Shadows and Solid Things - by Kristofer B Zimmitti (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Archaeology began in an era when many people read ancient religious texts literally, believing that what was described on the page corresponded to a material reality that existed beneath the soil. With a shovel in one hand and a sacred text in the other, early archaeologists sought confirmation through concrete evidence. In the process, they opened themselves to the disturbing possibility that they would find nothing--or, perhaps even more unsettling, discover evidence that would challenge their cherished beliefs.

Using accounts of excavations in Italy, Egypt, Iraq, and Palestine, Kristofer B. Zimmitti explores the tensions between science and religion, faith and reason. As archaeology grew more popular during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, excavations from Herculaneum to Babylon and discoveries such as the Moabite Stone transformed the modern understanding of the ancient past for Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and Latter-day Saints. While some archaeological findings confirmed the truth of ancient texts, others threatened to overturn them. Rather than abandon or question their faith, many believers kept digging. When the dust of excavation had settled, today's religious world had been forged.

Review Quotes

"In this exciting rethinking of Protestant modernity, Zimmitti shows how the new science of archaeology turned Protestant biblical literalism from doctrine into the lived experience of the sacred past in the present."--Robert A. Orsi, author of History and Presence

"This interesting and novel approach to the history of archaeology explores the religious influences that shaped it into the discipline it is today. Zimmitti excels at storytelling--a pleasure to read."--Eric H. Cline, author of Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology

"With sparkling and surprising insights, Zimmitti's creative analysis opens a revealing window into the remarkable stakes that archaeology assumed during a period when the viability of faith seemed increasingly in doubt."--Heath W. Carter, Princeton Theological Seminary

"An important reframing of previous North American cultural assumptions of the Bible--and a pleasure to read!"--David D. Grafton, author of An American Biblical Orientalism: The Construction of Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Nineteenth-Century American Evangelical Piety

"At once erudite and fun to read, Shadows and Solid Things delivers deep scholarship and literary grace at the same time!"--Heather J. Sharkey, author of A History of Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the Middle East

About the Author

Kristofer B. Zimmitti is a scholar of religion and history who works in colleges and congregations.