The Stele of Merneptah (ca. The following days and weeks of examination revealed the inscription fragment was part of a victory stele from a king, written in Aramaic. The information below was taken from the article on the Merneptah Stele published in Wikipedia: The Stele The Merneptah Stele-also known as the Israel Stele or… Following the division of the kingdom of Solomon in 930 BCE, Jeroboam son of Nebat established a cult at Dan as an alternative to the one at the Temple in Jerusalem. Another name often used for the area of Israel and Judah, derived from the Latin term for the Roman province of Palaestina; ultimately, the name derives from the name of the Philistine people. Jehu was hailed by the biblical writers as a champion of God who destroyed the Temple of Baal in the Israelite capital of Samaria and did away with the descendants of King Ahab—including Joram, his mother Jezebel, and 60 of his kinsmen. Fragments of the stele, which has been dated to the ninth or eighth century B.C.E., were discovered at Tel Dan in 1993 and 1994. The inscription, known as the Tel Dan Inscription, is written in Old Aramaic. Spend a moment with one of the best-selling books of all time with The Book from Museum of the Bible. In this case, "my father" refers to Ben-Hadad II, whom the Bible speaks of as being ill prior to Hazael's accession to the throne. The majority of archaeologists and epigraphers hold to this reading of the text. Although various small, fragmentary inscriptions have been found at the site of Tel Dan in Israel, the most important one is chiseled on several fragments of a black basalt stela. The Bible confirms that Jehu later lost considerable amounts of northern territory to Hazael. It is agreed by most scholars, however, that even assuming "of the house of David" is the correct readying, this does not prove the existence of an literal Davidic dynasty, only that the kings of Judah were known as belonging to such a "house.". …… Is the account of an Aramean King Haziel of Damascus in 870 BC! Likely built by King Ahab in the 9th century BC, the Iron Age gate entrance helped to fortify the city of Dan. | Privacy Policy
... TOI Community Times of Israel Community — if the work we do is important to you, join us! A line by line translation by André Lemaire is as follows (with text missing from the stele, or too damaged by erosion to be legible, represented by "[.....]"): The Tel Dan inscription apparently coincides with certain events recorded in the Old Testament, though the poor state of preservation of the fragments has engendered much contention on this issue. Although the name of the author does not appear on the existing fragments, he is probably Hazael, a king of neighboring Aram Damascus. ), until the end of the reign of his successor, Jehoahaz (814/813-798 B.C.E.). However, the Bible attributes the killing of Joram and Ahaziah to the action of the Israelite usurper Jehu, likewise at the behest of the prophet Elisha. And it’s the first extra-biblical mention of David in ancient near eastern literature. Fragments B1 and B2, which fit together, were discovered in 1994. With this important discovery it is clear that King David is a real figure in ancient history, as Jesus confirmed. mentions Israel in Canaan. The Aramaic text scrawled on the stele revealed the boasting of an Aramean king who erected the stele to commemorate his military victory at Tel Dan. It consists of several fragments making up part of a triumphal inscription in Aramaic, left most probably by Hazael of Aram-Damascus, an important regional figure in … The stele is important because it is the only extra biblical source that mentions the “house of David” and, therefore, supports the biblical claim that the kings of Judah were descended from a real historical person named David. A system of rule with a monarch as its head; or the hereditary system passed from one monarch to another. The Tel Dan stele mentions ‘House of David.’ It was discovered by Avraham Biran in 1993. I. IntroductionI n the ten years since the complete publication of the fragments of the Tel Dan Inscription, an abundance of studies have appeared dealing with the inscription's linguistic and historical significance. It consists of several fragments making up part of a triumphal inscription in Aramaic, left most probably by Hazael of Aram-Damascus, an important regional figure in … Only portions of the inscription remain, but clearly legible is … b. | Donate. There were two kings by that name. The Tel Dan Stele is a broken stele (inscribed stone) discovered in 1993–94 during excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel. This makes Hazael's capture of Tel Dan—the site of a major Israelite shrine—very likely. Tel Dan is one of the most important sites for the archaeological and historical research of ancient Land of Israel and Land of Canaan. I wish I could say that this find ushered in an era of positive scholarly perception with respect to the Old Testament’s historical veracity. 