Unveiling Jerusalem's Storied Past: Debunking Old Myths

The patience of those who deny Jewish history seems boundless. New evidence piles up every year, yet their excuses never seem to end...

Before archaeology came into play, they could deny to their heart's content. No Jerusalem, no Temple, nothing at all. But gradually, discoveries accumulate that confirm Jerusalem existed in the times of King David. What's left for the deniers now?

A few decades ago, a new claim surfaced: Jerusalem existed, but it was small and insignificant, not a grand city of a great king. It wasn't until after the destruction of Israel that people came to Jerusalem, and Hezekiah transformed it into a significant city.

This claim has been debunked by a vast array of finds continually unearthed over the years: remnants of palaces, extensive structures, royal retaining walls, and more. As the findings grow, so does the volume of excuses...

Last week, a new study joined the fray, drawing on pioneering dating techniques. This research asserts that the great city wall was built well before Hezekiah, with large, royal structures erected even earlier.

Over a decade, the study compiled organic materials from ancient Jerusalem's remains, like olive pits and animal bones, sophisticatedly dating them. The separation into particles for dating was conducted at an advanced particle accelerator in Switzerland.

The study presents over a hundred items dated through carbon tests, revealing the early existence of royal buildings. Jerusalem was no village, long before Hezekiah's time.  

Yuval Gadot, an archaeologist from Tel Aviv University, states, "The accepted premise until now was that the city's expansion followed the arrival of refugees from the Kingdom of Israel in the north, after the Assyrian exile. However, the new findings bolster the view that Jerusalem grew and spread towards Mount Zion already in the 9th century BCE, in the time of King Joash, roughly a century before the Assyrian exile. Thus, the research suggests Jerusalem's expansion resulted from internal Jewish demographic growth and the establishment of political and economic systems."

And what do the deniers say? They have a seemingly endless supply of excuses: "The items were probably taken from garbage piles" (says Finkelstein). For ten years, a team of researchers gathers and examines evidence, and according to Finkelstein—it's all just a coincidence, from random trash heaps... How far will one go to deny reality?