Welcome to our internet trial kitchen, a testing ground for online ideas.
Now, our menu includes:
To sample, see also the topics in the navigation bar above right.
Others we aim to add soon.
Thank you for visiting!
You do all that work—invitations, shopping, preparing an awesome meal.
A wonderful evening you envision. You sense one abounding in cordiality, universal involvement, and engaging conversation.
Instead, you realize that the evening could go flat. Rather than a triumph, conversation could lag. Then the tiring talk about pets, family, bills, costs, ailments, and neighbors somewhat revives it. Some people struggle to take part. Others monopolize. People leave appreciative of your efforts, but relieved to go home.
Hosts usually aim to enrich relationships.
Yet, they realize that a meal alone, no matter how sensational, may not achieve such.
However, they know what can. That is a great conversation.
But where might they find a catalyst for this? How is it introduced?
This website proposes a catalyst and vehicle.
My wife and I like having dinner guests. We, too, have faced these dilemmas.
Some advice we gleaned from professional dinner organizers. One recommended: “By the way, if you don’t usually prepare topics for conversation, you should.” 1 Another declared: “If it makes your guests uncomfortable, then avoid it.”
With this sound advice, we concur with a couple of provisos.
The first regards uncomfortable subjects. Often, hosts interpret this as excluding politics and religion. To that I say, “No way!” I maintain that if you and your guests are adult enough to speak of such with reasonable gentility, then go for it. (Disregard, however, if you live in certain settings. Those include Putin’s Russia, Xi Jinping’s China, and the Ayatollah’s Iran. Of course, add Kim Jong Un’s North Korea and Lukashenko’s Belarus. Note too that MAGA America also aims for this list.)
The second proviso is about preparing. Some think that identifying interesting topics completes the task.
In fact, engaging subjects, while important, are not good conversation’s sole precursor.
What else does a dinner need? An appropriate format helps. This reduces the likelihood of these discussion derailments:
What is a dining format? It is a structure that provides:
The idea of a dinner format is not unique. Search the internet. Examples there one can explore.
Some popular ones include Jeffersonian and Zeldin dinners.
In certain circumstances, we perceive how each might work well.
Still, they seemed inappropriate for our home dinners. A successful Jeffersonian, for example, hinges upon having a somewhat authoritarian moderator. Such did not seem to fit a pleasant occasion with four to six neighbors and friends. The Zeldin dinner elicits too much personal information from guests.
So we opted for another solution–“Dining Entente Cordiale.” That is dining pursuant to a friendly agreement, a working relationship, or an accord.
The gist of the idea is this: Guests and hosts agree to dine together to tackle a set of issues.
Book clubs operate somewhat like this.
So, does the Sky News program, “The Wrap.” There, a host moderates a discussion with prominent guests from the British press. Together, they parse daily articles from assorted newspapers and tabloids.
Major components of this format include:
Sounds like a lot of work! Well, yes, it can be.
At this site, though, we take on much of that. For each dinner option, we present much of what the evening needs. We supply topics, a sample invitation, review material, dinner questions, and an itinerary.
Of this format, there is an important benefit. It fosters colorful interactions among guests and hosts.
People in our modern world seldom have the opportunity to discuss the same texts with others. This is especially so in light of the alarming decline in local print media. Often, people’s information flows from the particular news outlets toward which they incline. Seldom do they sit down together to talk about material from a shared source.
In our format, our guests have agreed to be familiar with the same text. To it, they bring their own perspectives. Yet, these perspectives focus upon the shared material.
This format also encourages guests to explore issues with different people. That is with those outside our normal conversation groups. Seldom are we versed in a subject with people of different backgrounds. At our dinner, everyone can discuss the issues at hand. All have had an opportunity to review the text/s and the questions. The result is often refreshing perspectives expressed.
There are, of course, disadvantages.
One of the things mentioned before is that it requires more up-front work for all involved. The guests have more preparation added to their busy lives. The hosts have increased moderating responsibilities.
