Search

Procopius of Caesarea, a Byzantine writer, claimed to have seen two stelae inscribed with Phoenician letters at Tigisis, in Numidia. His translation of the Phoenician text links these documents with the biblical story of the expulsion of Canaanites by Joshua. Anthony J. Frendo has recently argued that Procopius' account is independently confirmed by the Armenian historian Moses Khorenats'i in a passage that, in Frendo's view, predates Procopius. Frendo concludes that Procopius may confirm the biblically attested tradition that military operations underlay the emergence of earliest Israel. However, current Armenian historiography places Moses Khorenats'i later than Procopius. What is more, Procopius' 'translation' of the Phoenician text appears to be dependent on a lost passage of Sextus Julius Africanus, itself reflecting the diction of the Septuagint (Josh 10.10 and 5.1). Procopius probably acquired the passage from Hippolytus of Rome, adding a tendentious interpolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hebrew Bible indicates that in the process of settling down in Canaan, the Israelites had engaged militarily with the local inhabitants. On the other hand, archaeological research is showing that the Israelites had settled there mainly in a peaceful manner, without disproving that some military activity had been undertaken at some point. It is useful to examine whether there is any explicit extra-biblical evidence in support of the tradition that what we commonly call Early Israel could indeed have emerged -- at least partially -- on the basis of military operations. Such evidence does exist, and it comes from an unexpected quarter, namely the History of the Wars of Justinian written by Procopius of Caesarea, a Greek historian (deemed by scholars to be reliable) of the sixth century A.D. He mentions two columns (possibly of the sixth century A.D. and which he saw at Tigisis in Numidia) which were inscribed in Phoenician and in which the Canannites who had erected them claim that they had fled from Joshua the son of Nun. These Canaanites were appealing to an age-old tradition that is already found in another extra-biblical source dating to 234 B.C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the two line Phoenician inscription on an ivory box found at Ur in 1927. It is stated that based on paleographic grounds and by Neo-Babylonian provenance, the inscription is probably between 650 to 550 B.C. There is reportedly a case for identifying the box as owned by 'Amatba'al , as a harem lady of the Byblos king. A rendering of the text is also given.

The article comments on how the inscribed columns underscore the military exploits on the part of the Israelite tribes in their process of settling down in Canaan, Palestine. According to the historian Procopius of Caesarea, he had seen two Phoenician inscriptions in the sixth century. The author said that Moses could have postdate Procopius rather than predating him.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Philip C. Schmitz and Anthony J. Frendo on the historical significance of Phoenician inscriptions from Numidia and another by Gershon Galil on the accounts of David of Jerusalem and Hazael of Syria.