Ancient DNA counters biblical account of the mysterious Canaanites

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/07/ancient-dna-counters-biblical-account-mysterious-canaanites

So apparently the Canaanites have living descendents and weren't entirely wiped out by the Israelites. That seems like a huge Biblical narrative counter unless you've actually read the Bible. The Israelites were commanded to completely wipe out the Canaanites, but they never actually did it. There are stories depicting the contamination of Israeli worship by Canaanite influences for the entire history of Israel until the first Diapsora.

But I guess I clicked, so they got what they wanted.

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but i think you would agree that the text of the bible makes it seem like these were aberrant practices deviating from the norm, rather than business as usual (which the evidence suggests is the case) that the bible writers were trying to stamp out.

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I would say deviating from the ideal, not the norm. Mixed worship was the norm for the entire history of Northern Kingdom in the Biblical narrative. The Southern Kingdom oscillated between "pure" and mixed worship through it's entire history. The inability of either kingdom to worship the True God alone is the textual reason for the destruction of both kingdoms.

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I would say deviating from the ideal, not the norm.

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perhaps only the ideal in the opinion of a relatively small group who authored the bible.

schmendeler said:

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Win At Life said:

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I read a piece by an Israeli archeologist who acted like he discovered an amazing fact that Jews of the first temple period were not monotheistic, due to found inscriptions including "YHWH and Ashera". My thought was, that's not a new discovery. That's exactly what the bible tells us the Jews did - mixed worship of YHWH with pagan gods.

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but i think you would agree that the text of the bible makes it seem like these were aberrant practices deviating from the norm, rather than business as usual (which the evidence suggests is the case) that the bible writers were trying to stamp out.

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Not at all. Absolutely not at all. Read your bible. Read the warnings in Deuteronomy, read Joshua, Judges, Kings, Chronicles, all the prophets. King after king after king after king did evil in the site of YHWH and led the people astray. Even the great King Solomon worshiped in the pagan "high places." Few were there who kept true to YHWH's Words. That's the history of mankind and one of the major themes of the bible.

Win At Life said:

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schmendeler said:

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Win At Life said:

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I read a piece by an Israeli archeologist who acted like he discovered an amazing fact that Jews of the first temple period were not monotheistic, due to found inscriptions including "YHWH and Ashera". My thought was, that's not a new discovery. That's exactly what the bible tells us the Jews did - mixed worship of YHWH with pagan gods.

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but i think you would agree that the text of the bible makes it seem like these were aberrant practices deviating from the norm, rather than business as usual (which the evidence suggests is the case) that the bible writers were trying to stamp out.

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Not at all. Absolutely not at all. Read your bible. Read the warnings in Deuteronomy, read Joshua, Judges, Kings, Chronicles, all the prophets. King after king after king after king did evil in the site of YHWH and led the people astray. Even the great King Solomon worshiped in the pagan "high places." Few were there who kept true to YHWH's Words. That's the history of mankind and one of the major themes of the bible.

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if pantheistic worship was the norm for the early jewish people, then it seems strange to claim that they were "led astray". abandoning ashera to focus only on yahweh would be going astray. the authors of the bible seemed to be trying to portray their view of "yahweh only" worship to be the right way of doing things (manufacturing moral superiority), which, based on the evidence seems to be a novel concept and contrary to accepted jewish practice at the time.

https://evolutionnews.org/2017/07/for-culturally-illiterate-science-reporters-ancient-canaanite-dna-yields-occasion-to-slap-the-bible-around/

I'm not usually going to link a site called evolutionnews.org, but this guys rips these terrible articles apart

I love (sarcism) how that article starts. GIves you some red meat at beginning to read the article- bible is wrong- because we found (5) skeletons from thousands of years ago that have some Cannite genes. And then later we get the real answer:

So does the new study show that there was no war between the Israelites and the Canaanites? Not necessarily, says Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute geneticist Chris Tyler-Smith, who worked with Haber. Genes don't always track conflict. "You can have genetically similar or indistinguishable populations that are culturally very different and don't get on with one another at all," Tyler-Smith says. This might have been the case with the Israelites and the Canaanitessimilar genes, but sworn enemies.


1) Bible is clear- not all Cannites were killed.
2) Jews were sleeping with everyone. See Kings man wives, see the many complaints about the foreign wives leading the men astray to false worship. Win is correct.

3) Side point- "Archaeological data suggests that Canaanite cities were never destroyed or abandoned". I never understood this claim with archaeology. Typically people took over where people used to live. Thus the walls would be repaired. People lived on hill- protection, near water. So we see society after society building on top of one another and also living where the other people lived. Note: if new culture moved in would expect to see different artifacts.

This is one of many examples of God keeping his promises. This excerpt is when Moses sees the Burning Bush on Mount. Horeb (Mt. SINAI) and God calls him into action to lead his people to the promised land.

Exodus 3 7-8 - But the LORD said: I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry against their taskmasters, so I know well what they are suffering. 8Therefore I have come down* to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them up from that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Girga****es, the Hivites and the Jebusites.

Now in this next verse- Joshua who was the leader after Moses, is speaking on behalf of God about all the things God has done for them (he lists how God has been there since Abraham to their current time in the promised land, helping them out). Here is abbreviated version of Joshua's message.

Josuha 24:6-13 - ....... Once you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, the men of Jericho fought against you, but I delivered them also into your power. And I sent the hornets ahead of you that drove them (the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girga****es, Hivites and Jebusites) out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow." "I gave you a land that you had not tilled and cities that you had not built, to dwell in; you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant."

What I find interesting in this passage is how God goes well beyond what was expected, not only does he keep his promise, he far exceeds what was expected. It was a land that was fully developed, ready to use. Note: In bible the Jews did have to fight and battle to claim the promise land.

ramblin_ag02 said:

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https://evolutionnews.org/2017/07/for-culturally-illiterate-science-reporters-ancient-canaanite-dna-yields-occasion-to-slap-the-bible-around/

I'm not usually going to link a site called evolutionnews.org, but this guys rips these terrible articles apart

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evolutionnews.org is ran by Discovery Institute.

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The Discovery Institute is a politically conservative non-profit think tank based in Seattle, Washington, best known for its advocacy of the pseudoscientific principle of intelligent design.

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