Cesc

His latest speculations concern the possibility of this dwd from the Tel Dan stele being the name of a god, probably the god Shalim, whom the biblical Solomon also is possibly a personification of, according to Lemche. But he regards the stele as a probable forgery to begin with.

outhouse

Lemche takes a fringe position and claims of forgery are not followed by most. You also have the Mesha stele that is controversial that has the possibility of David


He is too far left into minimalism for my liking.


David carries a very small amount of historicty, in my opinion. Biblical text do not portray the real history or man as far as im concerned. I follow Finklesetin on this one who is a little more right inbetween minimalism and maximalism.

semiopen

I was considering making an identical post earlier today but decided to let this slide.

Did David and Solomon Exist?

is an interesting discussion of the issues. Dr. Cline seems to side with the majority but does wonder (as I have) who the fuck was Solomon?

This is a rare instance where a minimalist position is taking some heat - sort of a man bites dog.

Given the probable existence of a David, you get a lot of scholars immediately jumping to a united monarchy.

Bronzeage

If one finds a small green top hat and a pot of gold, it could be presented as evidence of the existence of leprechauns. As improbable as a leprechaun might be, the absence of little green hats and pots of gold is not evidence of their non-existence.

What is the evidence of non-existence, except a lack of evidence?

outhouse

I have a serious problem with that nonsense.

I dont even like minimalist or maximalist camps, its one time I agree with one scholar Finklestein who likes to ride in the midddle.


There is no united monarchy outside biased scholarships. This doesnt mean the OT is whole cloth fiction either.

outhouse

I agree with your stance here.

Sometimes claims are made, and evidence proves these claims to be unsubstantiated. Thus, evidence in some cases proves non-existence.

Minimalist

I highly recommend George Athas' "The Tel Dan Inscription" (or via: amazon.co.uk) for a full discussion of this very important point.

Toto

Athas book can be previewed on Amazon or Google Books. There is a Vridar post here

Duvduv

This is grasping at straws for heaven's sake......to prove OR to disprove that King David existed based on chicken scratches. How preposterous.
This logic could be applied equally to anything and anyone in ancient history and would be equally useless either way. But of course we have to keep these folks earning a living, don't we?

Bronzeage

Failure to prove existence is not the same thing as proving non-existence.

I can prove I do not have a leprechaun in my pocket, but this does not prove a thing about anyone else's pocket.