Page 1 - Good News February 2007 paper

rchaeology has been found to support blinded by the Philistines, he
yet another Biblical story - the account was put to work grinding grain
Aof mighty Samson and his death in a as a beast of burden. The story
Philistine temple. Samson, you may recall, was of Samson concludes in
the Israelite hero whose strength was Judges 16:23-30: “Now the
legendary among the Israelites and their lords of the Philistines
enemies, the Philistines. Tricked, captured and gathered together to offer a
great sacrifice to Dagon their
god, and to rejoice... So it
happened, when their hearts
were merry, that they said, ‘Call Two circular pillar bases of the Philistine
for Samson, that he may temple at Tell Qasile are close enough
perform for us.’ So they called together that a large man could press against
for Samson from the prison, both pillars at once - exactly as described in
and he performed for them. the Biblical account of Samson.
And they stationed him
between the pillars... Continued on p. 8
“And Samson took hold of the
two middle pillars which
supported the temple, and he
braced himself against them,
one on his right and the other
on his left. Then Samson said,
‘Let me die with the Philis-
tines!’ And he pushed with all
his might, and the temple fell
on the lords and all the people
who were in it. So the dead that