John F. Healey

Book Reviews : Agriculture in Early Israel

early Israel emerged from Canaanite society as a revolutionary proletariat attracted by the political ideas of nascent Yahwism. R. G. Boling’s new monograph, The Early Biblical Community in Transjordan (Almond Press [ 1988], £ 15.95/

Book Reviews : Post-Exilic Archaeology

25.00, pp. 80 + 4 maps, ISBN 1-85075-094-7) has performed the very useful task of collecting together and evaluating the archaeological evidence from Transjordan for this period. This evidence, described in ch. 1, comes mainly from recent surface surveys, and it requires a revision of previous accounts in several ways. The second chapter looks at recent studies of the biblical evidence in the light of the new archaeological information. Boling finds much more early material in the literary traditions than some other writers on the subject. This is particularly true of poetic texts like Gen 49, Num 23-24 and Dt 33, where he follows closely the reconstruction of Israel’s early history proposed by D. N. Freedman. It was in Transjordan, Boling holds, that what he prefers to call ’the Yahwist Reformation of Earliest Israel’ scored its first successes. There are a number of insights here which deserve to find a place in future histories; but it is disappointing that a press which once prided itself

Book Reviews : Archaeology for Exegetes

Bible for Judah as well as Israel (cf. Isa 124, 814 , Hos 59), but regards ’Israelian’ as a good rendering of b’ne yi§rf’il (as in Hos 21-2, 2 Chr 13 2). I do not know why he does not opt for the biblical term ’Ephraim’ as the qualifier ’Ephraimite’ would work very well for his argument. Apart from the proliferation of potentially confusing terms ’Israelite’, ’Israelian’ and ’Israeli’, Ginsberg’s book is a fine, though rather subtle, analysis of a very important line of biblical tradition. The most important Israelian contribution to Judaism is the book of Deuteronomy, but Hosea, the second ritual decalogue of Ex 3419-Z , the golden calf story of Ex 32, Mic 6-7, certain Psalms (e.g., 77, 80, 81, 47) and some of the Proverbs are all important Israelian influences in the shaping of that Judaism which Ginsberg regards as having crystallized c. 410

Keeping up with Recent Studies VII. Ebla: ancient city of Syria

But if the ship is not untied, she cannot sail! There can be no doubt that the gospel itself contributes powerfully to the process of disengagement. When, for example, a small boy was asked what benefit he had derived from an evangelistic mission, he declared quite bluntly, ’It stopped me stealing apples’! I think it fair to claim that an increased sensitivity in a small boy in respect of the distinction between ’mine’ and ’thine’ is a welcome

The early history of the Syriac script:: a reassessment

EBLA is the most recent addition to the list of archaeological sites in the Near East which have captured the headlines and the imagination of those who are interested in the ancient world in general and in the historical and cultural ambience of the Bible in particular. However, those who have followed the development of, for example, Ugaritic and Qumran studies will have noted that early sensational claims have frequently been set aside by more cautious scholars. Thus while Ugarit has provided us with much new information about Canaanite culture and affected our assessment of Hebrew poetry and its translation, it has brought no revolution. In a similar, unsensational way Qumran studies have contributed greatly to biblical text-criticism and to the understanding of sectarian Judaism at the time of Christ. It can be confidently predicted that sensational claims about Ebla will go the same way, especially since the Ebla finds are from such a remote date, though at the moment we are in the midst of an academic battle between those on the one hand who