Baruch Halpern is the Covenant Foundation Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Georgia. He was a leader of the archaeological digs at Tel Megiddo 1992–2007,[1] as well as of an archaeological survey in southeastern Cilicia (Turkey).[2] As an undergraduate at Harvard in 1972, he wrote a political analysis of the Bible, which subsequently influenced research into its authorship.[3]
He is noted for his use of archaeological information to interpret the meaning of Biblical texts (for example, the explanation of Ehud's murder of King Eglon and escape without detection from the "upper room," see Judges 3:12–30, in Halpern's book The First Historians: The Hebrew Bible and History, pp. 55–59). He has said:
You cannot know the culture without knowing the material culture, either. So we need to combine text with what's in the ground, and, when our evidence is a little dirigible, we also need ethnological help, preferably from our region. This is no different in terms of reconstructing thought than needing to know the central and related languages involved.[2]
Halpern's theory of the development of Israelite monotheism, first articulated in a 1986 publication, involves the differentiation of the state God, YHWH, from His former subordinates and colleagues, collectively "the baal" or "the baals". This grew into alienation especially around and after the fall of Israel ca. 720 and the Assyrian devastation of Judah in 701. Economically, specialization and the operation of comparative advantage spread partly as a result of competing operative trade networks; this led to partial industrialization and to relative urbanization. Intellectually, the trade-driven renaissance in intellectual exchange provoked a Reformation, of which the reforms of Hezekiah (ca. 701) and Josiah (ca. 622) were manifestations (all 2009).
Halpern has strongly criticized biblical minimalists, particularly Israel Finkelstein's "Low Chronology" theory: in his 1995 essay Erasing History: The Minimalist Assault on Ancient Israel he defends the historicity of the United Monarchy and of kings Saul, David and Solomon.[4] However, he is far from a literalist: in his book David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King, he describes David as a bloody tyrant, whose image was later whitewashed by the Books of Samuel.[5]
^Ussishkin, David. "Tel Megiddo Centennial – Year 2002 Season". Israel Antiquities Authority. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
^ abUniv. of Ga. Archived 2015-08-22 at the Wayback Machine, Dept. of Religion.
^pg. 43, Friedman, Richard Elliott. Who Wrote the Bible? (2nd edition, 1997) HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 0-06-063035-3
^Halpern, Baruch (1999). "Erasing History – The Minimalist Assault on Ancient Israel". Biblical Archaeology Review: 415.
^Halpern, Baruch (2003-11-12). David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-2797-5.
BaruchHalpern is the Covenant Foundation Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Georgia. He was a leader of the archaeological digs at Tel Megiddo...
Halpern is a variation of the Jewish surname Heilprin and may refer to: BaruchHalpern, professor of Jewish studies Benjamin Halpern, American marine biologist...
Ahitophel of 2 Samuel 15 may be Bathsheba's grandfather. Levenson and BaruchHalpern, for example, note that "the narrator is sufficiently subtle (or guileless)...
("to the shame of the nakedness of your mother"). Jon Levenson and BaruchHalpern suggest that the phrase suggests "David's theft of Saul's wife", and...
concrete and undisputed. Some other studies of David have been written: BaruchHalpern has pictured him as a brutal tyrant, a murderer and a lifelong vassal...
currently co-directed by Israel Finkelstein, David Ussishkin, and BaruchHalpern with Eric H. Cline of The George Washington University serving as associate...
pharaoh of the Exodus. Ramesses III (c. 1186–1155 BC): Gary A. Rendsburg, BaruchHalpern and Manfred Bietak make a case for Ramesses III as the pharaoh of the...
Seymour Gitin, 'Philistines in the Book of Kings,' in André Lemaire, BaruchHalpern, Matthew Joel Adams (eds.) The Books of Kings: Sources, Composition...
maximalists and centrists (Kenneth Kitchen, William G. Dever, Amihai Mazar, BaruchHalpern and others) argue that the biblical account is more or less accurate...
Seymour Gitin, 'Philistines in the Book of Kings,' in André Lemaire, BaruchHalpern, Matthew Joel Adams (eds.)The Books of Kings: Sources, Composition,...
(1989), p. 61 Raymond Westbrook, "Law in Kings", in André Lemaire, BaruchHalpern, and Matthew J. Adams (eds.), The Book of Kings: Sources, Composition...
Seymour Gitin, 'Philistines in the Book of Kings,' in André Lemaire, BaruchHalpern, Matthew Joel Adams (eds.)The Books of Kings: Sources, Composition,...
some biblical scholars and archaeologists and critically by others. BaruchHalpern, professor of Jewish Studies at Pennsylvania State University and leader...
excavated but are constantly ransacked by [illegal] treasure seekers". BaruchHalpern has suggested another interpretation of the inscription.[citation needed]...
Biblical Scholarship. InterVarsity Press. p. 345. ISBN 978-0-8308-1781-8. BaruchHalpern; André Lemaire (7 July 2010). The Books of Kings: Sources, Composition...
Marco Nadler, Institute of Archaeology) with Israel Finkelstein and BaruchHalpern, 2000 The Renewed Archaeological Excavations at Lachish (1973–1994)...
Presbyterian organ reclaimed from empty church". The Birmingham News BaruchHalpern and Jon D. Levenson, eds. Traditions in Transformation: Turning Points...
David Wolpe, Dr. P. Kyle McCarter Jr., Daniel Smith-Christopher, Dr. BaruchHalpern, Dr. William G. Dever, Rabbi Aron Tendler 1 Samuel 16:1, 16:18, 17:1...
contributions from Francis Andersen, Adele Berlin, Joseph Blenkinsopp, BaruchHalpern, Gary Knoppers, and Choon-Leong Seow. Freedman died on April 8, 2008...
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