Oh Christ!!

Post by **Minimalist** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:25 pm

Joshua's on its way.

Beagle · Post by **Beagle** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:32 pm

I'm downloading it now Min. But I don't remotely get the reference to the hockey player. Maybe his first name is Joshua?

Thanks.

Post by **Minimalist** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:33 pm

Wait till you see the Leg-O figures of Moses and Joshua with hockey sticks.

Beagle · Post by **Beagle** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:37 pm

Aha - I get it now - I think. I'm up past my bedtime anyway. I'll watch it here shortly.

Post by **Minimalist** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:38 pm

Glad you get it because I'm still shaking my head!

Beagle · Post by **Beagle** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:41 pm

It's halfway downloaded. It'll only take a few more minutes. I'll watch it and let you know what I think of it, and then hit the hay.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 12:09 am

Enjoy.

Beagle · Post by **Beagle** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 4:55 pm

Sometimes....when that goofball is making a vain attempt at humor, the attempt itself is hilarious. Maybe I've watched too much of him. The hockey analogy was silly but he made his point I think.

He calls Finkelstein "Finky"?

I enjoyed the Hazor archaeology The archaeologist made his case well - and did not hide his contempt of Simcha.

I've seen everything you've sent me Min. Thanks.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:37 pm

I've been discussing these with Arch, by e-mail, and disagreeing violently as usual but the Hazor thing is fairly unique.

Of the 31 sites which are listed as having been conquered by Joshua only a handful were actually destroyed in the 13th century BC and Hazor was one of them....along with Bethel and Lachish.

What is interesting is that during the 13th century (and halfway through the 12th) the Egyptians maintained their primary base at Beth-Shean, about 30 miles south of Hazor on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The Egyptians maintained peace with the Hittites and dominated Canaan but by the early-12th century they were dealing with the Sea People. As ben Tor said, the Egyptians never claimed to destroy Hazor (and why would they...Hazor was one of their vassals.) Ben Tor mentioned that there was no Philistine pottery found on site but if the Philistines (or other tribes of the Sea Peoples) had come to destroy and not to settle, why would there have been? I'm sure they didn't go through all that trouble to burn the city down just so they could stand there and break pottery!

So, its a mystery and ben Tor was careful not to say that Joshua conquered it nor that it was even burned down by Israelites. What he did say, almost as a throw-away line at the end was that it could have been sacked by bedouins who centuries later became Israelites. Even that seems unlikely as long as Egypt maintained a presence. Unless they were heavily engaged elsewhere would they have stood by while one of their vassals was sacked and burned?

That's the kind of thing that occupying powers like to avoid.

He doesn't call him Finky to his face, btw.

I thought he trivialized his own work with such antics as the Leg-o block Joshua.

Beagle · Post by **Beagle** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 7:09 pm

I wouldn't be surprised if you and Arch are debating 20 years from now.

Yep - I think all ben-Tor was trying to say, or rather, all that he COULD say, was that Hazor was destroyed in a manner consistent with the Biblical narrative. He convinced me of that anyway.

I think that Simcha always trivializes his work. He is a bit of a walking joke and I laugh out loud at the attitudes of the Archaeologists toward him.

He cracks me up.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:04 pm

Yep - I think all ben-Tor was trying to say, or rather, all that he COULD say, was that Hazor was destroyed in a manner consistent with the Biblical narrative. He convinced me of that anyway.

Absolutely. He's not about to risk his professional reputation for a clown like Jacobovici. Ben Tor is highly regarded.

I don't know how many different ways there are to burn a city, though.

Kick in the gate. Kill everyone you can catch. Steal what you want. Ignite whatever is left that will burn. Get out before you cook.

Beagle · Post by **Beagle** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:38 pm

I don't know how many different ways there are to burn a city, though

Well yeah, not many. But the city was not destroyed by earthquake, or abandoned, or conquered and occupied, etc. It was burned, which is the only correlation we can draw.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:55 pm

It was burned, which is the only correlation we can draw.

There was a lot of that going on at the end of the Bronze Age. If you ever get a chance to watch "Secrets of the Aegean Apocalypse" I highly recommend it.

Beagle · Post by **Beagle** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:01 pm

"Secrets of the Aegean Apocalypse"

I definately will. If you ever see it coming to the screen, give me a shout.

I'll do a search for it. Maybe it's in DVD.

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:14 pm

Will do.