Philistine Temple Ruins Uncovered in Goliath's Hometown

Bar Ilan University archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of a Philistine temple in the ancient city of Gath, home of the Biblical Goliath, buried in one of the largest tels (ancient ruin mounds) in Israel.

The temple and a number of ritual items dating back to the 10th century BCE were discovered at Tel Tsafit (Tell es-Safit/Gath) by Professor Aren Maeir of BIU's Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology and his international team. The tel is located about halfway between Ashkelon and Jerusalem, near Kiryat Gat along the southern coastal plain.

“Interestingly, the architectural design of this temple, with its two central pillars, is reminiscent of the architectural image that is described in the well-known Biblical story of Samson and the Philistines,” Maeir said. He added that the discovery could indicate that the story of Samson reflects a type of temple that was in use in Philistia at the time.

He also said that his team had found impressive evidence of an earthquake in the 8th century BCE, reminiscent of the earthquake mentioned in the Book of Amos 1:1. The team uncovered walls that were moved from their place and collapsed like a deck of cards as a result of the powerful earthquake – assessed at a magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale.

Y'know, July just flew by this year. Did you notice that too?

Anti-social Samson
by Alison Motluk
February 14, 2001
Eric Altschuler from the University of California at San Diego and his colleagues say that Samson showed signs of no fewer than six of the seven behaviours associated with antisocial personality disorder. Samson routinely got into fights, and once killed 1000 Philistines single-handedly and then gloated over it, showing no remorse. He also showed a reckless disregard for his own safety when he told Delilah, a woman who'd tried to kill him three times before, the secret of his strength. The researchers note that Samson also burned Philistine fields, which showed both his impulsivity and his inability to conform to social norms. He was deceitful, not telling his parents, for instance, that he got honey from the carcass of a lion. And like many people with ASPD, Samson behaved badly as a child: setting things on fire, torturing animals, stealing, and bullying other children. A whole chapter is devoted to Samson's mother being warned by angels not to drink while she's pregnant.

Samson routinely got into fights, and once killed 1000 Philistines single-handedly and then gloated over it, showing no remorse.

They were Philistines, of course, he showed no remorse.

He also showed a reckless disregard for his own safety when he told Delilah, a woman who'd tried to kill him three times before, the secret of his strength.

Tell me how many guys have not seriously endangered themselves trying to impress some trim or to mollify their wives to turn them aside from a long, whining, nagging funk (Delilah was a well-known nag).

The researchers note that Samson also burned Philistine fields, which showed both his impulsivity and his inability to conform to social norms.

Again, although he married a Philistine chick, the Philistine social norms were those of a society that was oppressing Israel. As an Israelite, Samson was entirely right to fail to conform to the social norms of the oppressor.

He was deceitful, not telling his parents, for instance, that he got honey from the carcass of a lion.

He was conscientious and didn't want to gross them out and cause them to worry about him, as a Nazerite, touching a dead body.

Samson behaved badly as a child: setting things on fire, torturing animals, stealing, and bullying other children.

We could say that he was practicing for his life's work, but the Bible is silent on his childhood up to the time of marriage except to say that he was blessed by the Lord. Alison Motluk is pulling childhood anecdotes about Samson out of his/her butt.

A whole chapter is devoted to Samson's mother being warned by angels not to drink while she's pregnant.

No, it isn't. And she didn't.

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