The format compensates the guests with a good meal, refreshing conversation, and camaraderie.
The hosts, too, can present a more fluid, organized, rewarding evening.
Our Dinner
My wife and I plan to host Entente Cordiale dinners. There, we will moderate a conversation with four to six friends.
After the dinner, I will draft a report. This will include an “after-action review” in which my guests, my wife, and I take part. Our goal will be to memorialize the evening. We should capture what went well. That should also include what needs improvement. Further, it aims to capture how to improve.
Once we record these, others who wish to host a similar dinner will have access to our insights.
We aim to have other prepared topics.
If you have ideas for such, let us know.
In the meantime, feel free to use the topic(s) presented.
If you do, please give us feedback on how well it worked for you.
Try the Entente Cordiale format. See what captivating twists it brings to your next dinner!
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The Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet
Foreword
{Post one of thirty}
We must excavate now “Joshua’s Altar”, the origin of the Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet!. This site in northern Judea/Samaria has lain exposed and unprotected for forty years. Yet, it may harbor some of the greatest archaeological and historical artifacts.
Note
This is the first post of my memorandum on the Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet.
If you have not arrived at this topic via captivatingtwists.com and wish to read the entire memorandum in sequence, click here.
Otherwise, continue below.
My name is Ernie Vallery. I am a retired Louisiana attorney living in South Coast, Massachusetts.
Claims about the Curse Tablet counter an entrenched historical premise. Many scholars say that Moses could not have written the Torah. Scripture attests otherwise. So may the tablet.
This memorandum grapples with this issue.
Between the two sides, tensions exist. One says that minuscule evidence supports the tablet’s claims. Thus, archaeologists should spend no further resources on excavating Joshua’s Altar. The other side retorts that ample evidence exists. Thus, not excavating now has consequences. It jeopardizes mankind’s proper understanding of history, philosophy, law, politics, and more.
Our problem is how to resolve this tension.
My answer is that we apply a legal standard such as the one used in summary judgment.
Legal summary judgment and the decision that we seek are alike in two ways. Both seek to resolve tensions early in a deliberative process. Both also involve important competing interests.
In summary judgment, the competing interests are judicial economy and due process.
Likewise, here interests compete. One side seeks to ensure that resources are not wasted on a frivolous archaeological claim. The other desires to safeguard precious archaeological evidence.
Given the similarity between summary judgment and our matter, a like rule should apply to both.
In this matter, I thus apply a rule like that used for summary judgment in U.S. federal courts.
The result is my plea. I encourage regional and international actors to act. Probe further into the tablet and Joshua’s Altar. Spend the necessary financial, political, and other considerations. Why? Enough evidence supports the Curse Tablet’s claims.
In 2019, an archaeological team found this tiny piece of lead in northern Judea / Samaria.
Today, in academic circles, that tiny object causes great consternation. Some scholars declare it the archaeological find of the 21st century. Others say: “There is nothing to see here!”
The debate I do not seek to resolve.
Instead, I argue for something less, yet necessary.
It is that Joshua’s Altar and the Curse Tablet deserve a chance to prove what they might be.
In other words, the exigent evidence I find warrants:
This argument raises necessary questions that I should address at the beginning. Before launching into the matter’s heart, I thus present these three prefacing posts:
Two introductory posts follow. The first seeks to arm readers for a 3,500-year journey that this matter invokes. The second attempts to wet enthusiasm for that trip.
Those posts are:
Afterwards comes the main body.
The table of contents is thus:
It seems a lot! But it should not intimidate. Hang with the story. Then this consequential topic becomes easy, much like witnessing a cascade of dominoes!
Here is a question. What other historical issues compare to those explored in this memorandum? Let me know in the “comments”.
Thank you for engaging with this topic thus far!
The next post addresses: “Why Write This?”
I look forward to continuing with you there.
If you appreciate this type of analysis, please subscribe, like, and share.
