I have just returned from the Galilee where I have been taking part in another season excavating at an archaeological dig. Finds include the usual pottery, beads and seals, but one particular find made the international news and has implications for our understanding of an early biblical period. The picture (below) shows a 3ft high standing stone (stela) which we unearthed last week.
We are currently excavating a section of a site that may be the town of Bethsaida that we know from the Gospels. However, the area we are excavating is 1,000 years older than the time of the Gospels. All the indications are that at this time the site was the capital of the Kingdom of Geshur, which was an ally to the Israelite nation (Joshua 13:13).
David married the daughter of the King of Geshur (2 Samuel 3:3). Their son Absalom would later attempt a rebellion and spend time in exile in Geshur. The relationship of King David to Geshur was clearly a convenient alliance.
Comedy, free speech and warnings from the past
Hannah Arendt was a Jewish philosopher who grew up in Nazi Germany. Eventually she had to flee to France and, …