Journey Essentials

The Mt.Ebal Curse Tablet

Introduction I

[Post five of thirty]

A minimal understanding of the Curse Tablet requires a journey across eons. For this, we need preparation.

Note

This is my fifth post on this matter, the first introductory one.

If you have accessed this post from other than captivatingtwists.com and wish to start the journey from the beginning, click here.

Otherwise, read on.

An operation order for our journey thus follows:

Situation

• Geography

Where is Mt. Ebal?

It rises in the northern third of Samaria / Judea. Adjacent stands its smaller sister–Mt. Gerazim, flanking on the south. Between them lies a gap within which one sees modern Nablus on a western neck. The location of ancient Shechem lies a little to the east.

Through this passage, people have crossed since antiquity. They traversed the Jordan Valley on the east and the Plain of Sharon and the Mediterranean on the west.

A sweeping view to the North reveals the uplands of Galilee. There, you can glimpse the outline of Nazareth. Adjusting east, one sees across the Jordan to Hermon’s whited pinnacle. Farther south, the view traverses the Dead Sea to the region of Moab. Finally, due south arise the heights of Jerusalem. 1

A nearer view reveals a valley between the two mountains into which many springs flow. These irrigate lush vineyards, orchards, and groves yielding abundant grapes, figs, and olives. But higher up near Mt. Ebal’s summit, rocky outcrops, “ubiquitous thistles and prickly shrubs” abound.2

• History Preview:

Among these high settings, Adam Zertal, an Israeli archaeologist, arrived in the 1980’s. While on a government survey mission, he found what he came to believe was an ancient Hebrew altar.

This claim paralleled events attested in Deuteronomy and the Book of Joshua. The amazing announcement spawned a worldwide stir.

Yet, this notion ran contrary to scholars’ understanding. In large, they dismissed it. Many even scoffed.

Some forty years later, an archaeological team, headed by Dr. Scott Stripling, arrived. They moved some of Zertal’s dump piles off-site. To that material, they applied a perfected wet sifting technique. As a result, they found many small, missed artifacts.

One was particularly intriguing. The tiny lead object they thought was a defixio, a curse tablet.

Having had significant experience with such, they anticipated inside an inscribed curse.

When, however, they attempted to open it, a small corner crumbled. That try they ceased.

Fortune smiled, however. Tomographic slice imaging enabled scans of what lay within.

Heritage Science published its report about the resulting photos.

These startled much of the world. Allegedly, inscribed there were proto-alphabetic letters. These pronounced God’s Hebrew name–“Yahweh”, and the word “ARWR” meaning “cursed!” Furthermore, the words and provenance recalled a ceremony recorded in scripture.

After the public release of the scans, eminent scholars disputed these claims.

Recently, Heritage Science published another peer-reviewed essay about the tablet. In it, Mark S. Haughwout, a prominent Hebrew scholar, gives his views. He also summarized the qualms of many others.

The article concludes, “The only substantiated claim that Stripling et al. can make at this time is that they have found a very old, small piece of folded lead on Mt. Ebal using wet sifting.”

In other words, Haughwout determined that there is nothing to see here!

Meanwhile, the potential destruction of the Mt. Ebal archaeological site looms. I will explain this later.

Mission

This memorandum argues that a government-authorized excavation of Joshua’s Altar should occur posthaste. The reasons are that:

• Enough evidence supports the fantastic claims about the Curse Tablet

• The probability of Mt. Ebal revealing other important evidence is significant; and
• The chance of the destruction of that evidence is real.

Execution

I argue that Haughwout failed in his “refutation”, i. e., disproval, efforts.

In doing so, I apply a measure derived from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Rule 56 of the U.S. Code of Civil Procedure mandates how lower courts decide motions for summary judgment.

The purpose of that rule, I argue, applies to our matter. Thus, it should work well for it.

Applying a fair measure to these facts frees you to make up your own mind about the issues confronted. Thus, you can decide for yourself whether my adjudication is fair and reasonable.

Service and Support

Music snippets I add for ambiance.

The last post supplies supplemental materials. This includes letters to my U. S. congressional delegation.

Command and Signal

As co-founder of captivatingtwists.com, I welcome anyone interested in the issues presented.

In this memorandum, I focus on the peer-reviewed articles of Dr. Stripling and Mr. Haughwout.

But, conclusions and recommendations herein are my own.

Forewarning

Fasten your seat belt! Prepare not only to traverse three and a half millennia of history. Brace also to referee a joust between competing views about human reality.

The next post, the last of my introduction, teases curiosity about the journey ahead.

Now here is a question. What information in this “operation order” did you find helpful for delving into this subject?

Let me know below in “comments”.

Thank you for engaging with this topic thus far!

Our next post I entitle “A Mysterious Tease”.

I look forward to continuing with you there.

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Next post: “ A Mysterious Tease“