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The Tel Dan Stele is a fragmentary stele containing an Aramaic inscription which dates to the 9th century BCE. It is the earliest known extra-biblical archaeological reference to the house of David. [1] [2] The stele was discovered in 1993 in Tel-Dan by Gila Cook, a member of an archaeological team led by Avraham Biran.
The author of the inscription on the Tel Dan Stele (fragments of which were found in 1993 and 1994 during archaeological excavations of the site of Tel Dan) claimed to have slain both the king of the House of David in Judah, Ahaziah, and the king of Israel, Jehoram. The most likely author of this monument is Hazael of the Arameans.
The majority of scholars think that Hazael was the author of the Tel Dan Stele. [33] 1 Kgs. 19:15, 2 Kgs. 8:8, 2 Kings 12:18, Am. 1:4: Hezekiah: King of Judah c. 715 – c. 686: An account is preserved by Sennacherib of how he besieged "Hezekiah, the Jew", who "did not submit to my yoke", in his capital city of Jerusalem. [34]
Since the discovery of the Tel Dan Stele dated to the 9th or 8th century BCE containing bytdwd, interpreted by many as a reference to the "House of David" as a monarchic dynasty in Judah [97] [98] (another possible reference occurs in the Mesha Stele), [99] the majority of scholars accept the existence of a polity ruled by David and Solomon ...
The Tel Dan Stele mentions the death of the reigning king from "BYTDWD", [6] (interpreted as "House of David") and thus far is the only extrabiblical explicit mention of David himself. The stele is dated to circa 840 BCE; however, the name of the Davidic king is not totally preserved, as much of the stele has not survived since the 9th century BCE.
KAI 225-226: Neirab Steles — Sin zir Ibni inscription and Si Gabbor stele; Tell Fekheriye. KAI 309: Tell Fekheriye bilingual inscription; Tel Dan. KAI 310: Tel Dan Stele; Samos. KAI 311: Hazael horse frontlet; Deir Alla. KAI 312: Deir Alla Inscription — not generally accepted as Aramaic.
Tel Dan Stele: Israel Museum: 1993, Tel Dan: c.800 BC: Old Aramaic: Significant as an extra-biblical corroboration of Israel's past, particularly in lines 8 and 9, which mention a "king of Israel" and a "house of David". The latter is generally understood by scholars to refer to the ruling dynasty of Judah.
Similarly, while Lemche holds that the Tel Dan stele (an inscription from the mid-9th century BCE which seems to mention the name of David) is probably a forgery, Davies and Whitelam do not. In short, the minimalists do not agree on much more than that the Bible is a doubtful source of information about ancient Israel.