The early Kings of Judah: the facts on the ground
Thursday 20 April 2023 from 6pm to 7:30pm
Did David establish a kingdom? Did Solomon build a palace and temple? Did Rehoboam fortify fifteen cities in Judah?
In the 1980s, hot debate arose about the early history of the Kingdom of Judah, and the historicity of the biblical tradition about the first kings: David, Solomon and Rehoboam.
Join us at the Museum for a lecture led by Professor Yosef Garfinkel. Since 2007, his excavations have unearthed revolutionary data on the early history of the kingdom of Judah: fortified cities, public buildings, seals and inscriptions. In partnership with the Australian Catholic University, he is excavating the city built by Rehoboam. The lecture will present the results of the last excavation season in the winter of 2023.
Professor Garfinkel’s visit to Australia has been generously funded by the Sir Asher & Lady Joel Foundation.
A partnership with the Australian Catholic University and the Australian Friends of the Hebrew University.
Speaker: Professor Yosef Garfinkel, Yigael Yadin Chair in Archaeology of Israel at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Sir Asher Alexander Joel KBE, AO was a well-known Australian public figure, a member of the NSW Legislative Council for 20 years, a pioneer in public relations and organiser of major public events including visits by Queen Elizabeth II, US President Lyndon B Johnson, and Pope Paul VI. He also organised the Captain Cook Bicentennial and the opening of the Sydney Opera House. Amongst his many Jewish communal roles, he was a founder and trustee of The Fund for Tertiary Jewish Studies, and was awarded the Certificate of Honour from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was knighted by the Queen in 1971 and 1974 and was the first Australian Jew to receive a Papal knighthood. Sir Asher had a passion for the archaeology of Ancient Israel and in 1975 he established the Sir Asher Joel Foundation to assist university students and academics to participate in archaeological digs with universities in Israel. The Sir Asher Joel Oration is an annual event, established in 2000 in his memory, that brings eminent archaeologists and Biblical scholars to Australia to share their knowledge.
Image: Edward Poynter, 1890 The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon.