For many years, explorers and excavators have been busy all round the world, bringing to light monuments and texts that have often revolutionized our conceptions of history or shed new light on what was previously known. But in no other part of the world has all of this effort been more fruitful than in the lands of the Bible. Archaeology in Egypt and Babylonia has opened up great new perspectives on the culture and events that surround the Bible from beginning to end.
It is the purpose of Archaeology and the Bible to gather together into a single volume the most valuable information that the excavations in Bible lands have afforded and to make it available in a convenient format for the pastor, Sunday school teacher, or student. All of this material is presented in such a way that the reader might not only possess the illuminating archaeological information, but also a thorough outline of the history of exploration and excavation. In this way, the reader will be able view every item and subject in its proper perspective and context.
Archaeology and the Bible is divided into two main sections. The first presents archaeological study of Bible lands with their cultural artifacts and buildings—the physical remains of the Ancient Near East cultures with discussion of the history surrounding them and their relationship to the Biblical text. The second section presents numerous ancient texts in English translation. These include texts from Babylon, Assyrian, Egypt, Israel and Palestine, Phoenicia, Asia Minor, Greece, and Roman. Each translation is accompanied by a brief discussion in which its relevance to the Bible is presented.
