An evangelical appraisal of archaeological models used in Palestine from 1970: Retrospects and prospects of the field since the contributions of W. F. Albrigh

This dissertation seeks to analyze, from an evangelical perspective, the different archaeological models used in Palestine since 1970. The approach of this dissertation is twofold. First, it will seek to explain and evaluate the archaeological models used in Palestine since 1970. Second, it will provide an evangelical appraisal of those models and offer suggestions toward an archaeological model that would be acceptable to evangelicals.;Chapter 1 seeks to demonstrate the powerful influence William F. Albright, G. Ernest Wright, and the "Baltimore School" wielded in biblical scholarship. It will also show how the proponents of biblical archaeology used archaeology as a tool to verify biblical history. And finally, it will describe how Wright intertwined biblical studies and archaeological studies. The melding of those two fields led to the creation of biblical archaeology, which was widely accepted among evangelicals and non-evangelicals alike.;In chapter 2, the focus is on the decline and breakdown of biblical archaeology and the uncertainty that followed. The individuals who most contributed to the decline of biblical archaeology are studied, as is the subsequent rise of the "new archaeology." Furthermore, as biblical archaeology was thought to be collapsing, several of its key proponents died within a four-year period. The quick loss of those integral scholars created an opportunity for critics of biblical archaeology to voice their criticism almost unchallenged. That criticism hastened the decline of biblical archaeology. Last, this chapter discusses how the decline of biblical archaeology and the loss of such admired and respected scholars caused uncertainty among evangelicals and their use of archaeological data.;Chapter 3 reviews the archaeological models used in Palestine since 1970. The ideologies and suppositions of the proponents of each model are the primary foci. Furthermore, the models are evaluated to determine their compatibility with the evangelical viewpoint.;The focus of chapter 4 is to explore how archaeological data has been used in biblical, scholarly research since 1970. There are four basic ways in which the archaeological data has been used. First, there is the attempt to use archaeological data as an objective proof of the biblical events. Second, there is the trend to use the word "illumination," or something very similar, as a description of what archaeological data does for the text of the Bible. Third, some use archaeological data as a corrective proof of the Bible's mistakes. Last, there is the focus on the text itself with little to no historical consideration. In that scheme, the historical and archaeological data became irrelevant.;Chapter 5 is both a summary and a proposal. The accumulated research and evaluations involved in this dissertation gives opportunity for suggestions as to how evangelicals might develop a new archaeological model and use archaeology in the future. The author believes that evangelicals will embrace an archaeological model which allows the Bible to speak as an authoritative partner in the investigation of the past. Chapter 5 presents a proposal as to what a new archaeological model might include.