Warum die Arche nie gefunden wird: Biblische Geschichten archäologisch entschlüsselt

by Eric H. Cline

Immer wieder verbreiten selbsternannte Bibelkenner Sensationelles: Da hat man die Arche Noah am Berg Ararat entdeckt, die verlorene Bundeslade wiedergefunden oder den üppigen Garten Eden aufgespürt - alles auch ohne archäologischen oder geologischen Beweis.
In seinem preisgekrönten Buch räumt Eric Cline nun auf mit solchem Halbwissen: Der mehrfach ausgezeichnete Archäologe und Bestsellerautor veranschaulicht auf der Basis von soliden archäologischen und historischen Erkenntnissen, was hinter den bekanntesten biblischen Geschichten steckt. Eine ebenso profunde wie provokative Spurensuche!

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Ancient History, Christianity, Anthropology

308 pages, Hardcover

First published June 19, 2007

About the author

DR. ERIC H. CLINE is the former Chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and current Director of the Capitol Archaeological Institute at The George Washington University. A National Geographic Explorer, NEH Public Scholar, and Fulbright scholar with degrees from Dartmouth, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania, he is an active field archaeologist with 30 seasons of excavation and survey experience in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Crete, and the United States, including ten seasons at the site of Megiddo (biblical Armageddon) in Israel from 1994-2014, and seven seasons at Tel Kabri, where he currently serves as Co-Director. A three-time winner of the Biblical Archaeology Society's "Best Popular Book on Archaeology" Award (2001, 2009, and 2011) and two-time winner of the American School of Archaeology's "Nancy Lapp Award for Best Popular Archaeology Book" (2014 and 2018), he is a popular lecturer who has appeared frequently on television documentaries and has also won national and local awards for both his research and his teaching. He is the author or editor of 20 books, almost 100 articles, and three recorded 14-lecture courses. His previous books written specifically for the general public include "The Battles of Armageddon: Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age" (2000), "Jerusalem Besieged: From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel" (2004), "From Eden to Exile: Unraveling Mysteries of the Bible" (2007), "Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction" (2009), "The Trojan War: A Very Short Introduction" (2013), "1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed" (2014), “Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology" (2017), and “Digging Up Armageddon” (2020). He has also co-authored a children's book on Troy, entitled "Digging for Troy" (2011). For a video of his "Last Lecture" talk, go to http://vimeo.com/7091059.

Reviews

[Jan-Maat]

From Eden to Exile is an odd book inspired it seems by the amount of pseudoscientific nonsense that has been published on these topics, especially on the internet but also in book form (p ix). As a result each chapter runs through the the Biblical account of various topics (the locations of Eden, Sodom and Gomorrah or Joshua and the fall of Jericho and so on) and different theories from the crackpot to the academic before generally concluding that one can't reach a definitive answer.

To achieve success it is best if means and objectives are congruent, and I'm not sure if the audience for the wilder and wackier theories of people who claim to have discovered Noah's Arc or the Arc of the Covenant (but naturally having found it they can't find again for some inexplicable reason) will even come across this rather calm, clearly laid out book with its black and white illustrations. Where is the glowing website and the TV specials featuring increasingly hairy and dishevelled adventurers who resolve these puzzles through a combination of archaeology, literary criticism and arm-wrestling?

At the end of the chapter on Sodom and Gomorrah he cites Neil Asher Silberman who said the challenge for Biblical archaeologists today is not to search for long-lost cities, but to understand why the ancient Israelites formulated these powerful myths (p60). That may be so, but Cline's book highlights the need to understand why (largely) middle-aged Americans are driven to turn up in the Middle East and announce they have discovered Noah's Arc and why there is a ready cash paying audience for this kind of thing even when Harrison Ford is not involved. Without being able to clip the roots of this kind of thing the risk is that Cline's book will appeal only to those already predisposed to a less faith based, more evidence driven approach. On the other hand perhaps the idea is to vaccinate the reader: protection against speculation offered by a careful and pleasant account of what we can know about the ancient near-east.

