Ugarit and the Old Testament

In 1929 a remarkable discovery was made by archaeologists at Ras Shamra in syria; beneath the soils of a small hill they discovered the remains and libraries of the ancient city of Ugarit which had been destroyed by barbarian invaders shortly after 1200BC. This book tells the story of that discovery and describes the life and civilization of the ancient city of Ugarit. In addition to updating the story with more recent archeological finds this study recounts and assesses the extraordinary impact that the rediscovery has had on the last 50 years of the Old Testament studies. Written in a non-technical fashion Ugarit and the Old Testament should be of interest to all readers of the Bible particularly students and pastors concerned with the impact of contemporary archaeological discoveries on Old Testament studies. An excellent introduction to Ugarit and its culture for the general reader. Craigie gives a fascinating account of the work undertaken at the site including the deciphering of the language and discusses the literature of Ugarit with reference to the Old Testament. A guide for further study completes this excellent survey which I can recommend most highly. Roland K. Harrison Wycliffe College University of Toronto A valuable work . . . carefully done well balanced and clearly written. Professor Craigie rejecting the attitude that uses archaeology as a prop to support crumbling faith correctly views such materials as background for better understanding of the Old Testament. William Sanford LaSor Fuller Theological Seminary Brief up-to-date and competent. Clearly demonstrates how archeological discoveries and studies are making the Bible more understandable and meaningful for the modern reader. Bastiaan Van Elderen Calvin Theological Seminary A valuable resource on discoveries that have fascinated and challenged biblical scholars for over fifty years. John C. Trevor School of Theology at Claremont Peter C. Craigie was dean of the faculty of Humanities University of Calgary. He is the author of The Problem of War in the Old Testament and The Old Testament: Its Background Growth and Content.