The BAS Scholars Series program offers a quarterly, stand-alone presentation by noted scholars of the Bible and archaeology.

On October 6, 2026, join Aaron Burke for his compelling talk.

Lecture

When Worlds Collide: Mediterranean Mercenaries and Israel’s Genesis

The archaeology of the early Iron Age—the period when ancient Israel emerges in the land of Canaan—tells a different story than the one found in the Hebrew Bible. Instead of Israelites fleeing Egyptian slavery to conquer Canaan under Joshua, we find a vibrant but volatile period of multicultural interaction in the wake of Egypt’s withdrawal from the land, which they had ruled as imperial overlords for centuries. Foreign mercenaries, including the Philistines and other so-called “Sea Peoples,” vied for military and political supremacy over the lands Egypt once ruled. In this talk, we reconsider the significance of the Philistines and similar mercenary groups within the historical and political context of the period and the largely forgotten role they played in the rise of Israelite warlords as they sought to establish their own kingdoms in the land.

Speaker

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