Write That They May Read

Studies in Literacy and Textualization in the Ancient Near East and in the Hebrew Scriptures:Essays in Honour of Professor Alan R. Millard

Daniel I. Block, David C. Deuel, Daniel I. Block, David C. Deuel

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781725252103, 9781725252080
• eBook ISBN: 9781725252097
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Ancient Religion

Write That They May Read is a collection of essays written in honor of our mentor, friend, and fellow scholar, Professor Alan R. Millard. Respectful of his contribution to our understanding of writing and literacy in the ancient biblical world, all the essays deal with some aspect of this issue, ranging in scope from archeological artifacts that need to be "read," to early evidence of writing in Israel's world, to the significance of reading and writing in the Bible, including God's own literacy, to the production of books in the ancient world, and the significance of metaphorical branding of God's people with his name. The contributors are distributed among Professor Millard's peers and colleagues in a variety of institutions, his own students, and students of his students. They represent a variety of disciplines including biblical archeology, Egyptology, Assyriology, Hebrew and other Northwest Semitic texts, and the literature of the Bible, and reside in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Germany. Write That They May Read contains contributions by: Section 1: Artifacts and Minimalist Literacy1. "See That You May Understand": Artifact Literacy--The Twin-cup Libation Vessels from Khirbet QeiyafaGerald Klingbeil, Research Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Andrews UniversityMartin Klingbeil, Professor of Biblical Studies and Archaeology, and Associate Director, Institute of Archaeology Southern Adventist University 2. Ketiv-Qere: The Writing and Reading of EA 256 and Its Place in Reflecting the Realia of Power and Polity in the LBA-IA Golan and PeripheriesTimothy M. Crow, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Akron; Professional Fellow Old Testament, Ashland Theological Seminary 3. Another Inscribed Arrowhead in the British MuseumTerrence C. Mitchell†. Former Keeper of Western Asiatic Antiquities, The British Museum, London, England 4. Earliest Literary Allusions to Homer and the Pentateuch from Ischia in Italy and JerusalemPaul J. N. Lawrence, Translation Consultant, Summer Institute of Linguistics International 5. The Etymology of Hebrew l?g and the Identity of Shavsha the ScribeYoshiyuki Muchiki, Professor of Biblical Theology, Japan Bible Seminary, Tokyo Section 2: Artifacts and Official Literacy6. The Writing/Reading of the Stone Tablet Covenant in the Light of the Writing/Reading/Hearing of the Silver Tablet TreatyGordon Johnston, Professor of Old Testament, Dallas Theological Seminary 7. For Whose Eyes? The Divine Origins and Function of the Two Tablets of the Israelite CovenantDaniel I. Block, Gunther H. Knoedler Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Wheaton College 8. Write That They May Judge? Applying Written Law in Biblical IsraelJonathan Burnside, Professor of Biblical Law, Law School, University of Bristol. 9. "And Samuel Wrote in the Book" (1 Samuel 10:25) and His Apology in First Samuel 1-15Wolfgang Ertl, Dozent am Bibelseminar Bonn, Bornheim/Germany; Associate Professor of Old Testament, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary 10. "For the one who will read it aloud will be able to run with it" (Habakkuk 2:2c)David Toshio Tsumura, Professor of Old Testament, Japan Bible SeminarSection 3: The Rise of Literary Literacy11. The History and Pre-History of the Hebrew Language in the West Semitic Literary TraditionRichard E. Averbeck, Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 12. Divine Action in the Hebrew Bible: "Borrowing" from Ancient Near Eastern Cultures and "Inspiration"C. John Collins, Professor of Old Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary13. Encoding and Decoding CultureJens Bruun Kofoed, Professor of Old Testament, Fjellhaug International University College,14. No Books, No Authors: Literary Production in a Hearing-Dominant CultureJohn H. Walton, Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College15. The Discovery of the Book of the Law in 2 Kings 22:8-10 in the Light of the Literary Renaissance of the Eighth to Seventh Centuries in the Ancient Near East James K. Hoffmeier, Emeritus Professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Archaeology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School16. "Read This Torah" (Deuteronomy 31:11): The Importance and Function of Israel's Primary Scripture in Early Spiritual GrowthDavid C. Deuel, Academic Dean Emeritus, The Master's Academy International17. What is a "Messianic Text"? The Uruk Prophecy and the Old TestamentErnest C. Lucas, Vice-Principal Emeritus, Bristol Baptist College, UK18. "Joshua 24 and Psalm 81 as Intertexts"Cheryl Eaton, PhD Candidate, Trinity College, Bristol 19. "Much Study is a Weariness of the Flesh": To Read or not to Read in Ecclesiastes 12:11-12Knut Heim, Professor of Old Testament, Denver SeminarySection 4: Metaphorical Literacy20. Belonging to YHWH: Real and Imagined Inscribed Seals in Biblical TraditionCarmen Joy Imes, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Prairie College, Three Hills, Alberta 21. Reading the Eye: Optic Metaphorical Agency in Deuteronomic LawA. Rahel Wells, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Andrews University5. Epilogue22. Literacy and Postmodern Fallacies Richard S. Hess, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Denver SeminaryAbstract:23. In Praise of a Venerable Scribe: A Tribute to Alan R. MillardEdwin M. Yamauchi, Professor of History Emeritus, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio[with contributions from Daniel I. Block and Paul J. N. Lawrence]

1

“See That You May Understand”

Artifact Literacy and the Twin-Cup Libation Vessels from Khirbet Qeiyafa1

Gerald A. Klingbeil and Martin G. Klingbeil

Abstract

Every time we look at an ancient artifact, especially one associated with the cult or cultic practices, we instinctively embark on the mental path from the object to texts (biblical and extra-biblical) and images (textual and iconographic), searching for associations that are evoked by the artifact. In this study, we will take the discovery of two rare twin-cup libation vessels at Khirbet Qeiyafa in 2009 and 2011 as our point of departure as we test artifact literacy. How does an artifact inform our knowledge of specific cult practices? How can the interpreter move from seeing to understanding? In this case, the artifact guides the way via texts and images to meaning.

