Bee hives in Israel: new archeological evidence

Here’s an interesting article about bee-keeping in Biblical times! Apparently there was no actual archeological evidence of this practice, until three years ago. Some of the main points in the article are quoted below:

“Ancient bees found in Israel hailed from Turkey
The origin of insects found in clay beehives in the Jordan Valley, the oldest known commercial beekeeping facility in the world, suggests extensive trading and complicated agriculture 3,000 years ago...

..three years ago, researchers found a 3,000-year-old apiary [bee hive] in the Iron Age city of Tel Rehov in the Jordan Valley, the oldest known commercial beekeeping facility in the world...

..The lack of archaeological evidence about beekeeping is not surprising, Mazar [1] said, because the hives were constructed of straw-based unbaked clay similar in appearance to hives used in the region today. Even in the arid desert of Israel, such unbaked clays do not survive for long...

...The Israelites prized honeybees for the honey they produced and for the wax of their combs, which was used in metallurgical casting. Mazar and his colleagues suspect that there may have been bronze-casting workshops near the apiary, but have yet to discover any...”

[1]
archaeologist Amihai Mazar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The full article, from the Los Angeles Times, can be read here:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/08/science/la-sci-ancient-bees-20100608

Here’s a quote from the ISBE about bees, for those interested:

“Bee
Honey is mentioned many times in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, but the word "bee" occurs only four times, and only one of the four times in connection with honey in the story of Samson (Judges 14:8). Both wild and domesticated bees are found today in Palestine, but it is not clear that bees were kept in Bible times, although it would seem very probable. The frequently recurring phrase, "a land flowing with milk and honey," certainly suggests that the honey as well as the milk is a domestic product. The hives now in use are very primitive and wasteful as compared with hives that are made in Europe and America. Sometimes a large water jar is used. More frequently a cylinder about 3 or 4 ft. long and 6 inches in diameter is constructed of mulberry withes plaited together and plastered with mud or cow dung. A number of these cylinders are placed horizontally, being piled up together under some rude structure which serves as a protection from the direct rays of the sun. In the passage already cited it is related that Samson found a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion which he had killed on his previous visit. We are not told how much time had intervened, but it does not take long in the dry climate of Palestine for scavenging beasts and insects to strip the flesh from the bones and make the skeleton a possible home for a swarm of bees. The other three passages refer to the offensive power of bees. In Deuteronomy 1:44, in the speech of Moses he says, "The Amorites chased you, as bees do"; in Psalms 118:12, the psalmist says, "They compassed me about like bees"; in Isaiah 7:18, the bee is the type of the chastisement that the Lord will bring from the land of Assyria.
- Alfred Ely Day”
(Source: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

But God doesn’t give the seed...does He?

I read 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 this morning (which you can see below), which is a figure of speech about farmers sowing & harvesting crops.

What struck me about the passage?
It was the thought that Christians CREDIT GOD with the provision of seeds for a farmer to sow; that we credit God with making the seeds grow & produce a harvest & that we credit God (& give thanks to Him) for enabling the farmer to grind the harvested seeds to make bread to eat. All of that is seen as “evidence” for holding the view that their is a God who cares & provides for us.

For atheists, evolutionists, & people who do not believe in a supreme being, they see EXACTLY the same information (seeds, plant growth, harvest, bread) but they do not credit a supreme being with any involvement in any of that.

So what struck me about this passage?... It was simply the fact that EXACTLY THE SAME information or “evidence” can be seen by different people, of different convictions, & INTERPRETED IN TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAYS. It was the realisation that there is probably no “evidence” at all which can categorically prove one thing to be absolutely true, beyond all doubt... simply because someone else can come along & interpret the same data in a completely different way.

I suppose that is why INFORMATION & EVIDENCE, of itself, can be unconvincing in support of one persons views, simply because exactly the same data can be interpreted in exactly the opposite direction, as a counter-argument! So, for me (a Christian), the existence of seeds, plants, the mystery of plant growth, harvesting & bread are all “evidence” of the existence of a loving & caring God. But I realise that EXACTLY THE SAME information or “evidence” (seeds, plant growth, harvest, bread) can be given a completely different interpretation by atheists & evolutionists, who would see that as evidence of their views on the non-existence of God & proof of their evolutionary ideas.

So it’s all really a matter of how we interpret the data we have. This is probably obvious to everyone else, but it was interesting for me to note this, this morning!
And for me personally, I’m still more than happy to interpret the data (of seeds, plant growth, harvest, bread, etc) as “evidence” for the existence of a loving, caring God who wants the very best for us.


2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NLT)
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”[1] 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” [2]
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity [3] in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem [4] will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.

[1] Prov 22:8.
[2] Ps 112:9.
[3] Greek: righteousness.
[4] Greek: of God’s holy people.