Sakey ya Agnibase’d Biblia ya Anukoy ed Totoon Tatawagen ya Israel

DIAD Cairo Museum ed Ehipto, walay sakey a labra na baton granite a mangipapanonot ed saray impanbiktorya nen Faraon Merneptah. Unong ed kalkulasyon na saray iskolar, sayan koma-13 ya ilalak nen Ramses II so nanuley ed baetan na manga 1212 tan 1202 B.C.E.—diad saginonor a peryodo na saray Ukom ed kadaanan ya Israel. Oniay nabasa ed unor a duaran linya ed labra nen Merneptah: Sinamsam so Canaan ed pirmin irap. Inala so Ashkelon, kinubkob so Gezer, [tan] sigpot a dineral so Yano‘am. Say Israel et nankibalatar, anggapo lay bini to.”

Anto so kabaliksan na salitan “Israel” ed sayan konteksto? Diad istiloy panagsulat a panamegley na litrato (hieroglyphics), walaray agnibalikas a karakter, a niarum ed espeling pian nipatnag so kategorya na saratan a salita. Oniay isasalaysay na palapagan a The Rise of Ancient Israel: “Nisuldong ed talora ed saray apatiran termino—Ashkelon, Gezer tan Yanoam—so kaaruman a karakter a mangibabaga ed sikatayo a saratan et syudades. . . . Balet say nisuldong a kaaruman a karakter ed Israel et parad totoo.”—Kien mi iray italiko.

Anto so kabaliksan na sayan teksto? Oniay ebat nen Hershel Shanks, sakey ya editor tan autor: “Ipapanengneng na Merneptah Stele a walay totoon tatawagen ya Israel nen 1212 B.C.E. tan sikaray aglambengat kabat na faraon na Ehipto, noagta liknaen to met a makatunongan so panlastog ton atalo to ira ed bakal.” Oniay inkomento nen William G. Dever, propesor na arkeolohiya ed Near Eastern: “Malinlinew so ibabaga ed sikatayo na labra nen Merneptah: Talagan walaray totoo ed Canaan a tatawagen day inkasikaran ‘Israel,’ kanian ‘Israel’ so impanawag ed sikara na saray Ehipsio—a siansia nin agmalabay a manuporta ed biblia, tan agnayarin gawa-gawa da lambengat so ontan ya espisipiko tan nikadkaduman totoo ya ‘Israel’ parad dili ran propaganda.”

Diad Biblia et primeron asalambit so Israel bilang ngaran ya initer ed patriarkan si Jacob. Saray kailalakan na 12 ilalak nen Jacob so akabkabat bilang “saray anak na Israel.” (Genesis 32:22–28, 32; 35:9, 10) Pigaran taon ed saginonor, parehon inusar nen Moises tan say Faraon na Ehipto so salitan “Israel” pian tukoyen irayan kailalakan nen Jacob. (Exodo 5:1, 2) Say labra nen Merneptah so sankaunaan a kabkabat ya agnibase’d Biblia ya anukoy ed totoon tatawagen ya Israel.

[Saray litrato ed pahina 24]

Labra nen Merneptah

Say impantetekep a taloran karakter (manlapud kawanan a manpakawigi), salanti, sakey a palitek tan akayurong a laki tan bii, so mangipabidbir ed Israel bilang sankailin totoo

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Egyptian National Museum, Cairo, Ehipto/Giraudon/The Bridgeman Art Library