Bible Review

The biennial Biblical Archaeology Society Publication Awards recognize the best new books on archaeology and the Bible. Made possible by a generous gift from the Leopold and Clara M. Fellner Charitable Foundation, through its trustee, Frederick L. Simmons, the 1999 awards are for books published in 1997 and 1998.

Best Book Relating to the Old Testament

1,000 Ways to Celebrate Y2K

The millennium is coming, the millennium is coming! For many, the millennium means a chance to celebrate the 2,000th birthday of Jesus. And the towns of Israel—particularly Jerusalem, Nazareth and Bethlehem—are expecting at least twice as many visitors as usual.

There is now a new myth of Christian origins. It feeds, as do many myths, off the weaknesses of its supposed alternatives.

There were (and probably still are) two classic accounts of Christian origins:

Moses never entered the Land of Israel. Because of one act of disobedience, when he hit a rock in anger instead of praying to it (Numbers 20:11),¹ God told him he could never set foot in the land of milk and honey, the land that represented the fulfillment of his life’s work. That’s how centuries of tradition have told the story. And that’s what we believe. How unfair it seems, knowing all that Moses did for the Israelites.