It is only in the last three chapters of the book which look at Joshua, the Arc of the Covenant and the Ten Lost Tribes that Cline can bring in documentary evidence from the neighbouring civilisations to complement or contradict the Biblical account. As a result the majority of the book's discussion from Eden to Moses can only be at best intriguing. Here I would have welcomed a more of a discussion of the "Peaceful Infiltration", "Revolting Peasants" and "Invisible Israelites" models briefly these are that the Israelites peacefully penetrated into Canaan, or that they formed a largely peasant class that rose up and overthrew Canaanite society or that there was no conquest because the Israelites had always (or long) been there but that archaeologically there wasn't enough of a difference between them and the Canaanites to be able to distinguish the two groups in earlier periods respectively have been presented since the 1920s as alternatives to Biblical narrative of Joshua's conquests (which itself doesn't harmonise with the account in Judges, and perhaps here Cline could have explored more the divergent voices within the Hebrew Bible and suggested why only certain narratives within it came to dominate the general understanding of the Bible). Similarly I was confused about the Red Sea, which Cline pointed out was a mistranslation of Reed Sea, yet he then spoke about them as if the Reed Sea and the Red Sea were one and the same place. Here I would have welcomed a more thorough explanation, rather than the brief overview that Cline provides.

The pleasure in this book is in the journey and not the destination. It is readable, entertaining and quite a lightweight introduction to the topic. It is thoroughly open ended, but since there is still the possibility of new archaeological discoveries or reinterpretation of the data changing our view of the past perhaps that is for the best.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly, I don't understand the relatively low ratings this book has received on Goodreads. I thought Cline did an admirable job of: 1. Identifying Biblical "mysteries" of interest. 2. Providing sufficient historical background to understand the topic. 3. Analyzing the Biblical, historical, and other available literary evidence surrounding the issue. 4. Analyzing the pertinent archaeological evidence. 5. Evaluating the interpretations of the "mystery" by both professional and amateur investigators. 6. Summarizing the current "state of knowledge" regarding the topic. 7. Finally, stating his own views on the subject under discussion. Furthermore, he accomplished all this in an enviably clear, succinct, and informative style. What's not to like? Yes, he has the audacity to suggest that academically trained archaeologists and historians tend to be more rational, objective, and believable in their approach to these issues than are those amateur and so-called professional investigators, often heavily biased and methodologically inept, whose researches and conclusions tend to draw the most media and, therefore, the most public attention. That seems like an eminently commonsensical point to make, given all the absolute trash one encounters about these Biblical topics in the mass media. In short: This book is well-written, admirably organized, and densely packed with interesting, valuable information. Cline performs a public service by (really rather gently) criticizing the approaches, motives, and methodologies of those investigators who have an axe to grind on these Biblical issues. He is a servant of the objective search for historical truth and I, for one, thank him for it.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been a really fascinating look into the archeological research of famous Biblical events and objects, but instead it feels a bit catty; most of the book is spent trashing amateurs, and he comes to conclusions much too quickly - he'll say, "so-and-so, a respected archeologist, says thus-and-such", and that's the end of that.

And as you might expect, none of the 7 "mysteries" in the book (including the location of the Garden of Eden, the whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant, the loaction of Sodom and Gomorrah) are led to any definitive conclusion; the Bible has some serious chronological deficiencies when compared to recorded history, and most of his conclusions end with either "it was probably a story embellished by Biblical authors" or "nobody knows."

[Bridgit · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book. It read like a freshman term paper rather than a scholarly text. Of the seven 'mysteries' the author set out to address, no real conclusion was arrived at for any of them. Obviously, I don't want to be unrealistic - I am not expecting Cline to have found the Ark of the Covenant, but I dont understand the point of writing a book when you have nothing to really say or proved. Everything was inconclusive.

As another reviewer mentioned, he definitely spent too much time criticizing 'amateur historians' and their flawed practices. There wasnt enough about the actual bible. Lastly, I wish he had picked 2 or 3 (or 1) mysteries and really got into them in depth instead of a ton of superficial information on 7 different topics.

[True South · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously, this is the type of book that makes me think that Goodreads needs another category. Either 1) read, 2) currently reading, 3) to-read, or 4) i just couldn't finish it.

No real steadfast conclusions, only more opinions and speculations based upon trying to tear apart others' opinions and speculations without hard facts.

I was hoping this book would have left me with more insight, but really I had the same amout of understanding about the topics as I had when I started.

