Why Are Richer Countries Less Religious? By Joshua Keating.

Why are richer countries less religious? By Joshua Keating. Foreign Policy, June 13, 2013.

“Secularization of Consciousness” or Alternative Opportunities? The Impact of Economic Growth on Religious Belief and Practice in 13 European Countries. By Jochen Hirschle. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 52, No. 2 (June 2013).

The Academic Paper That Predicted the NSA Scandal. By Joshua Keating.

The academic paper that predicted the NSA scandal. By Joshua Keating. Foreign Policy, June 11, 2013.

Unique in the crowd: The privacy bounds of human mobility. By Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye et al. Nature Scientific Reports, March 25, 2013. PDF.

Is Edward Snowden a Chinese Agent? By John Reed.

House intel committee wants to know if Edward Snowden works for China. By John Reed. Foreign Policy, June 13, 2013.

Edward Snowden: US government has been hacking Hong Kong and China for years. By Lana Lam. South China Morning Post, June 13, 2013. Also here.

Edward Snowden Tells South China Morning Post: U.S. Has Been Hacking Hong Kong And China Since 2009. By Rebecca Shapiro. The Huffington Post, June 13, 2013.

Who Destroyed Canaanite Hazor? By Amnon Ben-Tor.

Façade of the restored six-chambered gate from the time of King Solomon at Hazor, 10th century BC; in the background in the far left: the roof above the ceremonial palace.

Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and struck its king down with the sword. Before that time Hazor was the head of all those kingdoms. And they put to the sword all who were in it, utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed, and he burned Hazor with fire.

—Joshua 11:10-11. New Revised Standard Version


Who Destroyed Canaanite Hazor? By Amnon Ben-Tor. Biblical Archaeology Review, Vol. 39, No. 4 (July/August 2013).

Ben-Tor:

If we can eliminate the Egyptians, the Sea Peoples, rival Canaanite city-states and even the local population of the city as being responsible for the fall of Hazor, who then are we left with?

The differences between the Alt and Albright schools with regard to the process of the early Israelites’ settlement in Canaan (outlined above) were discussed with much passion at the time but are of little consequence for the issue at hand. Both sides eventually agreed that Hazor was indeed destroyed by the early Israelites. Even Martin Noth, the greatest exponent of Alt’s school of thought, admits to a link between the capture of Hazor and Joshua 11:10. Both sides thus agree on the “who”—the early Israelites—but still differ with regard to the “how”—the nature of the process by which the early Israelites took possession of, and eventually settled in, the Land of Canaan.

An array of publications by various scholars over the years, trying to determine who was responsible for the downfall of Hazor, indicates a tendency to attribute the site’s destruction to anyone except the ones specifically mentioned in the Bible as having done so.

As clearly shown by the famous Merneptah Stele, dated to the last decade of the 13th century B.C.E., the Israelites were present in Canaan at this time. They must have arrived some time before their encounter with Merneptah, the Egyptian pharaoh. Some prefer to call this group “proto-Israelites,” but there is no reason for this. If the term “Israel” was good enough for Pharaoh Merneptah to designate this particular group of people, it should be good enough for us. Indeed, those Israelites were still largely a seminomadic society, and their national identity was not exactly the same as that of Israel in the ninth century B.C.E. A lot of changes occurred during the three centuries separating their presence in the region in the 13th century B.C.E. from the foundation of the Kingdom of Israel. Certain groups from among the local population must have been absorbed into Israel, while others left. The same is true for other national groups: The Americans of today are certainly different from those two centuries ago, and even more so the Israelis of today are very different from those who were in the country just 65 years ago when the State of Israel was founded. Such changes do not justify considering the Israelites of Merneptah and the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Israel as two different peoples.

Biblical historiography, in particular the books of Joshua–Kings, cannot be considered a completely accurate account of the events described in them, because they are motivated by a theological and—to some extent—a political agenda. They do contain a considerable number of true historical nuclei, however, and the account of the downfall of the last Canaanite city of Hazor is very probably one of them. Left with the early Israelites as the only viable agent responsible for the destruction of Hazor, one may wonder how it was possible for such a ragtag group of people to bring down a mighty city like Hazor. We need only look at analogous instances of ancient states, and even empires, being overwhelmed by “uncivilized” tribes—for example, the destruction of the Roman Empire by Germanic tribes and the Arab conquest of Byzantine Palestine.

