December 2004

Contents of this issue of the Joan K. Snipes e-newsletter:
- archaeology and the Bible,
- Merneptah's Stele,
- the Moabite Stone,
- Shalmaneser's Obelisk,
- bibliography (books with good photos of archaeological finds),
- thanks to church friends in England.

Dear Readers,

A number of archaeological discoveries over the years have shown that the Bible is, in the words of author Harry Thomas Frank, "a trustworthy guide to those events and situations which it describes." (Frank, p. 17.) If you are a Sunday School teacher, you might consider introducing the topic of archaeology and how specific finds support Bible passages.

In this newsletter, I am going to focus on three significant archaeological items. I have selected these particular artifacts for several reasons. They are among the best known, you can visit all three objects in museums, photos are easy to find, and the pieces are large, attractive and interesting to see. The artifacts are: the Merneptah stele erected in Egypt during Dynasty 19, the Moabite Stone, and the black obelisk of Shalmaneser III.

The first artifact, an Egyptian stele, includes the earliest mention of Israel in a source other than the Bible. The second and third items, a Moabite stele and an Assyrian obelisk, both relate to approximately the same era -- the period after King Solomon's death when Israel and Judah were each being governed by their own Hebrew kings. They relate to stories about Elijah, Elisha and Jehoshaphat who lived during a time when Israel and Judah were threatened by both Moab and the Assyrian Empire. Photos of the three items are in books and on the Internet, and I herein give information directing you to them.

There are at least two hundred other archaeological items of interest to those of us who love the Bible. Obviously, this short essay will barely scratch the surface of the topic of archaeology and the Bible. Hopefully, these examples will give you a taste of the fascinating links that exist between documented history and the Bible and spur you on to further study.

MERNEPTAH'S STELE

The earliest mention of Israel outside the Bible is an inscription on a black granite slab known as the Merneptah Stele. Discovered in 1896 in Merneptah's mortuary temple in Thebes by Flinders Petrie, the stele is a poetic eulogy to pharaoh Merneptah, who ruled Egypt after Ramesses the Great. This victory stele is precisely dated to the third day of the third month of the third season, i.e. summer 1207 BCE.

Consisting of 28 lines and some inscribed drawings, the monument's particular interest lies in the second from last line where the only reference in the whole of Egyptian literature to Israel occurs:

"Israel is devastated, her seed is no more,
Palestine has become a widow for Egypt."

The date of the reference to Israel in the Merneptah Stele is during the time of the judges, prior to the establishment of the monarchy. Although questions persist about the accuracy of biblical details concerning the exodus story, this stele lends support to the view that the Israelites fled Egypt and settled the region that today includes Israel and parts of neighboring Arab nations.

I had the privilege of seeing this seven foot high artifact at the Cairo Museum on a wonderful trip to both Egypt and Israel that I took in 1998. Here is a link to a photo of Merneptah's Stele:
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a015.html

You can also see good photos of the monument in Clayton, p. 157; Keller, p. 131; Miller, p. 40; and Pritchard, illustration number 96. Several of these books also include good photos of a granite statue of Merneptah, Ramesses II's thirteenth son, found at his mortuary temple at Thebes and displayed in the Cairo Museum. (Please see full bibliography at the end of this essay.)

THE MOABITE STONE

According to "The Bible: A History," the Moabite Stone was found in Jordan in 1868 by nomadic herders. The slab of black basalt looks a bit like a tombstone because it is rounded at the top. An inscription consisting of 34 lines appears on the stone, which is three feet and ten inches high.

Chiseled into the monument are the exploits of a Moabite king named Mesha (who is mentioned in II Kings) who led his people in a rebellion against Jehoram (a.k.a. Joram), the eighth king of Israel, the Northern Kingdom. Now at the Louvre in Paris, the stone dates from the 9th century BCE.

King Jehoram of Israel was the son of Ahab and the grandson of Omri. He succeeded his elder brother, Ahaziah, as the king of Israel and was one of about 20 rather ineffective leaders of the Northern Kingdom. Despite one successful advance against the Moabites, Jehoram was not able to permanently subject them. II Kings, chapter 3, tells a story about Jehoram and Mesha. The Bible account, not surprisingly, tells how the Hebrews triumph initially. The Moabite Stone, written from Mesha's point of view, tells of Moab's ultimate success in recovering independence from Israel. The line of Omri ended when Jehu, also an Israelite, shot Jehoram through the heart with an arrow in a successful coup.

