Archaeology, the Bible, and Sex

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A01=Caleb Jacobson
archaeology
Author_Caleb Jacobson
biblical archaeology
biblical studies
Category=QR
Category=QRM
Category=QRVP7
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
gender studies
human sexuality
pastoral counseling
sex
sexuality

Product details

  • ISBN 9781666980158
  • Weight: 480g
  • Dimensions: 154 x 232mm
  • Publication Date: 08 Jan 2026
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
  • Publication City/Country: US
  • Product Form: Hardback
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In Archaeology, the Bible, and Sex: A Psychological Analysis of Sex, Sexuality, and Gender in the Ancient Near East, Caleb Jacobson reinterprets biblical texts and archaeological artifacts to explore how ancient societies imagined, regulated, and ritualized sexuality. Moving beyond traditional readings that frame biblical laws as static moral codes, the book presents sex as a culturally embedded and psychologically meaningful construct—deeply tied to concerns of fertility, inheritance, kinship, power, and social order.

Employing an interdisciplinary approach that integrates biblical studies, archaeology, and cognitive psychology, Jacobson draws on figurines, plaques, legal codes, and narrative texts to examine how concepts of gender and desire were visually encoded, socially enforced, and symbolically expressed. This cognitive-archaeological framework allows for a richer interpretation of biblical sexuality—one that acknowledges its complexity, its cultural logic, and its enduring influence.

Written for scholars, clergy, therapists, and general readers alike, this book offers a compelling narrative of ancient sexual imagination. Through psychological insight and material analysis, Archaeology, the Bible, and Sex invites readers to confront ancient assumptions with clarity and curiosity—ultimately reframing how we understand the intersections of sex, sexuality, and gender.

Caleb Jacobson is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist, sex therapist, and Bible scholar. He holds a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree in clinical psychology and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Hebrew Bible, biblical archaeology, and psychological exegesis. He received smicha (rabbinic ordination) in 2025. In his clinical practice, Dr. Jacobson specializes in working with religious and conservative patients, treating male sexual dysfunction, and addressing complex and atypical sexual concerns. A pioneer in the integration of sex therapy and religion, he is the author of the award-winning Sex Therapy with Religious Patients: Working with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Communities (2024) and the editor of The Routledge International Handbook of Sex Therapy and Religion (2025). Dr. Jacobson currently serves as president of both the School of Sex Therapy and the International Association of Psychosexual Therapists, where he leads initiatives in education, research, and clinical advancement within the field.

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