Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Niels Peter Lemche <npl AT teol.ku.dk>]

> Further on the "so-called Gezer 'calendar'":
> 
> Here is an argument from silence. Garbini it seems first wrote on the
> problems of the 'Gezer calendar' in 1956. In 1980 he is only relating his
> earlier conclusions. If one makes a survey of the more recent Israelite
> archaeological books, one will find that the 'Gezer calendar' is simply no
> longer mentioned. If it's Phoenician why should it be included in a book
> on
> Israelite archaeology?
> 
> Naturally without the 'Gezer calendar', we are faced with archaeological
> evidence that only dates to the seventh century BCE and this accords with
> the notion of a Judaic state which flowered not long before Hezekiah's
> time
> and reached its apex during his reign.
> 
> I would be interested to hear if anyone can dredge up an authoritative
> archaeology of Israel written within the last ten years or so that
> mentions
> the artifact.
> 
> 
> Ian
> 
> 
        Dear Ian,
        If you turn to the recent standard edition of Hebrew inscriptions,
Johannes renz, Die althebräischen Inschriften, I (Darmstadt,
Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1995), pp. 30-37, you will find the
Gezer inscription included fair and square among the Hebrew inscriptions of
the 10th century. That some archaeological books have forgotten it--well, it
was found by Macalister 1908, and probably in an archaeological context that
will be difficult to reestablish--may be understandable from an
archaeological point of view, but I am quite confident that people working
with inscriptions still recognize it as part of the history of the Hebrew
language.

        NPL