Jerusalem in Bible and Archaeology: The First Temple Period.

• Author: Radine, Jason H.
• Position: Book review

Jerusalem in Bible and Archaeology: The First Temple Period. Edited by ANDREW G. VAUGHN and ANN E. KILLEBREW. Society of Biblical Literature Symposium Series, vol. 18. Atlanta: SOCIETY OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE, 2003. Pp. xiii + 510. $49.95 (paper).

The debate on the development and status of ancient Israel and Judah during the Iron Age, particularly during the so-called "United Monarchy" of David and Solomon during the tenth century B.C.E., has in recent years become one of the central issues in the interchange between Syro-Palestinian archaeology and biblical studies. There has been a vigorous debate in the past fifteen years on the question of whether a monarchy centered in tenth-century Jerusalem ruled over a kingdom close to biblical dimensions, stretching far to the north, or if the city was merely a regional center for its immediate environs at the time. The volume under review takes stock of this debate, and updates its current status.

The essays in this volume are mostly updated papers from the "Consultation on Jerusalem in Bible and Archaeology" sessions at the annual meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature from 1998 to 2001, which were co-chaired by this volume's editors. After the introduction by the editors, the book is organized into three parts. The first, "Jerusalem during the Reigns of David and Solomon," begins with a lengthy article by Jane Cahill presenting both a general background of archaeology in Jerusalem as well as her interpretations of Kathleen Kenyon's excavations there, arguing that Jerusalem was an important town in the tenth century. This is followed by essays by Israel Finkelstein, David Ussishkin, and Gunnar Lehmann, each arguing from different angles that Jerusalem was too small and weak during the tenth century to dominate much land beyond the Judean highlands. These are followed by an article by J. J. M. Roberts arguing that the "Zion Tradition" of Jerusalem's divinely chosen status dates to the reign of David, as well as an article by R. E. Friedman arguing that the Bible contains a Solomonic historical document written by J.

The second part, "The Rise and Fall of Jerusalem at the End of the Judahite Kingdom," contains articles by Hillel Geva on...