841-798 B.C.E., corresponding to the beginning of the reign of Jehu, King of Israel (841-814 B.C.E. Her hundreds of publications include: commentaries on. is a black basalt stele erected by an Aramaean king in northernmost Israel, containing an Aramaic inscription to commemorate his victory over the ancient Israelites. “The norm is now that archaeologists say there was a David. However, the Tel Dan Stele appears to put events in a very different light, with Hazael himself claiming credit for the deaths of Joram and Ahaziah. The kingdom of Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible ruled by a king in the line of David from the 10th century B.C.E. The Tel Dan Stele (ninth or eighth century B.C.) The united monarchy of Saul, David, and Solomon has split and there’s the northern kingdom, Israel, and the southern kingdom, Judah. If the reading is correct, it is the first time that the name "David" has been clearly recognized at any archaeological site. This is a … No doubt, a later Israelite king smashed the steleand buried it outside the gate where archaeologists du… Rulers and peoples from Egypt, Israel, and across Mesopotamia used these steles to commemorate great victories and accomplishments. Jehu immediately complied, killing both Joram of Israel and his ally, Ahaziah of Judah, in the process (2 Kings 8:28 and 2 Kings 9:15-28). While war raged between Syria on one side and the combined forces of Israel and Judah on the other, the present Syrian king, Ben-Hadad, lay ill in Damascus. The site is quite securely identified with the biblical city of Dan, where an important Israelite shrine once stood. Many scholars think the tel Dan inscription contains the earliest known epigraphic reference to the Davidic dynasty. Hebrew is regarded as the spoken language of ancient Israel but is largely replaced by Aramaic in the Persian period. And for good reason. The Tel Dan Stele is important in the study of Biblical Archaeology, it mentions the House of David in an Inscription. It also confirms the existence of King David’s “house” or dynasty, arguably the most important King of ancient Israel. These powerful videos will deliver the history, narrative, and impact of … Carol Meyers is the Mary Grace Wilson Emerita Professor of Religion at Duke University. claims to have defeated the “king of Israel” and the “king of the House of David.” No. In the Bible, Hazael came to the throne after being appointed by the Israelite prophet Elisha to overthrow his predecessor, Ben-Hadad II. mentions the "house of David" Why is the Merneptah Stele important? Tel Dan Stele. In 1993, archaeologists discovered the Tel Dan Stele in northern Israel whose inscription mentions the “house of David.” Many scholars for years had either denied or doubted the existence of an Israeli Kingdom led by the biblical David (the man who slew the giant Goliath), but the discovery of this stele seemed to prove the biblical story, at least of a king David that is (see here and here for more … | Terms of Use
The fragments that make up this memorial (or “stele”) were discovered near the city gate of ancient Dan (arrow) in 1993 and 1994. The eighth century limit as the most recent date for the stele was determined by a destruction layer caused by a well-documented Assyrian conquest in 733/732 B.C.E. That’s his lineage. Like the Mesha Stele, the Tel Dan Stele seems typical of a memorial intended as a sort of military propaganda, which boasts of its author's victories. The ninth and early-eighth centuries BC saw many battles between the northern kingdom of Israel and the expanding kingdom of Aram. And in mentioning Azariah, it says that he’s from the House of David, that he’s a David-ide. Why is the Tel Dan Stele important? TEL DAN, Programa a Biblia Viva - Israel - Cafetorah com The fragmentary Tel Dan stela, containing the Tel Dan inscription (or “House of David” inscription) provided the first historical evidence of King David from the Bible. Carol Meyers is the Mary Grace Wilson Emerita Professor of Religion at Duke University. It has been using court records. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. The stele was discovered at Tel Dan, previously named Tell el-Qadi, an archaeological site in Israel in the upper Galilee next to the Golan Heights. Elisha answered, "Go and say to him, 'You will certainly recover'; but the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.". In the process, he had killed King Joram of Israel and his ally, King Ahaziah of the "House of David.". The site is quite securely identified with the biblical city of Dan, where an important Israelite shrine once stood. The photos of the Tel Dan Stele you can find on-line are clearly altered images all distributed by the Israel Museum whom of course has a vested interest in any artifacts that could prove King David was real and not some bullshit made up by authors of the Jewish Books added to the Torah (Books of Moses) that modern ‘Jews’ pass off as legitimate ‘Jewish’ history. In 1993 and 1994, several fragments of an Aramaic stele were found at Tel Dan, dated to the ninth century B.C.E. It’s a fragment or rather three fragments of an inscription written on stone in Aramaic, and it dates probably from the 9th century BCE. A sequence of rulers from the same family. Far less interest has been raised about the above-mentioned Syrian view of the deaths of Joram and Ahaziah than about the apparent mention in the Tel Dan Stele of the "House of David." The Tel Dan Stele is suggested by a few skeptics to read “House of Beloved” or some other place name, or to instead refer to Jerusalem as House of David instead of a dynastic title. 