[Tokoro · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Some readers will be disappointed that we have not solved all of the mysteries here. To that, I would say that it is acceptable not to have a definitive answer at the end of each chapter, especially if we are trying not to abuse the data presently available. Moreover in some cases it is the journey that matter more than the destination...
...What we really should be promoting is a shared methodology that can be used by everyone, even if it turns out that we cannot reach a consensus on the final results. In fact, such a methodology already exists [suggested by Randall Younker, director of the Institute of Archaeology and professor of Old Testament and biblical archaeology at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan]:

1) Be forthright with findings. Do no minimize problems or stretch interpretations of data to explain things away.
2) Do not make claims beyond what the data can support.
3)Be quick and complete in publishing results.
4)Engage and work within mainstream scholarship.
5)Include a diversity of people and specialists.
6) Take the history of the Bible seriously, but do not place upon archaeology the burden of "proving" [of the Maximalists or disproving of the Minimalists he mentions at the beginning of the book] the Bible." (184,7)

Generally, he decides that for most of these mysteries there is little or no evidence either for or against, and discourages arguments from silence or absence regarding both the Maximalists and Minimalists, and private lay enthusiasts. He's persuaded the Biblical chronology is mistaken to some extent on the Hebrew presence in Egypt and Canaan/Palestine and recognizes some literary exaggeration/double-entendre for effect (mythical or otherwise, as sometimes other well-known ancient kings and rulers have done to maximize their mythical status, taking credit for their predecessors' achievements (e.g. Rameses: Visions of Greatness from History Channel).

[David R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshingly sober treatment of various archaeological mysteries, including the Ark of the Covenant, the Ten Lost Tribes, the Battle of Jericho, and more. Cline weighs evidence from all comers, including the enthusiasts, and fairly, but gently, rejects unfounded claims. Too bad this one won't be picked up by The History Channel.

[John E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather superficial and repetative. If he is going to be so dismissive of others he should be very specific on why and show how his opinion is better.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting material, but excessively repetitious.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eric Cline, current chair of the classical & Semitic languages department at George Washington University, with degrees in ancient history and archaeology, was inspired by the plethora of spurious television and cable 'documentaries' to pen this examination of seven popular topics: The Garden of Eden, Noah's Ark, Sodom & Gomorrah, Exodus, the Battle of Jericho, the Ark of the Covenant and the Lost Tribes of Israel. Published by the National Geographic Society, presumably innocent of Cline's charges, this book is quite accessible to anyone with basic familiarity with the Hebrew Scriptures.

[El-Jahiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if the book dos not answer all your questions, it helps you formulate the right questions based on archeology, history and extra-biblical references. A very refreshing book for those with a bent for archeological mysteries of the Bible.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author wrote this book because he was 'appalled by the amount of pseudoscientific nonsense that has been published' on biblical archaeology. Much of this junk science has been written by amateur enthusiasts guided by their own a priori assumptions. This book seeks to succinctly rectify much of the misinformation surrounding the archaeological evidence concerning the Old Testament. The following are some highlights:

The Garden of Eden myth is likely to have been passed down from the Sumerians (3rd millennium BC) to the Babylonians, Assyrians, and eventually to the peoples of Canaan (including the Israelites) in the 1st millennium BC. The Garden of Eden, if it did exist, is most likely to have been located somewhere in Mesopotamia.

The story of the flood and Noah's Ark, like the myth of Eden, comes from the Sumerians (3rd millennium BC). However, the Sumerian protagonist is called Ziusudra. Later, in the 2nd millennium BC a new version of the story emerged where the hero's name is Atrahasis. Then in about 1800 BC the flood story was woven into the Epic of Gilgamesh in the form of a man called Utnapishtim. Given the time since, if there was an ark it is extraordinarily unlikely that it would be found, particularly since no one actually knows for certain where it landed. Also, there is no geological evidence of a massive global flood.

The story of Moses and the Exodus is likely to be a foundational myth, similar to those of Sargon of Akkad (who ruled in Mesopotamia 1000 years before Moses was born), Romulus and Remus, and Cyrus the Great. Similar to Moses, Sargon also did not know his parents, was placed in a reed basket on a river, and was found and adopted. Regarding the escape from Egypt, 'we do not have a shred of evidence to date. There is nothing archaeologically to attest to anything from the biblical story. No plagues, no parting of the Red Sea, no manna from heaven, no wandering for 40 years'.

