(ISRAEL365 NEWS) — One of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries of last year is the focus of an ongoing controversy. There is much at stake. While the researchers who made the discovery claim the evidence indicates they have found an artifact from the biblical altar of Joshua, an opposing school of thought maintains that the Bible is not historically accurate, suggesting that archaeologists who are also people of faith are guilty of “seeing the face of Jesus in the burnt bits of their grilled cheese sandwich.”
In 1981, Adam Zertal, a professor of archaeology, carried out an archaeological survey on Mount Ebal in Samaria which involved walking systematically over a given area and recording every surface find.
Zertal discovered the remains of a rectangular structure which he excavated from 1982–1989. Among the stones was a large quantity of ash and more than 3,000 animal bones. These bones had been burnt on an open flame, and many had butcher marks, implying that at least parts of them had been eaten. Zertal, a non-religious Israeli, concluded the site was the altar of Joshua described in the Bible.