800 BC: After the death of Hazael, Jehoash expelled Hazael's son Ben-Hadad III from northern Israel recovered Tel Dan and destroyed the stele… The Merneptah Stele is an important archaeological discovery because the name "Israel" appears in the Stele. It might surprise you, but personally I agree with Kitchen on this one: the Tel Dan stele is pretty good proof of a Judahite dynasty which saw itself as descended from someone named David. The Tel Dan Stele, dating from circa the 9th century BCE, was discovered in Tel Dan and is the most important archaeological artifact to mention the House of David outside of the Bible. One way of interpreting this discrepancy is that Hazael may have seen Jehu as his agent. The critics have suggested other readings of ביתדוד, usually based on the fact that the written form "DWD" can be rendered both as David and as Dod (Hebrew for "beloved") or related forms. It has been using family traditions, recollections, and from that creating this very dynamic narrative that’s got some elaborations, folk tales, but also has some valid historical information. The following year, continued excavations at Tel Dan turned up two more smaller fragments of the stele, known as fragment B1 and B2, which fit together neatly with the larger fragment. An archaeologist as well as a biblical scholar with a special interest in gender in the biblical world, she has served as a consultant for many media productions dealing with the Bible. Deuteronomistic History. The set of Biblical books shared by Jews and Christians. The Tel Dan stele mentions, ‘House of David.’ It was discovered by Avraham Biran in 1993. until its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. (This chronology was based on the posthumously published work of Yohanan Aharoni (Tel Aviv University) and Michael Avi-Yonah, in collaboration with Anson F. Rainey and Ze'ev Safrai and was published in 1993, before the discovery of the Tel Dan Stele.). Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. And it talks about how the Aramaic king, probably Hazael—doesn’t mention him by name—but how he conquered many of the cities in Palestine. What are the 3 cities destroyed by fire in conquest? And he says that he conquered Jotham and Azariah. The Tel Dan Stele is a broken stele (inscribed stone) discovered in 1993–94 during excavations at Tel Dan in northern Palestine. The “Tel Dan Stele”. This find is important because not only does it refer to Israel, but it refers to the House of David as well. The stele affirms that, during a time of war between Israel and Syria, the god Hadad had made the author king and given him victory. However some scholars object to this reading on literary grounds. Alternatively, Hazael may simply have claimed credit for Jehu's deeds, or the Bible may attribute to Jehu deeds actually done by Hazael. The Tel Dan Stele effectively silenced this trend. The Tel Dan Stele, dating from circa the 9th century BCE, was discovered in Tel Dan and is the most important archaeological artifact to mention the House of David outside of the Bible. But there’s an element of a real person underlying the biblical stories about David, and the Tel Dan Inscription does a lot towards authenticating that. Elisha soon commanded the Israelite commander Jehu to usurp the throne of Israel. It is dated from the 9th Century BC. The Tel-Dan Stele provides confirmation of several ancient Biblical Kings and confirms the Biblical stated relationships among these kings and a foreign nation. in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. A mark is used to indicate the division. Literally "mound," a small hill-shaped site containing numerous occupational layers of a town or city built on top of one another over millennia. He went in and stood before him, and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, 'Will I recover from this illness?'" Hazael chose Tel Dan to set up the stele because it was the most important pagan worship center in northern Israel for 617 years from 1340-723 BC. ©Copyright 2019, Society of Biblical Literature
The "House of David" is inscribed on this victory stele excavated at Tel Dan, in the Galilee region of Israel. Tel Dan Stele. Fragments B1 and B2, which fit together, were discovered in 1994. The stele was apparently broken into pieces at some point and later used in a construction project at Tel Dan, presumably by Hebrew builders. But in the Tel Dan stele there is NO word separator between byt and dwd. With this important discovery it is clear that King David is a real figure in ancient history, as Jesus confirmed. Most scholars agree that this is the earliest known reference to the House of David outside of the Bible. By this time, there’s a northern and southern kingdom. 3. The period of Aramean (Syrian) supremacy and military conquest against the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, as depicted in the Tel Dan Stele, is dated to ca. So that in and of itself indicates that the stories of those two kings are not totally fictitious. Now I wish I could tell you that everything in the wake of the Tel Dan Stele was all puppies and unicorns. (Or more accurately, was seen by an Aramaean king in this way, since he wrote the inscription). and the reign of Joram of Israel (851-842 B.C.E.).
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