The story of Joshua and the wall of Jericho is likely a stolen adaptation of the Legend of Keret, dating from 14oo BC where King Keret marched his army to the city of Udum, waited six days and then attacked accompanied by a great noise leading to the surrender of the city. The archaeological evidence shows that there was no Israelite conquest of Canaan (indeed, Jericho do not even have walls during the years that Joshua would have attacked). It is more likely that the Israelites took advantage of the destruction already caused by the invading Sea Peoples to become politically dominant in Canaanite society.

This fascinating book really cuts through all the fabrication and bias we see on biblical archaeology. Just last year someone had the gall to tell me that Egyptian chariots have been found under the Red Sea thereby proving the story of Exodus. Needless to say, this is an example of the rubbish 'found' by vested interests funded by gullible doners. This book is a must read for anyone interested in either ancient history, archaeology, or Old Testament theology.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

First let me say that I was disappointed in this book. Second, let me say that this may not be the fault of the book, but of my expectations.

The title rather promises an “Unraveling [of the] Mysteries of the Bible.” However, in reality few mysteries are unraveled. They simply either re-confirm known mysteries (i.e., where is the Garden of Eden?) or 'solve' the mystery by debunking the Biblical account (i.e., Joshua could not have fought the battle of Jericho). Much of the debunking happens because no archeology or ancient texts yet support the Biblical account. Thus, this book talks about what is NOT been unraveled at all.

The chapters in this book deal with various Biblical mysteries and offer a list of possible explanations, ranging from the mainstream to the ‘creative’ (i.e., aliens and the Ark of the Covenant). Then author Eric Cline offers his best judgment based on his background as an archeologist and scientist.

For those who are slightly suspicious of the exclusive use of the scientific epistemological framework for solving mysteries of the Bible, this book will not be to your liking. You will find debunked nearly every possibility that the Biblical stories have basis in actual historical events. This is not the book to confirm a belief in the literal reading of the Bible.

Those who are familiar with the Bible and its “mysteries” will find nearly nothing new here. Much of the book spends a great deal of time recounting well-known stories. In the end, I felt the simple answer to the mysteries was “we don’t know.” And in the end, there’s nothing new in that.

[Steve Cran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was put out by National Geographic. If you are into Biblical Archaeology then this is a simple to understand must read book. I cuts through all the pseudo science out there and deals with the facts as they are. Helped me put thing into perspective. The book analyzed 7 mysteries presented by the bible. Out of the 7 only one has been resoled the fate of the lost tribes, who were never really lost to begin with. They just went to the Southern kingdom of Judea. While only 40thousand were deported to Assyria. A huge remained behind and mixed with other people brought in from other lands giving rise to the Samaritans. The other 6 mysteries are the garden of Eden, the Exodus, conquest of ancient Canaan, Noah’s Ark, The Ark of the Covenant and Sodom and Gomorrah .

These six mysteries have not been resolved satisfactorily and there is no proof supporting their existence or happening. Of course lack of evidence is not proof of absence.

[Gilda Felt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say the book's description gives too much credit to the author. Yes, he debunks every "fantasy," often without any reason as to why he thinks what he thinks. While easily read, there is nothing new here, no mysteries unraveled.

Many of the Bible's stories can be nothing but fantasy, an ancient people's explanations for what they did not understand, but many, the Flood included, crops up in many culture's mythologies. And maybe it is a fantasy. But there's enough evidence, even if it's circumstantial, that no one can make that claim, unequivocally.

I'm an atheist, but that doesn't mean that I would dismiss a culture's written, or oral, history out of hand, no matter that I don't believe that there would have been a supernatural element to it.

I'd hoped to learn more from this book, as I've recently found myself fascinated by the history of this region. All I came away with was a writer giving short shrift to anything he could not, himself, explain.

