Jewry 5. The legend of Jakob ("Israel") who is said having fought with an angel

from: Israel Finkelstein / Neil A. Silberman: The Bible unearthed. Archeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts; The Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2001; German edition has got the title "No trombones before Jericho" (orig. German: "Keine Posaunen vor Jericho"): edition C.H.Beck oHG, Munich 2002;

From the German version "Keine Posaunen vor Jericho" of DTV, Munich 2004, second edition of 2005. All page indications refer to the German version. I hope the page numbers are not very different.

An angel is said having given Jacob the name of "Israel"

OT claims:

-- Jacob's father was a "straying Aramean" (1st book of Moses 26,5) (p.52)

-- Arameans mostly are the cousins of the Israelites and the Israelites are of Aramean origin (p.52)

-- Jacob is said having migrated to Haran in the North of Israel where he had domicile with a certain Laban, and then he is said having married his two daughters Lea and Rahel and their two maidservants, and with these four wived he is said having 11 sons (p.44)

-- following the order of God he is said having returned to Canaan and is said having fought with a mysterious man or with an angel passing the Jabbok river (Zarqa river), and this angel is said having given Jacob the name of "Israel" ("the man fighting with God") (p.19,44)

-- there is said having existed a camp near Shechem, and Jacob is said having installed an altar for God in Bethel (p.44)

-- Jacob is said having installed altars all over during his trip (p.19)

-- the caravan of Jacob ("Israel) is said having continued it's trip, and during the birth of the last son Benjamin the mother Rahel is said having died in Bethlehem, and shortly after also Isaak, with a funeral in the cave Machpelah near Hebron (p.44).

There are contradictions with this legend of Jacob

Jacob and the Arameans don't match together - Arameans only exist since 1100 B.C.

During the marriage of Jacob with Lea and Rahel and during the description of the host Laban Arameans are mentioned. But texts from Mid East only mention independent Arameans not before 1100 B.C. approximately. At the beginning of 9th century B.C. the Arameans are a dominating power at the northern frontier of the Israelites where they are a big threat together with Aram-Damascus (p.51).

[Conclusion:
The wrong indication about Arameans who have not existed yet in this time as an own political group is an evidence that the whole story about Jacob and an angel and a name of "Israel" is not true].

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