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Footprints Of God
ARE THESE THE
FOOTPRINTS OF GOD?
6 giant sandal-shaped stone artifacts puzzle archaeologists in Israel
They are being referred to in some
circles as “the footprints of God.”
But, though
they a phenomenal archaeological discovery, they are actually ancient man-made
stone structures, possibly dating back to the time of Joshua and the entry of
the children of Israel into the Promised Land after their 40-year Exodus
journey from Egypt.
Found just to
the east of the Jordan River, these six sandal-shaped rock structures – one
bigger than two football fields in length and 228-feet wide – are getting
attention, not just from archaeologists, but increasingly from the Israeli
public.
Perhaps the most famous of these
sites is one found on Mount Ebal.
Its unique feature is a massive
altar found in the center measuring about 23 feet by 30 feet feet in size and a
story high.
Charred animal bones and ash were
found in and around the altar.
Adam Zertal,
the archaeologist who discovered the site, believes this is the altar Joshua
created when Israel first entered the Promised Land.
He believes he may be the one
mentioned in the Bible (Joshua 8:30).
Before the
Israelites entered the Promised Land, Moses instructed Israel that they were to
write the curses associated with the law and place them on Mount Ebal and at
nearby Mount Gerizim they were to place the blessings (Deuteronomy 11:29).
In Deuteronomy 27, Moses further
added they were to build an altar on Mount Ebal with unhewn or uncut stone.
They were to cover the rocks in
lime on which the curses were also to be written.
Mount Ebal contains large lime
deposits and remnants of ancient quarries.
In a ceremony,
Moses instructed half of Israel to go to Mount Ebal and pronounce the curses
and other half to nearby Mt. Gerizim where they declared the blessings.
In Biblical
Archaeology Magazine, Megan Sauter points to research by Professor Ralph
Hawkins of Averett University who believes these are none other than the “gilgal” sites mentioned several times
in the Bible.
According to Hawkins, gilgal means
simply “circle [of stones].” These
were gathering places for Israel and Hawkins believes the Bible refers to
upwards of five gilgal sites.
Why
foot-shaped?
Researcher
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz has a theory.
“Before
entering the Promised Land, God gave Israel this interesting promise,” he wrote.
He cites
Deuteronomy 11:24: “Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours:
from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto
the uttermost sea shall your coast be.” (KJV)
“Everywhere Israel left a footprint that was
to be their land,” Berkowitz
writes. “It was very similar to the
promise God gave Abraham after he and Lot separated because their herds were
too large. So were these giant footprints, Israel’s message to God – we have
walked here? This is our land. We claim it as our inheritance. They were also a
reminder Who had given them the land.”
As usual in
Israel, there’s controversy about the sites. One of them is in danger of being
destroyed before it can reveal its secrets.
The site overlooking the Jordan
Valley is endangered by a foreign-funded garbage dump serving the Palestinian
Authority.
Green Now, an Israeli environmental
NGO, launched a campaign to protest the project.
Ariel Filber, the Director for the
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel in Judea and Samaria, explained
the reasons for the protest to Breaking Israel News.
“The spot is about 200 meters from this
Gilgal site,” she said. “The heavy equipment, all the tractors that
will work in building and servicing the site, they may inadvertently damage the
Gilgal site.”
The project is
being financed by the Bank of Germany.
Filner says the dump is substandard
and wouldn’t be allowed in Europe or Israel. Protests have been organized.
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