Current Biblical Archaeology

Post by **Minimalist** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 2:43 pm

same for this statement. you are on dangerous ground but thatis all i can say.

Yeah, watch out Leona or Jesus will fry your ass!

Post by **Minimalist** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:25 pm

Okay. Before arch's next outpouring of wounded biblical pride, Professor Dever continues a region by region discussion of modern archaeological findings. Discussing the Jezreel Valley which includes the famed site of Megiddo as well as several others mentioned in the Eqyptian Amarna letters.

Recall that the Israelites were supposed to have conquered the whole area under the alleged Joshua.

There are also smaller Late Bronze Age settlements, like those recently excavated at Jokneam and Tel Qiri. It is noteworthy that all of these sites show strong continuity from the 13th century BC into the 12th and even into the 11th century BC. Israelite occupation here may not have begun before the 10th century, under the aegis of the United Monarchy (Finklestein would say the 9th century BC)

[My note: Finklestein would also say that the United Monarchy was a figment of the bible writer's imagination, as Dever well knows! ]

Beth-shan clearly remained an Egyptian garrison until the time of Ramses IV (1141-1133 BC). And Megiddo, which I have discussed above is still strongly in the local Canaanite tradition until the massive destruction of Stratum VIa (which I would date to ca. 1000 BC but which Finklestein dates to ca. 930 BC.) Thus the biblical battle of Deborah and Barak against Sisera and his "nine hundred chariots of iron" (Judges 4) has no archaeological context. In fact, the biblical text adminsts that after the battle, Yabin, the king of Hazor, still dominated the area, despite the Israelite destruction claimed there earlier; compare Josh. 11:1-15 and Judg. 4:23,24).

Whoops. Look like a little biblical spin doctoring!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:41 pm

Whoops. Look like a little biblical spin doctoring!

it is nice to know that you feel the bible is spinning all this stuff and that you blindly accept the work of those who are in a position to grind their axes as undeniable truth.

i think you have a few things backwards here as you totallyaccept those whose interpretation is again influenced by their lack of belief and their lack of concrete evidence.

i have already stated for the record that you will not find archaeological evidence for everything in the Bible, it is just not possible thus to build a case upon what is not found, or upon faulty interpretation is just plain foolishnes.

wtrfall · Post by **wtrfall** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 5:11 pm

Take a deep breath......
let it out slowly...
feel better?

Arch, I was asking you about your post in reference to me,
about failings that I didnt quite understand.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 5:47 pm

Arch, I was asking you about your post in reference to me,
about failings that I didnt quite understand.

i was probably refering to the qualityof your posts but i don't remember

Post by **Minimalist** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:02 pm

Don't worry, wtrfall....your quality is waaayyyy above arch's.

Post by **Minimalist** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:04 pm

it is nice to know that you feel the bible is spinning all this stuff and that you blindly accept the work of those who are in a position to grind their axes as undeniable truth.

Careful...or I'll go look up those two references. Nothing I like better than pointing out that the so-called literal word of god is full of contradictions!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:48 pm

Don't worry, wtrfall....your quality is waaayyyy above arch's.

another wasted opportunity topost something credible.

Nothing I like better than pointing out that the so-called literal word of god is full of contradictions!

if you read the Bible without investigation it would seem that there are contradictions. but if you look deeper you would be surprises. eventhe geneaologies , which look to be in contrast to each other are in fact, after some study, perfectly in line with each other.

there is a technical name for it and i would have to look it up when i get home but again a seemingly contradiction shown to be false.

remember the allowances you give your scholars you must give to the Bible or you are nothing but a hypocrite and non-credible.

wtrfall · Post by **wtrfall** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 9:11 pm

if you read the Bible without investigation it would seem that there are contradictions. but if you look deeper you would be surprises. eventhe geneaologies , which look to be in contrast to each other are in fact, after some study, perfectly in line with each other.

I do agree with you there,
it is very importand to read context too.

I think very few people have really read or studied the bible.
and sorry about the quality of posts, To let you know now,
articulation is not usualy a strong point of brainy people, not that I am brainy, (but it makes me feel better) because I am not very articulate.
I concede that you and Minamalist know much more than I.

I can however give some objectionable insight in to your conversation.
If you dont mind my party crashing.

goodnight

Post by **Minimalist** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 9:14 pm

there is a technical name for it

Yeah. "F*ck Ups."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:43 pm

Yeah. "F*ck Ups."

please try not to let your bias influence your percerption.

Post by **Minimalist** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:41 pm

Just trying to call a spade a spade.

Post by **Minimalist** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:55 pm

Let's see....glad this bible crap is on the web so I don't have to waste money buying the damned thing.

From Joshua:

9 And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

10 ¶ And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms.

11 And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire.

12 And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly adestroyed• them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.

13 But as for the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn

and later in Judges: 4

(17) However Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

(23) So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel

(24) The hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan

So, much as Dever says....first of all Joshua killed the king of Hazor and burned the city to the ground BUT then, later on, god had to do it all over again? Fairly sloppy work by your hero, Josh, wouldn't you say? I mean when the Romans burned Jerusalem to the ground they did the job right and the damned place stayed burned until the Romans re-built it their way.

Those Romans. They were efficient.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 2:06 am

it does not indicate that it was two separate times. it is the same event one described in general and the other in more detail.

much as Dever says

now you know why i never listen to you , dever or finkelstein and others like them. they and you know nothing.

Post by **Minimalist** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:55 am

Oh, horseshit. You're getting desperate in your futile efforts to protect any shred of historical reliability that your precious bible may have had but no longer does.

Joshua's alleged campaign (which never happened but that's your problem - not mine) came as the Israelites were entering the Promised Land. Judges occurs much later and actually seems to have a few more actual historical tidbits, probably because it was speaking of a time that was much closer to the time that the phony priests actually wrote the goddamn thing.

So you can whine all you want but Joshua's killing the king and burning Hazor to the ground appears to be bullshit since even Judges states that the city was still there generations later.

You cannot reconcile such a glaring error. The unerring word of god has some glaring mistakes. It would appear that god is a lousy historian in addition to being a lousy geographer and statistician. What other things is he no good at?