the First and Second Temples.

The scholarship of Mazar is wide ranging; it encompasses history, archaeology, historical geography and philology, to mention some aspects of his research and writing. Long before the interdisciplinary approach to scholarship became common, Mazar was fostering the dialogue between archaeology and Biblical studies. Never dealing with any aspect of history in isolation, he investigated, in his study of ancient Israel, the neighboring peoples, such as the Canaanites, Phoenicians, Philistines, Arameans and Egyptians, who exerted strong influence on the economic, social and religious life of Israel. Mazar was vitally aware, as his writings abundantly attest, that these ambient cultures had much to contribute to the recovery of the Israelites.

The most tangible evidence of Mazar’s scholarly method and his contribution to Near Eastern studies is to be found in The Early Biblical Period, a collection of his historical essays, which appeared in print during the recent Congress of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament (p. 14). All these articles had been published earlier, but the present format represents the revised version. Also, some of them appear here in English for the first time. Shmuel Ahituv and Baruch A. Levine edited the current collection, published in attracive format by the Israel Exploration Society with the assistance of the Dorot Foundation of New York. Illustrations, charts and maps enhance this volume.

These selected essays deal with several scholarly issues raised or discussed at length during the recent Congress. If scholars require additional bibliographical references on these matters, they will find them readily in the copious footnotes accompanying Mazar’s articles. The nature of the Israelite settlement in Canaan is one of the perennial and perplexing problems in Biblical history. Alongside other literature on the emergence of Israel in Canaan, Mazar’s essay, “The Early Israelite Settlement in the Hill Country,” has valuable insights to contribute to the ongoing discussion. So, too, his article, “The Historical Background of the Samaria Ostraca,” will add clarity to the long-disputed chronology of this epigraphic material. Mazar dates the Ostraca to the reign of Jehoahaz of Israel (19th century B.C.). Mazar’s essay entitled “Pharaoh Shishak’s Campaign to the Land of Israel” demonstrates the author’s ability not only to read and interpret the hieroglyphs but also to blend the Biblical sources and the archaeological evidence with respect to Shishak’s military operations in Eretz Israel. Mazar’s analysis of “The Historical Background of the Book of Genesis” exemplifies his skillful handling of Biblical literary traditions. He concludes that the patriarchal narratives were given their original written form in the early monarchic period. In the essay, “Lebo-hamath and the Northern Border of Canaan,” Mazar shows his vast acquaintance with historical geography, the discipline concerned with how the features of the land influenced people.

Not limiting himself to the Biblical period, Mazar in the first and longest essay of this collection deals with the Middle Bronze Age in Canaan, an era of power and prosperity encompassing about 700 years (c. 2200–1500 B.C.). Canaan’s ethnographic makeup and material culture are the foci of this classic study, which to this day is one of the best syntheses, if not the best, we have of the Middle Bronze Age. In short, each of these 15 essays is truly seminal and each continues to be at the forefront of scholarly dialogue to this day.

On another occasion in Jerusalem but in a more informal setting I had the privilege of observing Benjamin Mazar, the scholar, when he was invited in 1986 to the Albright Institute to share some reflections on the history and archaeology of ancient Israel. One would have expected an octogenarian of his stature to dwell at length on the achievements of the past, especially since he had played such a major role. On the contrary, after only a two minute historical review, he quickly moved to the present, gave a brief evaluation and then spent the remainder of the hour speculating with the enthusiasm of someone half his age about the tremendous prospects for the scholarship of the future. He talked as though he had every intention of being a vital part of that future.
The friends of Professor Mazar hope that he will attain the proverbial 120 years because we cannot afford to be without a scholar of his erudition and versatility, not to mention his modesty and generosity. Ad multos annos!

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