The Finger of the Scribe summarizes the evidence for how, when, and where scribes learned to write ancient Israel. Putting together new data from archaeological excavations as well as new interpretations from ancient inscriptions, this book pieces together early education and shows how that education influenced the writing of biblical literature.
One of the enduring problems in biblical studies is how the Bible came to be written. Clearly, scribes were involved. But our knowledge of scribal training in ancient Israel is limited. William Schniedewind explores the unexpected cache of inscriptions discovered at a remote, Iron Age military post called Kuntillet 'Ajrud to assess the question of how scribes might have been taught to write. Here, far from such urban centers as Jerusalem or Samaria, plaster walls and storage pithoi were littered with inscriptions. Apart from the sensational nature of some of the contents-perhaps suggesting Yahweh had a consort-these inscriptions also reflect actual writing practices among soldiers stationed near the frontier. What emerges is a very different picture of how writing might have been taught, as opposed to the standard view of scribal schools in the main population centers.
It has been increasingly evident to specialists that Mesopotamian literature cannot be understood properly without grasping the realities of scribal practice, including education. With his bold proposal that the inscriptions from Kuntillet 'Ajrud reflect the work of students and show the influence of older cuneiform education, Schniedewind advances dramatically the application of this approach to alphabetic writing and biblical literature. As discussion and debate continue, this will be essential reading for years to come.
