Why Study Prehistoric Israel?
Gaining better insight into the Biblical period through prehistoric Israel
Field photo and reconstruction of an adult and adolescent skeleton discovered in situ during excavations in the Natufian layer at Raqefet Cave, Mt. Carmel. Images: Photograph reproduced with permission from E. Gernstein. Illustration by A. Regev-Gisis.
Excavations at Raqefet Cave on Mt. Carmel have revealed a number of fascinating insights into the Natufian culture in prehistoric Israel. Archaeological investigations show, for example, that the Natufians—hunter-gatherers living 15,000–11,600 years ago in the Levant—held feasts at the burial sites of the deceased and decorated the graves with flowers. The practice of laying flowers at graves to commemorate the dead still exists today, providing us with a powerful emotional link to the past.
As Daniel Nadel explains in his Archaeological Views column “Why People Interested in Biblical Archaeology Should Also Be Interested in the Prehistory of the Land of Israel” in the September/October 2014 issue of BAR, studying prehistoric Israel can be of great interest to both scholars and laypeople alike. In fact, understanding the prehistory of Israel can give us a better perspective on Israel in the Biblical period.
Prehistoric Israel spans the Paleolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. Ubeidiya in the Jordan Valley, dating about 1.5 million years before present, is the oldest site thus far uncovered in the region and was home to some of the first hominids who migrated out of Africa. Excavations at Paleolithic sites all over prehistoric Israel have yielded, among other things, stone tools, butchered animals bones and evidence for the control of fire.
Investigating the long cultural history of the Levant can deepen our understanding of how settlements grew increasingly complex over millennia. Nadel writes that by the Neolithic period (11,600–6,500 years ago), for example, “the common use of pottery was established, large villages with hundreds of people thrived and architecture reached sophisticated achievements with monuments such as the high Jericho tower (30 feet high), on the one hand, and two-story dwelling complexes on the other.”
Innovations that developed over millennia in prehistoric Israel—agriculture, the domestication of animals and metallurgy, to name a few—thus set the stage for the emergence of complex cities and mighty kingdoms in the Biblical period.
Learn more about the archaeology of prehistoric Israel by reading the full column “Why People Interested in Biblical Archaeology Should Also Be Interested in the Prehistory of the Land of Israel” by Daniel Nadel in the September/October 2014 issue of BAR.
BAS Library Members: Read “Why People Interested in Biblical Archaeology Should Also Be Interested in the Prehistory of the Land of Israel” by Daniel Nadel as it appears in the September/October 2014 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
Not a BAS Library member yet? Join the BAS Library today.
Related content in Bible History Daily:
The Prehistoric Diet and the Rise of Complex Societies
No Matches? No Problem. Ancient Fire-Making in Israel
The Ancient Bean Diet: Fava Beans Favored in Prehistoric Israel
Neolithic Figurine Could Lead to Reassessment of Prehistoric Israel
Manot Cave Skull Links Modern Humans to Neanderthals
“Lay Some Flowers on My Grave”: Oldest grave flowers discovered in Israel
Going Paleo: Prehistoric site in Israel offers menu for a Paleolithic diet
Journey to the Copper Age: A Video Lecture by Thomas E. Levy
The Göbekli Tepe Ruins and the Origins of Neolithic Religion
Çatalhöyük Mural: The Earliest Representation of a Volcanic Eruption?
This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on September 16, 2014.
Related Posts
Must-Read Free eBooks
Unlock Unlimited Access to the Bible's Past
Unlock Unlimited Access to the Bible's Past
Become an All-Access Member to explore the Bible's rich history. Get Biblical Archaeology Review in print, full online access, and FREE online talks. Plus, enjoy special Travel/Study discounts. Don't miss out—begin your journey today!
ADAM (First Man) Created year 4026 B.C.E.
The Genesis Account—Scientifically Credible?
First, let us review the key elements in the account of the creation of the first man. Regarding Adam, the Bible says: “Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) Is this statement scientifically credible?