[Banbury · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is not a serious book of archeology. It sets up "paper tigers" of clearly absurd conclusions of pseudo-scientists/archeologists/historians such as Erich von Daniken, and then refutes them with common sense arguments and current scholarly views on the veracity vel non of a few biblical stories. He does not delve into the bases for the scholarly views, but simply relies on the fact that these views belong to people associated with universities or similarly respected institutions. I don't think the author is wrong so much as he just states the obvious.
On a side note, I found it odd that although he mentioned the Lemba, he never thought to discuss the not so new science of genetics and its ramifications for tracing populations; not just in terms of the Lemba, but also the forced resettlement of populations by the Neo-Assyrians, in regard to the so-called mystery of the 10 lost tribes of Israel.

[Enikő · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at some of the mysteries of the Bible. This is the kind of book I like to read, and the way in which I like to study the Bible: not taking it literally, but studying the texts and comparing them to archeological finds and extra-Biblical texts, such as those written by the Egyptians at the time, as well as by other sources. Eric Cline does this very well. He doesn't dictate the answers, but offers up among the existing theories those which seem most probable (possible) after serious analysis.

This book does not analyse the texts of the mysteries of the Bible to study their meaning, but then that is not the task of historians and archeologists. I get the feeling that it is for this reason that the author didn't venture into that area, and rightfully so. In sticking to what he knows, he wrote a book that seems very complete for a volume so short.

[Kipahni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't really answer any of the mysteries at all. It read more like a simplified peer or lit review of studies in semitic/assyrian neo babylonian history. Which was fine. I think the author's take home point was not so much where what and who but Why were these paticular stories saved and recorded and what impact should or do they have on our lives today.

[James Mongeau · Rating 2 out of 5]

inconsistency is the sign of a failed argument

James White famous Christian apologist gave us the above apt statement, and this book is a very very clear example of this. The authors fails to routinely and accurately engage with almost any kind of real conservative evangelical biblical scholarship holding to a maximalist view, but instead primarily interacts with the maximalism of ignorant enthusiasts who would almost all be rebuked by the staunchest of orthodox biblical scholars. Yet, the author claims to be looking at all the data and every scenario, yet as a bible student who hasn’t even finished his undergrad, I could think of several other alternatives never presented or dealt with.
Again, the author claims he is not an exegete or a theologians, nor a greek and Hebrew scholar, and for that we commend him and appreciate his candid, since the rest of his book indeed demonstrates his lack of any kind of meaningful ability in these areas, yet on that basis he elects for himself the privilege of ignoring that whole side of the conversation and not diving into any of those consideration when examine the evidence, and then turns around and claims to be looking at all the evidence and trying to make the most sense out of it, while ignoring a table full of evidence and work being done from a different perspective.
Elsewhere, the author is honest and forthright in saying that simply not finding any evidence of a thing is not the same as finding evidence of a thing not being, or as he puts it “the silence of evidence is not the same as evidence of silence” and he admits that in his field of archeology, not having found evidence of an event means nothing, it is always a matter of a possible “yet,” we haven’t found anything yet. Because as he admits in several places repeatedly, all the archeological data can change in an instant with one discovery. We can go from no evidence supporting a think, to one small discovery that prove it all. All of this is fair and appropriate and welcome, yet the author then turns around for several chapters to argue for the lack of evidence for things like the exodus and the conquest of Joshua, based on archeology not really finding anything. But we must reply “by what standard? I thought the absence of evidence didn’t imply evidence of absence, so by what standard do you know that we won’t find evidence of it later?” Therefore it is logically inconsistent for him to say there is not any evidence for so and so and present as if that mere lack of evidence calls into question the biblical account, that is a non sequiter, a conclusion that doesn’t follow from the premises. The author regularly engages in this kind of inconsistency when it suits him to want to discount the biblical data.
Further, the author never actually treat or appreciate the bible as evidence himself, it is logically inconsistent to say there is no archeological evidence or historical evidence for say the exodus when we have the OT and the various books which mention the exodus as true which itself in the manuscripts and scroll is indeed the product of both archeology and History, but the scripture are routine ignored and not counted as evidence. So back to the previous point, when he says lack of evidence is not the same as evidence of lack, and then says it is not believable that the exodus happened because of lack of evidence, he is double contradicting himself, because not only does he violate his principle in regards to the lack of evidence, he fails to realize that there isn’t a lack of evidence, because the bible is an archeological and historical reality, it was and has been discovered by archeology, yet that is never admitted.
Lastly and most glaringly, the author speaks repeatedly of biases, pre-commitments, presuppositions, and other a priori convictions that will influence a person interpretation of the data, and he speaks very negatively on this topic particularly in regards to (almost exclusively) conservative orthodox Christian’s who are committed to the truth of the bible and work from the assumption that the bible is God’s word and tells the absolute truth. The problem is that the author almost never speaks of the same kinds of a priori convictions from anyone in the opposite side regardless of whether they are a biblical minimalist, an atheist, or anything else. In the authors mind, as it is presented in the book, it seems as if only biblical conservative that double as archeology enthusiasts and pseudo-archeologists chasing clout for selfish gain are the only two categories of individuals with a priori commitments and biases and all the academic elites involved in this field: scholars, archeologists, historians, etc are neutral third parties with no a priori convictions that will guide, influences, and at times determine their conclusions of interpretation for them before hand. This is fundamentally inconsistent, we all have presuppositions and they will influence our conclusion. Supposed neutrality is a myth and this author can’t see that.