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The Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet
Preface I
[Post two of thirty]
For one, this story enthralls me.
Note
This is the second post of my memorandum about the Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet.
If you have accessed this post from other than captivatingtwists.com and wish to start the journey from the beginning, click here.
Otherwise, proceed below.
While it is set in this galaxy, even this planet, this adventure starts a long, long time ago. It is far before Caesar, Hannibal, or Alexander. Owing to his antiquity, we know little about Homer. Yet, he sets his supernatural-laced tales half a millennium before his time. Yet, our saga begins a century, if not three, before those stories. The setting is before Achilles’ epic feats, the Battle of Troy, and Odysseus’ journey home.
Plus, it is a story about writing by people considered unable to do so. By that I mean unable to write in a way that you or I would find understandable. That is, without extensive training in things like hieroglyphics or cuneiform. No, you can read this after only a short lesson in the alphabet and vocabulary. You can imagine it almost as a news feed on your phone.
Well, I have to walk that back a bit. We would have to account for the boustrophedon track. Some ambiguity that adds to the message without blurring its gist. I will explain this later.
Still, this is about us reading the thoughts of someone thirty-five hundred years ago.
But it goes beyond that. The inscription seems to detail events and personages we know. These, many believed, were the stuff of mythology. They are Moses, Joshua, and the Hebrews of the Conquest.
Yet, beyond my interest, there is another, more compelling reason for my writing.
It is this: A tragedy impends. Of such, I needed to alert and offer aid to avoid.
Later, I will explain this further.
Now, a question: What would you like to learn from a news feed from thirty-five hundred years ago? Let me know in your comments.
Thank you for engaging with this topic thus far!
In our next post, we address “Why the Fuss?”
I look forward to continuing with you there.
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The Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet
Preface II
[Post three of thirty]
Why such a fuss over an artifact no bigger than a business card folded in half?
Note
This is the third post of my memorandum about the Curse Tablet.
If you have accessed this post from other than captivatingtwists.com and wish to start the journey from the beginning, click here.
The reason is that artifacts from this site could trigger a thought tsunami. Massive changes philosophically and spiritually could ensue. Historical, archaeological, epigraphical, and even political understandings could change.
Hence, there is much at stake.
A fuller explanation of this I discuss later.
Here, however, is a nutshell version:
Some claim that this so-called “Curse Tablet” may solve the ancient riddle of “Who wrote the Torah?” This is especially so if it is augmented by further evidence from Joshua’s Altar.
They thus view delaying excavation as a potential disaster. Opportunities to discover could be lost.
Others say that given the present evidence such ideas are fanciful.
Regardless, both sides recognize that excavation could impede peace in a war-torn region.
Authorities thus must decide:
This memorandum explains my take on the first three of these.
The fourth, however, I do not wrestle to a conclusion. How to avoid igniting regional and international tension when excavating on Mt. Ebal, I leave unaddressed. On this, I offer only a few speculative hunches in my conclusion.
Why? It involves diplomatic intricacies to which I am not privy.
But for those in appropriate channels, our answering the first three is valuable. It clears a path. They can then focus on resolving the remaining hurdle.
The problem of the Curse Tablet and Joshua’s Altar thus represents a multi-locked door. To get through, one must negotiate each.
This memorandum seeks to unlock all save one.
Others can then focus on it.
With you, however, a separate important question has likely arisen. You might ask: “Why should I address these matters?”
I discuss this in the next post.
Now, a question for you: How might resolving “Who wrote the Torah?” impact your life or that of others?
Respond in the comment section below.
Thank you for engaging with this topic thus far!
Our next post I entitle “Why Me?”
I look forward to continuing with you there.
If you appreciate this type of analysis, please “subscribe”, “like”, and “share”.
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The Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet
Preface III
[Post four of thirty]
Why should I attempt to tackle Ebal’s enigmas? The short answer is that I have experience with an appropriate tool for the issue at hand. That is summary judgment.
Note
This is the fourth post for my memorandum about the Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet.