The book Nanomedicine states that the human body is made up of 41 chemical elements. These basic elements—carbon, iron, oxygen, and others—are all present in the “dust” of the earth. Thus, as Genesis states, humans truly are formed “out of dust from the ground.”
How did those lifeless building blocks come together to form a living human? To illustrate the enormity of the challenge, consider the NASA space shuttle, one of the most complex machines ever devised. This technological marvel contains a staggering 2.5 million parts. It took teams of engineers years to design and put it together. Now consider the human body. It is made up of some 7 octillion atoms, 100 trillion cells, dozens of organs, and at least 9 major organ systems.* How did this biological machine of mind-boggling complexity and superb structure come to be? By blind chance or by intelligent design?
Moreover, what makes humans live? Where does the spark of life come from? Scientists confess that they do not know. In fact, they cannot even agree on an acceptable definition of life. To those who accept the idea of a Creator, the conclusion is obvious. The Source, of course, is God.*For further information, see the books Is There a Creator Who Cares About You? and Life—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation?
Adam and Eve—Were They Real People?
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200270177
Just because our minds cant comperhend like Gods doesnt mean its a mystery. While were busy looking up Hes looking within. But totally understand the curiosity….we were made like this for a reason…. wondering isnt disbelief its our nature. Which gets me to how i made it to youlls presence. Im far from intellectual, but was gifted with art and attention to detail. I love God and everything He is and Jesus for making a way for us. Jesus is the foundation of everything wrong and right in my life. But through out my life, prison the streets etc. i have always kept the word close, but have always had an inner hunch u can say that the word was played with sorta speak. And Im not out to prove or point fingers, simply scratching an itch. For about 2 MO now i have turned my attention to the History of all languages, tribes, rise and fall of Kings etc. and comparing the impact it had on Isreal from all angles. Needles to say some things dont add up, and I begin to wonder its not whats taken out but what might have been added. But thats yet to be decided in some asspects. Comcuring that b aware of your advesary wasnt taken serious enough in some points of our history.Its good to b here and I thank God for the hunger of something that has changed lives all over the world. Glory to God…..and remember the knowledge will always be knowledge, what u do with it defines you.
Actually the First Man [Adam] was created about 7,000 years BCE. The bible tells us that a day with the Most High is 1,000 years. Well there were seven days of creation all taking 1,000 years of completion. That makes the Earth at the time of Adam’s birth or creation already 7,000 years old. So I would say, the Earth is about 13,000 years old roughly from the time before Adam was created to present day.
Any “indication” of man emerging prior to Adam is “baloney”. Either one believes ALL the Bible, or none of it.
Phil
Jericho at the bottom of the hill is one of the oldest cities in the world. The road west went past Jerusalem. The ridge on top by Jerusalem is the ancient north south road. Jerusalem had the largest spring for a long distance. Ancients considered springs to have spiritual importance, usually worshipped the spirit there. Gihon was a very unusual spring not only large but also its flow varied from small to gushing. The spirit there was powerful controlling the flow. In addition at the very top of the nearby hill was a huge flat rock with a cave in one side. The country has many caves. All caves are located down on the side of the hill. That cave on top would have been recognized as the mark of a spirit. Jerusalem is located at one of the great cross roads of ancient times. It had two of the greatest natural “spiritual” places. Of great significance is the fact that the Scripture does not say much about what everyone knew. It is as if the Author of Scripture wanted to minimize the lesser, non existent spirits.
The ubiquitous standing stones of the ancient worship are faceless, Did they worship a god without name and without image. No other people did. Except the God of the Israelites had not image and no real name. “I am” “God Almighty” “God of Jacob” are not real names. No one in the world created, made up a god without name or image.
The divine name, represented by the four Hebrew consonants יהוה, appears nearly 7,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. This translation renders those four letters, known as the Tetragrammaton, “Jehovah.” That name is by far the most frequently occurring name in the Bible. While the inspired writers refer to God by many titles and descriptive terms, such as “Almighty,” “Most High,” and “Lord,” the Tetragrammaton is the only personal name they use to identify God.
