April 25, 2019
Dr. David Schreiner, assistant professor of Old Testament, recently published a book on archaeology and the Old Testament entitled Pondering the Spade. The book examines the relationship between archaeology and Old Testament studies.
“If ancient Israel was the chief vehicle for God’s revelation—through its history and literature—then it’s critical to engage the discipline that is best suited to illuminate that culture,” Schreiner said.
“We are proud of Dr. Schreiner’s fantastic contribution to Old Testament studies through this book,” said Dr. Chris Lohrstorfer, vice president of academic affairs. “His examination of archaeology and the Old Testament grounds God’s word in a historical reality.”
Schreiner’s motivation for writing this book came when he had trouble finding a book that adequately examined the relationship of archaeology and the Old Testament. “I struggled to find a book that discussed multiple finds in a way that was informative for Old Testament studies but also methodologically sensitive,” Schreiner said. “Most examples were either too superficial, too technical, or not methodologically sensitive enough.”
Pondering the Spade began as a series of blog posts written for the WBS website. Schreiner was interested in expanding the concept, which resulted in this book. He wrote Pondering the Spade to be both rigorous and accessible.
“My hope is that readers will get an informed understanding of how archaeology and Old Testaments studies can ‘talk to each other’ while also being introduced to some of the most important archaeological find to date,” Schreiner said.
Schreiner is currently writing a commentary in I and II Kings for Kregel Academic, which will be published in two years.
Pondering the Spade can be purchased by clicking here.