If you have accessed this from other than captivatingtwists.com and wish to start the journey from the beginning, click here.
For a definitive opinion on this matter, one would likely at first blush look elsewhere. You might consider a panel. That would include archaeologists, epigraphers, and experts in tomography, computer science, and photography. But not an attorney!
If the question was: “What is the ultimate truth about Mt. Ebal, Joshua’s Altar, and the Curse Tablet?”, I would agree. In that case, I would likely say,” Yes, the experts should receive considerable latitude.”
But that is not the current question. Instead, it is whether to excavate now!
Answering this question requires another element. That is an expedited, well-reasoned decision. Beyond the experts’ opinions, how is this achieved?
Usually, archaeologists, epigraphers, and similar experts are not best equipped to negotiate this.
Consider Agatha Christie. She described her husband, an esteemed archaeologist, conferring with colleagues. This, she said, was “Blood on the carpet!”
Blood on the carpet” may achieve a quick resolution. But likely not the non-literal sense Christie intended.
Often, too, it may not precipitate the best immediate resolution. Instead, it may settle with the side that speaks loudest. Worse, today, it may be with the one who best manipulates social media.
This matter is too important, too urgent for such a result.
So why me?
I am not an expert in archaeology, epigraphy, or tomography.
Instead, I am a combat infantry veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, I am an attorney, a retired member of the Louisiana bar.
But on the questions at issue, I am qualified to make this case..
Experience as a combat infantryman helps a bit.
First, I have ideas about operating in a combat zone. Particularly, I have experienced scenes of tranquility. Then, in a moment, they erupt into chaotic bloodshed.
The area of Mt. Ebal can become the eye of such.
This, decision-makers should remember.
Additionally, another aspect of military experience is of value. Understanding the issues presented here requires a journey across an eon of time. There, one encounters battles about truth.
For this journey, one needs preparatory information
In the U. S. Army, such comes in an operation order. Anyone who has ever served knows “Sergeant Major eats sugar cookies!” This is the anachronism for the elements of an operation order. That is situation, mission, execution, sustainment, command, and signal.
To equip you for this adventure, I detail the most relevant of these in my next post.
My being an attorney, however, provides the most salient reason for “Why me?”
For me, the necessary elements are at hand.
The internet provides appropriate expertise. For example, one can find such on Heritage Science’s website. One appears at: “You are Cursed by the God YHW:” an early Hebrew inscription from Mt. Ebal. You discover another at: Mt. Ebal curse tablet? A refutation of the claims regarding the so-called Mt. Ebal curse tablet
I also have experience with a rule of law for a situation analogous to this matter. It is U.S. Code of Civil Procedure Rule 56–“Summary Judgment”. This states an authoritative measure. Plus, it yields an expedited decision with more than a modicum of logic.
This matter needs this decision-making clarity.
Much public confusion now reigns over the issues surrounding Mt. Ebal.
Some people have already ingrained notions. Many derive, as one might choose a favorite football team. They have decided that they prefer the red team or the blue team, the gold or the purple. Logic may not run much deeper.
Political authorities and the public who can influence them need to make up their minds. They must do this soon. But after serious thought.
Why? There are immense consequences for a wrong or late response.
Delay could lead to the loss of riddle answers. This could be for another decade, another century, or another thirty-five hundred years. Who knows?
But, acting without due forethought could upset a war zone’s delicate political balance.
The decision-making process of this memorandum offers an opportunity. That is an expedited, logical deliberation that this matter mandates.
In sum, stick with me for this excursion. Together we can reach our destination. We can digest the academic evidence. We can apply a fair measure. Also, on the following questions, we can render expedited yet considered decisions:
Again, come along! We can do this!
But first, let us make sure we have what we need for our time travel.
We will review this in our next post.
Now, here is a question. So what if future generations fail to discern the Curse tablet’s true character?
Let me know in the comment section below.
Thank you for engaging with this topic thus far!