Jehovah God himself directed Bible writers to use his name. For example, he inspired the prophet Joel to write: “Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” (Joel 2:32) And God caused one psalmist to write: “May people know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” (Psalm 83:18) In fact, the divine name appears some 700 times in the book of Psalms alone—a book of poetic writings that were to be sung and recited by God’s people. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1001070204
the Tetragrammaton יהוה is the Hebrew word “I am” or perhaps better understood as “Being”. It was not pronounced in later years instead when the letters were in the text the reader said Lord – Adoni or better Edona. “Jehovah.” is the combination of the consonants יהוה with the vowels for Lord. It would be the same as combining the consonants of God with the vowels of Jesus and coming up with the word Gedu. “Jehovah” was never intended to be a real word, but people who did not know better took it to be the proper name for God. He is, I am, is the only God with no image and no real name. Unique no other god, all invented by people is like that. It is actually a pretty good argument that only God Himself could be the original author, creator of the concept.
Kurt’s narrative skips a chapter: Genesis 1. And the events occur in that chapter by fiat. There were no qualifications. Organization came from chaos. The Space Shuttle, for what it was worth, arrived with organization from engineering elements, but not from nothing. It arrived based on a science and technology which identified a universe apparently 13 billion years old and an Earth that 4.5 billion. Its mission payloads collected further evidence of such. You can’t have it both ways.
With either of of those eon numbers, a lot of things can happen, including the formation of the elements which the earth is composed of. We observe that process in the stars in the cosmos. Moreover, if you look at the sky in certain constellations you can see the process of worlds forming even now.
The problem is not the texts but the interpretations we load them with. And in many cases the commentaries are assumed inerrant.
Translators who remove the name out of deference to Jewish tradition fail to recognize a key fact. While some Jewish scribes refused to pronounce the name, they did not remove it from their copies of the Bible. Ancient scrolls found in Qumran, near the Dead Sea, contain the name in many places. Some Bible translators hint that the divine name appeared in the original text by substituting the title “LORD” in capital letters. But the question remains, Why have these translators felt free to substitute or remove God’s name from the Bible when they acknowledge that it is found in the Bible text thousands of times? Who do they believe gave them authority to make such a change? Only they can say.
Those who say that the divine name should not be used because it is not known exactly how to pronounce it will nevertheless freely use the name Jesus. However, Jesus’ first-century disciples said his name quite differently from the way most Christians do today. To Jewish Christians, the name Jesus was probably pronounced Ye·shuʹa‛. And the title “Christ” was Ma·shiʹach, or “Messiah.” Greek-speaking Christians called him I·e·sousʹ Khri·stosʹ, and Latin-speaking Christians Ieʹsus Chriʹstus. Under inspiration, the Greek translation of his name was recorded in the Bible, showing that first-century Christians followed the sensible course of using the form of the name common in their language. Similarly, the New World Bible Translation Committee feels that it is reasonable to use the form “Jehovah,” even though that rendering is not exactly the way the divine name would have been pronounced in ancient Hebrew. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1001070204
In English, the four letters of the Tetragrammaton (יהוה) are represented by the consonants YHWH. As was true of all written words in ancient Hebrew, the Tetragrammaton contained no vowels. When ancient Hebrew was in everyday use, readers easily provided the appropriate vowels.
About a thousand years after the Hebrew Scriptures were completed, Jewish scholars developed a system of pronunciation points, or signs, by which to indicate what vowels to use when reading Hebrew. By that time, though, many Jews had the superstitious idea that it was wrong to say God’s personal name out loud, so they used substitute expressions. Thus, it seems that when they copied the Tetragrammaton, they combined the vowels for the substitute expressions with the four consonants representing the divine name. Therefore, the manuscripts with those vowel points do not help in determining how the name was originally pronounced in Hebrew. Some feel that the name was pronounced “Yahweh,” whereas others suggest different possibilities