As for Canaan, after some 300 years under oppressive Egyptian rule, it was drained of most of its resources. Egyptian documents tell us about constant military raids, during which the pharaoh’s army lived off the land; what was not consumed or taken as tax was burned. Huge numbers of sheep, cattle and slaves were taken to Egypt as well. The various Canaanite cities were divided and poor. Most of them were not fortified, and even Canaanite Hazor’s fortifications probably went partially out of use. The constant disputes among the Canaanite city-states are clearly reflected in the 14th-century Amarna letters, which also inform us of the meager number of warriors kept by the Canaanite rulers: Requests for military assistance from neighbors often mention no more than 10 to 50 men. The decline in the 13th–12th centuries B.C.E. of all the major powers that had previously ruled the region has been documented and discussed thoroughly.

Seizing the opportunity—while the cat was away, the mice filled the power vacuum and settled all over the region at the end of the Late Bronze Age (c. 1200 B.C.E.): the Greeks in western Asia Minor, the Sea Peoples in the eastern Mediterranean, the Arameans in Syria, the Arabs in the Arabian peninsula—and the Israelites in Canaan.

Canaan of the 13th–12th centuries B.C.E. was “ripe for the taking,” and the early Israelites were in the right place at the right time. None of the other potential destroyers of Hazor can be held responsible. The early Israelites were in the region at the time, and they are the only ones who have a record of doing the deed. They should therefore be credited with having brought down Canaanite Hazor.



Hazor Excavations’ Amnon Ben-Tor Reveals Who Conquered Biblical Canaanites. Bible History Daily, July 5, 2013.

Fragment of ancient Egyptian sphinx discovered at Hazor. By Eli Ashkenazi. Haaretz, July 10, 2013.
 
Scorched Wheat May Provide Answers on the Destruction of Canaanite Tel Hazor. By Noah Wiener. Bible History Daily, July 24, 2012.

3,000-year-old wheat traces said to support biblical account of Israelite conquest. By Asher Zeiger. The Times of Israel, July 23, 2012.

A bronze statue of a Canaanite king from Hazor.

Hazor: “The Head of All Those Kingdoms.” By Abraham Malamat. Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 79, No. 1 (March 1960).

Hazor and the Archaeology of the Tenth Century BCE. By Amnon Ben-Tor and Doron Ben-Ami. Israel Exploration Journal, Vol. 48, Nos. 1-2 (1998).

Hazor—A City State Between the Major Powers. By Christa Schäfer-Lichtenberger. Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament, Vol. 15, No. 1 (2001).

Anatomy of a Destruction: Crisis Architecture, Termination Rituals and the Fall of Canaanite Hazor. By Sharon Zuckerman. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, Vol. 20 (2007).

“. . Slaying Oxen and Killing Sheep, Eating Flesh and Drinking Wine . .”: Feasting in Late Bronze Age Hazor. By Sharon Zuckerman. Palestine Exploration Quarterly, Vol. 139, No. 3 (November 2007).

The Renewed Hazor Excavations. By Amnon Ben-Tor. Near Eastern Archaeology, Vol. 76, No. 2 (June 2013).

The Merneptah Stele. Cairo Museum

Israel in the Merneptah Stela. By Michael G. Hasel. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 296 (November 1994). Revised version here.

Israel in Merenptah’s Inscriptions and Reliefs. By Anson F. Rainey. Israel Exploration Journal, Vol. 51, No. 1 (2001).

Archaeologist Amnon Ben-Tor Explains Hazor on Site. Video. Galyn Wiemers, July 10, 2012. YouTube.




Israelite Conquest of Canaan Debated. National Geographic. Video. digkabri, September 29, 2007. YouTube.




[Download the articles on Hazor from Near Eastern Archaeology, June 2013, when it becomes available on Academic Search Complete/EBSCO]

The Palestinian Authority’s Reign of Terror. By Khaled Abu Toameh.

The Palestinian Authority’s Reign of Terror. By Khaled Abu Toameh. Real Clear World, June 13, 2013. Also at Gatestone Institute.

Palestinians Need Tough Talk From Europe. By David Makovsky. New York Times, June 14, 2013.

Rick Perry’s War on the Blue States. By Elise Hu.

Rick Perry’s War On The Blue States. By Elise Hu. NPR, June 12, 2013.

Revenge or Revival, Perry Raids Blue State Jobs With New Vigor. By Hilary Hylton Austin. Time, June 17, 2013.

Rick Perry suggests Big Apple bites in radio ad aimed at luring New York jobs to Texas. By Christy Hoppe. Dallas Morning News, June 12, 2013. Audio at YouTube.



