There are many "experts" who claim King David never existed, now "some scientists say this Iron Age city with evidence of Hebrew civilization and an unexplored fortress at its center will transform current understanding of the ancient Israelites.

(Khirbet Qeiyafa, Israel)—We recently reported on the discovery of a 3,000-year-old pottery fragment bearing the oldest Hebrew inscription yet found near a massive excavated gate at a site believed to be that of the Biblical battle of David and Goliath.

A report in the San Francisco Chronicle this week announces the arrival of Hebrew University archaeology Professor Yosef Garfinkel at Harvard University, and later at Boston University, where he will "present compelling evidence to scholars"—some of whom may believe, because of prior lack of evidence, that King David either didn't exist at all or was merely an unimportant, minor ruler—that he believes he has, indeed, discovered the historical city of Sha'arayim; Hebrew for "Two Gates." (Photo: David Blumenfeld/The Chronicle)

According to the report, Garfinkel—having just last week found the second gate of the city—knew from the Biblical text that Sha'arayim was near the location of the famous duel between David and Goliath and locating the second gate confirmed his belief that he had found the only site mentioned in the David and Goliath narrative that has yet to be discovered. (Sha'arayim is not to be confused with the City of David, notes the report.)

Of the gate itself, Garfinkel said: "It is enormous; it has symbolic value demonstrating authority and the power of the kingdom. They are the largest ever found from the Iron Age. If King David ever came here from Jerusalem, he entered from this gate. It is likely we are walking in the footsteps of King David."

"If he is right, this puts David and Solomon out there and shows they are not a figment of the imagination of some much later writer, as some have suggested," said Aren Maeir, professor of archaeology at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan who is reportedly excavating Goliath's hometown of Gath nearby.

Used by Permission www.breakingchristiannews.com / Matthew Kalman - San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/17/MNS314468L.DTL

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