How This Ancient Stone Found in Israel Is Linked to a Biblical King
An enormous stone found in Israel may serve as additional historical proof of the reforms launched by the ancient King Hezekiah.
Bar-Ilan University professor Avraham Faust recently published a paper in the peer-reviewed Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology about the cultic stone, which is nearly 5 feet tall and weighs over 1,600 pounds.
The stone — known as a massebah, or standing stone — was commonly associated with Near Eastern cults, according to a report from The Times of Israel.
This stone was found in what was once a mansion, probably built in the late 11th or early 10th century BC, and was destroyed during the Assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom of Israel.
Curiously, the stone was not lying down because of the home being destroyed, but for a completely different purpose.
Residents appeared to have repurposed the stone — incorporating it into the platform of their dwelling.
Faust said that the religious reforms of King Hezekiah, likely during the 8th century BC, may have motivated the residents to stop using the cultic object for its original purpose.
“Most scholars consider and debate two main reforms that led to religious changes during the Iron Age, Hezekiah’s and King Josiah’s,” Faust told The Times of Israel.
“Since Josiah’s reform is thought to have happened later in the 7th century, it is not really relevant, but Hezekiah is believed to have reigned in the 8th century, so it could fit.”
The Bible indeed describes in 2 Kings 18 that Hezekiah “removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah.”
Faust said archaeologists have found some temples and shrines that stopped being used around the time of Hezekiah’s reign — such as cultic structures at Lachish, Arad, and Beersheva.
But the practice of Near Eastern religion within households likely occurred as well, meaning the end of cultic worship in such settings could be historically significant.
“The debate has focused on public buildings devoted to cultic activity, but we have very few such buildings from Judah, and even considering additional evidence for public cult, we are left with evidence from three or four sites,” Faust said.
“Their interpretation is debated. For some scholars, they are enough to prove the reform; for others, they are not. But if we look carefully at domestic architecture, we might find additional evidence.”
Beyond the particulars of the stone itself, the home had a four-room structure, which was a common style of architecture during the Iron Age.
Archaeologists found chunks of burned wood under the platform that included the stone, which may have also been linked to cultic worship.
They were unable to determine what type of wood they had found.
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