Biblical archaeology has long been a discipline in crisis. "Biblical minimalists," who believe that the Bible contains little of actual historical fact, today are challenging those who accept the historicity of Scripture. In this volume Jewish and evangelical Christian archaeologists, historians, and biblical scholars confront the minimalist critique and offer positive alternatives. Bringing a needed scientific approach to biblical archaeology, the contributors construct a new paradigm that reads the Bible critically but sympathetically. Their work covers the full range of subjects relevant to understanding the context of the Bible, including proper approaches to scriptural interpretation, recent archaeological evidence, and new studies of Near Eastern texts and inscriptions. Contributors: Richard E. Averbeck Thomas W. Davis Daniel E. Fleming William W. Hallo Richard S. Hess James K. Hoffmeier Harry A. Hoffner Jr. David Merling Alan Millard Cynthia L. Miller John M. Monson Steven M. Ortiz Benjamin Edidin Scolnic Andrew G. Vaughn David B. Weisberg Edwin Yamauchi K. Lawson Younger Jr. Randall W. Younker Ziony Zevit