Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dora Smith" <villandra AT austin.rr.com>]

I suppose it's possible, only no evidence Solomon built the temple!

I find the book that Josiah found and his pogrom too consistent with current
political interests.   I think it was written a little more recently than
Solomon's time.   Though there's no telling if the young king believed it
was ancient!   As I recall, it was brought him by the priests.
Yours,
Dora Smith
Austin, Texas
villandra AT austin.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 10:09 AM
Subject: [b-hebrew] Josiah's book of the Law


> The recent discussion that included Josiah and the discovery during his
day
> triggered a memory of something I read a long time ago, and I want to toss
it
> out for discussion if nobody minds.
>
> Merrill F. Unger, in his book "Archaeology and the Old Testament" (Grand
> Rapids: Zondervan, 1954) p. 281 says in part that "it was customary in
> ancient times to place documents in the foundations of buildings as is
done
> even to the present day [1954, at least]."  He suggests that the Book of
the
> Law that Josiah's priests discovered had been placed in the cornerstone of
> the Temple by Solomon, and that during the extensive repairs to the Temple
> that Josiah directed, the stone masons and carpenters came across this
> deposit and reported it to the priests.  Hence the rediscovery of the Book
of
> the Law.  Unger also notes that Nabonidus, around the 6th century BC (BCE
if
> you prefer) liked to dig into foundations of buildings to see what sorts
of
> documents were cached away therein.
>
> I'm wondering what folks here think of this idea as an explanation of the
> discovery during Josiah's reign.
>
> --
> Dave Washburn
> http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
> "Well, if I'd wanted a safe life, I guess I wouldn't have
> married a man who studies rocks." - Betty Armstrong (Fay Masterson)
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