[Masoud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that all of the history enthusiasts can come across dozens of pseudoscientific or pseudoarchaeological nonsense about the stories of the Old Testament in documentaries, on the Internet or as a book. For example, many amateur archeologists thought they had found the traces of Noah's Ark or the Garden of Eden, but they were mistaken because there is insufficient scientific evidence to support them.

In each chapter of the book, the author briefly describes the story and then explores and investigates the scientific and archeological information about it to unravel the ingenuity of the story. If any of them failed, the author tries to find the political reasons why the ancient Israelites fabricated and revised these stories at the time of the writing of Genesis, Exodus, and other Old Testament books in the 7th-8th BCE. He believes that most of the stories have their roots in Mesopotamian mythology or in the cultural memory of the Fertile Crescent and then were revised and reshaped over the generations, like the Great Flood in Sumerian mythology that turned into Noah's Ark.

If you would like to shed light on some of the stories in the Hebrew Bible, such as the locations of Eden, Sodom and Gomorrah, or Joshua and the Fall of Jericho, etc., this is a good book for you.

[Ryan Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is ultimately a pretty light-weight book, which offers very little positive explanation and never really delves very deeply into the issues and controversies at hand. Essentially, the whole book—each chapter—can be summarized as “The biblical text is ambiguous, and probably not a very reliable historical guide, since the archaeology rarely confirms or corroborates it. And so, while modern professional historians and archaeologists focus on more worthwhile and evidence-based projects, the solution to the mysteries in this book are pursued by various crackpots [my words, not his], who tend to latch on to a pet theory and offer proofs which can never be confirmed or ratified.” You certainly can’t blame Cline for not solving these mysteries, although I will admit to hoping for a little more substance and depth, given that he is an active and reputable archaeologist and historian. I suppose I would describe each chapter in this book as an expert’s response to the non-expert’s question (imagine him standing around at a Christmas party being cornered by some relative he hardly knows), “You’re an ancient history expert, aren’t you? So, where IS the Garden of Eden?”

[Ben Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Per his introduction, Cline fulfills what he set out to do in this book. He looks at seven key mysteries from the Bible, analyzes the archaeological evidence, and gives his own view on the topic. Unfortunately, caught between two parties on most of these issues, (the biblical minimalists and the biblical maximalist, in his words) he is backed into the corner of writing a book that most people won’t be quite happy with.

It is, however, an admirable goal. Cline wants to take popular topics and engage with them as a scholar should, retaking some of the ground that has been given up to frauds and hucksters. He gives you the facts while politely explaining that the question itself is pretty dumb, but isn’t so rude as to say it flat out.

It’s a good book, but not super engaging all of the time. Cline is an academic and he writes like one. He just one step too far beyond a pop history, which is a complement in its own way, but doesn’t make you fly through the reading.

Overall, having read three of his books, I really support him and what he’s doing, and I find myself coming back to read more of his work despite my small complaints about his style, so he wins out in the end.

[Esteban Vega · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing that we didn't already know (that is, unless you're one of those gullible peasants that still hold paleolithic beliefs and myths to be true): Everything in the bible is either apocryphal, incorrect, or plain delusional.

