Queries & Comments

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments about our Summer 2022 issue. We appreciate your feedback. Here are a few of the letters we received. Find more online at biblicalarchaeology.org/letters.

Pretty Fun

I just finished reading practically every word of the Summer 2022 issue. I noted in “Digging In” that Glenn Corbett is finishing his first year as Editor, a position that he says has been pretty fun. The past year of BAR definitely demonstrates this fun. I have enjoyed the selection of articles, the clarity of the language, the well-annotated subjects, the explanations of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic words, as well as the photography, the layouts, and the general format of the magazine. I am a retired Lutheran pastor looking forward to my second trip to Israel and Jordan this fall. BAR keeps me up to date and current about “Holy Land” things shoved way back in my memory. Thank you!

The Wrath of Merneptah

I read with appreciation Steven Ortiz and Samuel Wollf’s article “Pharaoh’s Fury” (Summer 2022). In fact, I read it twice! I have a question, however, about the events recorded on the Merneptah Stele. The authors mention that some scholars attribute the destruction at Aphek during the latter years of Ramesses II to the Canaanite king of Gezer. Is it possible the king’s attack could have been orchestrated by the Hittites? As we know, the Hittites and Egyptians never got along. Maybe the Hittite ruler decided to nibble away at Egyptian territory, but using a proxy instead of his own army?

STEVEN ORTIZ AND SAMUEL WOLLF RESPOND:

Any scenario is possible, since the conquerors did not leave their calling card. We have no historical sources mentioning a Hittite campaign to the southern Levant at this point in time, using either the king’s own army or an unnamed proxy. We concur with Yuval Gadot (“The Late Bronze Egyptian Estate at Aphek,” Tel Aviv 37 [2010], p. 62) that Aphek was destroyed by a rebellious Canaanite city-state, perhaps by the king of Gezer himself.

Biblical Cyclops?

As a long-time subscriber, I was surprised to see the article on Greek mythology (Classical Corner: “The Cyclops,” Summer 2022). Although it may relate in some remote way to biblical archaeology, I prefer information relating to scripture and the people and places mentioned in the Bible. I could find no relationship in the cyclops article.

At BAR, we take a broad view of the biblical world. Our Classical Corner department offers perspectives on the peoples of the ancient Mediterranean, as their myths, traditions, and values were often well known to the biblical writers. In some cases, like the story of the Cyclops, we even find remarkable similarities to biblical traditions about primordial giants, including the Rephaim, who were thought to have inhabited the land of Canaan before Israel.—ED.

Ezra in the Dead Sea Scrolls?

In her interesting article “Ezra and the Dead Sea Scrolls,” Charlotte Hempel wonders why Ezra is not found anywhere in the scrolls (Summer 2022). I suspect he may be there, as the enigmatic “Interpreter of the Law.” There is no scholarly consensus about who he is, but his title (doresh ha-torah) may well be derived from Ezra 7:10, where the phrase describes Ezra himself. Like Ezra, the Interpreter is a reforming figure from the past, but he is also a figure who in the future will accompany the royal messiah. In these eschatological passages, the Interpreter bears a striking resemblance to Ezra in 4 Ezra, who, after being taken up like Enoch and Elijah, now lives with the “son” (the messiah) and will appear with him when he is manifested in Zion. Because he accompanies the Davidic messiah, many scholars suspect that the Interpreter of the Law is the Qumranic priestly messiah. Ezra, of course, was a priest!

CHARLOTTE HEMPEL RESPONDS:

The enigmatic ciphers given for individuals referenced in the Dead Sea Scrolls are open to a variety of interpretations, so your suggestion is not impossible. In fact, this suggestion was previously made by scholar Isaac Rabinowitz, while T.H. Gaster identified the Teacher of Righteousness with Ezra.

Might I suggest an alternate reason for Ezra’s absence from the Dead Sea Scrolls? Ezra was from the line 008of Aaron, and there were many who held that the high priest could only come from the line of Zadok. Although Zadok was also descended from Aaron, it was only his descendants who were thought to be suitable for the high priesthood. Ezra’s exclusion would have been justified by some who rejected all descendants of Aaron who were not also descendants of Zadok.

CHARLOTTE HEMPEL RESPONDS:

In my book The Qumran Rule Texts in Context (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2013), I examined all the references to the sons of Aaron and the sons of Zadok in the non-biblical Dead Sea Scrolls. Although your question rightly notes the prominent position advocated for the sons of Zadok in a small number of texts, references to the sons of Aaron far outnumber those to the sons of Zadok. The small number of references to the sons of Zakok have, however, been extremely effective in convincing us of the superiority of this group by representing them as the pinnacle of the historical development of the movement. In short, the elevated claims made on behalf of the sons of Zadok have successfully obscured the localized profile of references to this group that are outnumbered by a much larger number of references to the sons of Aaron largely getting on with the priestly day job of performing cultic duties.

35,000 Sites in Israel?!

In the Summer 2022 issue, Gideon Avni, the head of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s archaeology division, said there are 35,000 archaeological sites spread over 4,000 square miles in Israel. That’s nearly nine sites per square mile, which seems impossible. Could you please clarify?

GIDEON AVNI RESPONDS:

It is the policy of the IAA that an archaeological site is any “area which contains antiquities,” where antiquities are defined as any object made by humans before 1700 C.E. or considered to be of historical value. An archaeological site, therefore, would be any place in which even a small quantity of antiquities is found—even a few fragments of pottery uncovered during a construction project. Every site is then classified according to its archaeological, historical, and cultural values, using the UNESCO guidelines.

Memories of Ghazi Bisheh

I appreciate the obituary you published for Ghazi Bisheh, former Director-General of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (DOAJ). It was a sensitive and excellent tribute. Ghazi was a dear friend, and if it were not for Ghazi, I would never have been permitted to work in Jordan. When I was first introduced to Ghazi at the DOAJ offices in 1996, I said, “Ghazi, I worked in Israel for 20 years. Will that be a problem?” Ghazi looked straight at me and said, “Mafi Mushkila [Arabic for “No Problem”]. Welcome to Jordan.”

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments about our Summer 2022 issue. We appreciate your feedback. Here are a few of the letters we received. Find more online at biblicalarchaeology.org/letters.