Our next post I entitle: “Journey Essentials”.
I look forward to continuing with you there.
If you appreciate this type of analysis, please “subscribe”, “like”, and “share”.
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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:
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
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:
Execution:
In support of these positions, 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:
I provide links to materials–written, audio, and video. These reflect the tensions associated with this topic. Adversarial material I attempt to display.
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.
If you appreciate this type of analysis, please “subscribe”, “like”, and “share”.
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The Mt. Ebal Curst Tablet
Introduction II
[Post six of thirty]
The controversies surrounding a recent archaeological find should matter to you. This post presents a taste of why.
Note
This sixth post about the Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet aims to pique your interest in the story.
If you have accessed this post from other than captivatingtwists.com and wish to start the journey from the beginning, click here.
Otherwise, continue below.
Photos of a defixio, a curse tablet found in Israel in 2019, present a quandary. Archaeologists could not open it without it crumbling. They thus employed tomographic scanning to peer inside. This revealed a proto-alphabetic script. This claim, given the archaeological context, challenges long-held understandings of world history.
When, however, the archaeologist released photos of the scans, some experts cried, “Hoax!” They denied that the photos showed anything of significance.
My goal here is two-fold. One is to help you reach a well-informed understanding of the tablet. Further, I aim to encourage you to act on what you learn.
But beware! Conversing with intelligence about the photos requires more than a mere viewing. To most, other than a few specialized experts, they appear mysterious and unknowable.2
Yet, lay persons with some help can make well-considered observations about them.
To do so, they need three things. First, they need the history. Then they need an opportunity for efficient study. Last, and most important, they need enthusiasm. That is, enthusiasm for the history and for probing the evidence.
Below, I relate the history.
Furthermore, I guide an efficient online study of the photos.
But what about the enthusiasm?
Viewing a 30-second video might spark something. It shows, of all things, a technological process applied to a piece of metal.
Wow! How thought-provoking and intriguing can that be?
Well, take a look at the video below.
Glance at its millimeter ticker in the top left corner. When it gets to .20 mm, focus particularly on the object’s top right.
Or, watch the red bar on the right graph. As it approaches the major breach, focus on the top right of your screen.
Move, also, your cursor to the top right and click. This expands the image.
Click here. 1
Now watch.
Did you see anything?
Did you perceive only happenstance cracks, dents, and scratches on a very old piece of lead?
But, what about a stick man, a mace, some crossed hockey sticks? Did you detect some squiggly lines, a bent arm with an open hand, and a couple of ox skulls?
A canon of human history may hang in the balance, upon which of these assessments is correct.
Regardless of what you saw, this viewing likely raises questions like:
This memorandum seeks to prepare you for these and other issues.
At its end, I aim to help you engage these inquiries:
Now here is a question. What, if anything, about the video most intrigued you?
Let me know your response in the comment section below.
Thank you for engaging with this topic thus far!
Our next post, the first of our review of the Curse Tablet’s history, I entitle: “The Paradigm”.
I look forward to continuing with you there.
If you appreciate this type of analysis, please “subscribe”, “like”, and “share”.
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The Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet
History I
[Post seven of thirty]
This is a story about two archaeological discoveries. Each may profoundly impact biblical and world history.
Note
This is the first of ten posts detailing the history of the Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet.
If you have accessed this post from other than captivatingtwists.com and wish to start the journey from the beginning, click here.
Otherwise, continue below.
Archaeologists discovered these at the same location at different times. The first became known about 40 years ago. Identification of the latter occurred within the last six.1
Yet, they pose a piercing assault on a long-understood, entrenched paradigm. Something many considered unassailable.
What is that? It is that Moses did not write, and, in fact, could not have written, the first five books of the Bible. This is despite scripture declaring otherwise. Old Testament sources, as well as Jesus, affirmed or implied that Moses wrote the Torah.
If not Moses, who lived allegedly around the Twelfth to Fifteenth Century B. C., then who? In short, the theory holds that it was a collection of authors. These lived from the Ninth to the Third Century B. C.
