The New Testament is a collection of early Christian literature, written by over eight different authors. It is the fulfilment of events long anticipated by the Old Testament. The Old Testament and the New Testament combined form the holy scriptures of the Christian churches .The New Testament is believed to have divine authority and it is still highly influential in the churches today. The study and practice of archaeology is key to making sense of the historical texts. The term "milieu" is used in every text I read and is relevant as archaeology can help historians and scholars understand the social and cultural "milieu", meaning environment of its time. It is important to note that archaeology cannot simply prove the New Testament as it holds limitations. Though, a religious believer should arguably not need external confirmation in order to accept the New Testament and a lack of evidence should not interfere with its purpose which is to initiate faith and communicate messages . It is also important to note that it was never the purpose of writers of the New Testament to be historians, they are theologians, and this should be considered when reading the texts and assimilating material culture.
The study of the New Testament can benefit from archaeology and the study of material culture as archaeological excavation often recovers the very evidence that is necessary for reconstructing the biblical texts. The discovery of the biblical texts themselves is a result of the process of archaeology and is therefore important. There are many examples of this such as the vast collection of Egyptian papyri that has been discovered over time. The Chester Beatty papyri are a group of early papyrus manuscripts of biblical texts. The manuscripts are written in Greek and contain about three portions of the New Testament. The exact origin of the discovery of these texts is unknown but it has they could have been discovered within jars at the graveyard site in the Ancient city of Aphroditopolis . Archaeology can benefit any field of study as archaeological evidence helps us gain a greater understanding of the geographical setting as well as the religious environment. The best example of this is when the gnostic library was found in Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945. There was so much new information regarding heresy in the early church and the nature of the New Testament canon at the time that was recovered in these texts. These texts needed to be properly situated within the religious milieu and the study of material culture is the basis for this. The discovery of coins is very important in the practice of archaeology but especially for the New Testament period. The discovery of coins can help to date structures and buildings found above the coins. The most common coins that were found were bronze coins as they were of lesser value and therefore highly circulated and were made in abundance . Coins at this time were often dated and had the ruler or official who authorised it inscribed on the coins.
Recent advances in technology and the practice of archaeology has benefited the study of the materials as well as providing new finds. Modern advances in technology and study can benefit archaeologists when they are choosing a site. The choice of excavation sites used to be out of practicality but newer developments meant the heart of cities could be excavated and areas that were typically multi-layered and therefore more complicated to excavate. There is some doubt that accompanies newly found objects as they could be a work of forgery. The best example of this is the Gospel of Jesus' wife which is a text that could claim that Jesus had a wife. The text has been touted as work of modern forgery written on medieval papyrus. Ancient papyrus that really draws attention from scholars is one which has direct links to historic texts. The question of authenticity will always arise when studying fragments from the past but advances in technology can further prove materials.
On the other hand, it could be argued that the correct practice of archaeology is too time consuming and is essentially counter-productive when trying to gain new information on the New Testament. There are often problems that arise when attempting to excavate multi-layered sites which is what happened when Sebaste (Samaria) the New Testament city was excavated. The area chosen had been rebuilt over several periods which meant that the central mound was too large to dismountle and therefore only selected areas could be addressed . Careful records have to be kept as excavation is by its nature, systematic destruction .The process of archaeology has become highly time consuming, tedious and highly scientific. Photogrammetry, a relatively new technique in archaeology is the best example of a technique that is highly scientific and precise in nature. The main criticism that arises from the long process is whether the large amount of information being gathered by each step will ever be useful and if this justifies the large amount of time and expense often involved. Many modern techniques that hold promise in helping to date settlements have fallen flat. This included tree-ring dating also known as dendrochronology which is not useful in biblical study as most ancient remains are made of stone not wood.
The study of archeological finds by historians and scholars is often met with a story for the archeological site. The site of Pompeii proves the best example for this matter. Pompeii, is one of the largest excavations of an ancient city ever although it is a unique case as the city had been almost perfectly preserved under the large layer of volcanic ash. Pompeii has interestingly been interpreteted in many different ways by the modern world such as the "the Pompeii of looters, the Pompeii of sexual immortality, the Pompeii of Italian Imperialism and so on" . The material objects found are therefore utilised to fit a narrative that the scholar or historian is trying to create. I found this part of Todd's source interesting as it lends to a critique of modern archeoaology which is that the New Testament texts will always be the base of the story and no amount of material finds will let the text sway from the central story and religious meaning. There is a sense of power in "proving" the biblical texts which draws parallels to Schielmann's obsession with verifying the Homeric legend when excavating the city of Troy. Objects have the power to literally "transform" someone's mind about how the New Testament should be understood and therefore they are significant.
In conclusion, archaeology is no doubt integral to all biblical studies which includes the study of the New Testament. Although, the events and people of the New Testament will never all be challenged by found material or objects. The New Testament should hold prominence for believers and the church with little regard held to "proving" its historical accuracy. Archeological finds should not be completely neglected as they add to the conversation about the time and assist in understanding the social milieu and background to when the texts were written. On the other hand, archaeological findings also help to constrain the imaginations of such scholars who would only mytholigize the New Testament . The correct practice of Archeology is very methodical and precise which requires a lot of planning and excavating a site is an extremely time consuming process which needs a large budget. Archeology is so important as it helps us to widen our understanding with the past from what is just found in texts. Theologians can benefit greatly from this study as fully understanding the New Testament goes past the messages from the text but undertsanding the social enviorment and background to the time.