Answer the Call . . . Texas Wide Open for Business.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry: Americans have no right to freedom from religion. By Eric W. Dolan. The Raw Story, June 13, 2013.

Texas is Calling. Video. Governor Perry, June 10, 2013. YouTube.

Religion and Inequality. By David Brooks.

Religion and Inequality. By David Brooks. New York Times, June 13, 2013.

Religious Decline is Bad for All of Us. By Walter Russell Mead. Via Meadia, June 14, 2013.

On Non-Academic Job Market, a PhD is a Visa, Not a Passport. By David Austin Walsh and Alexandra Lord.

On Non-Academic Job Market, Your PhD is a Visa, Not a Passport. By David Austin Walsh and Alexandra Lord. History News Network, June 14, 2013.

No Need to Say Kaddish for a Jewish State. By Jonathan S. Tobin.

No Need to Say Kaddish for a Jewish State. By Jonathan S. Tobin. Commentary, June 12, 2013.

U.S. Jewish author Leon Wieseltier: Jewish state won’t last unless Israeli-Palestinian conflict solved. AP. Haaretz, June 10, 2013. Also here.

Leon Wieseltier: “I am a human being before I am a Jew.” By Maya Sela. Haaretz, June 14, 2013.

Even Israel’s Far Left Thinks EU-Kerry Approach Is Wrong. By Evelyn Gordon. Commentary, June 13, 2013.

Kerry’s flawed diplomacy only strengthens Israeli and Palestinian hardliners. By David Landau. Haaretz, June 2, 2013.

An open letter to Mahmoud Abbas: Save the two-state solution. By Carlo Strenger. Haaretz, June 11, 2013.

Netanyahu Not Really Considering Two-State Solution, Says Danon. By Shlomi Eldar. Al-Monitor, June 11, 2013.

The GOP’s Moron Factor. By Jonathan S. Tobin.

The GOP’s Moron Factor. By Jonathan S. Tobin. Commentary, June 13, 2013.

Trent Franks’s abortion claim and the manly Republican Party. By Dana Milbank. Washington Post, June 12, 2013.

Trent Franks: “Incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low.” By Kathryn Smith and Ginger Gibson. Politico, June 13, 2013.

Trent Franks(R-AZ): GOP Rep. Repeats Claim About “Very Low” Pregnancies Due to Rape. Video. politicalarticles, June 13, 2013. YouTube.

Obama, Trust, and the NSA. By Mark Alexander.

It’s the Profiling, Stupid! Obama, Trust and the NSA. By Mark Alexander. The Patriot Post, June 13, 2013.

Tyranny? What Tyranny? Liberty Lesson 101 for the Class of 2013. By Mark Alexander. The Patriot Post, May 9, 2013.

The Sickening Snowden Backlash. By Kirsten Powers.

The Sickening Snowden Backlash. By Kirsten Powers. The Daily Beast, June 14, 2013.

Cary Nelson: MOOCs Threaten the Viability of Academia as a Career. By David Austin Walsh.

Cary Neslon: “Being a Professor Will No Longer Be a Viable Career.” By David Austin Walsh. History News Network, June 13, 2013.

The 20 Hottest Conservative Women in the New Media. By John Hawkins.

The 20 Hottest Conservative Women In The New Media (2013 Edition). By John Hawkins. Right Wing News, June 14, 2013.

Stop Apologizing for What Makes America Great. By Roger Ailes.

Stop Apologizing for What Makes America Great. By Roger Ailes. Real Clear Politics, June 13, 2013.

Fox News Chairman Ailes awarded Bradley Prize. By Roger Ailes. FoxNews.com, June 12, 2013. Also here.

Roger Ailes wows conservatives in accepting Bradley Prize. By Paul Farhi. Washington Post, June 13, 2013.

Roger Ailes and the Bradley Prizes. By John Fund. National Review Online, June 14, 2013.

In Kennedy Center Speech, Roger Ailes Gets Wild. By Gabriel Sherman. New York Magazine, June 13, 2013.

Fox’s Roger Ailes Seizes the Moment. By Justin McLachlan. Mediabistro, June 13, 2013.

Roger Ailes’ Kennedy Center Speech Translated. By Chris O’Shea. Mediabistro, June 13, 2013.

The Poisoning of Patriotism. By Michael Gerson.

The Poisoning of Patriotism. By Michael Gerson. Real Clear Politics, June 14, 2013. Also at the Washington Post.

WashPost’s Michael Gerson Slashes Limbaugh, Levin, and Ron Paul; Levin Responds to NewsBusters. By Tim Graham. NewsBusters, June 14, 2013.

