Philistine Digs Define David & Solomon

By Gordon Govier, Christianity Today, 25, July, 2012 [edited].

Early Israelite dig helps define Israel’s premier kings--David & Solomon.

Two small portable shrines are giving Bible scholars new clues about Israelite religious practices during the time of Israel’s famous kings David & Solomon. They also indicate a pendulum swing in the world of biblical archaeology.

Hebrew University archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel showcased the shrines at a news conference in May. They were discovered during last summer's excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, a ruin overlooking Israel's Elah Valley dated to 1020-980 B.C. [David reigned as Israel’s king for 40 years (2 Sam. 5:4-5) from 1010 BC to 970 BC, so artifacts from this site & period date from the end of King Saul’s reign, through most of David’s monarchy. In this era Scripture describes constant warfare between Israel & the Philistines.]

Minimalist Bible Critics in Retreat

The Elah Valley was where David brought down the giant Goliath, [1 Sam. 17] signaling the beginning of the end of Philistine domination of the Israelites. Similarly, the discoveries at Khirbet Qeiyafa herald the diminishing influence of minimalist Bible critics who have discounted the importance of the biblical kings. [“Minimalist Bible critics” minimize the value of biblical claims.]

John Monson, archaeologist at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, is excavating at Khirbet Qeiyafa this summer. He believes Garfinkel's excavations are revealing a fortress built to defend one of the most important routes between the Israelites in the Judean hills and the Philistines on the coastal plain [today’s Gaza strip].

"This is a front-row seat to what transpired in that ebb and flow between Israel and the Philistines, as we see it recorded in 1 & 2 Samuel," he said.

Archaeologists have been arguing for decades over whether David & Solomon had the kingly stature described in the Bible or were more like tribal chieftains. [Minimalist archaeologist Israel Finkelstein, for example, argued that during the period of the biblical kings David & Solomon, Jerusalem was merely a dusty hilltop outpost. He denied Jerusalem was the center of a kingdom during David’s or Solomon’s eras. However, such minimalist claims are refuted by artifacts, such as an inscription with the words "House of David" found on a basalt stone slab called the Tel Dan Stele, from Tel Dan, Israel, 9^th Century B.C. The reference to the “House of David,” 200-years after his reign implies he was indeed a significant ruler, as the Bible states.] Garfinkel’s excavations of a fortress built to defend an important route between Israelite & Philistine territories lend added support to the Bible’s claims.

More Archaeological Digs

More archaeologists are now focusing on this border region. "I see a gold rush mentality now in the lowlands of Judah," Monson said.

This summer, archaeologists are beginning a new excavation at nearby Azekah. Socoh, another site overlooking the Elah Valley, will open up soon. These will join ongoing excavations at nearby Tel Burna, Tel es-Safi (Gath), & Tel Zayit.

Steve Ortiz, prof. of archaeology at SW Baptist Theological Seminary, thinks Khirbet Qeiyafa may predate both David & Solomon."As early as the time of King Saul [around 1050 BC.]," he said. "[It] represents the change from a tribal society to one with centralized cooperation."

Ortiz excavated with Garfinkel at Tel Mikne-Ekron, a Philistine site, and now co-directs excavations at Tel Gezer, another border site.

Both Ortiz and Monson note the lack of iconography [religious pictures] on the two shrines & the absence of idols associated with them. That seems to conform to Scripture's admonition against graven images. [e.g., Deut. 5:8 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.”]

Also intrigued is Wheaton College archaeologist Daniel Master, who directs the ongoing excavations at Ashkelon, a coastal Philistine city in the Gaza strip.

"We will be trying to understand Garfinkel's finds for some time to come," Master said. "Since this period is not well understood in Judah, it is somewhat difficult to know how representative these finds are for the highlands as a whole."

Stay tuned for more discoveries.