This image is the cover for the book Excavating the Land of Jesus

Excavating the Land of Jesus

How do archaeologists unearth the daily life of people from Jesus’s time? 

Contrary to popular belief, archaeology of first-century Roman Galilee is not about illustrating or proving the Gospels, drawing timelines, or hunting treasure. Rather, it is about understanding the lives of people, just like us, who lived in the time of Jesus. How do we understand Jesus and his mission as part of a larger world? How do we interpret material culture alongside textual evidence from the Gospels? How do we know where and how to dig? 

James Riley Strange teaches students how to address these problems in this essential textbook. Drawing on professional experience as a scientific archaeologist in Israel, Strange explains current methodology for ground surveying, excavating evidence, and interpreting data. Excavating the Land of Jesus is the ideal guide for students seeking answers in the dirt of the Holy Land.

James Riley Strange, Luke Timothy Johnson

  James Riley Strange is the Charles Jackson Granade and Elizabeth Donald Granade Professor in New Testament at Samford University. He also directs the Shikhin Excavation Project in Israel and researches the archaeology of Palestine in the Hellenistic through Byzantine periods, early Christianity, and postbiblical Judaisms.

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.