in the eyes of the beholder

And we would have expected, in light of the stories in the Bible and the claims of its testimonies, that even if only a tiny part was true, we should have been exposed to its findings. And what do we settle for? in microscopic evidence differences, which are also subject to interpretation

The Middle East region has been used for a long period of time, and especially since the beginning of British, German and French colonialism, to serve as a magnet for all kinds of researchers, who dug and excavated in the depths of archaeological mounds in order to bring up from the abyss archaeological evidence to confirm various historical theories. Some of the educated people who are intrigued by detectives find that they will support the beginnings of Christianity and the confirmation of classic biblical verses, what is known as mobilized history, or "history from a purpose", and not precisely from the name of a certain country or some state trend. The mobilization was for a pro-religious, religious idea.
And what brings me today to recall these amusing episodes? An article published in the newspaper "Haaretz" (September 28.9.05, XNUMX) under the colorful and juicy title: "For the first time: a written find from Beth Rishon was discovered on the Temple Mount", by Nadav Shargai. A day later Shelly Paz also reported in Yediot Aharonot about the discovery under the title: The Temple Mount in our hands - a seal from the days of the First Temple was discovered in the waste of the Waqf.

The article deals with the finding of a "bula" (stamp of a block of burnt mud) in the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount compound, when one of the names appearing on the bulla ends with the inscription "Yahweh". The stamp has been dated to the sixth century BC, i.e. the period of Persian rule in Judea (like many of the stamps that have been uncovered in Jerusalem in recent years). On that occasion, the archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar stated that she found in her excavations another bulla, dating to the end of the First Temple and with the name "Yahochel" on it, as well as a large building from the tenth century BC - the days of King David.

The findings caused great excitement, because they link archeology with biblical evidence. connecting? Sorry! It's kind of like putting together a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle by putting together just a few individual puzzle pieces. Is there no limit to pintos?!
For many years, archaeologists, and especially those with a strong sensitivity to religion and belief on the one hand and Zionist and state patriotism on the other, have sought to find archaeological authorities for the events that appear in the Bible regarding any subject in general and the subject of Jerusalem in particular. I am not referring to some of them that were discovered to be fakes or at least tainted by a lack of credibility. Despite all the research attempts in the field of archaeology, no evidence supporting ancient historical events was discovered in the Jerusalem of "Upper" or "Below" (with the exception, of course, of ties to the first destruction, such as the "burnt room" of Beit Ahiel and more) and certainly in the absence of evidence of prominent personalities in the kingdom Yehuda, David and onwards (and even the inscription of the Nebat Shiloh does not mention King Hezekiah - the initiator of the project and its implementation, at least according to the Bible). How many searched, bothered, touched and...didn't find. Look for the end of a string that will point to items from the first temple, from the altar, from the sacred chambers. And finally: Nada! Nothing.
And we would have expected, in light of the stories in the Bible and the claims of its testimonies, that even if only a tiny part was true, we should have been exposed to its findings. And what do we settle for? in microscopic evidence differences, which are also subject to interpretation. For example: the bulla in question was found in dirt spills that were removed from the compound about six years ago. There is no conclusive evidence that it is indeed the Temple Mount. And even if we assume that the bulla does originate from the Temple Mount, then all in all we can learn from it about the presence of a bundle of certificates and perhaps letters of a respectable Hebrew family there. So what? What is the connection between this find and the proof of the presence of a Jewish people in Jerusalem at that time, that is, the sixth century BC, and certainly we will not be able to estimate its dimensions. And let's not forget that during this period, starting in 538 BC, Judah became enslaved to Persia.
Moreover, the existence of the Tenth Century BC Beit Hamidot in Jerusalem does not necessarily prove that there was a royal house in Jerusalem at that time, and it was called the House of David, and it was at his behest that the particular house was built, perhaps with the assistance of the Phoenicians (Tyrus/Sidonians). Maybe yes and maybe not (emphasis on "maybe").
It is true that there is a strong desire to connect with the roots, and at least among a group of certain archaeologists (let's not forget that Bar Ilan University is scientifically involved in the clarification of the waste discharges from the site and in the article in Yedioth Ahronoth it is said that the find was presented by Pope Gabi Barkai from Bar Ilan University and Tzachi Zweig, after the Supreme Court confirmed this). But Dakhilak, maybe we should keep the proportions a little?!
Moreover, the happy sixty who got their hands on a lot of loot, on a treasure of bloom, will they believe that a court of history will trust such loose and interpretive evidence when it comes to reaching a verdict in favor of the historical truth?!

A collection of articles by Dr. Yehiam Sorek

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