The Cities that Built the Bible by Robert R. Cargill, HarperOne, 2016
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
DOMEYROT, France — This overview of the history of the Ancient Near East as it relates to the events described in the Bible is written in a language that is accessible to any reader who is not an expert in archaeology or a Bible scholar.
Taking the reader from the ancient Phoenician cities of Byblos, Tyre and Sidon through Ugarit, Nineveh and many other ancient cities, the author compares the account of events described in the Bible with the archaeological evidence and documents excavated from the ancient civilizations (Babylon, Persia, etc.), citing chapter and verse in each case.
Interspersed with the scientific data are Cargill’s descriptions of incidents from his own life such as his teaching methods, the archaeological sites he has excavated, and his visits with his wife Roslyn to the places he describes, giving the book an immediacy, even intimacy, which is not often found in tomes of this kind.
In general the book is written in modern, even colloquial, English, with allusions to contemporary events or movies which serve to bring into relief the past events he is describing even though these took place thousands of years ago.
As well as writing about the ancient civilizations which dominated the Ancient Near East in biblical times, and which played a crucial role in the development of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel at the time, Cargill emphasizes the influence of Hellenistic and Roman thinking and rule on the development of the Jewish religion. He presents a convincing argument for the incorporation of Greek philosophical thought in Jewish religious practices, as well as noting how crucial Roman rule was in determining the course of both Jewish and Christian history. Without Roman rule there would have been no crucifixion and supposed resurrection of Jesus, no destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, and no resulting dissemination of both Christianity and Jewish life throughout the known world of the time.
The book concludes with a thorough examination of the processes that led to the canonization of what has come to be known as the Tanach or Old Testament, including the external books, the Apocrypha, as well as the various books of the New Testament. According to Cargill, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran in the middle of the 1940s was the most significant event in modern archaeology, casting new light on the content of the Bible, and the way the books of the Bible were formulated and established as the scriptural canon.
Throughout the book the author displays an admirable level of erudition concerning the history and archaeology of the region, knowledge of the relevant languages and scripts, and familiarity with the biblical texts. It has served to provide me with a better grasp of who did what to whom and when in ancient times.
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Shefer-Vanson is an author and freelance writer who may be contacted via dorothea.shefer@sdjewishworld.com