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Does this coin found near Jerusalem prove that Samson lived?
Daily Mail ^ | 31st July 2012 | Leon Watson

Posted on 07/31/2012 9:12:13 AM PDT by the scotsman

'A tiny seal has been uncovered that could be the first archaeological evidence of Samson, the Biblical slayer of Philistines.

Archaeologists discovered the ancient artifact while excavating the tell of Beit Shemesh in the Judaean Hills near Jerusalem, Israel.

It appears to depict the Old Testament story of Samson, whose might was undone by his lust for the temptress Delilah, and his fight with a lion.

The seal, which measures less than an inch in diameter, shows a large animal with a feline tail attacking a human figure.

The seal was discovered at a level of excavation that dates it to roughly the 11th century BC, when Israelite tribes had moved into the area after Joshua's conquest of Canaan.

It was a time when the Jews were led by ad hoc leaders known as judges, one of whom was Samson.

The location of the find was close to the River Sorek that marked the boundary between the Israelites and their Philistine foes, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The location also indicates that the figure on the seal could represent Samson, according to Israeli archaeologists Professor Shlomo Bunimovitz and Dr Zvi Lederman.'

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Israel
KEYWORDS: beitshemesh; epigraphyandlanguage; godsgravesglyphs; goliath; letshavejerusalem; philistia; philistine; philistines; samson; shamgar
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1 posted on 07/31/2012 9:12:17 AM PDT by the scotsman
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To: the scotsman

2 posted on 07/31/2012 9:13:46 AM PDT by houeto (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: the scotsman

A bit of a stretch.
I don’t see the ‘Samson’ connection at all............


3 posted on 07/31/2012 9:16:44 AM PDT by Red Badger (Think logically. Act normally.................)
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To: houeto

I can see the lion (sort of) but I don’t see a human.


4 posted on 07/31/2012 9:21:19 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: the scotsman

Why would it be?


5 posted on 07/31/2012 9:22:32 AM PDT by stuartcr ("When silence speaks, it speaks only to those that have already decided what they want to hear.")
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To: the scotsman

Do we really need more proof?


6 posted on 07/31/2012 9:22:42 AM PDT by LearsFool ("Thou shouldst not have been old, till thou hadst been wise.")
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To: Ditter
I can see the lion (sort of) but I don’t see a human.

I think the human is supposed to be the blob to the far right edge of the coin. This is grasping at straws in my opinion, wishful thinking.

7 posted on 07/31/2012 9:22:54 AM PDT by calex59
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To: the scotsman

God’s Word is enough proof for me.


8 posted on 07/31/2012 9:24:31 AM PDT by TurkeyLurkey
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To: houeto

Could be anybody unless it was marked this is Samson slaying a lion.


9 posted on 07/31/2012 9:25:21 AM PDT by riverrunner
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To: houeto

Looks more like a Viking Kitty taking care of an obot.


10 posted on 07/31/2012 9:32:19 AM PDT by bgill
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To: houeto

It also looks like a little guy is riding on the back of the lion, with a spear sticking out of his back.


11 posted on 07/31/2012 9:35:23 AM PDT by ZX12R (FUBO GTFO 2012 !)
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To: bgill

I see the animal and the man (the man is to the far right) but I have to wonder if it could be a depiction of David slaying the lion?! David was known for that, too.


12 posted on 07/31/2012 9:38:39 AM PDT by PrairieLady2
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To: Red Badger

It’s a reverse ~ you need some warm wax to press it into ~ then you’ll see the guy and the lion ~ with perspective a good 1500 years before that concept became common in art.


13 posted on 07/31/2012 9:38:50 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: TurkeyLurkey

>>God’s Word is enough proof for me.<<

Amen. An adulterous generation seeks for a sign. Believers know because they believe - scoffers need proof, and yet still won’t believe!


14 posted on 07/31/2012 9:41:29 AM PDT by ItsOurTimeNow (DERP!)
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To: houeto

Looks to me like Adama riding a lion in the garden and Eve trying to feed it an apple.


15 posted on 07/31/2012 9:42:11 AM PDT by kempster
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To: LearsFool
Do we really need more proof?

Indeed we do. That'll be in the form of more public taxpayer grants to starving educational institutions to fund otherwise unemployable grad students.

16 posted on 07/31/2012 9:43:12 AM PDT by C210N ("ask not what the candidate can do for you, ask what you can do for the candidate" (Breitbart, 2012))
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To: kempster
Looks more like proof of the existence of Jebediah Springfield...


17 posted on 07/31/2012 9:45:41 AM PDT by C210N ("ask not what the candidate can do for you, ask what you can do for the candidate" (Breitbart, 2012))
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To: the scotsman

Now Samson and the lion, they got in a tack,
Samson he crawled up on the lion’s back.
You read about this lion, he killed a man with his paws,
But Samson got his hands around that lion’s jaws.
He ripped the beast till he killed him dead.
And the bees made honey in the lion’s head.


18 posted on 07/31/2012 9:53:55 AM PDT by allmendream (Tea Party did not send GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism)
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To: PrairieLady2

Or to use a non biblical source Hercules slaying the Nemean Lion.


19 posted on 07/31/2012 9:55:23 AM PDT by xp38
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To: TurkeyLurkey

Amen brother


20 posted on 07/31/2012 9:56:38 AM PDT by ohiobushman (Only in N.Y.C can u buy beer by the case,liquor by the gallon,but be a criminal buying a soda!)
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