Israel

Sunday, June 18

With any historical journey, it’s best to begin at the beginning, to gain the full picture of a place from its earliest foundations to today. Many visitors start at well-known places like the Jaffa Gate or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. As famous as they are, they are not the oldest. Let’s reach way back into time to truly understand the Holy Land and its people. Where to begin? Of course, with Genesis.   

Everyone knows the creation stories including the Garden of Eden, Noah’s flood, and the destruction of Sodom. The story of Israel really begins with Abraham. He did something unique at the time. In a world of many gods, he created a covenant with just one of them. The deal was pretty straightforward: Yahweh would be his god and Abraham would be his guy. If he kept his part of the contract, God would bless him, offer many descendants, and provide land for his people. 

People often ask about archaeological evidence regarding the Bible. In general, the New Testament can be better linked to places, events, and people (more later). However, there is less evidence surrounding the early Old Testament (like the patriarchs of Genesis and the wandering of Exodus). Why is that? Here are some theories:

1. It was a long time ago, longer than the New Testament era, so less stuff survives.

2. The Israelites were unsettled and often on the move. They didn’t have time to leave written or physical remains. 

3. There was a lot of transformation with settlements being continually destroyed and rebuilt. 

4. The early narratives could have been foundation stories like the other cultures at the time, where people were more concerned about faith than historical accuracy. 

The good news is that we do have some archaeological evidence regarding early Israel. It comes from somewhere surprising: ancient Egypt. It is called the Merneptah Stele. Merneptah (1213 BCE to 1203 BCE) was an Egyptian pharaoh who bragged about his military victories. Among many peoples he conquered, he added a new one: “Israel is laid waste—its seed is no more!” This is the first external reference to Israel anywhere in the world. 

There was much fighting and general unhappiness in Canaan until David was chosen as king around 1000 BCE. He realized that there was too much wandering around and God’s people really needed to settle down. He chose a town called Jebus (eventually Jerusalem). But there was a problem. People were already living there. The city was well-fortified and built on a rocky hill. What’s a new king with a mission from God to do?

That's a heck of a lot of detail to simply see some photos from John's trip. Thanks for sticking with me! Fast forward to today. Many people mistakenly believe that the walled “Old City'' in Jerusalem is the most ancient part. In the last 200+ years, archaeology has proven that's not true. The first people lived on the small hill to the south, now called the City of David. Take a look at the image below. You will see the "Old" (but not oldest) City, the Temple Mount, and the City of David at the lower right. But why was it located there? 

The reason is more practical than spiritual. People need water. Look to the bottom right and you will find something important: the Gihon Spring. It was the primary source of freshwater for the ancient city. Imagine David and his army standing in the valley looking up at the impenetrable Canaanite walls. How do they get in? While he considered his attack, he may have heard the running water. The army could have discovered that the Gihon Spring had several underground tunnels that fed the city above. The Bible tells us that David ordered his warriors to secretly climb up the tunnel and invade from within (2 Samuel 5:8). About 3000 years later, the same shaft was discovered by the British archaeologist Charles Warren! He proved it was possible to squeeze through the wet, rocky crevice and ascend from the valley floor into the fortification above.

Today, I got to trace the footsteps of King David when he attacked the city (and Charles Warren when he rediscovered it 1867). I visited the ancient Canaanite tunnel and saw the same underground shaft. 

Several years later, King Hezekiah created a new tunnel in an attempt to save the city from an Assyrian siege (2 Chronicles 32:2-4). It was an engineering marvel because workmen started on both ends, carved through the rock, then met in the middle. Check out this explanatory video. The best part is that it's still there and can be traversed by a brave few. I arrived early, before anyone else. That meant I was the one to open the creaky iron gates, and I was completely alone the whole time. I crawled, crouched, and squeezed through solid bedrock for a staggeringly long 1750 feet (about 2 football fields) with ancient water up to my thighs. There's nothing better for an archaeology enthusiast than to experience history firsthand! About halfway through, I decided to stop, turn off the flashlight, and test how long my bravery held out. The absolute darkness and deafening silence pushed my limit to about 4.2 seconds. I quoted Genesis in my head: "Let there be light!"

Eventually, I emerged from the darkness and into the Pool of  Siloam. I knew Jews had once ritually bathed here. However, I was surprised when I was greeted by a gray, bearded man finishing his bath...completely naked. It was just him and I staring at one another for what seemed like a very long time. Here's the exit. Don't look too hard. I was sure to obscure him with the leaves (just like Adam and Eve).   

When the tunnel ends, you have the option of taking the bus back to the center or walking the Pilgram Path. If you're wise, take the bus. Of course, I didn't. I knew the importance of this road and that it was still being excavated. The beginning started innocently enough with a diarama of what the ancient street may have looked like. 

But as you keep going, the walls and the ceiling close in until you are literally under the streets and homes of Jerusalem. And it's a long, crouching walk. From an archaeological standpoint, it's fascinating to know they found artifacts indicating that Jews hid here during the Roman destruction of the city.

I arrived back at the visitor center to see additional excavations in the middle of the neighborhood. History beneath my feet.

That brings us to David. As I said before, evidence for the early Old Testament is scarce. However, it slowly gets better with David, the first substantial king of the Israelites (yes, I know Saul was technically the first, but David was the first with a lasting impact). What is this evidence? It comes primarily from two places. First, the Tel Dan stele was discovered in 1993. It was a Canaanite text that boasted about victories. This one mentioned defeating “the House of David.” (If you’d like to see another, check out the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III.) Second, in 2005 Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar announced the discovery of a large public building that she proclaimed was David’s palace. It is located on the exact spot you would guess -- in the City of David at the highest point. What was her evidence? The pottery and carbon dates were around 1000 BCE, the correct period. Also, it contained Phoenician decoration. But, wait? Phoenician? Shouldn’t it be Israelite or even Canaanite? No, because the Bible tells us that David’s palace was built by the best Phoenician artists (2 Samuel 5:11). 

Let it be known that both of these have a lot of controversy, and the data is far from conclusive. There is little evidence for David as a king or that he even existed as an actual person. This wouldn’t be unheard of. Consider other foundational figures like Rome’s Romulus. Remember, theological truth can be different from historical truth. 

Here is the proposed palace of David, only recently uncovered.

Even though it’s mostly stone walls now, imagine it as the place where David first saw the bathing Bathsheba. Lust led to sin, murder, the death of his first son, King Solomon, then to the first temple (2 Samuel 11-12).

After my adventure in the underworld, I visited the Israel Museum to collect photos for stories I will share later (no sneak peeks). However, I will leave you with one more image for the day. It may surprise you, but this isn't a museum display. 

These are real, and they're for sale. In Israel, it's legal to trade in antiquities. If you attended my archaeology class, you may remember that we discussed the responsibilites of archaeologists. One responsibility was to protect material remains and to not participate in activities like this. What do you think?

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