>Recently, I read an article by Ziony Zevit, “Three Debates about Bible and Archaeology”, published in Biblica 83 (2002) 1-27. The following is an abstract of the article:
Three significant debates affecting perceptions of Israelite history, the Bible’s historiography, the relationship between this historiography and archaeology, and the dating of parts of the Bible’s literature have occupied Biblicists and archaeologists for the last 25 years. This article distinguishes the debates by analyzing the issues involved, the terminologies employed, as well as the professions of the protagonists engaged in each. It considers each within its own intellectual context. In light of these analyses, the article proposes a positive assessment of the contribution of these debates to the study ancient Israel’s history.
The article is available online here.
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
Tags: Archaeology, Ziony Zevit 
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Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>Dr. Mariottini, These debates need to be widened to include consideration of ideas in ‘Peoples of the Sea’ and ‘Ages in Chaos’ by Immanuel Velikovsky, ‘Unwrapping the Pharaohs’ by John Ashton and archaeologist David Down, and ‘Empire of Thebes’ by Emmet Sweeney.The illustration at the first link below is of a temple wall in Karnak showing treasures, vessels, and furniture taken from Palestine by Thutmose III. Please note that this mural includes altars and other religious paraphernalia. The treasures taken by Thutmose III from Palestine included illuminating devices with multiple lamps and many other objects like those which the Bible indicates were in Solomon’s temple. I would ask that you please reread the discussion at the second link below, for it is a rich discussion loaded with interesting points and I feel sure that if you do so you will notice things that you have not previously fully appreciated:http://www.hshideaway.com/photo2.htmhttp://www.hshideaway.com/chap15.htmFor readers new to this material I am mentioning that Immanuel Velikovsky, archaeologist David Down, Emmet Sweeney and other authors have argued that the conventional chronology of ancient Egypt includes serious errors; and that Thutmose III was the biblical Shishak who took away vessels and furnishings from Solomon’s temple during the reign of Rehoboam. Dr. Mariottini, the above mural showing treasures taken by Thutmose III from Palestine depicts altars and apparently numerous vessels, basins, and utensils for sacrificial worship, but it appears to contain no idols. The mural includes many objects of gold and other precious metals. The mural includes objects that look like menorahs, and ark-like chests with poles for carrying.But the mural of objects taken by Thutmose III from Palestine appears to contain no idols.Dr. Mariottini, from what nation did Thutmose III take the objects in the mural? On December 1, 2009, a great scholar wrote: “Israel would be the only nation in the Ancient Near East to worship a God who could not be represented by an image”.He also wrote: “The nations of the Ancient Near East worshiped their gods by bowing before the images they had created, but the God of Israel was to be worshipped without any physical representation”.Adam Stuart
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>Dr. Mariottini,Your post about the late Oral Roberts led me to realize something which I would like to share. You mentioned the “holy anointing oil” of Exodus 30:22-25.Based on Exodus 30:25-28, the “holy anointing oil” was to be used to anoint altars, among other things.In his detailed analysis of the above Karnak mural of Thutmose III, on page 161 of the edition of ‘Ages in Chaos’ that I have, Velikovsky wrote that over the figures in the lower row [197-99] is written:“Alabaster, filled with holy anointing oil for the sacrifice.”Please note the phrase “holy anointing oil” in, apparently, both Thutmose III’s mural and in the Bible.How much more obvious does it have to be that Thutmose III got many of his treasures from the Temple in Jerusalem and was the biblical Shishak? Or at least that professional archaeologists and other scholars should give serious consideration to ideas in Velikovsky’s ‘Ages in Chaos’ series of books, including to the idea that Thutmose III was the biblical Shishak? I again offer what I intend as a helpful recommendation, which is that professional archaeologists and other scholars please read Emmet Sweeney’s ‘Empire of Thebes’ (2006) and ‘Unwrapping the Pharaohs’ (2006) by John Ashton and archaeologist David Down. Both books discuss the proposed Thutmose III-Shishak identification.May 2010 be a year in which many professional archaeologists and other scholars give serious scholarly attention to these books and ideas.Happy New Year, Adam Stuart
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