Professor, historian and archaeologist Eric H. Cline takes us through the mysteries of the old testament and hard checks them against historical records and archaeological findings, thus serving us with a middle-eastern grand ancient history lesson framed by the fables of the bible.

The author makes an interesting —and much needed— call to arms to his fellow historians, archaeologists and the likes to fight all the misinformation, lies, half-truths, magical thinking, splurted by ignorant amateurs and deliberate conmen, using the internet to call them out immediately. Much like physicist Sabine Hossenfelder is doing in YouTube (although she doesn't calls them out directly or by name, she's doing a terrific job in stopping bad science to spread).

A quick, entertaining and informative read.

[David Allen Hines · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a brief general overview of the current information available on several aspects of biblical archaeology including such topics as Noah's Ark, the 10 lost tribes of Israel, the battle of Jerico, the Ark of the Covenant, etc. While it provides a balanced look at each topic, in general I found the author to be a bit negative towards the Bible, albeit realistic. If you would like a current general overview of the current research into these areas of biblical archaeology that is based on practicality not inventions, suppositions and fantasy like so many "investigations" of topics in the Bible, this is a good introductory level work. And at a time when many books printed are of mediocre quality, I found the quality of this book to be impressive, with a thick board cover, quality dust jacket and very secure binding. The quality of the print is excellent but the few black and white photos are not up to the overall quality of the book.

[Larry Hostetler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read thoroughly steeped in archaeological research and historical context, the author looks at seven stories from the Bible and provides information not only on what facts are known about each but also what scholarly (and non-scholarly) hypotheses has been propounded for each.

From the Garden of Eden through Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses and the Exodus, Joshua and Jericho, the Ark of the Covenant, and concluding with the Ten Lost Tribes, the author examines each and in most cases ranks the likelihood of various theories. Not shirking from offering his own opinions, Cline mostly avoids pontification, even when examining some of the more far-fetched theories. But in the epilogue he gives vent to his dissatisfaction with entertainment posing as archaeology, and prates a little.

But it is a very informative and interesting read. A good read for anyone interested in the knowable history behind the Bible stories. I learned a lot.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting quick-fire book that gives a good overview of several oft-asked questions about incidents arising from the Old Testament. My main complaint is that the book should be about 50% longer to allow the author to go into greater detail on the background of the various issues addressed. Sometimes the author almost seems under pressure to keep things brief, as if he was giving a lecture that was running long. Given that the book was published in 2007, maybe the time is ripe for an updated edition, perhaps with more "mysteries" investigated. As a side note, it's extremely rare for me to complain that a modern non-fiction book, or any book for that matter is too short, so that made for a pleasant change!

[Joel Wentz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a super accessible, interesting summary of "biblical archaeology." Those looking for in-depth explanations of archaeological efforts will be disappointed, but those looking for a quick introduction to the prevailing theories, as well as some of the top areas of interest for archaeologists, will really appreciate this simple synthesis and explanation. It also serves as a handy overview of the storyline of the Old Testament.

Again, it's extremely short, easy to read, and could come off as frustratingly shallow to those looking for more depth, but for what it is, it's enjoyable and informative.

[A.C. Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it a few pages into the chapter on Exodus, and gave up on this book. The author tried in the introduction to make it sound like he was going to be unbiased in his writing and his opinions about the subjects in the book, but he clearly was not. He never passed up an opportunity to point out that he clearly thinks the Bible is unproven, unhistoric mythology. If any of the historic writings he cited contradicted the writing in the Bible, then CLEARLY, the Bible was the incorrect and untrustworthy account. This book was definitely a waste of my reading time.

[James Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Biblical Mysteries, this was a good read and one that you feel you can trust.
As the author points out, there is so much false information out there, you don't always know how to sift it. This book will help! Each Mystery is addressed from a biblical, historical and scientific vantage point and the author is careful to clearly identify opinion from fact.
I learned a lot here. Good read.

[Peter Van Der Raaij · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Eric Cline’s book on 1177 BC so seeing his book on biblical mysteries, I thought I would give it a try. In biblical archeology there are many claims made that, for political or religious reasons often, are exaggerated or straight-out outlandish. Cline in this book, doesn’t give answers so much as evaluate the main clims made. I think he does this fairly. The book also serves as a useful introduction to the main claims made.