Where Did the Philistines Come From?

Biblical Archaeology Society ^ | September 22, 2018 | Staff

[Pelham]

Seems that there is no agreement on exactly what Caphtor corresponds to.

wiki:

“Traditional sources placed Caphtor in the region of Pelusium, though modern sources tend to associate it with localities such as Cilicia, Cyprus, or Crete.”

“From the 18th century onwards commentators attempted several identifications of Caphtor which increasingly disregarded the traditional identification as an Egyptian coastal locality in the vicinity of Pelusium. These included identification with Coptus, Colchis, Cyprus, Cappadocia in Asia Minor, Cilicia, and Crete.”

[SunkenCiv]

I've always assumed that my Scottish ancestors had to lam. :^)

[SunkenCiv]

Caphtor
by Immanuel Velikovsky
(similar idea expressed in Ages In Chaos on p 201 in footnote)

If Caphtor is not Cyprus, then the Old Testament completely omits reference to this large island close to the Syrian coast. The phonetics of the name also point to Cyprus. Separately I show that Tarshish was the name of Crete.

[Pelham]

Not sure that Immanuel Velikovsky is regarded as an authoritative source. But he is entertaining and I think Catastrophism has merit.

[SunkenCiv]

I don't look for names when it comes to appeals to authority, I look at the ideas. Been doing that for nearly 50 years when it comes to Dr. V. If you've got some criticism of what he wrote there, bring it, I'd love to see it, but otherwise it's the only sensible conclusion ever made about where Capthor was. The Egyptians called them the Keftiu, and an Egyptian image of the Keftiu show them carrying the oxhide ingots characteristic of Cyprus' copper trade. All the other "may be here, may be there" arguments are and have been simple speculation.

[Pelham]

AFAIK Kittim is the OT Hebrew word for Cyprus.

[SunkenCiv]

Nope, it referred to, among other things, a city on the north coast of Cyprus (for a while), the Greeks, the Seleucids, the Ptolemies, and the Romans, more generally to Gentiles.

[Sirius Lee]

Nah.

Aye. Accept that you are not only wrong. You are so wrong that you don't even know how wrong you are.

[SunkenCiv]

No, they were Minoans who fled when Thera blew up. Blew up real good.

IOW, no again, because nowhere does the OT claim that the Philstines came from Thera or Crete. And the Bible is literally the only reason anyone ever heard of the bastards.

In addition, there was no supereruption of Thera in historical times; but even if one claims that there was, the chronology doesn't fit either the downfall of the Minoans, or the sudden appearance of the Philistines. IOW, no again.

[blam]

"No, they were Minoans who fled when Thera blew up. Blew up real good."

You think they were survivors?

Santorini Eruption Much larger Than Originally Believed

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I thought the idea that the Philistines were possibly from Crete was an old one.

[SunkenCiv]

It is, but it is based on the fallacious idea that Caphtor is Crete. Caphtor is Cyprus. Tarshish is Crete.

[ApplegateRanch]

Here's another view of it.

Photo source

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-why-are-palestinians-called-palestinians-1.5414906

Sorry; couldn't make an anchor work.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!