Wednesday, December 26, 2018

The altar on Mt. Ebal

ZVI KOENIGSBERG: Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal: Israel’s Holy Site Before Shiloh (TheTorah.com).
In the eighties, archaeologist Adam Zertal excavated the site of El-Burnat on Mt. Ebal, and uncovered an enormous ancient altar from the early twelfth-century B.C.E. This archaeological find sheds light on the account of Joshua’s altar at Mt. Ebal as well as the famous story of Jacob crossing his arms to bless Ephraim over Manasseh with the birthright.
"Zvi Koenigsberg worked alongside the late Prof. Adam Zertal throughout the Ebal excavations (1982-88)." He gives an engaging account of the moment when they realized they could be dealing with an altar.

For more on the altar on Mount Ebal, see here.

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