They aimed to forge a shared identity for the Hebrews. This would engender moral cohesion and reverence for mythological heroes.2
This idea permeates more than the ivory towers of elite universities. It holds sway over heartlands worldwide. Since the late 19th century, priests and preachers have been thus taught. Waves of college students enrolled in biblical studies were also so schooled. 1
This paradigm against Mosaic authorship has a name. It is the documentary hypothesis.2
Now, let us examine these two discoveries that challenge it.
But before doing so, here are some questions. When did you first encounter the documentary hypothesis, and what effect did that have on you?
Let me know in the comment section below.
Thank you for engaging with this topic thus far!
Our next post introduces “Joshua’s Altar” and its role in this story.
I look forward to continuing with you there.
If you appreciate this type of analysis, please “subscribe”, “like”, and “share”.
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The Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet
History II
[Post eight of thirty]
In the 1980s, a University of Haifa archaeologist surveyed Mount Ebal. This rises next to biblical Shechem and today’s Nablus. He was Professor Adam Zertal. 1
That area drips with serious biblical relevance. For example, the site of the Abrahamic covenant is there. 2 It also includes Jacob’s well, Joseph’s burial site, and Jesus’ interactions with the Woman at the well. Additionally, there is an incident most relevant to our story.
Note
This is the eighth post of my memorandum about the Curse Tablet. It is also the second of ten detailing the history of the tablet and the proposed Joshua’s Altar on Mt. Ebal in northern Judea / Samaria.
If you have accessed this post from other than captivatingtwists.com and wish to start the journey from the beginning, click here.
Otherwise, continue below.
That event unfolds something like this:
Moses could not enter the Promised Land. He thus directs Joshua, his successor as leader of the people of Israel. In effect, he says, “Once you have conquered a foothold in the land, go to Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. Set up stones brought from Jericho. Plaster them and write thereon the words of the law. Position half of the tribes on one mountain and half on the other. Announce blessing from Gerizim and curses from Ebal. On Ebal, build an altar of non-hewn stones. To the God of Israel, sacrifice the blood of innocent animals to cover the sins of the guilty.”
Joshua accomplishes these directives, as recorded in Joshua 24:1, 25-26, and 32. 3
Of this relevance, however, Zertal had little inkling. He descended from Eastern European immigrants who had lived under Soviet domination. He had grown up on a kibbutz. To him and many of his kin, biblical connections had almost no resonance. He was agnostic and almost clueless about scripture. (Note that he was also an esteemed scholar and a wounded combat veteran. Hence, he walked with a cane.) His academic training cemented his conviction that the Bible was mythology. 4
That was about to change.
Exploring the backside of the mountain, he observed a peculiar mound. He did a quick survey. From this, he concluded that the place deserved serious investigation.
Later, his team removed a large covering of stones, revealing a baffling structure. What is this? Nothing about it resembled anything of Zertal’s experience.
A period of head-scratching wonder followed. Then, an under-associate informed Zertal of a possible explanation.
Here is the gist of that. “People have scoured this mountain for decades, looking for a particular structure. Their focus was on the side of Mt. Ebal facing its twin mountain, Mt. Gerizim. Convinced that it must be there, they ignored the back side where this site lies on a lip beyond the summit.”
“Could this be what had confounded many?”, the understudy postulated. “Could this be Joshua’s Altar, the one that Moses in Deuteronomy 27 and 28 had commanded him to build!?”2
Of this, Zertal, the agnostic, became convinced. 3
At this point, I stop the Harrison Ford-type narrative. Instead, I suffice with a simple listing of the things that supported his conviction. They are:
These verisimilitudes convinced Zertal.
On announcing his findings, a tremor rumbled through the archaeological and theological worlds.
Yet, as we will see in the next post, it was only a tremor. It was not the epic seismic event necessary. The illiterate or mythological Moses paradigm was not much shaken. 2
Now a question: What other evidence might have elevated Zertal’s altar hypothesis?
