ReViews
The View from Nebo
Amy Dockser Marcus
(New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2000) 1 map, 304 pp., $25.95 (hardback)
The Bible Is History
Ian Wilson
(Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 1999) 173 color and 19 b&w illus., 13 maps, 256 pp., $29.95 (hardback)
I enjoyed reading these books, until I reached the end of each one. Both explore the relationship between archaeology and the Bible, focusing heavily on the Biblical periods in Palestinethat is, the Bronze and Iron Ages (c. 3000586 B.C.E.). Both are intended for a popular audience and cover much of the same material in chronological order. Both books are well researched and incorporate the latest archaeological findings and debates, despite the fact that the authors are not academics trained in Biblical archaeology (Marcus was the Wall Street Journals Middle East correspondent from 1991 to 1998; Wilsonas the dust jacket informs usgraduated in Modern History from Oxford in 1963 and currently lives in Australia). But that is where the similarities between the two books end. Marcuss perspective is reflected in the subtitle of her book, How Archaeology Is Rewriting the Bible and Reshaping the Middle East, whereas Wilsons purpose is to demonstrate that The Bible Is History.





