| Summary: | The article is dedicated to Immanuel Benzinger (1865-1935), the Old Testament scholar of the University of Latvia, and his remarkable, well received work "Hebräische Archäologie". Benzinger emphasized in this work that he wished to provide a clear and sophisticated overview of the most important themes in ancient Palestine, showing them in the broader (Ancient Near Eastern) context. The civilizations of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia have received much scholarly attention with the foundation of societies for biblical archaeology. The trend in archaeological reconstruction of that time shows the typical interest of the Christian world in Biblical antiquities - the excavations in Palestine were analysed through the lens of biblical tradition in order to illuminate the Bible and verify its authenticity. The article focuses on Benzinger's interest in Biblical archaeology and the reasons why he changed his basic approach to the subject between the 1st and 2nd edition of "Hebräische Archäologie". During his time at the University of Berlin, Benzinger became more acquainted with the ideas of Hugo Winckler and other Assyriologists (Panbabylonism), and he wanted to show the Babylonian influence on all areas of the ancient Israelite society. Despite of the fact that the last century has seen significant changes in biblical archaeology, the debate about the impact of ancient Mesopotamia on the Bible still continues.
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