The Mt Ebal Saga: The Beginnings of Ancient Israel
The recent discovery of the Curse Amulet from Mt Ebal has put a spotlight on the debates that have surrounded the site since ground was first broken 40 years ago. Although many minimized and even ridiculed the findings, it has become increasingly clear that the site holds the keys to the story of the birth of the Ancient Israelite nation, the first temple of Israel, and the beginnings of the Hebrew Bible. Since the recent unveiling of the “Curse Amulet”, Ebal also has the distinction of being the site of the oldest Israelite writing ever found.
The Timeless Message of the “Footprints of God” Sites in the Jordan Valley
A series of footprint-shaped archaeological sites - dating to the period when the Israelites were entering and settling the “Promised Land” - were discovered by Prof. Adam Zertal during his survey of the Jordan Valley. Zertal named them the “Footprints of God”. They present the key to solving an entire series of historical/biblical mysteries surrounding the beginnings of Ancient Israel.
The Controversial Mt. Ebal “Curse Amulet”
A matchbook-sized amulet was discovered in Mt. Ebal almost by accident in 2019. Following a two-year saga of deciphering the script on this lead amulet during Covid, it was shown to contain a curse in Ancient Hebrew. This is the oldest Israelite writing discovered to date. Its historical significance and impact on our understanding of early biblical history is incalculable.
Zvi Koenigsberg
Author, Independent Researcher
Israel
English, Hebrew
During the past 40 years, since participating in the excavation at Mt. Ebal - the Bible’s “Curse Mountain” - Zvi Koenigsberg has lived, breathed, and researched this compelling Settlement Period site. Educated in Bible and traditional Jewish texts in his youth, and mentored in archaeology and biblical history by a series of prominent scholars since, he is uniquely positioned to produce important, original, cross-discipline theories about the origins and early history of the Ancient Israelites. He has published the “Lost Temple of Israel”, and scholarly articles on the subject of Mt. Ebal including the recently discovered “Curse Amulet”.