Introduction: Excavating Meaning

The moment an object comes to light in any archaeological excavation, several cognitive processes—beyond the general excitement of volunteers and staff—begin in the excavator’s mind. This is especially the case when the site and/or object are in some way relatable to the biblical text2 and the excavator has an interest in such connections.3 Of course, there is an immediate need to identify and process the object in terms of its find category (e.g., pottery, metal/stone object, inscription, artwork, bone, etc.), its digital recording (creating GIS-driven datasets and images),4 and interdisciplinary treatment (anthropology, architecture, geology, paleobotany, metallurgy, computer science, statistics, etc.).5

However, beyond that taxonomic and descriptive process, which is informed by current archaeological methodologies, the question of meaning arises almost instantaneously when we begin to “read” the object thus requiring what could be termed artifact literacy. In this case artifact literacy refers to the ability to interpret the artifact beyond the archaeological interpretation on the basis of texts (biblical and extra-biblical) and images (literary and iconographic). The reading of an artifact is thus subject to hermeneutic principles as much as is the decoding of the meaning of a biblical text or an image, which will concern us in more detail below.6 It is an interactive process that uses the artifact as the point of departure while meaning is “excavated” through comparative material with the objective to move from seeing to understanding—not just the object, but also its usage at the site, its integration into the wider material culture of ancient Israel, and the underlying worldview of the society that produced the artifact. This in turn may provide additional clues concerning the ethnicity of the inhabitants of the site under question and a further understanding of Israel in biblical times.

While much has been written about ethnoarchaeology within the context of processual archaeology, from the perspective of biblical studies, the archaeological endeavor still needs to be concerned with the question of Israel and/or versus the nations, even if this notion appears overly simplistic and parochial.7 This is particularly true for the realm of cultic activity that implicitly creates a group identity, a notion of insiders and outsiders, those who participate in a ritual and those who do not or who are barred from doing so. Hopefully, the times when archaeologists identified an artifact as cultic for lack of any other identification are in the past,8 and archaeologists have established criteria for the recognition of cultic contexts and objects.9 Nevertheless, cult or the archaeology of religion still remains at the top of the interest list for archaeologists, as it reaches to the deepest levels of ancient worldviews, and, incidentally, also creates a link to biblical studies. The artifacts or cultic paraphernalia thus point to the associated ritual and the underlying religious system and worldview, which in terms of biblical studies, can open a wide window into the world of the Hebrew Bible.10

Moving from Generalities to Specifics

During the 2009 and 2011 seasons at Khirbet Qeiyafa, a site overlooking the Elah Valley in the Shephelah, which has provided substantial material evidence for the chronology of the tenth century BCE and the expansion of the Judean kingdom under a central administration,11 excavators found the fragmented remains of two similarly shaped libation vessels. Both were found in cultic contexts (Figs. 1.1 and 1.2).12 The first libation vessel was found during the 2009 excavation season in Area C in a private cultic room (Room G in Building C3), and the second in 2011 in Area D in a public cultic area (Room A of Building D100).13 The cultic context of the artifacts was clearly discernible with a number of cultic installations and paraphernalia near the objects. The fragmented libation vessel from Area C was found close to a limestone basin (upside down and broken). Furthermore, there was a north-facing ben...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Credits
• Figures
• Tables
• Editors’ Preface and Acknowledgments
• Contributors
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: “See That You May Understand”
• Chapter 2: Ketiv-Qere
• Chapter 3: Another Inscribed Arrowhead in the British Museum
• Chapter 4: Earliest Literary Allusions to Homer and the Pentateuch from Ischia in Italy and Jerusalem
• Chapter 5: The Etymology of Hebrew lōg and the Identity of Shavsha the Scribe
• Chapter 6: The Writing/Reading/Hearing of the Stone Tablet Covenant in the Light of the Writing/Reading/Hearing of the Silver Tablet Treaty
• Chapter 7: For Whose Eyes?
• Chapter 8: Write That They May Judge?
• Chapter 9: Samuel as Scribal Prophet in 1 Samuel 10:25 and 1 Samuel 1–15
• Chapter 10: Running and Reading: A Reexamination of Habakkuk 2:2c
• Cahpter 11: The History and Pre-History of the Hebrew Language in the West Semitic Literary Tradition
• Chapter 12: Divine Action in the Hebrew Bible
• Chapter 13: Encoding and Decoding Culture
• Chapter 14: No Books, No Authors
• Chapter 15: The Discovery of the Book of the Law in 2 Kings 22:8–10 in the Light of the Literary Renaissance of the Eighth to Seventh Centuries in the Ancient Near East
• Chapter 16: “Read this Torah” (Deuteronomy 31:11)
• Chapter 17: What Is a “Messianic Text”?
• Chapter 18: Joshua 24 and Psalm 81 as Intertexts
• Chapter 19: Belonging to YHWH
• Chapter 20: Reading the Eye
• Chapter 21: Literacy and Postmodern Fallacies
• Chapter 22: In Praise of a Venerable Scribe
• Bibliography