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THE BIBLE UNEARTHED: THE MAKING OF A RELIGION -- ILLUSTRATED SCREENPLAY & SCREENCAP GALLERY |
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Our two investigators -- Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman -- are writing a book that uses ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOOLS to re-examine the Bible's STORIES. THE ISSUE OF THE ORIGIN of the Israelites is AT THE HEART of their investigation.
In previous episodes, it was shown that the Exodus -- the flight from Egypt -- had left NO TRACE, and that the land of Canaan was NEVER CONQUERED IN MILITARY TERMS. So where do THE ISRAELITES [?] come from? What approach should we take to our investigation.
The Museum of Cairo contains a stele that describes a military campaign led by Pharaoh Merneptah against Canaan. It contains a crucial piece of information.
[Jacques Briend, Catholic University of Paris] "The princes
are prostrate, saying 'mercy.' Plundered is Canaan with every
evil, carried off is Ashkelon, seized upon is Gezer, Yeno 'am is made as
that which does not exist. Israel is destroyed and its seed is no
more. All lands together -- they are pacified."
The only indication that the Merneptah stele provides as to the nature of this population named "Israel," is that the hieroglyphics contain the symbols for "man" and "woman," and the three lines indicating a plural. In other words, IT REFERS TO A SEMI-NOMADIC GROUP that is not settled down, THAT DOES NOT LIVE IN A CITY.
It's a group that moves around WITHOUT A PARTICULAR TERRITORY. AND THAT IS ALL WE KNOW.
[Narrator] The stele dates from the very end of the 13th century: 1207 B.C. A concrete starting point in our quest for the people of Israel.
Historians tell us that at the time the stele was erected, Canaan was organized around CITY-STATES UNDER THE DOMINATION OF EGYPT.
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