First Person: No History in the Bible?

In my previous column, I mentioned the need Bible teachers have for archaeological materials and lamented the growing division between archaeology and Biblical studies.^a Since then, I have read a paper that my friend Israel Finkelstein, one of Israel’s leading archaeologists, delivered at a symposium.^b It reminded me of the reverse—archaeologists’ need for Biblical scholars. The truth is that archaeologists and Biblical scholars badly need each other, but I’m not sure either side fully realizes it, perhaps because it is becoming increasingly difficult to master the two fields.