Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Ark of the Covenant
7
At Shiloh the Jews built the first
temple and placed in it the Ark
of the Covenant, the sacred
container of the tablets of the
Ten Commandments. The
Ark is shown here in a 13th-
century illumination being
carried by two angels.
Joshua C
The Old Testament story tells
how
p
J
40 years in the wilderness
8
The climax of this story, in which
Samson pulls down the Philistines'
temple, killing himself and his
enemies, is described as taking
place in Gaza (Judges 14 -16).
Samson and Delilah
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(EBRON
9
of the Israelites during the reign
avid defeated Goliath and routed
I Samuel 17). The site of the battle
Ha-Ela Valley, northwest of Hebron.
oliath
0
f the Canaanite god
. An altar was set up and sacrifices prepared.
nto flames, showing it
d proving who the true
The traditional site of this
event is Mount Carmel, at Haifa
(see p177)
.
hets of Baal
THE OLD TESTAMENT AS HISTORY
Unlike Mesopotamia or Egypt, where ancient texts have
allowed the development of a detailed historical framework,
the Holy Land has yielded few written archives. The only
such resource is the Bible. The later topics, which describe
events not too far removed from the time they were written,
may be relatively accurate. For example, events recounted
in Kings I and II can be corroborated by contemporary
Assyrian inscriptions. However, the historical basis of stories
such as those relating to Abraham, Moses or Solomon, must
be viewed with caution. The Old Testament as we know
it was compiled from a variety of sources, no earlier than
the 6th century BC. These narratives might well contain
kernels of historical reality, but by the time they came to
be set down they were essentially no more than folk tales.
Assyrian obelisk (825 BC) showing
Israelite King Jehu (I Kings 19)
