Global InformationMount Ebal curse tablet information
| Mount Ebal curse tablet | |
|---|---|
| Type | Defixio |
| Material | Lead sheet |
| Size | 2 cm × 2 cm (0.79 in × 0.79 in) |
| Writing | Paleo-Hebrew alphabet |
| Created | c. 1200 BC |
| Period/culture | Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age |
| Discovered | December 2019 Mount Ebal, West Bank 32°14′7″N 35°16′9″E / 32.23528°N 35.26917°E |
| Language | Ancient Hebrew |
The Mount Ebal curse tablet is a supposedly inscribed folded lead sheet reportedly found on Mount Ebal in the West Bank, near Nablus, in December 2019. The artifact, discovered by a team of archaeologists led by Scott Stripling, was found by wet-sifting the discarded material from Adam Zertal's 1982–1989 archaeological excavation.[1]
According to a team from the United States, Israel, Czech Republic, and Germany, it is the oldest known Hebrew inscription, preceding the Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon by at least two centuries, with the curse tablet dated to around 1200 BC. The use of the term YHWH (which, if proven to be inscribed on the tablet, would be the oldest example of its use by centuries outside of previous Egyptian references)[2] [3] as the Hebrew word for God, would define the inscription as early Hebrew and not Canaanite.[1][4]
The tablet has been the subject of scholarly skepticism and controversy since the announcement of its discovery, as the team made sensationalist claims about its contents before the find had undergone the peer review process, and presented little to no evidence for their findings, outside of a single photograph taken of the folded tablet which was unveiled during the initial announcement.[5]
The editio princeps of the inscription was published in May 2023.[6] The findings were nigh universally rejected by scholarly commentators.[7][8]
- ^ a b Stripling, Scott; Galil, Gershon; Kumpova, Ivana; Valach, Jaroslav; van der Veen, Pieter Gert; Vavrik, Daniel (12 May 2023). ""You are Cursed by the God YHW:" an early Hebrew inscription from Mt. Ebal". Heritage Science. 11 (1): 105. doi:10.1186/s40494-023-00920-9. S2CID 258620459.
- ^ Kristensen, Hans (28 May 2023). "Has the Mt Ebal "Curse tablet" Defeated the Historical Criticism of the Old Testament and Proved the Bible?". The Gospel Coalition | Australia. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ Grabbe, Lester L. (January 2007). Ancient Israel: What do We Know and How do We Know It?. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-567-03254-6.
- ^ Metcalfe, Tom (29 March 2022). "Ancient 'curse tablet' may show earliest Hebrew name of God". livescience.com. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ Eames, Christopher (14 May 2022). "Mt. Ebal Inscription: The Backlash Begins". Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Stripling, Scott; Galil, Gershon; Kumpova, Ivana; Valach, Jaroslav; van der Veen, Pieter Gert; Vavrik, Daniel (12 May 2023). ""You are Cursed by the God YHW:" an early Hebrew inscription from Mt. Ebal". Heritage Science. 11 (1): 105. doi:10.1186/s40494-023-00920-9. ISSN 2050-7445.
- ^ Lidman, Melanie (14 May 2023). "Academic article on controversial 3,200-year-old 'curse tablet' fails to sway experts". Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ David, Ariel (30 November 2023). "New Studies Debunk Controversial Biblical 'Curse Tablet' From Mt. Ebal". Haaretz. Retrieved 30 November 2023.