BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Review: Excavating the Land of Jesus

Excavating the Land of Jesus

How Archaeologists Study the People of the Gospels

By James Riley Strange
(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2023), 192 pp., 29 b/w figs., 2 maps; $29.99 (hardcover and eBook)

Reviewed by Matthew J. Grey

In recent decades, scholarship on the New Testament has reflected a growing interest in the archaeology of Roman Galilee and how its material culture illuminates the historical Jesus, the social setting of his earliest followers, and the Jewish context of the New Testament. As a result, the past 20 years have seen a flourishing of archaeological activity around the Sea of Galilee. This includes the excavation of villages, synagogues, and industrial centers within the vicinity of Jesus’s ministry as well as new research on the region’s first-century politics, economy, networks, religious dynamics, and daily life. However, for New Testament readers with a limited background in archaeology, it can be difficult to know how to access, approach, and interpret the relevant archaeological evidence responsibly.

In response to this challenge, James Riley Strange has written a short but very helpful volume, Excavating the Land of Jesus: How Archaeologists Study the People of the Gospels. As both a professor of New Testament and an archaeologist with extensive excavation experience in the Galilee, Strange is uniquely well-positioned to bridge the disciplinary divide that often exists between those who read the Gospels as literary, historical, or scriptural sources and those who explore the physical setting in which the early Jesus movement emerged. His book skillfully introduces non-specialist readers to the field of archaeology, with an emphasis on the critical intersection between the New Testament and the material culture of the Galilee from the second century BCE through the second century CE.

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Although other volumes have recently provided updates on specific aspects of this topic—such as surveys of newly excavated sites or studies of Galilean daily life—Strange’s book focuses on the process of archaeological research itself. It begins with providing clear definitions of what archaeology is (the systematic recovery and interpretation of ancient remains) and is not (a resource for either proving or merely illustrating the Gospels) as well as a brief history explaining how the archaeology of Roman Galilee emerged as a distinct discipline, somewhat separate from traditional biblical archaeology. The bulk of the book then walks the reader through the main types of problems archaeologists try to solve and the various methods they use to solve them, with each issue illustrated by case studies drawn from the local material culture. In short, this book helps its reader understand how archaeologists think and work, particularly when dealing with such significant historical or religious texts as the Gospels.

Strange covers basic problems such as knowing where to dig and how to identify biblical sites (for example, highlighting recent efforts to locate and excavate first-century Magdala), how to dig, what questions to ask, and which methodologies would provide the best answers (describing, as an illustration, the construction, occupational phases, and subsequent excavation of a hypothetical village home). He further explores the problem of knowing how to use both ancient texts and archaeology to understand the past. To demonstrate the value of this, Strange shows how it might look to place into conversation the information about locations and travel found in the Gospel of John with the remains of first-century road systems and village networks between Galilee and Jerusalem.

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Along with these useful examples, Strange also considers other important issues faced by archaeologists working in the Galilee of the Gospels. These include the need to understand ancient technologies, such as the complex process of olive oil production assumed by the numerous biblical allusions to dining, healing, or the lighting of homes. Finally, he explores the importance of understanding the social values of group identity as reflected in the common profile of “household Judaism” (with its distinctive pottery assemblages, ritual purity features, and dietary practices) and the role of synagogue buildings as gathering places within Jewish settlements. Each of these archaeological issues, Strange demonstrates, significantly illuminates our understanding of the social, cultural, and economic context of the New Testament in a way that would not have otherwise been obvious.

Illustrated with maps, plans, reconstructions, and photos, Excavating the Land of Jesus is an easily accessible and valuable resource for any New Testament reader, student, or scholar who seeks to better understand how careful archaeological work can be placed into conversation with the Gospels and how that conversation can provide critical perspectives on the material world of Jesus.

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Matthew J. Grey is Associate Professor in the Department of Ancient Scripture and an affiliate faculty member of the Ancient Near Eastern Studies program at Brigham Young University.

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Related reading in Bible History Daily

Archaeology Essentials

Archaeology, Dogs and Gin: Dame Kathleen Kenyon, Digging Up the Holy Land

Archaeology Off the Beaten Path

Archaeology Tools from Trowels to Tech

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library:

Archaeology for the Young of All Ages: An archaeology series for kids teaches adults as well

Collection: Biblical Archaeology’s Biggest Digs

Biblical Archaeology 101: Dating in the Archaeological World

Biblical Archaeology 101: The Ancient Diet of Roman Palestine