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;
Here in this analysis is used 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.
There
were a northern and a southern religion - but never as
a political unity - and by this there was no split
either
In the books of OT history of both
kingdoms is [in a tendentious way] mixed (p.35), and the
"scholars" believe a long time in these OT stories
(p.169), [partially until today (2010)].
King Rehobeam is said
having discriminated the northern tribes so they split
from him
OT claims:
The alleged northern tribes are said
having split from the son of Solomon, Rehobeam, because
of tax claims (p.167):
-- the son of Solomon, Rehobeam, is
said having discriminated the northern tribes even more
with taxes and military services (1st King 12,16), then
the minister of Rehobeam is said having been stoned to
death and Rehobeam is said having fled to Jerusalem
(p.169)
-- the northern tribes are said having
proclaimed Jerobeam as their own king having provoked a
split by this (p.169)
-- the newly proclaimed king of the
northern tribes, Jerobeam, is said having defined Thirza
as a new capital and having ordered a new cult with two
calves against the cult of the temple of Jerusalem,
whereas the golden calves are said having been installed
at the outer posts of the alleged northern Reich: at Dan
in the North, and at Bethel in the South (p.169)
-- then there is said having developed
split and hatred by 200 years and there is said that
both kingdoms had attacked each other (p.167), with
rivalries and struggle of dynasties against the alleged
"house David" in the South (p.167)
-- generally the kings of the northern
Reich Israel are described in the outdated Bible as
stubborn sinners, and the kings of the southern Reich
are committing only little sin (p.21)
-- according to OT idolatry and
violence in the northern Reich was normal, with alleged
counter temples and with new cult centers against the
alleges temple of Jerusalem of Solomon (p.167)
-- according to OT the altar sites of
Abraham in the northern Reich, Bethel and Sichem, are
polluted by the Israelite kings by idolatry (p.57).
The documents about the northern and
the southern region
The texts about the two regions
are texts from Egypt with condemnations and
curses. These texts are written on figurines
of war prisoners found in graves. The
figurines were found in a broken condition. By
this the enemies of Egypt should be brought
bad luck, with sorcery as it is applies with
Woodoo puppets (p.173).
There are mentioned the Canaanite sites which
were considered a danger for Egypt, and there
are described the social structures of Jewish
life. From the mountain region only Sichem and
Jerusalem are mentioned (p.173).
|
 Broken
figurine with a text with condemnations
|
Archeology knows
a northern religion and a southern religion
There was never a political unity,
and by this there cannot have been a split either
The frontier between the northern
Reich and the southern Reich prescribed in OT
corresponds more or less to the traditional and natural
frontier of the settlement area in the region. The Bible
propaganda of OT is defining the natural frontiers of
the differently developed regions to political frontiers
(p.171).
northern
Reich: The northern area is developing to a
rich, cosmopolitan and powerful Reich in the region
(p.35), and that's because the traffic routes to the
East are relatively simple to handle (p.175) and also
because of the agriculture which is well to handle on
the West slopes which are not too steep and in the
valleys (p.176)
southern
Reich: The traffic ways to the East are steep
with much height difference and with the Dead Sea
between it and by this the traffic can hardly be
executed (p.175), and the cleft valleys and the desert
steps are hardly fertile, so there cannot be any
economic growth with that (p.176). southern Reich is
isolating itself with a hight tradition for the temple
and royal dynasty (p.35).
There was never a political split
because both territories never had a common policy and
never formed a common state (p.167-168). Both city
states incorporate different culture and identity
(p.35).
