2/1/11

Josiah's Jerusalem cont'd:

The lecture began with a description of the Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon, which contains the Yavneh Yam letter.  The ostracon is important because it references a rule stated in Exodus 22, that says that you must return your worker's garment "before the sun sets." The Yavneh Yam letter talks about a violation of this rule, which may prove that some parts of Exodus were used as laws, or it could merely show that Exodus documented a law that was already in existence during the time of the Yavneh Yam letter.  Similarly, the Ketef Hinnom amulets quote two Bible verses, and they are dated around 600 BCE. What this evidence proves is mostly similar to that of the Yavneh Yam letter.  Both finds do show the importance of literacy and writing's usage as a permanent form of communication.

Exile, Destruction, and Cognitive Dissonance:

Next, we talked about The End of Jerusalem: the end of the Davidic line, the "chosen" people, the temple and the Land.  Dr. Cargill made us ponder the question, "What happens to faith when experience contradicts it?" He described the destruction of the temple and exile of the nobles by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  Many people began either lamenting or redefining God's promise to David.  The promise suddenly became "conditionalized", and the rationalization that God "put his name" in the temple surfaced.  Thus, cognitive dissonance is the struggle to accept reality when it defies belief.