Let me know in the comment section below.
Thank you for engaging with this topic thus far!
The next post I will title “Zertal Rejected”.
I look forward to continuing with you there.
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The Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet
History III
[Post nine of thirty]
Academicians ignored, rejected, and even scoffed at Zertal’s postulate. Many had long concluded that Moses and Joshua were fictional characters. The exploits of such they considered the stuff of mythology.
Note
This is the ninth post of my memorandum about the Curse Tablet. It is also the third of ten detailing the history of the tablet and the proposed Joshua’s Altar.
If you have accessed this post from other than captivatingtwists.com and wish to start the journey from the beginning, click here.
Otherwise, continue below.
This stuff of mythology theory scholars had embraced since the eighteenth century. Jean Astruc (1684–1766), a prominent physician, was among the first. To his notions, others contributed.
In the late 19th century, the documentary hypothesis gained academic preeminence. K. H. Graf and German scholar Julius Wellhausen wrote then. For this, they bore much responsibility. 1 Tensions, they declared, existed in the biblical materials. about styles and word usage. To resolve this, they proposed elegant theories. These concluded that various late non-Mosaic scribes authored the Torah.
Furthermore, linchpins fortified their ideas.
For example, the ancient materials use two different names for the Hebrew creator. These appeared in different texts but never together. This, they theorized, mandated different late date authors.1
Also, little evidence then supported a phonetic alphabet. Moses needed one based on sounding out words to communicate the nuanced scriptures. An early alphabetic script, the theory held, appeared much later.2
Lawrence Stager of Harvard is often considered the dean of the documentary hypothesis. He once conjectured 3 that if Zertal discovered Joshua’s altar on Mt. Ebal, then he and the rest of the community of biblical scholars “…would need to go back to kindergarten!” The gist of which was that those as learned as he would never need such. 4
Other factors, too, mellowed the shock of Zertal’s assertion. Again, for the sake of brevity, I resort to a list.
Factors working against Zertal’s discovery gaining wide acceptance included:
• Mt. Ebal lay in Judea / Samaria. This area, also known as the West Bank, is a charged geopolitical environment. Since the 1980’s, tensions between Palestinians and Israelis have surged from warm to hot. Today, under the Oslo Peace Accords, it falls within one of three designations. These are A, B, or C. Zertal’s site lies in B, that is, one falling within Israeli military and Palestinian civil control. Thus, permits for further archaeological excavations remain difficult to navigate. 1 Recent wars increased the problem. 2
• In 1987, Zertal issued a preliminary Ebal excavation report. He, however, died in 2015 3 without publishing his final report. 4
• Furthermore, before his death, the excavations on Mt. Eval had not uncovered all the small round altar. This is the one most likely associated with an older period, i.e., that of Joshua.5
• Over the last decade, Israel 365 News has issued alerts. These detail that “surreptitious actions by the Palestinian Authority (PA). have been destroying the archaeological site.” 6
Thus, the Documentary Hypothesis, although in different iterations, remains prevalent.
This is despite archaeological and scientific headwinds 12, 13, & 14.
Shaken, but unbowed, the Documentary Hypothesis still holds sway.
Before his death, Zertal mused, “All we need now is an inscription!” 15
That brings us to the second archaeological find associated with Mt. Ebal, the Curse Tablet.
Could this be the blow that tumbles the Documentary Hypothesis? Let us look closer. 16
Meanwhile, here is a question. What do you consider the documentary hypothesis’s strongest evidentiary support?
Let me know in the comment section below.
Thank you for engaging with this topic thus far!
Our next post, the fourth of our review of Curse Tablet history, I entitle: “Whoa!”
I look forward to continuing with you there.
If you appreciate this type of analysis, please “subscribe”, “like”, and “share”.
To support this work, you can donate below. If so, thank you for the encouragement.
Next post: “Whoa!“
1. Greg A. King, The Documentary Hypothesis, Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 12/2001, pages 23 and 24.
