《但丘铭文》与以色列古史研究的现实面向

The Tel Dan Inscription and Realistic Facets of Research on Ancient Israel History

《但丘铭文》是近几十年来以色列古史研究领域最重要的考古发现,为人们研究早期亚兰国家的扩张以及大马士革与以色列的争端提供了史料。《但丘铭文》广受关注的最重要原因是文中的“bytdwd”(大卫家)及其与古代以色列早期历史的密切关联。围绕“大卫家”与圣经历史叙述可信性的关系,以色列古史学者中的“极大主义者”和“极小主义者”进行了针锋相对的争论。其中,有些论争已经超出了学术范畴。部分西方学者的政治立场、个人信仰乃至利益纠葛已经影响了铁器时代巴勒斯坦地区的历史与考古领域的定位、功能及规范。因此,《但丘铭文》也为人们展示了“以色列古史”背后丰富的现实面向。

The Tel Dan Inscription is one of the most significant archaeological findings pertaining to the study of ancient Israel in recent decades, constituting an important historical source on the expansion of early Aramean polities and the conflicts between the Kingdom of Damascus and the Kingdom of Northern Israel. Most prominently, the phrase “bytdwd” in the inscription has attracted much attention due to its close links with the history of early Israel. Scholars labeled as “maximalists” and “minimalists” have long debated the interpretation of “bytdwd” and the historicity of relevant biblical accounts. Some of their disputes, it should be noted, may have been colored by one’s political and religious interests, which has in turn affected the status, goals and paradigms of the history and archaeology of Iron Age Palestine as a discipline. Therefore, the relevance of the Tel Dan Inscription to the understanding of contemporary issues should not be overlooked by Chinese academia.