Archaeology in Jerusalem: Digging Up Trouble

[Adsos Letter]

Source: TIME.COM
By Tim McGirk / Jerusalem

The Jerusalem syndrome is a psychological disorder in which a visit to the holy city triggers delusional and obsessive religious fantasies. In its extreme variety, people wander the lanes of the Old City believing they are biblical characters; John the Baptist, say, or a brawny Samson, sprung back to life.

Archaeologists in the Holy Land like to joke that their profession is vulnerable to a milder form of the syndrome. When scientists find a cracked, oversize skull in the Valley of Elah, it can be hard to resist the thought that it might have belonged to Goliath, or to imagine, while excavating the cellars of a Byzantine church, that the discovery of a few wooden splinters might be part of the cross on which Christ died. This milder malady is nothing new. In the mid-19th century, British explorers who came to Jerusalem with a shovel in one hand and a Bible in the other used the holy book as a sort of treasure map in the search for proof of Christianity's origins.

Now an extreme case of the willful jumbling of science and faith is threatening Jerusalem's precarious spiritual balance. It could not come at a worse time: Israeli-Arab peace talks have stalled; Israel has a hawkish government disinclined to compromise; and radical Islamist group Hamas remains powerful among Palestinians. Any tilt in Jerusalem's religious equilibrium could create a wave of unrest spreading far beyond the city's ramparts. Eric Meyers, who teaches Jewish studies and archaeology at Duke University, says: "Right now, Jerusalem is a tinderbox. "

The story begins with a right-wing Jewish settler organization called Elad, but also known as the Ir David Foundation, which for the past four years has exerted control over most of the holy city's excavations. Led by David Be'eri, an ex-Israeli commando who used to disguise himself as an Arab for undercover missions in the Palestinian territories, Elad now has the backing of the Israeli Prime Minister's office, the municipality, and the vaunted Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which monitors all archaeological work in the country and which Elad helps finance. Elad's own funding comes through unnamed private donors. (Israeli newspapers have reported that a few Russian-Jewish oligarchs, including Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, attended a 2005 Elad fundraiser.) The organization's aim is best expressed in a religious website's 2007 interview with development director Doron Speilman. He gestures toward Silwan, an Arab neighborhood that spills down from the Mount of Olives, and says: "Our goal is to turn all this land you see behind you into Jewish hands."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1957350,00.html#ixzz0e3zeDblr

[babylonsister]

1. Wow, a mystery! I've been to Jerusalem, one of the most

interesting places I've ever visited (and I'm not religious); I hope this doesn't cause more hate and discontent.

Disclaimer, I haven't read the whole thing, which is why this is my bookmark. :hi: Adsos! :hug:

[bridgit]

2. Fascinating! Thanks for posting, Adsos...

:think:

[Fumesucker]

3. The older I get the more sympathy I feel for Pilate..

Dealing with religious fruitcakes makes you want to wash your hands of the entire ridiculous mess.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. Very interesting article.

I don't know why thsee people can't all work together. As the writer points out, Jerusalem has been claimed by many nations and religions over the years. Why should a far right, fundamentalist Israeli group be able to claim sole authority now? Everyone should have equal access. The city belongs to them all.

[bertman]

5. Same reason that the Lakota, Ojibwa, Cheyenne, Seminoles, Apaches, etc. aren't big

in the governance of Washington, D.C.??

[Blue_In_AK]

6. Good point.