I’ve just been dusting off the grime from an archaeological dig in the Holy Land.
Having led tours for some time, traversing the country at whirlwind speed, it has been a change of pace to remain in one location and become incredibly familiar with a hole in the ground measuring about ten feet square. With 40-degree heat, various bugs and dust always in the air, it’s been worth every discomfort!
On the northern shore of Galilee is et-Tell, a hill about a third of a mile from the lake. Hiding beneath this hill’s rocks and earth are levels of occupation going back to the time of Abraham. For 25 years the excavation has been unfolding its history and still there is so much more to be found! A ‘tell’ is simply the name for an artificial hill that has risen on the landscape as successive peoples have built upon the ruins of earlier cities. As they do so, the hill rises and the remains of previous inhabitants are preserved lower down. Various tells have been excavated across Israel, including important biblical towns like Jericho, Megiddo, Hazor and Dan.
Larger lake
The first-century remains at et-Tell have been identified as New Testament Bethsaida. For well over 1,000 years the location of this town was lost. As one of the three locations that occupy an important place in Jesus’s Galilee ministry, its whereabouts was of great interest. The spotlight fell on this particular hill when archaeologists discovered that it had a long history of occupation. However, there was one glaring problem. Bethsaida was a fishing village, the home of Philip, Peter and Andrew. Et-Tell was a third of a mile from the shore of Galilee, hardly a promising location for fishermen. This problem was solved in recent years when Dr. Rami Arav organised a geological survey which demonstrated convincingly that, at the time of Jesus, the lake reached further north and the level of the land was lower. Remains of a harbour, fishing equipment and anchor stones have all been uncovered at Bethsaida confirming this solution.
However, in more recent years the excavation has delved further into the past, revealing an elaborate gate and wall complex dating to the eighth century. If you have been on a tour of the Holy Land, you may have seen this impressive building work. But, this summer, we have glimpsed the remains of a whole new city level that is coming to light, and this is going to be of enormous relevance to contemporary debates over the Old Testament. To understand why, we need to think a little bit more about the background.
BBC mistaken
The time of King David and the united monarchy has been the subject of great debate. There are those described as ‘minimalists’ who argue that this period was poor and the population sparse, offering no basis for the kind of monumental building projects associated with King Solomon. Key to this scepticism is the claim that the dating of remains in Israel has been inaccurate. The recent BBC series, The Bible’s Buried Secrets, drew upon these minimalists’ claims. In particular, the dates for monumental building works in Judah were lowered from the tenth century (time of David) to the ninth century (time of Omri) leaving David and Solomon in a time of poor buildings and sparse, rural populations — minor chieftains at best. The BBC documentary made great use of these claims to dismiss the early kings of Israel as mythical figures.
However, more recent findings have served to undermine this scepticism and reinforce the view that developed cities and urban planning do fit the earlier, tenth century, time of King Solomon. Yosef Garfinkel, director of excavations at Qeiyafa in Judah, has uncovered clear tenth century monumental building works that can date no later than 969 BC.
What is being revealed at Bethsaida? In the tenth century the town was not known as Bethsaida. In fact, it was the city of Geshur. It was outside Israel, but, from here, David married a princess, Maachah, and David would visit the city. All this would have been in the tenth century BC. This is the exact period currently being unveiled. Because the remains on the hill have been so intact and occupation levels so continuous, there can be no doubt that a tenth century dating will receive an absolute fix.
History still speaks
What seems to be emerging is a significant city with monumental building works. Scraping away the debris from a floor I found a beautiful, inscribed Egyptian scarab from the tenth century, indicating the importance of the city in the ancient world. Its presence is further confirmation that this was an important developed urban centre at the time of David. It is a 3,000-year-old reminder that history still speaks. And those who listen can hear of an ancient world that fits the context of what we are reading of the Bible. BBC documentaries will come and go, but the biblical text remains a trustworthy text.
Chris Sinkinson lectures in apologetics at Moorlands College, Christchurch, Dorset, and is pastor of Alderholt Evangelical Church.
