What is an example of an inaccurate description of the religious beliefs of early Hebrews?

Answer 1

The early Hebrew religious beliefs were polytheistic. This is not only attested in The Bible itself, but even in the archaeological record of Israel.

For example, the Israeli archaeologist, Israel Finkelstein, and the historian Silberman say that the goddess Asherah must have been a legitimate part of the cult of Yahweh, since the Bible says that a statue of Asherah stood in the Solomonic temple in Jerusalem for about two-thirds of its existence.

Among the many objects discovered at Kuntillet Ajrud were two large, splintered, pithoi or storage jars. Each pithos contained drawings in red and black ink accompanied by religious inscriptions written in Hebrew, which scholars have translated with reasonable consistency.

Pithos A seems to be a dedicatory inscription and reads, in part: "I bless you by Yahweh, our guardian, and by his Asherah".

A second pithos is nearly identical, including: "Amaryau says: Say to my lord X: I bless you by Yahweh (our guardian), and by his Asherah".

One of the inscriptions that Dever found on the base wall of a tomb at Makkedah, dated to 750-700 BCE, reads: "May Uriyahu be blessed by Yahweh my guardian and by his Asherah. Save him."

Archaeologists have discovered thousands of terra cotta fertility figurines from the pre-Exilic period. They are almost all female and often found in contexts indicating that they were personal items. Their enlarged breasts, exaggerated pubic triangles and pregnant abdomens indicate they may have been cult objects of the "mother goddess", Asherah. Even after the time of Josiah, figurines of a standing woman holding her breasts and generally identified with Asherah continued in abundance in private dwellings.

Answer 2

Here is an inaccurate description:

The early Hebrews originated in the Jiang Su province of the Peoples Republic of China. One day, they were visited by an angel (one of the angels from the baseball team in California). Then they migrated to Australia by way of the Bering Strait. The Angel (I believe it was Nolan Ryan) told them to wander in Russia for 40 years until arriving at the promised island. There they set up cell phone service and worshiped the phones until they ran out of power.

Their philosophy emphasized the importance of ethical and moral corruption, the savage beauty of the human form and all its passions, the utter impracticality of the family unit, the delicious and healthy benefits of raw meat torn from live pigs and possums, the desirability of material wealth, the effectiveness of larceny as a smooth way to acquire it, and the strict requirement of keeping it all to oneself.

Answer:Another inaccurate description of the religious beliefs of early Hebrews is that

there is no trace of them in evidence or in practice in today's modern world.

Answer:Tacitus, who was the most eminent Roman historian, actually describes the history of the Hebrews in a manner similar to the first answer above. That just goes to show you that even the greatest of scholars can be blinded by prejudice. The same goes for Greek scholars such as Apion.

Another prevalent inaccuracy: many modern scholars reject the Biblical and Talmudic tradition automatically, unless additional archaeological sources force them to admit the truth of some Biblical or traditional reference. The fact that Bible-details are being verified all the time, and the "critics" are compelled to backpedal again and again, does not move them to change their basic standpoint.

Nelson Glueck, who appeared on the cover of Time magazine and who is considered one of the greatest archaeologists, wrote:

"No archeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries."

These are the words of a man who has who has been credited with uncovering more than fifteen hundred ancient sites in the Middle East.

Donald Wiseman, an archaeologist and Professor of Assyriology at the University of London, estimated that there were more than 25,000 discoveries that had confirmed the truthfulness of details in the Bible: "There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of Old Testament tradition."

William F. Albright, one of the world's most respected archaeologists, said: "It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference."

Today, so many Bible cities, names and events have been unearthed through Archaeology that the Bible is considered the most important historical document in existence. Many lost cities have been located using the Bible as a road map. So startling and impressive are some of the finds that one archaeologist was compelled to say, "They are digging up Bible stories!"

There are numerous bible-related artifacts in the British Museum located in London. They are breathtaking to see. Even if you don't go to the museum, it is possible to log on to their website and see pictures of the artifacts. Bear in mind that every one of them forced the skeptics to admit the historicity of some Bible-quotes.