2. Sean McDowell, Oldest Hebrew Writing? Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet (Revisited) m.youtube.com>watch, (35:23), 11 May 2023; and Associates for Biblical Research, Cursed! The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet (Part Three, Digging for Truth Episode 200), YouTube, (02:20), May 1, 2023.
3. Associates for Biblical Research, “ABR Researchers Discover the Oldest Known Proto-Hebrew Inscription Ever Found”, biblicarchaeology.org/current-events-list/, Youtube, (44:35), March 24, 2022; Associates for Biblical Research, Cursed! The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet (Part Two, Digging for Truth Episode 200), YouTube, (23:45), May 1, 2023; and One For Israel,The Curse from Mount Ebal that became an Archeological Blessing!, oneforisrael.org, paragraph 2, April 2, 2022.
4. Associates for Biblical Research, Cursed! The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet (Part Three, Digging for Truth Episode 200), YouTube, (03:50), May 1, 2023.
5. Sean McDowell, Oldest Hebrew Writing? Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet (Revisited) m.youtube.com>watch, (34:50), 11 May 2023; and Associates for Biblical Research, Cursed! The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet (Part Three, Digging for Truth Episode 200), YouTube, (04:10), May 1, 2023.
6. Ariel David, “New Studies Debunk Controversial Biblical ‘Curse Tablet” from Mt. Ebal”, haaretz.com, paragraph 3, November 30, 2023;Sean McDowell, Oldest Hebrew Writing? Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet (Revisited) m.youtube.com>watch, (40:00-11), 11 May 2023; and
Associates for Biblical Research, Cursed! The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet (Part One, Digging for Truth Episode 200), YouTube, (15:17), May 1, 2023.
7. Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, Skeptics of Ebal Curse Tablet Accuse Christian Researchers of “Seeing the Face of Jesus in a Grilled Cheese Sandwich”, israel365news.com, paragraph 13, December 6, 2023; andSteve Law, patternsofevidence.com, Ancient Hebrew Writing on Tablet Discovered at Joshua’s Altar, paragraph 9, February 4, 2022
8. Associates for Biblical Research, “ABR Researchers Discover the Oldest Known Proto-Hebrew Inscription Ever Found”, biblicarchaeology.org/current-events-list/, Youtube, (06:09), March 24, 2022.
9. Associates for Biblical Research, Cursed! The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet (Part One, Digging for Truth Episode 200), YouTube, (14:00), May 1, 2023.
10. Sean McDowell, Oldest Hebrew Writing? Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet (Revisited) m.youtube.com>watch, (22:14), 11 May 2023; andAssociates for Biblical Research, “ABR Researchers Discover the Oldest Known Proto-Hebrew Inscription Ever Found”, biblicarchaeology.org/current-events-list/, Youtube, (14:52), March 24, 2022.
11. Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, Skeptics of Ebal Curse Tablet Accuse Christian Researchers of “Seeing the Face of Jesus in a Grilled Cheese Sandwich”, israel365news.com, Archeology, paragraph 13, December 6, 2023.
12, 13, 14 For instance, how did fourth or third century authors accurately record in scripture these now archaeologically attested events of the 6th through the 10th century B.C.:
The Documentary Hypothesis must also account for such as these:
15. Associates for Biblical Research, Cursed! The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet (Part Three, Digging for Truth Episode 200), YouTube, (08:19), May 1, 2023
16. Associates for Biblical Research, Cursed! The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet (Part Three, Digging for Truth Episode 200), YouTube, (02:33 and 0255), May 1, 2023; Associates for Biblical Research, Cursed! The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet (Part Four, Digging for Truth Episode 200), YouTube, (05:00), May 1, 2023; and Associates for Biblical Research, “ABR Researchers Discover the Oldest Known Proto-Hebrew Inscription Ever Found”, biblicarchaeology.org/current-events-list/, Youtube, (31:41), March 24, 2022.
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