Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel

Autores
Amit, Shimon
Año de publicación
2021
Idioma
español castellano
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Fil: Amit, Shimon. Investigador independiente; Israel
Resumen: The article traces the sociopolitical and rhetorical aspects of the discourse in biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel.1 Through the article I will show that research and theoretical interpretations cannot be separated from identities and socio-political biases. Generally, Zionist archaeologists are much less skeptical towards the bible than Palestinian archaeologists, pro-Palestinian minimalists or Israeli post-Zionists. Since the 1990s, a new school from Tel Aviv University has been developing and promoting a new paradigm of Low Chronology, which denies the existence of a United Monarchy in the days of the Judahite Kings David and Solomon. Despite the success of the new paradigm, a conservative school, whose prominent representatives come from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, challenges the new paradigm and tries to protect or update the old paradigm of High Chronology. The most controversial excavation sites in the last decade are the City of David site and the ancient city excavated at Khirbet Qeiyafa. The article analyzes the struggle between the schools about the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, as it reflects in articles, books, lectures, presentations, interviews and heated debates in the media. I will start with a brief review of the development of biblical archaeology against the background of the Judeo-Christian faith and the Zionist identity. Biblical studies, embodied by Julius Wellhausen’s Prolegomena to the History of Ancient Israel (2013 [1878]), was a direct threat to the Judeo-Christian traditions and to the belief that the Pentateuch was written by Moses. Wellhausen formulated the documentary hypothesis, according to which the Pentateuch is a composition of four different sources from different eras. One notable apologetic response against Wellhausen was the work of Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann, who tried to protect the belief in the divine origin of the Pentateuch and the bible (Hoffmann, 1902). From the start, modern academic research was not only a critique of the roots of the Judeo-Christian identity but also an expression of personal, social and cultural values towards this identity. Wellhausen’s work was influenced by his Protestant background (Wellhausen was a professor of theology, but he resigned in 1882 because he felt that he cannot instruct future ministers) and expressed 19th century German Romanticism and Idealism. He saw Judaism that developed by the Priestly establishment during the Second Temple period as a dogmatic system of commandments and rituals, or as a degeneration of the more natural Israelite and Judahite religion and monarchy (the state). In this respect, he tried to show that Judaism as manifested in the Priestly Code “separates itself in the first instance from daily life, and then absorbs the latter by becoming, strictly speaking, its proper business” (Wellhausen, 2013 [1878]: 81). The debate whether Wellhausen’s approach was anti-religious or pro-Christian, anti-Jewish or even anti-Semitic, and how much his work was an expression of German Romanticism and Idealism, continues to this day (Kratz, 2009).
Fuente
Damqatum. The CEHAO newsletter. 2021 (17)
Materia
ARQUEOLOGIA BIBLICA
ESTUDIO LITERARIO
INTERPRETACION TEXTUAL
SOCIOLOGIA DE LA CULTURA
ASPECTOS POLITICOS
HISTORIA DE ISRAEL
EXCAVACIONES ARQUEOLÓGICAS
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Repositorio
Repositorio Institucional (UCA)
Institución
Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina
OAI Identificador
oai:ucacris:123456789/17808

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oai_identifier_str oai:ucacris:123456789/17808
network_acronym_str RIUCA
repository_id_str 2585
network_name_str Repositorio Institucional (UCA)
spelling Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary IsraelAmit, ShimonARQUEOLOGIA BIBLICAESTUDIO LITERARIOINTERPRETACION TEXTUALSOCIOLOGIA DE LA CULTURAASPECTOS POLITICOSHISTORIA DE ISRAELEXCAVACIONES ARQUEOLÓGICASFil: Amit, Shimon. Investigador independiente; IsraelResumen: The article traces the sociopolitical and rhetorical aspects of the discourse in biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel.1 Through the article I will show that research and theoretical interpretations cannot be separated from identities and socio-political biases. Generally, Zionist archaeologists are much less skeptical towards the bible than Palestinian archaeologists, pro-Palestinian minimalists or Israeli post-Zionists. Since the 1990s, a new school from Tel Aviv University has been developing and promoting a new paradigm of Low Chronology, which denies the existence