Scripture and Other Artifacts: Essays on the Bible and Archaeology in Honor of Philip J. King (review)

Hebrew Studies 37 (1996) 138 Reviews voiced: like any pioneers, discourse linguists occasionally tend to display excessive zeal for their new methodology. Thus the claim that discourse analysis is fundamental to good translation (p. 484) is obviously insubstantial , since the term "a good translation" defies definition; the truth of the matter is that translations are compromises, the character and tendency of which depend on the translator's aim. The good translation is an ignis Jatuus unless we defme such by the circular argument that it is based on discourse analysis. Minute study or computerized survey seems to reveal the concurrence of unprecedented grammatical and syntactical features with what semantically constitutes an emphatic climax or a crucial turning point in an extended narrative, a poetic text, or even genealogical lists (pp. 308f.; 324; 331f.; 521ff.; 250f.; 257f.); such concurrence and its complicated pattern are explained as stylistic devices. One may have doubts, however, whether any narrator, ancient or modem, in speech or writing, would agree to impose complex structural rules on his creative spontaneity. On the other hand, the complicated text-history of the Hebrew Bible must not be overlooked: abrupt changes in structural and stylistic features more often than not may be adduced to a redactor's effort. Finally-and I apologize for being somewhat blunt-the remark combining "descriptive analysis of biblical texts" with a "responsible use of the truth revealed by God" (p. 8) seems a little presumptuous: We will never reach a fuller understanding of the Great Mystery by analyzing our own human language more thoroughly. Benjamin Kedar-KopJstein Haifa University Haifa 34734 Israel SCRIPTURE AND OTHER ARTIFACTS: ESSAYS ON THE BIBLE AND ARCHAEOLOGY IN HONOR OF PHILIP J. KING. Michael D. Coogan, J. Cheryl Exum and Lawrence E. Stager, eds. Pp. 452. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1994. Paper, $25.00. The question of what archaeological discoveries can or should do for biblical studies has taken on new life in recent years thanks in no small part to the pioneering efforts of Philip King (see for example his, "The Contribution of Archaeology to Biblical Studies," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 45 (1983) 1-16; Amos. Hosea. Micah: An Archaeological Hebrew Studies 37 (1996) 139 Reviews Commentary. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1988; Jeremiah: An Archaeological Companion. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1993). It is thus fitting that a volume reflecting King's efforts to integrate archaeological data with biblical texts should be presented to him on the occasion of his seventieth birthday (March 26, 1995). The volume consists of twenty-four chapters written by twenty-seven contributors (three of the chapters were co-authored). They cover a wide range of topics, most of which treat themes related to the Old Testament period. The most notable exception is Jerome Murphy-O'Connor's essay on Acts 2:44-45. The book is well illustrated throughout with photographs, maps and drawings. It contains several indices and each chapter includes its own bibliography, making it convenient to check works cited in the text. There is also, of course, a listing of the publications by King. The chapters are arranged alphabetically according to the last name of the contributor. Thus the collection begins with A. Biran's treatment of recent discoveries at Tel Dan and concludes with a discussion by D. Ussishkin concerning the famous Iron Age gate and Hebrew seals uncovered at Megiddo. For the most part, I found the chapters stimulating and interesting, but in a review of this sort it is impossible to do justice to them all. Thus, in an almost arbitrary fashion I will discuss in detail two or three, recognizing that another reviewer could just as easily choose different ones. In his chapter, "The Silence of the Text: An Archaeological Commentary on 2 Kings 23," W. Dever deftly demonstrates how archaeological data can be used to provide not only an occasional illustration for something mentioned in a text, but more importantly, a historical-cultural context for the text itself. In this case, it is the often discussed, and just as often disagreed upon, description of the reforms of Josiah reported in 2 Kings 23. Dever's provocative analysis has implications not only for this particular text but for Israelite religion...