Establishment Republicans Paint Us as Reactionary, Unpatriotic Extremists. By Rush Limbaugh. RushLimbaugh.com, June 14, 2013.

Glenn Greenwald and the Anti-American Conspiratorial Tradition. By Adam Levick.

Glenn Greenwald and the Anti-American Conspiratorial Tradition. By Adam Levick. PJ Media, June 13, 2013.

Obama’s Real NSA Antagonist Is Glenn Greenwald. By Carl M. Cannon. Real Clear Politics, June 14, 2013.

Egypt’s Summer of Jew Hatred. By Sohrab Ahmari.

Egypt’s Summer of Jew Hatred. By Sohrab Ahmari. Wall Street Journal, June 11, 2013.

WSJ reports on “Khaybar” antisemitic miniseries (UPDATES). The Elder of Ziyon, June 12, 2013. With video of Egypt’s DreamTV news segment on the film in Arabic. YouTube.

The NSA Scandal and Obama’s War Strategy. By Walter Russell Mead.

Public Peace, Secret War: The Snooping Scandals and The President’s War Strategy. By Walter Russell Mead. Via Meadia, June 6, 2013.

Americans to US Government: Snoop, Baby, Snoop! By Walter Russell Mead. Via Meadia, June 12, 2013.

Dollarocracy: Politicians Are Data Mining the American Electorate. By John Nichols.

Not Just the NSA: Politicians Are Data Mining the American Electorate. By John Nichols. The Nation, June 11, 2013.

John Nichols: Data Mining American Voters. Video. videonation, June 13, 2013. YouTube.

Michael Lind vs. Ben Domenech on Libertarianism.

The question libertarians just can’t answer. By Michael Lind. Salon, June 4, 2013.

Libertarians: Still a cult. By Michael Lind. Salon, June 11, 2013.

Michael Lind’s Revisionist Libertarian Smear. By Ben Domenech. Real Clear Politics, June 12, 2013.

Culture Wars—South of the Navel. By Peter Berger.

Culture Wars—South of the Navel. By Peter Berger. The American Interest, June 12, 2013.

Good Atheists? By Peter Berger. The American Interest, June 5, 2013.

America’s Vast Margin of Error. By Victor Davis Hanson.

America’s Vast Margin of Error. By Victor Davis Hanson. National Review Online, June 13, 2013.

Because the U.S. has so much going for it, it’s taking everything from education to freedoms for granted.

The West Will Miss Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. By Reza Aslan.

Missing Mahmoud. By Reza Aslan. Foreign Policy, June 12, 2013.

Aslan:

Ahmadinejad broke that clerical precedent when he trounced his opponent, Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, by painting him as a wealthy, corrupt, out-of-touch mullah with no appreciation for the common man's concerns. In contrast to the fantastically wealthy Rafsanjani, whose speeches were peppered with Arabic words and Quranic recitations, Ahmadinejad dressed simply, spoke colloquial Persian, and clothed himself in a provincial religiosity deliberately stripped of clerical learning.


Do We Have Ahmadinejad All Wrong? By Reza Aslan. The Atlantic, January 13, 2011.

Reading Ahmadinejad via Wikileaks: A Freedom Lover or a Two-Bit Dictator? By Omid Memarian. The Huffington Post, January 31, 2011.

A Little Ahmadinejad Revisionism for You. By Jeffrey Goldberg. The Atlantic, January 13, 2011.


Ahmadinejad as the Jacksonian populist of Iran challenging the out-of-touch clerical elites.

Syria: The New Problem From Hell. By Aaron David Miller.

The New Problem From Hell. By Aaron David Miller. Foreign Policy, June 11, 2013.

Obama’s options in Syria are awful. But the United States is headed for intervention anyway.


Obama’s Options in Syria Are Few and All Bad. By Walter Russell Mead. Via Meadia, June 11, 2013.

Syrian Rebels Massacre Shiites. By Walter Russell Mead. Via Meadia, June 12, 2013.

US Edging Closer to Syria War. By Walter Russell Mead. Via Meadia, June 13, 2013.

Neither Assad nor the Jihadists. By Emanuele Ottolenghi. Commentary, June 12, 2013.

Syria: Inventing a Religious War. By Toby Matthiesen. New York Review of Books Blog, June 12, 2013.

The Syria Strategy Vacuum. By Marc Lynch. Foreign Policy, June 13, 2013.

Syria deaths near 100,000, says UN – and 6,000 are children. By Ian Black. The Guardian, June 13, 2013. UN Report.