Archaeologist rebuts Jewish claims about their alleged templeThis is more nonsense from the Jewish-Temple denialists. The four (not 17) coins dated to 17/18 C.E. (not 16) were discovered by two Israeli archaeologists, not Jamal Amro, and simply confirm that the platform of the Herodian Temple was completed a couple of decades after Herod the Great's death, something we already knew from the contemporary Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. (Details here).
[ 06/12/2011 - 09:38 AM ] (Palestinian Information Center)
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Palestinian archaeologist Jamal Amro declared he made a discovery of 17 ancient coins that vindicated further the false story and belief of Jews about their alleged temple in occupied Jerusalem.
The coins date back to 16 AD, which means they were minted 20 years after the death of Herod the Great whom the Jews allege he built the second temple, Amro added.
He demonstrated his finding on Monday in a news conference held by the Islamic-Christian commission for the support of Jerusalem and the popular national congress of Jerusalem in Ramallah city.
The archaeologist told the attendees that these coins were found under Al-Buraq wall (wailing wall) which is claimed to be the western wall of the alleged Jewish temple.
He added this discovery confirmed that the building of the wall happened after Herod in the era of Roman ruler Valerius Gratus.
He also stated this discovery left the Jewish archaeologists in a state of shock and frustration because it just proved further their false claims and beliefs about the legend of the temple.
All archaeological discoveries that were found before this one in the Arab city of Jerusalem and around the Aqsa Mosque date back to ancient Arab and Islamic eras especially the times of Umayyad and Abbasid reigns up to the Ottoman rule, the Palestinian archaeologist said.
As for the last paragraph, I have collected some of the archaeological and literary evidence for the Herodian Temple here.
HT Joseph I. Lauer.