Did King David Exist?
What is at Stake with the Discovery of the 1993 Tel-Dan Stele for a Skeptical Age
The Tel-Dan Stele is a significant artifact discovered in 1993. A stele is a pillar, typically made of stone, used in the ancient world for commemorative purposes. Why is the Tel-Dan Stele so important? Before its discovery, there were no extra-biblical sources that indicated King David existed, nor was there any indication that David’s family established a ruling monarchy as a political entity among the Israelites. In light of the earlier lack of extrabiblical sources, late 19th- and 20th-century academics challenged the notion that David was a historical figure, despite verifiable evidence of David’s grandson, Rehoboam, fortifying Bethlehem with a wall in the 10th century BC. The discovery of the Tel-Dan Stele bearing the inscription “The House of David” overturned the consensus of biblical scholarship. There was now archaeological evidence with David’s royal house in stone, dated 150 years after David’s death, for all the world to see.
