More on that recent wall announcement in Jerusalem:
- Many news organizations have reported Mazar’s interpretation of the evidence without exercising caution. It might be 10th century and ‘Solomonic’ but these conclusions have not yet been published for review. If the dating turns out to be questionable or even incorrect, the sensationalized reporting could plant doubts about other legitimate biblically-related finds. As I’ve learned from experience and from wiser persons, we should be careful about embracing every claim that seems to affirm the Bible. There is a lot of evidence attesting biblical accounts but don’t believe everything you hear or read, including reports in the news media. Ferrell Jenkins wrote this post on ‘Pseudo Archaeologists’ and this one on “Cracked Pot Archaeology”. These posts also link to some good articles on the problem.
- All that being said, we will continue to wait for reasonable evaluation and response to Mazar’s recent announcement of major 10th century B.C. architecture in Jerusalem. The structures had already been dated to the Divided Kingdom period, but Eilat Mazar dug deeper and discovered evidence that she says points to the 10th century B.C., the United Kingdom period. Dr. Leen Ritmeyer, an expert on Jerusalem through the ages, has two different posts with his initial thoughts.
- Todd Bolen posted a link to Hebrew University’s Facebook page with some good photos of the discoveries.
If the finds are confirmed as 10th century, this excavation will indeed be significant. If it turns out to be otherwise, we’ll hope for greater prudence in the future.
Bible, Archaeology, and Travel with Luke Chandler 