of a United Monarchy in the days of the Judahite Kings David and Solomon. Despite the success of the new paradigm, a conservative school, whose prominent representatives come from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, challenges the new paradigm and tries to protect or update the old paradigm of High Chronology. The most controversial excavation sites in the last decade are the City of David site and the ancient city excavated at Khirbet Qeiyafa. The article analyzes the struggle between the schools about the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, as it reflects in articles, books, lectures, presentations, interviews and heated debates in the media. I will start with a brief review of the development of biblical archaeology against the background of the Judeo-Christian faith and the Zionist identity. Biblical studies, embodied by Julius Wellhausen’s Prolegomena to the History of Ancient Israel (2013 [1878]), was a direct threat to the Judeo-Christian traditions and to the belief that the Pentateuch was written by Moses. Wellhausen formulated the documentary hypothesis, according to which the Pentateuch is a composition of four different sources from different eras. One notable apologetic response against Wellhausen was the work of Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann, who tried to protect the belief in the divine origin of the Pentateuch and the bible (Hoffmann, 1902). From the start, modern academic research was not only a critique of the roots of the Judeo-Christian identity but also an expression of personal, social and cultural values towards this identity. Wellhausen’s work was influenced by his Protestant background (Wellhausen was a professor of theology, but he resigned in 1882 because he felt that he cannot instruct future ministers) and expressed 19th century German Romanticism and Idealism. He saw Judaism that developed by the Priestly establishment during the Second Temple period as a dogmatic system of commandments and rituals, or as a degeneration of the more natural Israelite and Judahite religion and monarchy (the state). In this respect, he tried to show that Judaism as manifested in the Priestly Code “separates itself in the first instance from daily life, and then absorbs the latter by becoming, strictly speaking, its proper business” (Wellhausen, 2013 [1878]: 81). The debate whether Wellhausen’s approach was anti-religious or pro-Christian, anti-Jewish or even anti-Semitic, and how much his work was an expression of German Romanticism and Idealism, continues to this day (Kratz, 2009).Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Departamento de Historia. Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente2021info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttps://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/handle/123456789/178081852-6594Amit, S. Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel [en línea]. Damqatum. The CEHAO newsletter. 2021 (17). Disponible en: https://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/handle/123456789/17808Damqatum. The CEHAO newsletter. 2021 (17)reponame:Repositorio Institucional (UCA)instname:Pontificia Universidad Católica ArgentinaspaIsraelinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/2025-07-03T10:59:42Zoai:ucacris:123456789/17808instacron:UCAInstitucionalhttps://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/Universidad privadaNo correspondehttps://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/oaiclaudia_fernandez@uca.edu.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:25852025-07-03 10:59:43.046Repositorio Institucional (UCA) - Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentinafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel
title Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel
spellingShingle Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel
Amit, Shimon
ARQUEOLOGIA BIBLICA
ESTUDIO LITERARIO
INTERPRETACION TEXTUAL
SOCIOLOGIA DE LA CULTURA
ASPECTOS POLITICOS
HISTORIA DE ISRAEL
EXCAVACIONES ARQUEOLÓGICAS
title_short Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel
title_full Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel
title_fullStr Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel
title_full_unstemmed Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel
title_sort Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Amit, Shimon
author Amit, Shimon
author_facet Amit, Shimon
author_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv ARQUEOLOGIA BIBLICA
ESTUDIO LITERARIO
INTERPRETACION TEXTUAL
SOCIOLOGIA DE LA CULTURA
ASPECTOS POLITICOS
HISTORIA DE ISRAEL
EXCAVACIONES ARQUEOLÓGICAS
topic ARQUEOLOGIA BIBLICA
ESTUDIO LITERARIO
INTERPRETACION TEXTUAL
SOCIOLOGIA DE LA CULTURA
ASPECTOS POLITICOS
HISTORIA DE ISRAEL
EXCAVACIONES ARQUEOLÓGICAS
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Fil: Amit, Shimon. Investigador independiente; Israel