Here are links to two sites that show a photograph of the Moabite Stone, also called the Mesha Stele. You'll notice that the stone is made up of fragments pieced together. The story of its find by a German missionary, the subsequent disputes, and the eventual recovery of the fragments is rather dramatic and is included in my one volume Bible dictionary, by Gehman, under the heading "Moabite Stone."
http://www.louvre.fr/francais/collec/ao/ao5066/ao_f.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesha_Stele

You can also find photos of the stele in these Bible reference books: Frank, p. 110; Keller, p. 208; Pritchard, illustration number 74, and Gehman, p. 628.

THE BLACK OBELISK OF SHALMANESER III

Shalmaneser's Obelisk is another artifact from the Divided Kingdom period. Shalmaneser III was an Assyrian king, a contemporary of Jehu, the king of Israel, who succeeded Omri's grandson, Jehoram. The black marble pillar picturing both Shalmaneser III and King Jehu, called Shalmaneser's Obelisk, is today on display in the British Museum in London. It is over six feet high.

Found by the great Assyriologist, Englishman Henry Layard, in 1845 in the ruins of Nimrud, a city of Assyria on the Tigris River in Iraq, the five foot obelisk has four sides, each with five picture panels interspersed with cuneiform inscriptions. The second panel on one side depicts Shalmaneser receiving tribute from King Jehu, who is on his hands and knees.

This relief and the inscribed text relate to several Bible passages mentioning Jehu, including I Kings 19:16, when God tells Elijah that he is to anoint Jehu "to be king over Israel." The cuneiform inscription notes that Jehu's tribute included a golden vase, golden tumblers, golden buckets, tin, and a staff for the king.

Shalmaneser III reigned from 859 - 824 BCE. To see a photo of the obelisk, please see:
http://www.usask.ca/antiquities/Collection/Black_Obelisk.html

Books with photos of the beautiful Shalmaneser Obelisk include Keller, p. 213 (excellent); Pritchard, photo number 100), Gehman, p. 856, and Frank, p. 16 (not as good a photo as the other sources.)

RELEVANCE

In conclusion, I'd like to explain a little about how and why a Sunday School teacher with a class of older students might introduce the topic of archaeology. I must admit that in over 20 years of teaching Sunday School myself, I never brought up archaeology. However, in the last few years, I've learned a bit about the connections, and I suggest some brief forays into the subject simply to make the Bible more interesting. I think if young people see some of the historical connections between the ancient Hebrew people and other civilizations, such as the Egyptians and Assyrians, they will better appreciate the tremendous contributions of the Jews to religion and civilization. Looking at a few photos of artifacts is a fun aside in Bible study.

The Egyptian stele mentioning Israel would be relevant to the stories pertaining to Joseph and Moses. The Moabite Stone and the Shalmaneser Obelisk relate to stories about Elijah, Elisha, and Jehoshaphat. Although Sunday School teachers would rarely teach the specific stories of King Jehoram and King Jehu, in a discussion of the bigger context for Elijah and Elisha the photos would be very appropriate. In other words, a brief mention of these two relics would help provide the historical context of the Divided Kingdom period when the two great prophets emerged as the real leaders of Israel.

If any of you teachers has a story to tell about your experience explaining archaeology and the Bible, I'd be interested in hearing from you.

Bibliography:

Clayton, Peter A. Chronicle of the Pharaohs: The Reign-By-Reign Record of the Rulers and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1994.

Frank, Harry Thomas. Discovering the Biblical World. Maplewood, NJ: Hammond, Inc., 1975.

Gehman, Henry Snyder, ed. The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1970.

Keller, Werner. The Bible as History in Pictures. New York: William Morrow and Co., 1964.

Miller, Stephen M. and Robert V. Huber. The Bible: A History: The Making and Impact of the Bible. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2004.

Pritchard, James B., ed. The Ancient Near East, Volume 1: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures. Princeton University Press, 1958.

THANKS TO OUR FRIENDS IN GREAT BRITAIN

In closing, I'd like to express gratitude for the many people who helped make my recent Bible workshop trip to England such a success. My husband and I had a wonderful time as we traveled to five different cities all over the country to give the workshops. The church members bent over backwards to make us feel welcome, and we will never forget the generous hospitality of the folks who hosted us.

Yours truly,

Joan Koelle Snipes

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