ETS 2003, Atlanta, Georgia
Excavating Jesus or Inventing a Jesus?
18
speaking particularly about the Capernaum area and greater Galilee, notes,
So far archaeologists have cleared on small areas of first-century occupation in these
towns. Even though writing was used extensively in daily life, ostraca with ancient writ-
ing are not commonly found at the sites. Large caches usually come to light only when
ancient rubbish pits where the ostraca were dumped--are excavated.
71
He concludes his work on this topic by stating,
Some scholars contend, with Stephen Patterson, that very few people could read or
write [in Jesus` day]. But such statements are no longer supported by the evidence.
Not everyone could read and write. And some who could read were not necessarily able
to write. But archaeological discoveries and other lines of evidence now show that writ-
ing and reading were widely practiced in the Palestine of Jesus` day. And if that is true,
there is no reason to doubt that there were some eyewitness records of what Jesus said
and did.
72
Such new insights not only undercut a key component of Reed`s kingdom conflict model
but also suggest significant implications for the exegetical layering model of Crossan (and
many of the presuppositions of historical criticism as well). As Yamauchi notes, archaeo-
logical interpretations are constantly changing. Every season unearths new data. This is not
only what is exciting but also what is frustrating about the study of archaeology.
73
Conclusion
The work being done by those in the field of Social-Science Criticism is not really
new or unique at all. Serious and thorough exegetes have always sought to bring the full
scope of information about the history and social settings of the Biblical eras in order to de-
termine the correct interpretation of any particular passage. And, the ever-expanding know-
ledge base provided by the disciplines ancillary to exegesis has been invaluable in closing
71
Ibid., p. 42. Note: In archaeology ostraca are broken pieces of pottery. In Israel ostraca was widely used for
a writing surface, something like modern scratch paper. Notes, lists, personal reminders, and other written
forms are all found in ostraca in Israel.
72
Ibid., p. 45.
73
Yamauchi, Biblical Archaeology, p. 118.