Resumen: The article traces the sociopolitical and rhetorical aspects of the discourse in biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel.1 Through the article I will show that research and theoretical interpretations cannot be separated from identities and socio-political biases. Generally, Zionist archaeologists are much less skeptical towards the bible than Palestinian archaeologists, pro-Palestinian minimalists or Israeli post-Zionists. Since the 1990s, a new school from Tel Aviv University has been developing and promoting a new paradigm of Low Chronology, which denies the existence of a United Monarchy in the days of the Judahite Kings David and Solomon. Despite the success of the new paradigm, a conservative school, whose prominent representatives come from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, challenges the new paradigm and tries to protect or update the old paradigm of High Chronology. The most controversial excavation sites in the last decade are the City of David site and the ancient city excavated at Khirbet Qeiyafa. The article analyzes the struggle between the schools about the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, as it reflects in articles, books, lectures, presentations, interviews and heated debates in the media. I will start with a brief review of the development of biblical archaeology against the background of the Judeo-Christian faith and the Zionist identity. Biblical studies, embodied by Julius Wellhausen’s Prolegomena to the History of Ancient Israel (2013 [1878]), was a direct threat to the Judeo-Christian traditions and to the belief that the Pentateuch was written by Moses. Wellhausen formulated the documentary hypothesis, according to which the Pentateuch is a composition of four different sources from different eras. One notable apologetic response against Wellhausen was the work of Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann, who tried to protect the belief in the divine origin of the Pentateuch and the bible (Hoffmann, 1902). From the start, modern academic research was not only a critique of the roots of the Judeo-Christian identity but also an expression of personal, social and cultural values towards this identity. Wellhausen’s work was influenced by his Protestant background (Wellhausen was a professor of theology, but he resigned in 1882 because he felt that he cannot instruct future ministers) and expressed 19th century German Romanticism and Idealism. He saw Judaism that developed by the Priestly establishment during the Second Temple period as a dogmatic system of commandments and rituals, or as a degeneration of the more natural Israelite and Judahite religion and monarchy (the state). In this respect, he tried to show that Judaism as manifested in the Priestly Code “separates itself in the first instance from daily life, and then absorbs the latter by becoming, strictly speaking, its proper business” (Wellhausen, 2013 [1878]: 81). The debate whether Wellhausen’s approach was anti-religious or pro-Christian, anti-Jewish or even anti-Semitic, and how much his work was an expression of German Romanticism and Idealism, continues to this day (Kratz, 2009).
description Fil: Amit, Shimon. Investigador independiente; Israel
publishDate 2021
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/handle/123456789/17808
1852-6594
Amit, S. Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel [en línea]. Damqatum. The CEHAO newsletter. 2021 (17). Disponible en: https://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/handle/123456789/17808
url https://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/handle/123456789/17808
identifier_str_mv 1852-6594
Amit, S. Israel vs. Judah, 2022 : the socio-political aspects of biblical archaeology in contemporary Israel [en línea]. Damqatum. The CEHAO newsletter. 2021 (17). Disponible en: https://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/handle/123456789/17808
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv spa
language spa
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.coverage.none.fl_str_mv Israel
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Departamento de Historia. Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Departamento de Historia. Centro de Estudios de Historia del Antiguo Oriente
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Damqatum. The CEHAO newsletter. 2021 (17)
reponame:Repositorio Institucional (UCA)
instname:Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina
reponame_str Repositorio Institucional (UCA)
collection Repositorio Institucional (UCA)
instname_str Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina
repository.name.fl_str_mv Repositorio Institucional (UCA) - Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina
repository.mail.fl_str_mv claudia_fernandez@uca.edu.ar
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